DETAILED ACTION
This is a final Office action in response to the amendment filed 11/25/2025 and the IDS filed 12/21/2025.
Status of Claims
Claims 1-5, 7-15, 17-21, and 23 are pending;
Claims 1, 2, 7, 8, 10-13, 17, and 18 are currently amended; claims 3-5, 9, 14, and 15 are original; claims 6, 16, and 22 have been cancelled; claims 19-21 and 23 have been withdrawn;
Claims 1-5 and 7-12 are allowed; claims 13-15, 17, and 18 are rejected.
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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claim 1 filed 11/25/2025 is allowable. The restriction requirement among Invention I (claims 1-12 filed 04/07/2023), Invention II (claims 13-18 filed 04/07/2023), and Invention III (claims 19-23 filed 04/07/2023), as set forth in the Office action mailed 03/14/2025, has been reconsidered in view of the allowability of claims to the elected invention, i.e., Invention I, pursuant to MPEP § 821.04(a). The restriction requirement is hereby withdrawn as to any claim that requires all the limitations of an allowable claim. Specifically, the restriction requirement of 03/14/2025 is hereby partially withdrawn. Claims 13-15, 17, and 18 filed 11/25/2025, directed to Invention II, are no longer withdrawn from consideration because claims 13-15, 17, and 18 filed 11/25/2025 require all the limitations of an allowable claim, i.e., claim 1 filed 11/25/2025. However, claims 19-21 and 23 filed 11/25/2025, directed to Invention III, remain withdrawn from consideration because they do not require all the limitations of an allowable claim.
In view of the above noted partial withdrawal of the restriction requirement, applicant is 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Once a restriction requirement is withdrawn, the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 121 are no longer applicable.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.
Response to Arguments
The prior art rejections of claims 1-5, 11, and 12, as set forth in the Office action mailed 08/27/2025, are hereby withdrawn in view of Applicant's amendments to the claims filed 11/25/2025 and Applicant's remarks filed 11/25/2025.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted 12/21/2025 has been considered by the Examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 4 and 11-13 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 4, line 1, it is suggested that "the flange portion" be changed to --said flange portion-- for consistency.
Claim 4, line 2, it is suggested that "the second end" be changed to --said second end-- for consistency.
Claim 4, line 2, it is suggested that "the mounting bracket" be changed to --said mounting bracket-- for consistency.
Claim 11, line 3, "an accessory" appears to be --said accessory--. See claim 1, line 1.
Claim 11, line 6, "is positioned" appears to be --is configured to be positioned--. See claim 1, line 13.
Claim 11, line 7, "is positioned" appears to be --is configured to be positioned--. See claim 1, line 13.
Claim 12, line 2, "each respectively" appears to be --each--.
Claim 12, line 4, "an accessory" appears to be --said accessory--. See claim 1, line 1.
Claim 12, line 10, "a corresponding respective one" appears to be --a corresponding one-- or --a respective one--.
Claim 12, line 11, "positioned" appears to be --configured to be positioned--. See claim 1, line 13.
Claim 13, line 18, "latch in" appears to be --latch is in--.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 13-15, 17, and 18 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 13, the limitation "a slatwall" in claim 13 (line 5) is indefinite. It is not clear as to whether the limitation "a slatwall" in claim 13 (line 5) and the limitation "a slatwall" in claim 13 (line 2) refer to the same slatwall or different slatwalls. Appropriate correction is required.
Regarding claim 18, there is insufficient antecedent basis for the limitation "said at least one hooking feature" (claim 18, line 7) in the claim. Also, it is not clear as to whether the limitation "said at least one hooking feature" (claim 18, line 7) and the limitation "a hooking feature" (claim 18, line 4) refer to the same hooking structure or different hooking structures. Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 14, 15, and 17 are rejected as being dependent from a rejected claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-5 and 7-12 are allowed.
Claims 13-15, 17, 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.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Guang H Guan whose telephone number is (571) 272-7828. The examiner can normally be reached weekdays (10:00 AM - 6:00 PM).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jonathan Liu can be reached at (571) 272-8227. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/G. H. G./Examiner, Art Unit 3631
/JONATHAN LIU/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3631