Prior art

Analysis of Prior Art for U.S. Patent No. 12,156,508

Based on the patent documentation for U.S. Patent No. 12,156,508, the following prior art reference was cited by the USPTO examiner during its prosecution.

U.S. Patent No. 3,405,478 A

• Full Citation: US 3,405,478 A
• Title: Toy cable car device
• Publication Date: October 15, 1968
• Filing Date: March 5, 1965
• Assignee: Lehmann Ernst Paul
• Brief Description: This patent describes a toy cable car system. The system includes a drive station and a reversing station, each with a pulley for a cable. A toy, such as a cable car, is attached to the cable. The pulleys are housed within casings that have openings to allow the cable to pass through. The housing is designed to guide the cable and prevent it from derailing from the pulleys.

Potential Anticipation Analysis:

This prior art reference is relevant to the general concept of a pulley system with a housing that guides a line. However, its potential to anticipate the specific claims of US 12,156,508 is limited.

• Claim 1 & 7: These claims require an "inwardly beveled pulley shield." While the housing in US 3,405,478 A does serve a guiding function, it is not explicitly described as having an "inwardly beveled" shield. The specific geometry of the shield in the '508 patent, designed to actively re-engage a dislodged line and form a "substantially solid inner surface" with the pulley groove, appears to be a key distinguishing feature. The design in US 3,405,478 A focuses more on general containment of the cable.

• Claim 6 & 15: These claims specify a "housing cover hingedly attached to a housing base." The housing in US 3,405,478 A consists of casing parts, but the patent does not describe a hinged mechanism for easy access to the pulley to place or remove the line as claimed in the '508 patent.

• Claim 11: This claim calls for an "annular passage" that forms the "object passthrough window." The openings in the housing of the cable car toy in US 3,405,478 A are functional for the passage of the cable but may not be configured as the specific annular passage described in the '508 patent, which is designed to allow unimpeded passage of a lure or other object attached to the line.

• Claim 15: This claim further requires the pulley to be "operatively connected to a controllable motor." The cable car system in US 3,405,478 A does include a drive mechanism, which could be interpreted as a controllable motor.

In summary, while US 3,405,478 A discloses a housed pulley system for moving an object on a line, it does not appear to describe the specific structural features of the "inwardly beveled pulley shield," the "hinged" housing, or the "annular passage" as claimed in US 12,156,508. These features in the '508 patent are presented as inventive steps to enhance safety, prevent line derailment, and allow for the smooth passage of attached objects like animal lures. Therefore, US 3,405,478 A serves as relevant background art but is unlikely to anticipate the independent claims of US 12,156,508 under 35 U.S.C. § 102.