DETAILED ACTION1
ELECTION/RESTRICTION
Claims 18-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to nonelected groups and species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Applicant's election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-17 in the reply filed on February 18, 2026 is acknowledged.
REJECTIONS UNDER 35 USC 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112:
(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.
Claims 2 & 11-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112 (b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 2 recites heat-resistant material. This is a relative term, which is presumptive indefinite because it is unclear how heat resistant the material needs to be to qualify.
Claim 11 recites a blow dryer attachment securing device that has a (1) a blow dryer, (2) and blow dryer attachment, and (3) a body. A securing device with the intended use of securing a blow dryer attachment, as recited in the preamble, cannot also include the blow dryer and the attachment as sub-elements. A blow dryer system could include all of these elements and the claim should be amended as such. Claim 12 recites a pair of reciprocating fasteners
Claim 14 recites the fastener. Parent claim 12 recites both a first and second fastener. As such, it is unclear which fastener is being referred to. Claims 12-13, and 15-17 are rejected based on their dependence.
REJECTIONS UNDER 35 USC 102
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.
Claims 1-2, 4-8, & 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by https://www.military-antiques-stockholm.com/product/ww2-japanese-army-officers-cloth-belt/
Claim 1 recites a blow dryer attachment securing device. Clothing belts have been known for centuries (possibly millennia). The cited website shows a cloth belt from the 1940’s.
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This belt has a body [with] a front surface and a back surface as well as a fastener positioning on the front surface (in the form of either the rivet or the belt loop) and a buckle component. Prior art which anticipates every feature in a claim body anticipates the claim even when made for uses other than those defined by a claim preamble. Regarding claim 2, the cloth of the belt is non-conductive and therefore may be deemed to be heat-resistant. Regarding claim 4, the belt has a loop fastener. Regarding claim 5, the front of the belt is cloth which has a texture and the portion designed to go through the buckle may be deemed a grip area. Claims 6-7 recite both a raised texture and a recessed texture. The belt shows stitching which will create small areas of raised and recessed texture around each stitch. Alternately, for purposes of claim 8, the belt surface can also be deemed as smooth since applicant has not defined how smooth is sufficient. Regarding claim 10, the belt is a long rectangular shape.
Claims 1-2, 5, 7-8, 10-12, 15, & 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VbHCHVcQeI (hereafter Tamika).
Claim 1 recites a blow dryer attachment securing device. Tamika relates so such a device as shown in the attached screenshot from the video.
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Claim 1 recites a body comprised of a front surface and a back surface; a fastener positioned on the front surface; and a buckle component. The above screenshot shows the youtuber tightening the fastener on a blow dryer attachment securing device. Specifically, the attachment has a metal hose clamp on it. The clamp has a body with an outer front surface and an inner back surface as well as a fastener in the form of the screw and worm gear. The housing also has a buckle in the form of the portion of the housing that extends around the bottom of the clamp.
Regarding claim 2, the pipe clamp of Tamika is metallic. Metal is a heat-resistant material as it will not deform (as distinct from say plastic). Regarding claims 5 and 7, the slits may be considered recessed textures and therefore anticipate both claims. Regarding claim 8, the non-slit portion of the back is a smooth surface. Regarding claim 10, when the loop of a pipe clamp is detached, it is a rectangular shape.
Claim 11 recites the same features as claim 1 and then further recites a blow dryer [and] a blow dryer attachment. Claim 11 also recites both a first [and] second fastener[s] positioned on the front surface. The screw and the worm gear housing are each a fastener and are both positioned on the front surface, as shown. The buckle is the loop around and under the bracket as before. Claim 12 recites a pair of reciprocating fasteners. The combination of the worm screw and the slits are a reciprocating fastener, as best understood. Regarding claim 15, the grip area, which constitutes the portion of the bracket that goes under the worm screw has a texture in the form of the slits. The slits are also recessed texture[s] as recited in claim 17.
Claims 1, 3, 4, 6, & 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by https://prxperformance.com/products/talon-barbell-collar?2 (hereafter Talon).
Talon teaches a barbell collar that meets the limitations of claim 1. A picture of the collar from the website is reproduced below. It shows a body [with] a front surface and a back surface as well as a fastener positioning on the front surface in the form of two protruding knobs with embedded magnets. It further shows a buckle component in the form of the accepting segment. Regarding claim 3, Talon teaches the metal interior is coated with a “flexible non-slip surface.” One of ordinary skill would infer based on this description and the pictures that it is either rubber or silicone. This also anticipates claim 9. Regarding claim 4, the fastener uses magnets. Regarding claim 6, the raised edge regions constitute a raised texture.
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REJECTIONS UNDER 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 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious3 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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 11-14 and 16 are alternately rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tamika in view of Talon.
Claim 11 recites a blow dryer attachment securing device. Tamika relates so such a device, as discussed above. Unlike, the anticipation rejection, the pipe collar is not used to teach the body. Rather, in this alternate rejection, Tamika teaches improving the grip between a hair dryer and an attachment by wrapping the nozzle of the dryer with blue masking tape. Tamika teaches that this process both increases the diameter of the nozzle, to better fit the attachment, and provides a more textured, tackier mating surface. These two features reduce the likelihood of the attachment slipping off. This is the same underlying purpose as the body of claim 1. It differs only in that it lacks a buckle and fastener.
Separately, Talon teaches a tacky, non-slip collar with buck and fastener that could also serve the function of providing additional diameter and texture to the nozzle of a hair dryer. It is obvious to apply a known technique to a known product or method, ready for improvement, to yield predictable results. See MPEP 2143(D). In this case, one of ordinary skill would recognize that other structures beyond masking tape could serve the purpose of Tamika. It would have been obvious to modify Tamika’s technique to use a structure such as that of Talon for the same purpose. Having made the modification, Talon shows a first fastener and second fastener in the form of the mating magnets and a buckle. Regarding claim 12, the fasteners are reciprocating fasteners since applicant defines magnets as such in the specification. Likewise, the magnets teach claims 13-14. Claim 16 is taught by the raised texture of the edge of the collar.
CONCLUSION
Any inquiry concerning this communication should be directed to Moshe Wilensky whose telephone number is 571-270-3257. Mr. Wilensky’s supervisor, Sunil Singh can be reached at 571-272-3460. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Examiner interviews are available via telephone or video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. Applicant may also use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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. 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.
/MOSHE WILENSKY/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3726
1 The following conventions are used in this office action. All direct claim quotations are presented in italics. All non-italic reference numerals presented with italicized claim language are from the cited prior art reference. All citations to “specification” are to the applicant’s published specification unless otherwise indicated. The use of the phrase “et al.” following a reference is used solely to refer to subsequent modifying references, and not to other listed inventors of the cited reference.
2 The Talon website was published at least as early as April 18, 2021, as evidence by the Waybackmachine website. See https://web.archive.org/web/20210418090552/https://prxperformance.com/products/talon-barbell-collar
3 Hereafter all uses of the word “obvious” should be construed to mean “obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed.”