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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-6, 8-10, and 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hartman et al. (US 2006/0245890 A1).
Re: claim 1, Hartman et al. teaches a securing aid (Fig. 1) for aiding securing an article to be transported to a securing surface of a transporting means that transports the article, the securing aid comprising: a base plate (20) having a first fastening structure (36) configured to be fastened to the article to be transported (18); and a pair of pressed parts (Annotated Fig. 2 – pressed part) respectively disposed on two end portions (Annotated Fig. 3 – end portions) of the base plate (See Annotated Fig. 3) and configured to be pressed by a lashing member (52) in a state of being pressed against the securing surface by the lashing member (52), wherein the two end portions on which the pair of pressed parts are disposed are opposite to each other in a width direction of the base plate (See Annotated Fig. 3), the base plate (20) has a securing piece (32) between the pair of pressed parts (See Fig. 1 & 2), the securing piece jutting out (See Fig. 1) in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the pair of pressed parts are arranged (See Fig. 1 and 2), the first fastening structure (36) is provided in the securing piece (32) and is configured to be fastened to the article to be transported (18) by cooperating with a third fastening structure (30) provided in a lower portion of the article to be transported (See Fig. 2 – 18).
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Re: claim 2, Hartman et al. teaches wherein a second fastening structure (Fig. 4 – 48) configured to fasten the article to be transported to an installation surface is provided in the lower portion of the article to be transported (18), and in a planar view (Fig. 3 & 4), at least a part of the second fastening structure (48) of the article to be transported (18) is disposed underneath the pair of pressed parts (Annotated Fig. 2 – pressed part) of the securing aid.
Re: claim 3, Hartman et al. teaches wherein in a planar view (Fig. 1), the first fastening structure (36) of the securing aid and the third fastening structure (30) of the article to be transported (18) are not disposed underneath (See Fig. 1 & 2) the pair of pressed parts (Annotated Fig. 2 – pressed part) of the securing aid.
Re: claim 5, Hartman et al. teaches wherein the pair of pressed parts (Annotated Fig. 2 – pressed part) are arranged while the first fastening structure (36) is interposed therebetween (See Fig. 1 & 2).
Re: claim 6, Hartman et al. teaches wherein the pair of pressed parts (Annotated Fig. 2 – pressed part) have an insertion hole (Annotated Fig. 4 – hole) in which a fork of a forklift can be inserted.
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Re: claim 8, Hartman et al. teaches a securing structure (Fig. 1) for securing an article to be transported to a securing surface of a transporting means that transports the article, the securing structure comprising: the securing aid according to claim 1 (See Rejection of Claim 1), the securing aid being attachable to the article to be transported (See Fig. 1 & 2); and a lashing member (Fig. 3 – 52) that presses the securing aid against the securing surface (See Fig. 3), wherein the securing aid includes a base plate (20) having a first fastening structure (36) configured to be fastened to the article to be transported (18), and a pair of pressed parts (Annotated Fig. 2 – pressed part) respectively disposed on two end portions (Annotated Fig. 3 – end portions) of the base plate (20) and configured to be pressed by the lashing member (52), and in a state where the securing aid is on the securing surface and juts out in a lateral direction (Fig. 1 – 32 juts laterally & Annotated Fig. 2 – pressed part juts out laterally) with respect to the article to be transported (18), and the first fastening structure (36) of the securing aid is fastened to the article to be transported (18) in cooperation with a third fastening structure (30) provided in a lower portion of the article to be transported (18), the lashing member (52) is spanned across the pair of pressed parts (Annotated Fig. 2 – pressed part) of the securing aid so as to press the securing aid against the securing surface (See Fig. 3).
Re: claim 9, Hartman et al. teaches wherein in a planar view of the securing aid (See Fig. 3 & 4), at least a part of a second fastening structure (48) that is provided in the lower portion of the article to be transported (18) and is configured to fasten the article to be transported to an installation surface is disposed underneath (See Fig. 3 & 4) the pair of pressed parts (Annotated Fig. 2 – pressed part) of the securing aid.
Re: claim 10, Hartman et al. teaches wherein in a planar view of the securing aid (See Fig. 1 & 2), the first fastening structure (36) of the securing aid and the third fastening structure (30) of the article to be transported (18) are not disposed underneath (See Fig. 1 & 2) the pair of pressed parts (Annotated Fig. 2 – pressed part) of the securing aid.
Re: claim 12, Hartman et al. teaches wherein the pair of pressed parts (Annotated Fig. 2 – pressed part) of the securing aid are arranged while the first fastening structure (36) is interposed therebetween (See Fig. 1 & 2).
Re: claim 13, Hartman et al. teaches wherein the third fastening structure (30) of the article to be transported (18) is provided in each of two opposing lateral parts (Fig. 3 – 22 & 28) of the article to be transported (18), and the securing aid is attached (at 36 to 30) to each of the two lateral parts (22 & 28) such that the article to be transported (18) is interposed therebetween (See Fig. 3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 7, and 11 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Re: claim 4 and 11, the cited prior art whether in full or in combination fails to teach or reasonably suggest wherein an entirety of the pair of pressed parts is disposed at a position higher than the second fastening structure of the article to be transported.
Re: claim 7, the cited prior art whether in full or in combination fails to teach or reasonably suggest a hook hole in which a pull-up fixture for pulling up the article to be transported can be hooked, the hook hole being formed in a top face of each of the pair of pressed parts.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Page 6, filed 12/19/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-13 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Hartman et al. (US 2006/0245890 A1).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yang (US 2014/0290315 A1) discloses a locking device. Haskin et al. (Patent No. 5,775,665) discloses a security mounting assembly. Glynn (Patent No. 5,660,451) discloses a computer component security device.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHILIP C ADAMS whose telephone number is (571)272-3421. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7:30 - 4:00 CT.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amy R Weisberg can be reached at 5712705500. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PHILIP C ADAMS/Examiner, Art Unit 3612
/AMY R WEISBERG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3612