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 Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 13 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 and 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 4506271 A Gonzalez; Brian L.
Regarding claim 1, Gonzalez teaches, a deployable structure, comprising: a plurality of modular deployable structures (elements 17-24), wherein each of the plurality of modular deployable structures are separate structures from each of another of the plurality of modular deployable structures (elements 17-24), and each of the plurality of modular deployable structures are separately deployable from a collapsed configuration to an expanded configuration when separated (cols. 3-4, lines 61-12).
Regarding claim 2, Gonzalez teaches, the deployable structure of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of modular deployable structures comprises an attachment feature configured to attach with the attachment feature of another of the plurality of modular deployable structures (fig. 5).
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 20190144141 A1 Barnes; Nathaniel C. et al.
Regarding claim 13, Barns teaches, a method of deploying a deployable structure, comprising: launching (para 0034) a plurality of modular deployable structures (fig. 2, elements 212, 214, 216, 218) to a deployment location (para 0034), wherein each of the plurality of modular deployable structures are separate structures from each of another of the plurality of modular deployable structures (fig. 2, elements 212, 214, 216, 218), and each of the plurality of modular deployable structures are separately deployable from a collapsed configuration to an expanded configuration when separated (fig. 3A-3C); coupling the plurality of modular deployable structures together to form the deployable structure (para 0015); and deploying the deployable structure from a collapsed configuration to a deployed configuration (figs. 4A-4C para 0030).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-12 and 14-15 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Prior art Gonzalez teaches separately deployable structures from a collapsed position with attachment features, but fails to teach, “wherein the attachment feature comprises a mated surface configured to correspond to another mated surface of another attachment feature… are configured for ultrasonic welding” or “a perimeter frame, wherein the perimeter frame is collapsible and expandable between a stowed configuration having a reduced volume and a deployed configuration having an expanded volume relative to the reduced volume”.
Prior art Barns teaches, method of deploying, comprising launching a plurality of modular structures, but fails to teach, “wherein the launch of the plurality of modular deployable structures includes storing each of the plurality of modular deployable structures in separate payloads”. Alone or in combination with the prior art of record, it would not have been obvious to meet the overall claim without impermissible hindsight.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/C.M.C/
Examiner
Art Unit 3642
/JOSHUA J MICHENER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3642
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