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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because they fail to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(l) since the lines, numbers, and letters are not sufficiently dense and dark, and uniformly thick and well-defined as to give the drawings satisfactory reproduction characteristics. See the examples set forth below in the annotated figures.
Figure 5 is objected to because the section labeled “V” in figure 5 should be labeled so as to indicate which figure shows the section. Thus, “V” in figure 5 should be changed to --VI-- or --6-- so as to indicate that figure 6 shows the section taken in figure 5. Note that the specification will need to be amended to agree with the above drawing change.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: “452” on line 4 of paragraph 23. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference character “420” has been used to designate both a rear connecting rod and a door rotation member in figure 3. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
PNG
media_image1.png
1262
972
media_image1.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image2.png
1268
976
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Claim Objections
Claim 3 is objected to because “greater than that” on line 2 of claim 3 brings the clarity of the claim into question because it is not entirely clear what characteristic of the door rotation mechanism the applicant is referring to. Is the applicant referring to the width of the door rotation mechanism?
Claim 5 is objected to because “reversely” on line 8 brings the clarity of the claim into question because it is unclear what rotation direction the reverse rotation is reverse to.
Claim 11 is objected to because “a rotation center” on line 7 brings the clarity of the claim into question because it is unclear what element of the invention has the rotation center to which the applicant is referring.
Claim 12 is objected to because “an interval on a peripheral surface of the linkage gear” on line 6 brings the clarity of the claim into question because it is unclear what the applicant is attempting to set forth. What defines the interval? Are the transmission tooth, the door rotation mechanism, the door ejection member and the suspension mechanism are spaced apart from one another at the same interval?
Claim 13 is objected to because “a door body” on line 1 of claim 1 brings the clarity of the claim into question because it is unclear if the applicant is referring to the door body on line 1 of claim 13 or is attempting to set forth another door body in addition to the one set forth above.
Claim 13 is objected to because “13” on line 1 should be enclosed in parentheses or deleted to avoid confusion.
Claim 13 is objected to because “a main body” on line 2 of claim 1 brings the clarity of the claim into question because it is unclear if the applicant is referring to the main body on lines 1-2 of claim 13 or is attempting to set forth another main body in addition to the one set forth above.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-4, 12 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN 111503981.
With respect to claim 1, CN 111503981 discloses a door opening and closing device, for opening a door body 2 (fig. 3) disposed on a main body 1, comprising:
a base 3 (fig. 1);
a driving mechanism 31 (fig. 1);
a linkage gear 34 (fig. 2) rotatably disposed on the base 3 and in transmission connection with the driving mechanism 31 via the gearing 32, 33, 331 (fig. 2);
a door rotation mechanism 36, 39 (fig. 3) disposed between the linkage gear 34 and the base 3 (fig. 1), an end of the door rotation mechanism 36, 39 being connected to the linkage gear 34 via the shaft 361 (fig. 2), another end of the door rotation mechanism 36, 39 being connected to the door body 2 (fig. 3), wherein in a condition that the driving mechanism 31 drives the linkage gear 34 to rotate, the door rotation mechanism 36, 39 drives the door body 2 to rotate relative to the main body 1, to open or close the door body 2.
With respect to claim 2, a side of the linkage gear 34 facing the base 3, as shown in figure 1, is provided with an installation groove 343 (fig. 2, note that the groove extend vertically through the linkage gear 34), the door rotation mechanism 36, 39 being installed in the installation groove 343 since the shaft 361 is part of the door rotation mechanism 36, 39.
With respect to claim 3, a width of the installation groove 343 is greater than that of the door rotation mechanism 36, 39 since the width of the groove 343 is greater than a diameter of the shaft 361.
With respect to claim 4, wherein the linkage gear 34 has a first abutting-holding surface (labeled below), and wherein in a condition that the driving mechanism 31 drives the linkage gear 34 to rotate, the linkage gear 34 rotates relative to the door rotation mechanism 36, 39 until the first abutting-holding surface abuts against and holds the door rotation mechanism 36, 39, and the linkage gear 34 pushes the door rotation mechanism 36, 39 to rotate to open the door body 2.
With respect to claim 12, the linkage gear 34 has a transmission tooth 342, and wherein the door opening and closing device further comprises a door ejection member 37 and a suspension mechanism 35, and wherein the transmission tooth 342, the door rotation mechanism 36, 39, the door ejection member 37 and the suspension mechanism 35 are sequentially disposed at an interval on a peripheral surface of the linkage gear 34.
With respect to claim 13, CN 111503981 discloses a door body 2, a main body 1, and a door opening and closing device, for opening a door body 2 (fig. 3) disposed on a main body 1, comprising:
a base 3 (fig. 1);
a driving mechanism 31 (fig. 1);
a linkage gear 34 (fig. 2) rotatably disposed on the base 3 and in transmission connection with the driving mechanism 31 via the gearing 32, 33, 331 (fig. 2);
a door rotation mechanism 36, 39 (fig. 3) disposed between the linkage gear 34 and the base 3 (fig. 1), an end of the door rotation mechanism 36, 39 being connected to the linkage gear 34 via the shaft 361 (fig. 2), another end of the door rotation mechanism 36, 39 being connected to the door body 2 (fig. 3), wherein in a condition that the driving mechanism 31 drives the linkage gear 34 to rotate, the door rotation mechanism 36, 39 drives the door body 2 to rotate relative to the main body 1, to open or close the door body 2,
the door body 2 being rotatably connected to the main body 1, the door opening and closing device being installed on the main body 1, the door rotation mechanism 36, 39 being connected to the door body 1.
