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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/24/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The examiner maintains the 112a rejections as it’s the examiner’s position the claims 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. The examiner would also like to note direct pin-to-hole engagement is not disclosed and please see previous remarks. Additionally, in regards to claim 12 the examiner respectfully disagrees the original disclosure provides sufficient description to claim “the locking latch is configured to rotate in a first direction and traverse upwards longitudinally along the motion path at the same time”. It’s not reasonably conveyed by the original disclosure that this takes place.
Drawings
The previous drawing objections are withdrawn as per MPEP 1893.03(f).
Specification
The examiner maintains the previous specification objections.
The amendment filed 4/11/2025 is objected to under 35 U.S.C. 132(a) because it introduces new matter into the disclosure. 35 U.S.C. 132(a) states that no amendment shall introduce new matter into the disclosure of the invention. The added material which is not supported by the original disclosure is as follows:
In para 24 “the first retainer pin is bigger than the second retainer pin” is new matter.
Applicant is required to cancel the new matter in the reply to this Office Action.
Claim Objections
The previous drawing objections are overcome by the present amendments.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112(a)
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 11-15 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
In regards to claim 11, “wherein the first retainer pin is bigger than the second retainer pin” is new matter. Although the first hole is bigger than the second hole this does not mean the first retainer pin is bigger than the second retainer pin. For instance, the hole could be bigger for the insertion of a bearing. The original disclosure fails to describe this limitation.
In further regards to claim 12, “the locking latch is configured to rotate in a first direction and traverse upwards longitudinally along the motion path at the same time” is new matter. Nothing in the original disclosure suggest or shows the locking latch being configured to rotate and traverse upwards at the same time.
In regards to claims 13-15, they are rejected due to their dependencies on the rejected claims above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER H WATSON whose telephone number is (571)272-5393. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9 - 5.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christine M Mills can be reached at (571) 272-8322. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/PETER H WATSON/Examiner, Art Unit 3675
Prosecution Insights