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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 10th March 2026 has been entered.
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 (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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-2, 5-7 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Breuer et al. (US 2009/0242147) in view of Martens (US 3,023,909), Pape (US 3,917,065) and Paul et al. (US 2023/0121499).
Regarding claim 1, Breuer et al. ‘147 teaches (figures 2-4) a curtain assembly to be mounted within an interior space of a vehicle, the curtain assembly comprising:
a container/curtain box (36, 38) comprising a first portion and a second portion (clearly shown in the figure below), wherein the first portion and the second portion are configured for being selectively disposed in a closed arrangement, in which the second portion cooperates with the first portion to define an interior/hollow space (16) of the container/curtain box (36, 38) and to enclose the interior/hollow space (16) to form an enclosed volume within the container/curtain box (36, 38), and in an open arrangement, in which the second portion remains connected to the first portion (clearly seen in the figure below) and is moved away from the first portion to expose the interior to form an open volume within in the container (clearly seen in figure 3e) (Para 0023);
a curtain track/guide rail (42) attached to the first portion (Para 0023);
a curtain (10) attached to the curtain track/guide rail (42) and positioned within the interior of the container in the closed arrangement and to extend outward beyond the first portion in the open arrangement (clearly seen in figure 4) (Para 0023),
wherein the second portion of the container is connected to the first portion of the container (clearly seen in the figure below);
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but it is silent about the curtain assembly comprising:
the curtain track having a U-shape with a front section that is relatively long and a pair of lateral sections that are relatively short.
Martens ‘909 teaches (figure 1) a curtain rod assembly comprising a U-shaped curtain rod with a front section that is relatively long and a pair of lateral sections that are relative short (clearly shown in the figure below).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Breuer et al. ‘147 to incorporate the teachings of Martens ‘909 to configure the curtain assembly comprising:
the curtain track having a U-shape with a front section that is relatively long and a pair of lateral sections that are relatively short.
One of ordinary skill in art would recognize that doing so would enhance privacy as U-shaped track curve back.
Modified Breuer et al. ‘147 is silent about the curtain assembly comprising:
a curtain attached to the second portion in the closed arrangement;
wherein the second portion supports the curtain in the open arrangement.
Pape ‘065 teaches (figure 10) a curtain (5) folded over twice in the longitudinal direction and disposed in a protective envelop/container wherein the curtain is suspended from a fixing and gathering devices (11) mounted in the rails (9) of a lid (2) wherein curtain (5) is secured in two positions along the length of the curtain by strings (24) (Col. 3 Lines 40-43; Col. 6 Lines 13-29; figure 10 shows the curtain inside a protective envelop/container in a vertical configuration, thus the curtain is secured/attached to a protective envelop/container at the lower/second and upper/first portion of the protective envelop/container).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified Breuer et al. ‘147 to incorporate the teachings of Pape ‘065 to configure the curtain assembly comprising:
a curtain attached to the second portion in the closed arrangement;
wherein the second portion supports the curtain in the open arrangement.
One of ordinary skill in art would recognize that doing so would eliminate undesirable creasing of the curtain (Col. 6 Lines 2-29).
Modified Breuer et al. ‘147 is silent about the curtain assembly comprising:
the second portion of the container is connected to the first portion of the container along a first one of the lateral sections; and
the second portion is positioned away from the front section of the curtain track in the open position.
Paul et al. ‘499 teaches (figure 4) a storage container (300) comprising a first portion and a second portion wherein the second portion of the storage container (300) is connected to the first portion of the container along a first one of the lateral sections (clearly shown in the figure below) (Para 0046).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified Breuer et al. ‘147 to incorporate the teachings of Paul et al. ‘499 to configure the curtain assembly comprising a container wherein a single second portion is connected to the first portion on a lateral section of the first portion and cooperates with the first portion to define an interior of the container. This results in the curtain assembly comprising:
the second portion of the container is connected to the first portion of the container along a first one of the lateral sections; and
the second portion is positioned away from the front section of the curtain track in the open position.
One of ordinary skill in art would recognize that doing so would enable the second portion to open to the side and provide easy access to the curtain.
