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 .
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the following claimed features must be shown, without entering any new matter: that at least one tether permanently attached at a first end of the tether to the first support section of the articulated spine and permanently attached at a second end of the tether to the second support in claims 1 and 19.
Claims 5-6, 9, 15, and 18 are withdrawn from further consideration. Applicant made the election of Group I, directed to the embodiment in figures 5A-5C as set forth in the previous office action.
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Claim 15 recites wherein the articulated spine includes “a plurality of segments disposed between the first support section and the second support section, the plurality of segments being interconnected in series via a plurality of expandible flexion regions” is not readable on the elected species of figures 5A-5C.
Accordingly, claim 15 is hereby withdrawn by the examiner.
Claims 1-4, 7-8, 12-17, 19, and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. The original disclosure does not teach the limitation “at least one tether permanently attached at a first end of the tether to the first support section of the articulated spine and permanently attached at a second end of the tether to the second support section of the articulated spine and the at least one of the plurality of sleeves is transferable from the first support section of the articulated spine to the second support section of the articulated spine by sliding along the at least one tether.
This is a new matter rejection.
SET I
Claims 1-4, 12, 13, 16, 17, and 21-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Weber (DE835887), or in the alternative under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Weber in view of Carey (20140294482) or Holes (3797146), or in the alternative under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Weber in view of Carey (20140294482) or Holes (3797146), and further in view of FR’124 (2612124).
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Regarding claim 1, Weber teaches a sleeve packing system, comprising a support structure, including an articulated spine (3) including a first support section (1) attached adjacent to a second support (2) section via a flexion region (3) along a length of the articulated spine; and at least one sleeve guide (10) disposed on or in the articulated spine; and a plurality of sleeves (4), each of the plurality of sleeves including at least one storage compartment (note there is a pocket between the two panels 24 in fig. 6); and a binding edge (at 25) along a length of the sleeve, the binding edge comprising at least one fastener (25) reversibly attachable to the at least one sleeve guide, wherein, while remaining attached to the support structure via the at least one fastener and the at least one sleeve guide, at least one of the plurality of sleeves is transferable from being disposed adjacent to the first support section of the articulated spine to being disposed adjacent to the second support section of the articulated spine, and wherein the at least one sleeve guide includes at least one tether (30) permanently attached at a first end of the tether to the first support section of the articulated spine and permanently attached at 21, and a second end of the tether to the second support section of the articulated spine such that the at least one tether extends over at least a portion of the first support section, across the flexion region, and over at least a portion of the second support section, and the at least one of the plurality of sleeves is transferable from the first support section of the articulated spine to the second support section of the articulated spine by sliding along the at least one tether.
In the alternative,
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Carey (20140294482) or Holes, each teaches that it is known in the art to provide sleeves with pockets. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide the sleeve of Carey or Holes in Weber to enable one store the desired contents within the two supports.
Also in the alternative,
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FR’124 teaches that it is known in the art to provide a strap 3 attached at two ends to the two supports, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide the strap attached at two ends to the two supports as taught by either FR’124 to provide the desired attachment and/or added security and/or to manufacture the device easily.
Regarding claim 2, note a plurality of sleeve guides arranged along the length of the articulated spine.
Regarding claim 3, note that each of the plurality of sleeves further includes
a forward face and a rearward face, at least one of the forward face or the rearward face including the at least one storage compartment or pocket.
Regarding claim 4, note the fasteners 4 equal to the number sleeve guide 10.
Regarding claims 12 and 13, note the strap being spaced apart.
Regarding claim 16, note the magnet in figs. 8 and 9.
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Regarding claim 17, note the layers at 26 and 21 rigidly reinforcing the two support sections and one on the spine.
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Regarding claims 21 and 22, note the two support sections free of an enclosing perimeter wall as claimed.
SET II:
Claims 1, 2, 3, 12, 13 and 21-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Buxton (1909807), or in the alternative under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Buxton in view of Buxton in view of Weber (DE835887).
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(4) The invention, while capable of other uses, is particularly suited for use in connection with small books, as for example, note books, card cases and the like, such 'as are adapted to be carried in the pocket. It can likewise be employed to advantage in connection with pocket books designed for carrying membership cards, passes, and the like. A pocket book, for any of these pur- poses, should be flexible and as thin and compact as possible.
(19) The leaves many be constructed for quick attachment to, or detachment from the binder in various ways and, as an illustrative example, one construction that I have found suitable is shown in Fig. 5. The leaf 5 12 is formed with one or more T-slots, each having an opening 14, near the hinged edge of the leaf, suitably shaped to receive the binder 10 and a passage 15 extending from said edge to and communicating with said opening,-this passage being of less width than the opening 14 or binder 10. As an alternative, the leaf may have one or more T-shaped parts 16 projecting from its hinged edge, as shown in Fig. 4, and the binder 10' may have a longitudinal slot 17 therein (see also Fig. 7) in which the parts 16 may be engaged. -In each case, it will be noted, the binder is slidably engaged in a pair of opposed grooves. In either case, if the binder 10 or 10' is flexible,as for example if it is a strap of leather or the like,-it can readily be bent laterally to disengage it from the T-slot or the T, as the case may be. In many cases, the leaves will be so-called window envelopes or folders, such as are shown in Figs. 4 and 5. These are usually made of celluloid or like material having a considerable degree of flexibility. In consequence, the ears 18 or 18' can be flexed, if desired, to disengage the leaves from the binder.
