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 .
Claims rejoinder
Claims 11-16 are directed to an allowable linking drum (see claim 1). Pursuant to the procedures set forth in MPEP § 821.04(B), claims 11-16, directed to the using an allowable product, previously withdrawn from consideration as a result of a restriction requirement, are hereby rejoined and fully examined for patentability under 37 CFR 1.104.
Because some claims such as (claims 11-16) as previously withdrawn from consideration under 37 CFR 1.142 have been rejoined, the restriction requirement as set forth in the Office action mailed on 9/24/24 is hereby withdrawn. In view of the withdrawal of the restriction requirement as to the rejoined inventions, applicant(s) are advised that if any claim presented in a divisional application is anticipated by, or includes all the limitations of, a claim that is allowable in the present application, such claim may be subject to provisional statutory and/or nonstatutory double patenting rejections over the claims of the instant application. Once the restriction requirement is withdrawn, the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 121 are no longer applicable. See In re Ziegler, 443 F.2d 1211, 1215, 170 USPQ 129, 131-32 (CCPA 1971). See also MPEP § 804.01.
Claim Objections
Claims 11-16 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Since claim 11 directed to “a drum assembly” other than the drum of the base claim 1. Therefore, claim 11 must be rewritten into standard independent claim format including all of the limitations of claim 1 instead of merely referring to claim 1.
Dependent claim 12 also must be rewritten into proper independent claim formats including all of the limitations of claim 1 and claim 11 instead of merely referring to claim 11. Appropriate correction is required.
Potential Allowable claims
Claims 1-3, 5-10 are allowed.
Claims 11-16 would be allowable upon correction of pending claim objection to as set forth above (see under heading claim objection).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MINH N TRINH whose telephone number is (571)272-4569. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH ~5:00-3:30.
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/MINH N TRINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
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