Regarding claim 2, modified Breuer et al. ‘147 teaches (figures 2-4) the curtain assembly wherein the first portion comprises a top wall, a front wall, a rear wall, a first side wall, and a second side wall (container/curtain box (38) is a rectangular box with top, front, rear, first side, and second side walls) and wherein the curtain track is aligned relative to the first portion with the front section aligned along the front wall, the first one of the lateral sections aligned along the first side wall and a second one of the lateral sections aligned along the second side wall (as modified by Martens ‘909 and Paul et al. ‘499).
Regarding claim 5, modified Breuer et al. ‘147 teaches (figures 2-4) the curtain assembly wherein the curtain (10) comprises a plurality of curtain attachment features along a top edge to slidably attach the curtain to the curtain track/guide rail (42).
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Regarding claim 6, modified Breuer et al. ‘147 teaches (figures 2-4) the curtain assembly wherein the curtain attachment features comprise male curtain attachment features (clearly seen in the figure above; curtain attachment features extend into the track/guide rail (42).
Regarding claim 7, modified Breuer et al. ‘147 teaches (figures 2-4) the curtain assembly wherein the curtain assembly is configured to be selectively disposed in a stowed arrangement and a deployed arrangement (Para 0023);
wherein the stowed arrangement comprises the container disposed in the closed arrangement and the curtain is contained fully within the interior of the container (Para 0023); and
wherein the deployed arrangement comprises the container disposed in the open arrangement and the curtain extends from the first portion (Para 0023).
Regarding claim 9, modified Breuer et al. ‘147 teaches (figures 2-4) the curtain assembly further comprising a hinge that connects the first portion to the second portion, wherein the hinge is configured to position the second portion in contact with the first portion in the closed arrangement and to position the second portion outward away from the first portion in the open arrangement and wherein the hinge is positioned along the first side wall of the first portion to enable the second portion to pivot away from the front wall when moving from the closed arrangement to the open arrangement (as modified by Paul et al. ‘499) (Para 0021).
Claim(s) 3-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Breuer et al. (US 2009/0242147), Martens (US 3,023,909), Pape (US 3,917,065) and Paul et al. (US 2023/0121499) as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Walton et al. (US 2016/0297525).
Regarding claims 3-4, modified Breuer et al. ‘147 teaches (figures 2-4) the curtain assembly of claim 2 but it is silent about the curtain assembly further comprising one or more wall attachment features disposed on one or both of the rear wall and the top wall to attach the first portion to the vehicle, and
wherein the one or more wall attachment features comprise one or both of male wall attachment features and female wall attachment features.
Walton et al. ‘525 teaches (figures 1-7) a section divider assembly with an internal cabin (202) comprising a header (204) that securely retains a barrier (206) extending downwardly from the header (204) wherein the header (204) comprises a connecting beam/male attachment feature (320) on top to connect to a bracket (326) which secure to the inboard rail (300) through the fasteners (314) (Para 0059, 0066; section divider assembly is analogous to curtain assembly as they both are installed in inside the vehicle).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified Breuer et al. ‘147 to incorporate the teachings of Walton et al. ‘525to configure the curtain assembly further comprising one or more wall attachment features disposed on one the top wall to attach the first portion to the vehicle, and
wherein the one or more wall attachment features comprise of male wall attachment features.
One of ordinary skill in art would recognize that doing so would secure the curtain assembly to the vehicle.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Breuer et al. (US 2009/0242147), Martens (US 3,023,909), Pape (US 3,917,065) and Paul et al. (US 2023/0121499) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Bertossi (US 2006/0125214).
Regarding claim 10, modified Breuer et al. ‘147 teaches (figures 2-4) the curtain assembly further comprising strings mounted to the second portion to support the curtain in a folded configuration when the first portion and the second portion are in the closed arrangement and to support the curtain in the folded configuration when the second portion is in the open configuration (as modified by Pape ‘065; curtain moves with the second portion)
but it is silent about the curtain assembly further comprising strings as a stowage bag mounted to the second portion and sized to receive the curtain in a folded configuration when the first portion and the second portion are in the closed arrangement and to support the curtain in the folded configuration when the second portion is in the open arrangement.