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 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 111503981 as applied to claims 1-4, 12 and 13 above, and further in view of CA 2 524 114. CN 111503981 discloses that the linkage gear 34 further has a second abutting-holding surface (labeled below) spaced apart from the first abutting-holding surface, the door rotation mechanism 36, 39 being disposed between the first abutting-holding surface and the second abutting-holding surface since the shaft 361 of the door rotation mechanism 36, 39 is disposed between the first and second abutting-holding surfaces, but is silent concerning a reset member.
However, CA 2 524 114 discloses a door opening and closing device further comprises a reset member 308 (fig. 10), the reset member 308 being connected to a linkage gear 228 and a door rotation mechanism 304, 232, respectively, and wherein in a condition that the linkage gear 228 stops rotating or rotates reversely, the reset member 308 drives the door rotation mechanism 304, 232 to move in a direction away from a first abutting-holding surface (not numbered, but shown in figure 10), to reset the door rotation mechanism 304, 232.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide CN 111503981 with a reset member, as taught by CA 2 524 114 with a reasonable expectation of success to absorb forces without damaging the door opening and closing device. It should be noted that only one spring 308 would be provided to CN 111503981 so that the door rotation mechanism 36, 39 would be reset to the second abutting-holding surface (labeled below).
With respect to claim 6, CN 111503981, as modified above, further discloses a fixing slot (labeled below) being disposed on the linkage gear 34, the reset member 308 from CA 2 524 114 being disposed in the fixing slot.
With respect to claim 7, a side of the linkage gear 34 facing the base 3 is provided with the installation groove 343, the door rotation mechanism 36, 39 being installed in the installation groove 343 via the shaft 361, the first abutting-holding surface and the second abutting-holding surface being disposed on two opposite side walls of the installation groove 343 as shown in figure 2.
Claims 8, 9 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 111503981 as applied to claims 1-4, 12 and 13 above, and further in view of Weiss (US 3886425).
CN 111503981 discloses that the door rotation mechanism 36, 39 comprises a front connecting rod 39 and a rear connecting rod 36, an end of the rear connecting rod 36 being rotatably connected to the linkage gear 34, another end of the rear connecting rod 36 being rotatably connected to an end of the front connecting rod 39 as shown in figure 3, an end of the front connecting rod 39 away from the rear connecting rod 36 being rotatably connected to the door body 2, but is silent concerning the front connecting rod 39 and the rear connecting rod 36 being both disposed between the linkage gear 34 and the base 3.
However, Weiss discloses a front connecting rod 6 and a rear connecting rod 4, wherein both the front and rear connecting rods are disposed below a gear 19 as shown in figures 1, 4 and 5 at least when the door is closed.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide the front and rear connecting rods of CN 111503981 with a geometry, as taught by Weiss, with a reasonable expectation of success to reduce the amount of space needed to house the front and rear connecting rods, at least when the door 2 is closed.
With respect to claim 9, Weiss discloses that the rear connecting rod 4 is disposed above the front connecting rod 6. Accordingly, CN 111503981, as modified above, would have the front connecting rod 39 disposed between the rear connecting rod 36 and the base 3 since the front connecting rod 39 would be disposed below the rear connecting rod 36. Additionally, the rear connecting rod 36 would be disposed between the front connecting rod 39 and the linkage gear 34.
With respect to claim 11, CN 111503981 discloses that the door body 2 and the main body 1 are rotatably connected at a first connection point (labeled below), and wherein the front connecting rod 39 and the door body 1 are connected at a second connection point (labeled below), and wherein the rear connecting rod 36 and the front connecting rod 39 are rotatably connected at a third connection point (labeled below), the second connection point and the third connection point being respectively located on two sides of a line (labeled below) connecting the first connection point and a rotation center (labeled below).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 111503981 in view of Weiss as applied to claims 8, 9 and 11 above, and further in view of Tien (US 11629544). Tien discloses a door opening and closing device comprising a front connecting rod 513 (fig. 22) has a first connecting portion 515, and a rear connecting rod 531 has a second connecting portion 577, one of the first connecting portion 515 and the second connecting portion having a connecting groove (not numbered, but shown in figure 22), the other of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion 577 being engaged into the connecting groove.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide CN 111503981, as modified above, with connection portions, as taught by Tien, with a reasonable expectation of success to more securely attach the front and rear connecting rods together.
PNG
media_image3.png
1630
1102
media_image3.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image4.png
1634
1096
media_image4.png
Greyscale
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GREGORY J STRIMBU whose telephone number is (571)272-6836. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00-4:30 Monday-Friday.
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, Daniel Cahn can be reached at 571-270-5616. 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.
/GREGORY J STRIMBU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3634