DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to the application filed on 02/14/2025. Claims 1-10 are pending. Claims 1-10 are rejected.
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 Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: The claim recites “A children bed.” Examiner suggests --- A child’s bed --- or --- An infant bed ---. Claims 2-10 use similar language.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 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 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 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Patent Application Publication 2018/0146796 to Longenecker et al. (“Longenecker”) in view of Official Notice.
Claim 1. A children bed, comprising: at least four vertical rods, spaced apart from each other along a circumferential direction (Longenecker, Fig. 1, #14); horizontal rods (Longenecker, Fig. 1, #13 and 15), wherein each horizontal rod is arranged between two adjacent vertical rods, the horizontal rod comprises a foldable rod component (Longenecker, Fig. 4) and a locking component (Longenecker, Fig. 4, #17) configured to lock or unlock the rod component, two ends of the rod component are respectively movably connected to the two adjacent vertical rods (Longenecker, Fig. 4), the locking component comprises a trigger (Longenecker, Fig. 6, #63) member and an inadvertent-touch-prevention member (Longenecker, Fig. 6, #44), the trigger member can unlock the rod component when triggered, the inadvertent-touch-prevention member is arranged on a front side of the trigger member facing a user (Longenecker, Fig. 6, #44 is wider/larger than button #63 and extend farther outward toward a user); and sleeve cloth (Longenecker, paragraph [0003]), sleeved on a frame formed by the at least four vertical rods and the horizontal rods, wherein the sleeve cloth is provided with an aperture corresponding to each horizontal rod, the trigger member and the inadvertent-touch-prevention member are arranged in the corresponding aperture (Longenecker discloses the use of a fabric material, it is inherent that the fabric must have apertures corresponding the locking mechanism in order for a user to reach the button on the mechanism, furthermore, Examiner takes Official Notice that apertures on a portable play yard are well known in the art and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide them on the apparatus of Longenecker).
Claim 2. The children bed according to claim 1, wherein the locking component further comprises: a fixing seat, movably connected with the rod component, wherein the trigger member is movably arranged on the fixing seat to be movable along an up-and-down direction, the trigger member can be moved to unlock the rod component when triggered, so as to enable the rod component to be folded on the fixing seat, and the inadvertent-touch-prevention member is arranged on the fixing seat (Longenecker, Fig. 6, compare to Applicant’s Fig.4 #2021 or Fig. 6 #20211 and 20212; see Longenecker, Fig. 6 annotated, below).
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Claim 3. The children bed according to claim 2, wherein an accommodating space is formed inside the fixing seat, the fixing seat is provided with an opening communicated with the accommodating space, the trigger member is arranged in the accommodating space, and the trigger member is at least partially located in the opening at its initial position (Longenecker, Fig. 6, see annotated figure above).
Claim 4. The children bed according to claim 3, wherein the inadvertent-touch-prevention member covers at least part of the opening, or the inadvertent-touch-prevention member is an annular flange (Longenecker, Fig. 6, #44 is an annular flange surrounding axis #100) part arranged around an edge of the opening.
Claim 5. The children bed according to claim 4, wherein the inadvertent-touch-prevention member is integrally formed with the fixing seat; or the inadvertent-touch-prevention member is detachably arranged on the fixing seat (see Longenecker, Fig. 6 annotated, above, ”fixing seat” is a portion of the inadvertent-touch-prevention member #44; compare to Applicant’s Fig. 6).
Claim 6. The children bed according to claim 5, wherein a detachable structure, which comprises a buckle and a slot (Longenecker, Fig 6, see annotated figure above showing locations of fasteners which read on Applicant’s buckle and slot; note that Applicant’s buckle and slot appears to be a fastener as shown in Applicant’s Fig. 8), is arranged between the annular flange part and the fixing seat, one of the buckle and the slot is arranged on the fixing seat, and the other of the buckle and the slot is arranged on the annular flange part, the buckle and the slot are arranged near the opening.
Claim 7. The children bed according to claim 4, wherein, when the inadvertent-touch-prevention member is the annular flange part, a circumferential edge of the opening is provided with a protruding edge, and the annular flange part is internally fitted on the protruding edge (see Longenecker Fig. 7, annotated below; also seen in Figs. 8-9).
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Claim 8. The children bed according to claim 3, wherein the rod component comprises: a first rod section (see Longenecker Fig. 7, #13, left side), wherein one end of the first rod section is pivotably arranged on the fixing seat, and the other end of the first rod section is pivotably arranged on one of the two adjacent vertical rods; a second rod section (see Longenecker Fig. 7, #13, right side), wherein one end of the second rod section is pivotably arranged on the fixing seat, and the other end of the second rod section is pivotably arranged on the other of the two adjacent vertical rods (see pivotal capability in at least Longenecker Figs. 4-5).
Claim 9. The children bed according to claim 8, wherein the trigger member comprises: a first locking part (Longenecker Fig. 7, #50a), kept engaging with the first rod section and the fixing seat in a constant state thereof (Longenecker paragraph [0026]); a second locking part (Longenecker Fig. 7, #50b), kept engaging with the second rod section and the fixing seat in a constant state thereof (Longenecker paragraph [0026]); a pressing part (Longenecker Fig. 7, #47), moveably arranged in the accommodating space to be movable along an up-and-down direction and located in the opening, wherein the pressing part is movable in coordination with the first locking part and the second locking part, and when the pressing part is driven to move upward, it causes the first locking part to be disengaged from the first rod section and causes the second locking part to be disengaged from the second rod section (Longenecker paragraph [0026]).
Claim 10. The children bed according to claim 9, wherein the fixing seat comprises: a fixing frame (Longenecker Fig. 7, #52), wherein the accommodating space and the opening are formed in the fixing frame, a breach (Longenecker Fig. 7, breach is the gap between frame portions #44a and 44b through which bracket 42 extends) is formed at a top part of the fixing frame, the opening (Longenecker Fig. 8, opening is the space in frame portions #44a and 44b through which button #63 extends) is arranged at a lower part of the fixing frame, and the inadvertent-touch-prevention member is arranged on the fixing frame; a connecting bracket (Longenecker Fig. 7, #42), arranged in the breach, wherein the first locking part and the second locking part (Longenecker Fig. 7, #50a and 50b) are moveably arranged on the connecting bracket, the first rod section and the second rod section are connected to the connecting bracket, and the pressing part is moveably arranged on the connecting bracket (Longenecker Figs. 7-8).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MYLES A THROOP whose telephone number is (571)270-5006. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Troutman can be reached at 571-270-3654. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MYLES A THROOP/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3679
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