Bertossi ‘214 teaches (figures 1-4) an apparatus (10) comprising inflatable vehicle occupant protection device in the form of an inflatable curtain (14) that is mounted adjacent the side structure (16) of the vehicle (12) and the roof (18) of the vehicle wherein the inflatable curtain (14) in a stored and deflated condition is inside a cover/bag (26) (Para 0015, 0018).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified Breuer et al. ‘147 to incorporate the teachings of Bertossi ‘214 to configure the curtain assembly further comprising strings as a stowage bag mounted to the second portion and sized to receive the curtain in a folded configuration when the first portion and the second portion are in the closed arrangement and to support the curtain in the folded configuration when the second portion is in the open arrangement.
One of ordinary skill in art would recognize that doing so would neatly organize curtain in the stored position.
Claim(s) 11-13, 15 and 18-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mosler et al. (US 2013/0240163) in view of Breuer et al. (US 2009/0242147), Martens (US 3,023,909), Pape (US 3,917,065) and Paul et al. (US 2023/0121499).
Regarding claim 11, Mosler et al. ‘163 teaches (figures 1-4) an assembly, comprising:
a monument/aircraft door frame lining (100) configured to be mounted within a fuselage of a vehicle/aircraft (Para 0064; aircraft door frame lining is an aircraft interior architecture, thus is within a fuselage);
a curtain assembly mounted to the monument/aircraft door frame lining (100) (Para 0064, 0068; curtain rail (105), lateral door frame lining (106) and curtain (200) forms a curtain assembly), the curtain assembly comprising:
a container/lateral door frame lining (106) (Para 0064);
a curtain (200) attached to the curtain track/rail (105) and configured to slide along the curtain track/rail (105), wherein the curtain extends to form a privacy area adjacent to the monument (Para 0068);
but it is silent about the assembly comprising:
the curtain assembly comprising:
a container comprising a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion and the second portion are configured for being selectively disposed in a closed arrangement and an open arrangement with the first portion comprising a front wall, first side wall, and a second side wall;
a hinge that connects the first portion to the second portion, wherein the hinge maintains the first portion and the second portion connected together in the open arrangement;
a curtain track attached to the first portion;
a curtain configured to slide along the curtain track in the open arrangement;
wherein the curtain is positioned within the container in the closed arrangement and extends outward from the container in the open arrangement to form a privacy area adjacent to the monument.
Breuer et al. ‘147 teaches (figures 2-4) teaches a curtain assembly comprising:
a container/curtain box (36, 38) comprising a first portion and a second portion (clearly shown in the figure below), wherein the first portion and the second portion are configured for being selectively disposed in a closed arrangement and an open arrangement with the first portion comprising a front wall, first side wall, and a second side wall (clearly seen in figure 3e) (Para 0023; container/curtain box (38) is a rectangular box with top, front, rear, first side, and second side walls));
a hinge that connects the first portion to the second portion, wherein the hinge maintains the first portion and the second portion connected to together in the open arrangement (clearly seen in figure 3e) (Para 0021);
a curtain track/guide rail (42) attached to the first portion (Para 0023);
a curtain (10) attached to the curtain track/guide rail (42) and configured to slide along the curtain track/guide rail (42) in the open arrangement (Para 0023);
wherein the curtain (10) is positioned within the container in the closed arrangement and extends outward from the container in the open arrangement to form a privacy area adjacent to the monument (clearly seen in figures 1 and 4) (Para 0023).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mosler et al. ‘163 to incorporate the teachings of Breuer et al. ‘147 to configure the assembly comprising:
the curtain assembly comprising:
a container comprising a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion and the second portion are configured for being selectively disposed in a closed arrangement and an open arrangement with the first portion comprising a front wall, first side wall, and a second side wall;
a hinge that connects the first portion to the second portion, wherein the hinge maintains the first portion and the second portion connected together in the open arrangement;
a curtain track attached to the first portion;
a curtain configured to slide along the curtain track in the open arrangement;
wherein the curtain is positioned within the container in the closed arrangement and extends outward from the container in the open arrangement to form a privacy area adjacent to the monument.
One of ordinary skill in art would recognize that doing so would enable to produce a curtain assembly as a single unit to be attached to the monument.
Modified Mosler et al. ‘163 is silent about the assembly comprising:
the curtain track comprising a front section that extends along the front wall of the first portion, a first lateral section that extends along the first side wall of the first portion, and a second lateral section that extends along the second side wall of the first portion.