(23) The leaves of the book may be anything desired. They may, for example, be sheets of paper or cardboard, as shown at 27 in Fig. 6, or they may be folders or envelopes, such as shown at 12 and 13 in Figs. 4 and 5. The size, material and construction of the leaves will vary according to the purpose for which the book is to be used. It might, for example, be made large enough to serve as a brief case with folders or envelopes connected thereto and still serving as the leaves of a book. Or, the book may be of pocket size and used as a notebook. I have chosen to illustrate the invention as adapted to a pocket-size book for carrying pass cards, membership cards and the like but it will be obvious that many other uses may be made of the invention as will readily occur to those skilled in the art.
(24) When the book is used for carrying pass cards, the leaves are envelopes or folders, such as 12 or 13. These are usually formed from strips of flexible transparent material, such as celluloid, doubled over as indicated, to form front and back walls 28 and 29, respectively, hinged at 30. The cards 31, usually two arranged back to back as shown in Fig. 8, are placed between these walls.
Regarding claim 1, Buxton teaches a baggage sleeve packing system, comprising a support structure (110), including an articulated spine (the bending portion about portion 22. Also note that there is no structural delineation of the claimed articulated spine. The region about portion 22 is being articulated via the open and closing of the two support sections meet the claimed structural articulated spine ) including a first support section (11) attached adjacent to a second support (11) section via a flexion region (22) along a length of the articulated spine; and at least one sleeve guide (10) disposed on or in the articulated spine; and a plurality of sleeves (10), each of the plurality of sleeves including at least one storage compartment (note the compartment being the folder or envelope or pockets cited above); and a binding edge (about 30) along a length of the sleeve, the binding edge comprising at least one fastener (16) reversibly attachable to the at least one sleeve guide, wherein, while remaining attached to the support structure via the at least one fastener and the at least one sleeve guide, at least one of the plurality of sleeves /150/ is transferable from being disposed adjacent to the first support section of the articulated spine to being disposed adjacent to the second support section of the articulated spine, and wherein the at least one sleeve guide includes at least one tether (10) permanently attached at a first end of the tether to the first support section of the articulated spine and permanently attached at 21, and a second end of the tether to the second support section of the articulated spine such that the at least one tether extends over at least a portion of the first support section, across the flexion region, and over at least a portion of the second support section, and the at least one of the plurality of sleeves is transferable from the first support section of the articulated spine to the second support section of the articulated spine by sliding along the at least one tether.
Regarding claim 2, note the teaching of “one or more” fastener T-shot indicate more binder or strap 10. Also noted figure 4 with at least two portions 10’.
Regarding claim 3, note that each of the plurality of sleeves further includes
a forward face and a rearward face, at least one of the forward face or the rearward face including the at least one storage compartment or pocket.
Regarding claim 12, note the strap at 10.
Regarding claims 21 and 22, note the two sections of the articulated spine and are each free of an enclosing perimeter wall such that the baggage sleeve packaging system does not form an enclosure surrounding the plurality of sleeves in a closed configuration as claimed.
In the alternative, Buxton teach the device can be of various sizes including a briefcase (cited above). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide an articulated spine as taught by Weber, at 3, and to provide the fasteners at 5/6 to provide the desired size for accommodating the desired contents and to provide the desired attachment for the leaves.
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Also in the alternative, Weber teaches that it is known in the art to provide similar sleeve guide structure with a plurality of sleeve guide at 10. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide a plurality of sleeve guide as taught by Weber to accommodate a larger size. Also, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide the fasteners of Weber in Buxton to provide an alternative attachment to the strap portion.
Regarding claim 13, note the plurality of tethers and fasteners as modified by Weber.
SET III:
Claims 1-4, 12-14, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chan (12029297) in view of Rodrigues (11503888), or in the alternative, over Chan in view of Buxton, and further in view of FR’124 (2612124) or Weber (DE835887).
