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 .
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s amendment, filed 23 June 2026, is reviewed and entered. This Office Action is a final rejection.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Status of Claims
Amended
1, 4, 11
Canceled
5, 9-10, 12-13
Pending
1-4, 6-8, 11, and 14-18
Presented for Examination
1-4, 6-8, 11, and 14-18
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 23 June 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Drawing Objections, Specification Objections, 112(a) Rejections, 102 Rejections
Overcome by the claim amendments and withdrawn.
The arguments are drawn to the newly amended subject matter of claim 1, which is addressed in the rejection below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claim(s) 1-4, 6-8, 11, and 14-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goldsmith (US 5551083 A) in view of Phillips (US 20030039819 A1).
As to claim 1, Goldsmith discloses a goalkeeper catching glove (“Sports catch glove with stiffener having a dish shape,” title) comprising:
a front portion (FIG 2, see annotated FIG 2 below) defining a cuff region, a thumb region, a finger region, and a palm region,
the palm region extending between the thumb region and the finger region (FIG 2), and between the cuff region and the finger region (FIG 2),
the front portion comprising a unitary impact resistant member (stiffener 50), the unitary impact resistant member spanning at least a majority of the thumb region, at least a majority of the finger region, and at least a majority of the palm region (the claims do not define any boundaries of the regions, so the boundaries of the regions are left up to interpretation, and in this interpretation, the regions of the front portion are sized and located such that 50 spans the entirety of the thumb, finger, and palm regions and a portion of the cuff region), the unitary impact resistant member being a plastic unitary impact resistant member (col 3 line 30-35), the unitary impact resistant member being a single part or an integral part (50 is considered to be a single part as shown in FIG 7 and is also integral to the glove);
the front portion comprising a facing laminated to a front of the unitary impact resistant member (col 4 line 35-40 discloses hinge pad 48 which is equivalent to the claimed facing; col 4 line 40-50 discloses 48 is glued to a front of 50; see modification below regarding “laminated”), and
the front portion comprising a foam backing laminated to a back of the unitary impact resistant member (col 4 line 35-40 discloses shock absorbing pad 45 which is equivalent to the claimed backing; see modification below regarding “foam;” col 4 line 40-50 discloses 45 is glued to a back of 50; see modification below regarding “laminated”);
a rear portion connected to the front portion (FIG 1), the front portion and the rear portion defining therebetween a space for receiving a hand of a goalkeeper (FIGS 5-6); and
a trap connected to at least one of the front portion or the rear portion (see annotated FIG 2 below), the trap extending in a gap defined between the thumb region and the finger region (FIG 2, the gap is occupied by the trap), the trap extending between distal portions of the thumb region and the finger region (FIG 2), the trap being configured for catching a hockey puck therein (capable of catching and intended to catch, see col 3 line 5-10).
Goldsmith does not expressly disclose the backing is a foam backing, the facing laminated to the front of the unitary impact resistant member, or the backing laminated to the back of the unitary impact resistant member.
Goldsmith discloses 45 is a shock absorbing pad, and it is known to providing foam for shock absorption. Furthermore, Goldsmith col 4 line 45-50 discloses “Shock absorbing pad 45 could also be made of a closed-cell, cross-linked polyurethane material known under the brand name PLASEIZOTE.TM.” Although Examiner was unable to determine what material “PLASEIZOTE” is, the material is “closed-cell, cross-linked polyurethane material” which suggests it is foam. For the above reasons, foam is within the scope of Goldsmith 45.
Phillips teaches a similar protective garment including foam backing 4 laminated to the back of an impact resistant member 6/8.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide the shock absorbing pad to be foam, which would obviously result in 45 being a foam backing, since it is within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. See MPEP 2144.07.
Furthermore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide the shock absorbing pad to be foam, which would obviously result in 45 being a foam backing in order to absorb and spread the impact from a projectile (Phillips para. 0012).
Goldsmith does disclose the facing and backing are laced, glued, and/ or sewn to the member (col 4 line 40-50) and at least gluing and laminating are both known means of combining two layers of material, and are functional equivalents in the art.
