DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In paragraph 0008, line 5, “spiced” should read “spliced”.
In paragraph 0011, line 5, “subsequent sun subsequent” should read “subsequent sun umbrella”.
In paragraph 0030, line 1, “two board bodies” has been mislabeled to reference “2” instead of “12” in the figures.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1, the phrase "ringlike" renders the claim indefinite because the claim includes elements not actually disclosed (those encompassed by "ringlike"), thereby rendering the scope of the claim(s) unascertainable. See MPEP § 2173.05(d). More specifically, claim 1 recites a “ringlike connecting frame” in line 2 and a “ringlike fixing frame” in line 7. The term “ringlike” denotes a shape that is nearly circular or rounded without corners, as one of ordinary skill in the art would understand.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim 1-3 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (U.S. Pub No. US 2025/0176705) in view of Lin (Taiwanese Patent No. TW M536888U).
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Regarding claim 1, Chen teaches a disassemblable table (fig. 2) comprising a table board (Chen Fig. 1, table top 3), a plurality of legs (Chen Fig. 1, table legs 4), a ringlike connecting frame (Chen Fig. 1, square reinforcement frame 11), and a U-shaped connecting clip (see annotated Fig. 2 below, depicted as item Z).
Chen fails to teach a ringlike fixing frame that is bolted and locked through fasteners to the table legs. However, Lin teaches a ringlike fixing frame (Lin, see annotated figure below, depicted as items X and Y) that is bolted and locked through fasteners to the upper end of each of the table legs.
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Chen and Lin are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are both in the same field of table design. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Chen to incorporate the teachings of Lin and provide a ringlike fixing frame as doing so would predictably result in an increased stability and structural support to the table legs yielding an improvement in the overall rigidity of the table.
With respect to claim 2, Chen teaches a table board with at least two board bodies (Chen Fig. 1, first table plate 1 and second table plate 2) and a plurality of strip boards (Chen Fig. 10, rectangular panel 6).
With respect to claim 3, Chen teaches a connecting portion (Chen Fig. 5, connecting pipe 8) that is used to join both board bodies together and bolted and locked through the fasteners.
Chen fails to teach a stiffener that is disposed along a width direction of each of the strip boards and fixedly connected with the connecting rod and is fixedly disposed on the bottom face of each of the board bodies. However, Lin teaches a stiffener (Lin, see annotated figure below, depicted as item Z).
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It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Chen to incorporate the teachings of Lin and provide a stiffener as doing so would impart structural integrity and stability to the U-shaped connecting rods and the table assembly overall.
With respect to claim 5, Chen teaches an umbrella port (Chen Fig. 8, through-hole 10), a limiting frame (Chen Fig. 6, bracket 12) in which a limiting port (Chen Fig. 1, through-hole 13) is formed is provided in the connecting frame, and the limiting port is located just below the umbrella port.
Claim 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (U.S. Pub No. US 2025/0176705) in view of Zheng (U.S. Pub No. US 2024/0398108).
Regarding claim 4, Chen teaches an outer edge board (Chen Fig. 10, S-frame 5) extending from one end of the board body to the other end of the board body.
Chen fails to teach locking sheets that are joined with the two outer edge boards and bolted and locked through the fasteners. However, Zheng teaches locking sheets (Zheng Fig. 2, rectangular connecting piece 7).
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Chen to incorporate the teachings of Zheng and provide locking sheets as doing so would provide a means of securing the board bodies to one another preventing separation and maintaining the structural cohesion of the table assembly.
Claim 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (U.S. Pub No. US 2025/0176705) in view of Warren (U.S. Pub No. US 2023/0383951).
Regarding claim 6, Chen fails to teach a limiting ring on the bottom face of the strip board and disposed around the umbrella port. However, Warren teaches a limiting ring (Warren Fig. 9, hollow collar 270).
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Chen to incorporate the teachings of Warren and provide a limiting ring as doing so would provide additional support and improved alignment guidance for an umbrella inserted through the umbrella port yielding an improvement in overall function of the table assembly.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kursat Acar whose telephone number is (571)270-3350. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs 6:30am-4pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Daniel Troy can be reached at (571) 270-3742. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KURSAT ACAR/Examiner, Art Unit 3637
/DANIEL J TROY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3637