Martens ‘909 teaches (figure 1) a curtain rod assembly comprising a U-shaped curtain rod with a front section that is relatively long and a pair of lateral sections that are relative short (clearly shown in the figure below).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Breuer et al. ‘147 to incorporate the teachings of Martens ‘909 to configure the assembly comprising a U-shaped curtain track. This results in the assembly comprising:
the curtain track comprising a front section that extends along the front wall of the first portion, a first lateral section that extends along the first side wall of the first portion, and a second lateral section that extends along the second side wall of the first portion.
One of ordinary skill in art would recognize that doing so would enhance privacy as U-shaped track curve back.
Modified Mosler et al. ‘163 is silent about the assembly comprising:
a curtain removably connected to an inner side of the second portion, the curtain positioned outward from the first portion in the open arrangement.
Pape ‘065 teaches (figure 10) a curtain (5) folded over twice in the longitudinal direction and disposed in a protective envelop/container wherein the curtain is suspended from a fixing and gathering devices (11) mounted in the rails (9) of a lid (2) wherein curtain (5) is secured in two positions along the length of the curtain by strings (24) (Col. 3 Lines 40-43; Col. 6 Lines 13-29; figure 10 shows the curtain inside a protective envelop/container in a vertical configuration, thus the curtain is secured/attached to an inner side of the protective envelop/container at the lower/second and upper/first portion of the protective envelop/container).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified Mosler et al. ‘163 to incorporate the teachings of Pape ‘065 to configure the assembly comprising:
a curtain removably connected to an inner side of the second portion, the curtain positioned outward from the first portion in the open arrangement.
One of ordinary skill in art would recognize that doing so would eliminate undesirable creasing of the curtain (Col. 6 Lines 2-29).
Modified Mosler et al. ‘163 is silent about the assembly comprising:
a hinge at the first side wall;
wherein the second portion pivots along the hinge away from the front wall of the first portion and away from the front section of the curtain track when the second portion moves from the closed arrangement to the open arrangement.
Paul et al. ‘499 teaches (figure 4) a storage container (300) comprising a first portion and a second portion wherein the second portion of the storage container (300) is connected to the first portion of the container along a first one of the lateral sections (clearly shown in the figure below) (Para 0046).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified Breuer et al. ‘147 to incorporate the teachings of Paul et al. ‘499 to configure the curtain assembly comprising a container wherein a single second portion is connected to the first portion on a lateral section of the first portion and cooperates with the first portion to define an interior of the container. This results in the assembly comprising:
a hinge at the first side wall;
wherein the second portion pivots along the hinge away from the front wall of the first portion and away from the front section of the curtain track when the second portion moves from the closed arrangement to the open arrangement.
One of ordinary skill in art would recognize that doing so would enable the second portion to open to the side and provide easy access to the curtain.
Regarding claim 12, modified Mosler et al. ‘163 teaches (figures 1-4) the assembly wherein the curtain assembly is mounted at a door (104) of the monument/aircraft door frame lining (100) and extends outward from the monument in front of the door (clearly seen in figure 3) (Para 0064).
Regarding claim 13, modified Mosler et al. ‘163 teaches (figures 1-4) the assembly of claim 11 but it is silent about the curtain assembly wherein the curtain assembly is permanently mounted to the monument.
However, the Examiner takes Official Notice that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified Mosler et al. ‘163 to configure the curtain assembly wherein the curtain assembly is permanently mounted to the monument.
One of ordinary skill in art would recognize that doing so would enhance reliability of the curtain assembly.
Regarding claim 15, modified Mosler et al. ‘163 teaches (figures 1-4) the assembly wherein the second portion cooperates with the first portion to define an enclosed interior space/hollow space (16) and wherein the curtain is positioned in the enclosed interior space/hollow space (16) in the closed arrangement (as modified by Breuer et al. ‘147; Para 0023).
Regarding claim 18, Mosler et al. ‘163 teaches (figures 1-4) a method of forming a privacy area within an interior space of a vehicle, the method comprising:
positioning a curtain assembly that houses a curtain (200) on a monument/aircraft door frame lining (100) with the monument/aircraft door frame lining (100) positioned within the interior space of the vehicle/aircraft (Para 0064, 0068; curtain rail (105), lateral door frame lining (106) and curtain (200) forms a curtain assembly; aircraft door frame lining is an aircraft interior architecture, thus is within a fuselage);
positioning a curtain track/curtain rail (105) above and in front of the door (104) and enabling the curtain to be extended along the curtain track/rail (105) to extend across a space that is in the front of the door (clearly seen in figure 3) (Para 0066)
but it is silent about the method comprising:
positioning a curtain assembly above a door of a monument;
positioning a lower side of a container of the curtain assembly to face downward towards a floor of the interior space and enabling the container to be opened;
the lower side of the container that is pivoted outward from the upper side of the container; and
curtain track mounted to the container and enabling the curtain to extend across a space while the lower side of the container is positioned away from the front of the door.
