The arguments and amendments submitted 11/14/2025 have been considered. In light of amendments made, all prior claim objections and USC § 112(b) rejections are hereby withdrawn. The merits of the claims are discussed below.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 1 and 15 are allowable. Claims 6-8 and 18-19, previously withdrawn from consideration as a result of a restriction requirement, require all the limitations of an allowable claim. Pursuant to the procedures set forth in MPEP § 821.04(a), the restriction requirement between stage species A and B, as set forth in the Office action mailed on 04/24/2025, is hereby withdrawn and claims 6-8 and 18-19 are hereby rejoined and fully examined for patentability under 37 CFR 1.104. In view of the withdrawal of the restriction requirement, 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 Once the restriction requirement is withdrawn, the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 121 are no longer applicable.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
The following claim(s) are objected to because of these informalities:
In claim 4, line 2, “an upper surface” should read “the upper surface”.
In claim 6, lines 2-3, “a plurality of first blocks and a plurality of second blocks, each having a shape” should read “a plurality of first blocks and a plurality of second blocks, each of the plurality of second blocks having a shape”.
In claim 10, line 2, “an upper surface” should read “the upper surface”.
In claim 12, line 4, “an upper surface” should read “the upper surface”.
In claim 16, line 2, “an upper surface” should read “the upper surface”.
In claim 18, lines 2-3, “a plurality of first blocks and a plurality of second blocks, each having a shape” should read “a plurality of first blocks and a plurality of second blocks, each of the plurality of second blocks having a shape”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 6-8 and 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claims 6 and 18 each recite "one side surface of the plurality of first blocks is provided with a groove defined therein". It is unclear whether each of the plurality of first blocks has a side surface with a groove define therein, or instead one side surface of one of the plurality of first blocks is provided with a groove defined therein. Dependent claims fall herewith.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-3, 5, 9, 11, 13-15, 17, and 20 are allowed in view of the present amendments and for the reasons described in sections 9-12 of the previous office action.
Claims 4, 10, 12, and 16 would be allowable with appropriate corrections for the objections listed above.
Claims 6 and 18 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action, and with appropriate corrections for the objections listed above.
Claims 7-8 and 19 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph for the respective base claims, set forth in this Office action.
Conclusion
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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/JRS/
Examiner
Art Unit 1745
/PHILIP C TUCKER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1745