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 .
Claim Rejections - 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 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Glazik US20100083601.
Claim 1. Glazik discloses a movable wall framework (P.0043) including a plurality of support ring structures (10), wherein each of the support ring structures includes a plurality of lock engagement points (48, 50); and at least one movable wall structure segment (64, 66) including a plurality of wall movement locks (edges of each wall segments) that interface with a plurality of lock engagement points of the movable wall framework, wherein the at least one movable wall structure segment is configured to be secured at a fixed position at one of the support ring structures via a plurality of wall movement locks respectively positioned at the plurality of lock engagement points (Fig.7 and 8).
Claim 8. Glazik discloses each of the plurality of support ring structures comprises: a durable frame configured for encircling a perimeter of one of the movable wall structure segments (as shown in Fig.1); alignment features to maintain a trajectory and seal integrity of the one of the movable wall structure segment (Fig.2); and adaptable mounting points for integration with structural elements of the movable wall framework.
Claims 1, 3, and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by MacDonald US5167575.
Claim 1. MacDonald discloses a movable wall framework (34) including a plurality of support ring structures (64), wherein each of the support ring structures includes a plurality of lock engagement points (opposite channels of 70); and at least one movable wall structure segment (50) including a plurality of wall movement locks (68) that interface with a plurality of lock engagement points of the movable wall framework, wherein the at least one movable wall structure segment is configured to be secured at a fixed position at one of the support ring structures via a plurality of wall movement locks respectively positioned at the plurality of lock engagement points (Fig.1).
Claim 3. MacDonald discloses a manual override feature enabling a disengagement of the wall movement locks to allow for emergency repositioning or evacuation procedures (Col.4:4-5).
Claim 4. MacDonald discloses a plurality of wall movement drive units (90), each of which includes a motor-driven assembly (103) connected to a ball screw or linear actuator mechanism (Fig.5).
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.
Claims 9 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MacDonald US5167575 in view of 1, in view of Bickford US20220178138.
Claim 9. MacDonald is silent on each of the movable wall structure segments is constructed from materials that provide fire resistance, sound attenuation, and thermal insulation. Bickford before the filing date of the instant invention discloses a barrier system for partitioning a space, where in the panel (12) provide fire rated protection, sound attenuation, and serves to regulate heat flow (thermal transfer) (P.0034 and 0038). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the instant invention to modify the panel of MacDonald with that of Bickford with the intention of protecting the dry room from fire and sound. Furthermore, it has been held to be 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.
Claim 11. MacDonald as modified further discloses each of the movable wall structure segments includes integrated sealing mechanisms (80) to maintain environmental control when in a fixed position, a plurality of wall movement drive units (72), and the plurality of wall movement locks (as shown in Fig.3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 12-13 are 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: the closest prior art of record fails to teach or adequately suggest the combination of characteristics specified in the independent claim, especially the requirement of a substance concerning sensors configured to monitor pressure levels and automatically engage locking pins of the wall movement locks into the engagement points and a threaded wall movement groove that defines a path, hence there is no cogent reasoning that is unequivocally independent of hindsight that would have led one of ordinary skill in the art at the time.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Refer to attached NOTICE OF REFERENCE CITED.
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BABAJIDE A. DEMUREN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3633
/BABAJIDE A DEMUREN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3633