Breuer et al. ‘147 teaches (figures 2-4) teaches a curtain assembly comprising a container/curtain box (36, 38), curtain track/guide rail (42) and curtain (10) arranged above the cabin ceiling (Para 0023)
positioning a lower side (clearly shown in the figure below) of a container/curtain box (36, 38) of the curtain assembly to face downward towards a floor of the interior space of the vehicle and enabling the container/curtain box (36, 38) to be opened (clearly seen figures 3e-4) (Para 0023);
the lower side of the container/curtain box (36, 38) that is pivoted outward from an upper side of the container/curtain box (36, 38) (clearly seen in figure below); and
a curtain track/guide rail (42) mounted to the container/curtain box (36, 38) (Para 0023).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mosler et al. ‘163 to incorporate the teachings of Breuer et al. ‘147 to configure the method comprising:
positioning a curtain assembly above a door of a monument;
positioning a lower side of a container of the curtain assembly to face downward towards a floor of the interior space and enabling the container to be opened;
the lower side of the container that is pivoted outward from the upper side of the container; and
curtain track mounted to the container and enabling the curtain to extend across a space while the lower side of the container is positioned away from the front of the door.
One of ordinary skill in art would recognize that doing so would enable to produce a curtain assembly as a single unit to be attached to the monument.
Modified Mosler et al. ‘163 is silent about the method comprising:
the curtain assembly comprising a U-shape with a front side that is relatively long and a first lateral side and a second lateral side that are relatively short.
Martens ‘909 teaches (figure 1) a curtain rod assembly comprising a U-shaped curtain rod with a front section that is relatively long and a pair of lateral sections that are relative short (clearly shown in the figure above).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Breuer et al. ‘147 to incorporate the teachings of Martens ‘909 to configure the method comprising:
the U-shaped curtain track.
This results in the method comprising:
the curtain assembly comprising a U-shape with a front side that is relatively long and a first lateral side and a second lateral side that are relatively short (U-shaped assembly accommodates a U-shaped track).
One of ordinary skill in art would recognize that doing so would enhance privacy as U-shaped track curve back.
Modified Mosler et al. ‘163 is silent about the method comprising:
pivoting the lower side of the curtain assembly along the first lateral side away from an upper side of the container and away from the front side of the container.
Paul et al. ‘499 teaches (figure 4) a storage container (300) comprising a upper side and a lower side wherein the lower side of the storage container (300) is connected to the upper side of the container (300) along a lateral side (clearly shown in the figure below) (Para 0046).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified Breuer et al. ‘147 to incorporate the teachings of Paul et al. ‘499 to configure the method comprising a container wherein a single lower side is connected to the upper side on a lateral side of the upper side and cooperates with the upper side to define an interior of the container. This results in the method comprising:
pivoting the lower side of the curtain assembly along the first lateral side away from an upper side of the container and away from the front side of the container.
One of ordinary skill in art would recognize that doing so would enable the second portion to open to the side and provide easy access to the curtain.
Modified Mosler et al. ‘163 is silent about the method comprising:
supporting the curtain with the lower side of the container; and
detaching the curtain from the lower side of the container and deploying the curtain from with the container.
Pape ‘065 teaches (figure 10) a curtain (5) folded over twice in the longitudinal direction and disposed in a protective envelop/container wherein the curtain is suspended from a fixing and gathering devices (11) mounted in the rails (9) of a lid (2) wherein curtain (5) is secured in two positions along the length of the curtain by strings (24) (Col. 3 Lines 40-43; Col. 6 Lines 13-29; figure 10 shows the curtain inside a protective envelop/container in a vertical configuration, thus the curtain is secured/attached/supported to a protective envelop/container at the lower and upper portions/sides of the protective envelop/container).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified Mosler et al. ‘163 to incorporate the teachings of Pape ‘065 to configure the method comprising:
supporting the curtain with the lower side of the container; and
detaching the curtain from the lower side of the container and deploying the curtain from with the container (in order to deploy the curtain, the curtain needs to be untied/detached).
