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
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.
Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by An Tae Jin (KR 101341253 B1, hereinafter referred to as “An”, a translated copy of this document has been provided with this Office Action. The cited paragraphs throughout the Office Action is with respect to the translation).
Regarding claim 1, An discloses a pull-up bar for a doorframe (Fig. 2), comprising:
a first grip bar (30 on the right side, Fig. 2) comprising a first screw bar (38, on the right side, Figs. 5-6) having a first thread with a helix formed in a first helix direction on an outer circumferential surface of the first screw bar (Figs. 5-6), a first grasp bar (31, on the right side, Figs. 5-6) configured to accommodate the first screw bar in a length direction inside (Figs. 5-6), and a first adapter (magnet 34 (with grooves 32 and 33 formed within an end portion of the first grasp bar 31), on the right side) coupled to an end portion of the first grasp bar (Figs. 5-6) and configured to fix the first screw bar to the first grasp bar in a cantilever shape (Fig. 6, ¶ [36], [38], [40]);
a second grip bar (30 on the left side, Fig. 2) disposed to be vertically symmetrical to the first grip bar (Fig. 2), the second grip bar (30 on the left side) comprising a second screw bar (38, on the left side, Figs. 5-6) having a second thread with a helix formed in a second helix direction opposite to the first helix direction on an outer circumferential surface of the second screw bar (¶ [47]), a second grasp bar (31, on the left side, Figs. 5-6) configured to accommodate the second screw bar in a length direction inside (Figs. 5-6), and a second adapter (magnet 34 (with grooves 32 and 33 formed within an end portion of the second grasp bar 31), on the left side) coupled to an end portion of the second grasp bar (Figs. 5-6) and configured to fix the second screw bar to the second grasp bar in a cantilever shape (Fig. 6, ¶ [36], [38], [40]); and
a support bar (10) interposed between the first grip bar and the second grip bar (Fig. 1) such that both ends of the support bar are accommodated inside the first grasp bar and the second grasp bar, respectively (Figs. 2 and 6, although only one side has been shown in Fig. 6, the same also applies on the other side of the pull-up bar as well), an inner circumferential surface of the support bar on one side which is accommodated in the first grasp bar is coupled to a first nut block (20 on the right side) to which the first screw bar is screw-coupled (Figs. 5-6), and an inner circumferential surface of the support bar on the other side which is accommodated in the second grasp bar is coupled to a second nut block (20 on the left side) to which the second screw bar is screw-coupled (Figs. 5-6, ¶ [32]-[33], [35]),
wherein rotation of the support bar is configured to cause the first grip bar and the second grip bar to be moved in a length direction of the support bar and come into close contact with or be detached from the doorframe (¶ [48]).
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Regarding claim 2, An discloses wherein the first grasp bar (30 on the right side) and the second grasp bar (30 on the left side) have a round bar shape having an equal diameter (Figs. 2 and 5-6), and wherein the support bar (10) has a round bar shape having an outer circumferential surface which comes into close contact with inner circumferential surfaces of the first grasp bar and the second grasp bar (Figs. 2 and 5-6).
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.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over An Tae Jin (KR 101341253 B1, hereinafter referred to as “An”).
Regarding claim 3, although An is silent about wherein a length of the support bar exposed between the first grasp bar and the second grasp bar is shorter than a length of each of the first grasp bar and the second grasp bar, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a length of the support bar exposed between the first grasp bar and the second grasp bar is shorter than a length of each of the first grasp bar and the second grasp bar in order to provide for variation in the pull-up bar design to attract different consumers, since a change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art (see MPEP 2144.04).
Claims 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over An as applied to claims 1-2 above, and further in view of Hunt et al. (US 2012/0129658 A1).
Regarding claim 4, An teaches the pull-up bar further comprising: a handle tube (as shown below in Figs. 5-6) that covers an outer circumferential surface of the support bar and is in close contact with and is fixed to the outer circumferential surface (An: Figs. 5-6, ¶ [49]).
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Handle tube)]
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An is silent about the handle tube covering the outer circumferential surface of the support bar at a center.