Phillips teaches a similar protective garment including laminating layers together (para. 0012).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to laminate the facing to the front of the member and laminate the foam backing the back of the member, in order to provide a known means of combining the two layers as Goldsmith intends, to provide a durable means of holding the layers together.
PNG
media_image1.png
724
518
media_image1.png
Greyscale
As to claim 2, Goldsmith discloses the goalkeeper catching glove of claim 1, wherein the unitary impact resistant member spans at least 95 percent of each of the thumb region, the finger region, and the palm region (see the rejection of claim 1 above).
As to claim 3, Goldsmith discloses the goalkeeper catching glove of claim 2, wherein the unitary impact resistant member spans the cuff region, the thumb region, the finger region, and the palm region (see the rejection of claim 1 above).
As to claim 4, Goldsmith discloses the goalkeeper catching glove of claim 1, wherein: the unitary impact resistant member has a rest position (the position shown in the FIGS) and is foldable between the rest position and a plurality of folded positions (along articulation axis 15, see col 3 line 15-25 and/ or along 52 and/ or 54, see col 3 line 35-50), the unitary impact resistant member biases the goalkeeper catching glove toward the rest position (FIG 7 shows the rest position for the member, the member is capable of biasing the glove toward the rest position, due to the pre-curved shape and material of the member).
As to claim 6, Goldsmith discloses the goalkeeper catching glove of claim 1,wherein a plastic of the plastic unitary impact resistant member is one of: polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) (col 3 line 30-40), PC-ABS blend, polyketone (PK), PC siloxane copolymer, PC blend, thermoplastic, thermoplastic composite, and high-density polyethylene (HDPE).
As to claim 7, Goldsmith does not disclose the goalkeeper catching glove of claim 6, wherein the plastic is PC.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide PC, since it is within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. See MPEP 2144.07.
Furthermore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide PC, to provide a plastic with the desired degree of impact resistance, durability, and shape-retaining properties.
As to claim 8, Goldsmith discloses the goalkeeper catching glove of claim 1, wherein the unitary impact resistant member is a molded unitary impact resistant member (col 4 line 15-25).
As to claim 11, Goldsmith does not disclose the goalkeeper catching glove of claim 10, wherein the facing is made from synthetic polyurethane.
Goldsmith col 4 line 35-40 does disclose the facing 48 is made from synthetic suede, and it is known to make synthetic leather from PU, so synthetic polyurethane is within the scope of the Goldsmith reference.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide synthetic PU, since it is within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. See MPEP 2144.07.
Furthermore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide synthetic PU, to provide a leather-like material that is less expensive than leather, water resistant, and of the desired weight.
As to claim 14, Goldsmith discloses the goalkeeper catching glove of claim 1, wherein the front portion further comprises an inner member connected to the unitary impact resistant member, the inner member being disposed between the unitary impact resistant member and the rear portion (20; at least a portion of 20 such as 26 in FIGS 5-6 is between the member 50 and the rear portion).
As to claim 15, Goldsmith discloses the goalkeeper catching glove of claim 14, wherein the inner member is made from foam (20; col 5 line 35-50 discloses at least a portion of 20 is neoprene which is a type of foam).
As to claim 16, Goldsmith discloses the goalkeeper catching glove of claim 1, wherein the trap comprises a webbing (see annotated FIG 2 below).
As to claim 17, Goldsmith discloses the goalkeeper catching glove of claim 16, wherein the trap further comprises a reinforcement strip connected to the webbing (see annotated FIG 2 below).
As to claim 18, Goldsmith discloses the goalkeeper catching glove of claim 17, wherein the trap further comprises an edge piece covering a peripheral edge of the reinforcement strip (see annotated FIG 2 below).
PNG
media_image2.png
780
633
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SALLY HADEN whose telephone number is (571)272-6731. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Clinton Ostrup can be reached at 571-272-5559. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
SALLY HADEN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3732
/SALLY HADEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3732
Prosecution Insights