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Regarding claim 1, Chan teaches a baggage sleeve packing system, comprising a support structure (110), including an articulated spine (13) including a first support section (11) attached adjacent to a second support (12) section via a flexion region (13) along a length of the articulated spine; and at least one sleeve guide (fig. 4E, 135) disposed on or in the articulated spine; and a sleeve including at least one storage compartment; and a binding edge (about 30) along a length of the sleeve, the binding edge comprising at least one fastener (235) reversibly attachable to the at least one sleeve guide, wherein, while remaining attached to the support structure via the at least one fastener and the at least one sleeve guide, and the sleeve is transferable from being disposed adjacent to the first support section of the articulated spine to being disposed adjacent to the second support section of the articulated spine, With respect to the least one sleeve guide includes at least one tether permanently attached at a first end of the tether to the first support section of the articulated spine and permanently attached at, and a second end of the tether to the second support section of the articulated spine such that the at least one tether extends over at least a portion of the first support section, across the flexion region, and over at least a portion of the second support section, note the strap flexible member 135 in fig. 4E being attached to the two support members in order to have a opening for the insertion of the fastener 235.
Chan meets all claimed limitations except for the plurality of insert members,
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(29) Alternatively, the walls 1-6 of the case 11 could be made of a metal alloy or plastic. These more rigid materials may require an alternative closure device, such as latches. In addition, the case 11 could have a different shape than that of a rectangular parallelepiped. For example, two of the opposed walls could be semicircular in outline, as in certain cases for bows. In the case of a case for bows the “pages” to be described below could support or hold arrows and archery tools and gear.
Rodrigues teaches that it is known in the art to provide a similar with insert members and each insert members with pocket in fig. 18. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide a plurality of thinner insert members as taught by Rodrigues to enable one to accommodate more contents. With respect to the least one of the plurality of sleeves is transferable from the first support section of the articulated spine to the second support section of the articulated spine by sliding along the at least one tether, note that with the plurality of insert members as modified by Rodrigues, the insert member is capable of being slidable along the strap portion and to be laid down either the two support panels as claimed.
Also in the alternative,
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FR’124 teaches that it is known in the art to provide a strap 3 attached at two ends to the two supports, and Weber teaches that it is known in the art to provide the strap 30 being attached at two ends to the two supports in fig. 7 (between the layers 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide the strap attached at two ends to the two supports as taught by either FR’124 or Weber to provide the desired attachment.
Regarding claims 2, and 4, each of Rodrigues, Weber each teaches that it is known in the art to provide a plurality of a plurality of sleeve guides mating with a corresponding fastener on the binding edge of each of the insert which meet the limitation in claim 4 wherein the binding edge includes a number of the at least one fastener which is equal to a number of the at least one sleeve guide in the support structure. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide a plurality of plurality of sleeve guides mating with the corresponding number of fastener on the binding edge of each of the insert to provide added security and/or to keep the inserts secured.
Regarding claim 3, note the pockets in the inserts as modified by Rodrigues.
Regarding claim 12, note the tether is at least one of the claimed device, e.g., strap or track as claimed.
Regarding claim 13, note the plurality of tethers spaced out from one another along the length of the articulated spine as modified by Rodrigues or Webster or FR’124.
Regarding claim 14, note Chan teaches a fastener comprising a loop permanently attached to one sleeve of the plurality of sleeves at a first end of the loop fastener and reversibly attached to the one sleeve of the plurality of sleeves at a second end of the loop fastener in fig. 3C.
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In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3C, an end of the strip portion 24 is fixed to the ridge portion 23, and the other end is detachably connected to the ridge portion 23 by buttons, magnets, Velcro, or other similar attachment means.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide a plurality of loops in fig. 3C of Chan in the combination with Weber or Rodriguez as set forth in claim 2 to provide added security for the plurality of inserts.
Regarding claim 17, Chan meets all claimed limitations except for the limitation of t least one of the first support section of the articulated spine /or/ the second support section of the articulated spine is rigid. Rodrigues teaches that it is known in the art to provide a case of rigid material (cited supra). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide the case of Chan of rigid material to provide added rigidity and/or protection for the inside contents.
Claims 8 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the Chan rejections, as set forth above, and further in view of Roegner (5897209).
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Rodrigues meets all claimed limitations except for the flexion region is positioned over a sidewall of the baggage. Roegner teaches that it is known in the art to provide a flexion region 50 positioned over a sidewall of the baggage. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide a flexion region 50 positioned over a sidewall Rodrigues to provide added protection to the wall of the luggage.
Claims 21 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the Chan rejections, as applied in claim 1, and further in view of Zizka (D703954) or Cohun (2333523). Chan meets all claimed limitations except for the first support section and the second support section are each free of an enclosing perimeter wall such that the baggage sleeve packaging system does not form an enclosure surrounding the plurality of sleeves in a closed configuration.
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Kizka teaches that it is known in the art to provide a closure of a strap without an enclosing perimeter wall on the first and second support walls. Similarly, Cohun teaches that it is known in the art to provide a flap closure with without an enclosing perimeter wall on the first and second support walls. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide a strap or a flap closure as taught by Kizka or Cohun to enable one to provide an alternative closing means for the device.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claims have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejections.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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TRI M. MAI
Examiner
Art Unit 3733
/TRI M MAI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3733
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