Regarding claim 4, Hung teaches a pull-up bar (2) for a doorframe (Figs. 15A-15B) comprising: a handle tube (10) that covers an outer circumferential surface of a support bar (8) at a center and is in close contact with and is fixed to the outer circumferential surface (Figs. 13-15B, ¶ [39]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify An’s invention such that the handle tube covers the outer circumferential surface of the support bar at a center, as taught by Hunt in order to enable a user, of different body sizes, grasp any part of the pull-up bar, including the center, with comfort for performing exercises and prevent the user’s head and face from potential harm upon unintentional contact with the pull-up bar during exercise.
Regarding claim 5, An in view of Hunt teaches wherein the handle tube (Hunt: 10) has a length longer than a total length of the support bar (Hunt: 8) exposed outside (Hunt: Fig. 15A-15B).
Regarding claim 6, An in view of Hunt teaches wherein the handle tube has an outer diameter larger than outer diameters of the first grasp bar and the second grasp bar (An: Figs. 5-6; Hunt: grasp bars 12 on each side, Figs. 15A-15B).
Claim 7 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over An as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Shin Ki-heon (KR 200265506 Y1, hereinafter referred to as “Shin”, a translated copy of this document has been provided with this Office Action. The cited paragraphs throughout the Office Action is with respect to the translation).
An is silent about a first and a second fixing pin that penetrates and fixes the first and second adapters and the first and second screw bars, respectively, in a diametric direction.
Regarding claim 7, Shin teaches a pull-up bar for a doorframe (Fig. 2) comprising: a fixing pin (5) that penetrates and fixes an adapter (1) and a screw bar (2) in a diametric direction (Fig. 1). Please note that upon modification of An’s invention with features of Shin, each of the first and second adapters and screw bars would be penetrated and fixed in a diametric direction with a fixing pin.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify An’s invention with a fixing pin that penetrates and fixes each adapter and each screw bar in a diametric direction, as taught by Shin in order to secure the adapters and the screw bars to prevent removal of the adapters from the screw bars and therefore provide for a more secure connection between the two and a more durable device.
Claim 8 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over An as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kim et al. (KR 102425495 B1, a translated copy of this document has been provided with this Office Action. The cited paragraphs throughout the Office Action is with respect to the translation).
Regarding claim 8, An teaches the pull-up bar further comprising: a first fixing cap (40 on the right side) and a second fixing cap (40 on the left side) that are coupled to outer sides of the first adapter and the second adapter, respectively, and come into close contact with the doorframe (Figs. 2 and 5-6), wherein the first fixing cap and the second fixing cap have respective caved grooves into which the first adapter and the second adapter are inserted, respectively (Fig. 6 shows that each fixing cap (40) includes a caved groove which receives a respective first and second grasp bars (31) to which respective adapters (magnet 34 (with grooves 32 and 33)) is coupled. As such, the first and second adapters are received in/inserted into the caved grooves of the first and second fixing caps (40), respectively).
An is silent about the caved grooves being disposed eccentrically on upper sides of the first and second fixing caps.
Regarding claim 8, Kim teaches a pull-up bar for a doorframe (Fig. 1) comprising: a first and a second fixing cap (420 on each side, Figs. 4, 7a-7c) that are coupled to outer sides of a first and a second adapter, respectively (i.e., 410 with 411 on each side, Fig. 7c), and come into close contact with the doorframe (Fig. 1), wherein the first and second fixing caps have respective caved grooves (421 on each side, Fig. 7c) into which the first and second adapters (i.e., 410 with 411) are inserted, respectively (Fig. 7c), the caved grooves (421) being disposed eccentrically on upper sides of the first and second fixing caps (Fig. 7c).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify An’s invention such that the caved grooves are disposed eccentrically on upper sides of the first and second fixing caps, as taught by Kim in order to provide for a more convenient way of detachably connecting (i.e., slidably connecting) the bar to the doorframe.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHILA JALALZADEH ABYANEH whose telephone number is (571)270-7403. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 8:30 am - 3:00 pm.
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/SHILA JALALZADEH ABYANEH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3784