One of ordinary skill in art would recognize that doing so would eliminate undesirable creasing of the curtain (Col. 6 Lines 2-29).
Regarding claim 19, modified Mosler et al. ‘163 teaches (figures 1-4) the method further comprising mounting the curtain assembly to the monument/aircraft door frame lining (100) so the curtain assembly can form a privacy area in the front of the door (104) when the curtain (200) is deployed (clearly seen in figure 3).
Regarding claim 20, modified Mosler et al. ‘163 teaches (figures 1-4) the method further comprising after deploying the curtain (200), removing the curtain assembly from the monument while the vehicle is moving (curtain assembly are stowed and installed as needed).
Regarding claim 21, modified Mosler et al. ‘163 teaches (figures 1-4) the assembly wherein the curtain is supported by the second portion in the open arrangement (as modified by Breuer et al. ‘147 and Pape et al. 065).
Regarding claim 22, modified Mosler et al. ‘163 teaches (figures 1-4) the method further comprising maintaining the lower side of the container connected to the upper side of the container after extending the curtain along the curtain track and across the space (as modified by Breuer et al. ‘147).
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mosler et al. (US 2013/0240163), Breuer et al. (US 2009/0242147), Martens (US 3,023,909), Pape (US 3,917,065) and Paul et al. (US 2023/0121499) as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Walton et al. (US 2016/0297525).
Regarding claim 14, modified Mosler et al. ‘163 teaches (figures 1-4) the assembly of claim 11 but it is silent about the assembly further comprising:
one or more wall attachment features that are positioned on the curtain assembly;
one or more receiving features that are positioned on the monument; and
wherein the one or more wall attachment features are configured to engage with the one or more receiving features to mount the curtain assembly to the monument.
Walton et al. ‘525 teaches (figures 1-7) a section divider assembly with an internal cabin (202) comprising a header (204) that securely retains a barrier (206) extending downwardly from the header (204) wherein the header (204) comprises a connecting beam/ attachment feature (320) on top to connect to a bracket/receiving features (326) which secure to the inboard rail (300) through the fasteners (314) (Para 0059, 0066; section divider assembly is analogous to curtain assembly as they both are installed in inside the vehicle).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified Mosler et al. ‘163 to incorporate the teachings of Walton et al. ‘525to configure the assembly further comprising:
one or more wall attachment features that are positioned on the curtain assembly;
one or more receiving features that are positioned on the monument; and
wherein the one or more wall attachment features are configured to engage with the one or more receiving features to mount the curtain assembly to the monument.
One of ordinary skill in art would recognize that doing so would secure the curtain assembly to the vehicle.
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mosler et al. (US 2013/0240163), Breuer et al. (US 2009/0242147), Martens (US 3,023,909), Pape (US 3,917,065) and Paul et al. (US 2023/0121499) as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Bertossi (US 2006/0125214).
Regarding claim 17, modified Mosler et al. ‘163 teaches (figures 1-4) the assembly further comprising strings mounted to the inner side of the second portion to support the curtain (200) (as modified by Pape ‘065) but it is silent about the assembly further comprising a rigid stowage bag mounted to the inner side of the second portion container and sized to receive the curtain.
Bertossi ‘214 teaches (figures 1-4) an apparatus (10) comprising inflatable vehicle occupant protection device in the form of an inflatable curtain (14) that is mounted adjacent the side structure (16) of the vehicle (12) and the roof (18) of the vehicle wherein the inflatable curtain (14) in a stored and deflated condition is inside a cover/bag (26) (Para 0015, 0018; cover/bag has a certain degree of rigidity which enables the cover/bag to hold inflatable curtain).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified Mosler et al. ‘163 to incorporate the teachings of Bertossi ‘214 to configure he assembly further comprising a rigid stowage bag mounted to the inner side of the second portion container and sized to receive the curtain.
One of ordinary skill in art would recognize that doing so would neatly organize curtain in the stored position.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 10th March 2026, with respect to amended claims have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made as explained in the rejection above.
Conclusion
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/ASHESH DANGOL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3642
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