DETAILED ACTION
This communication responds to the Amendment filed February 27, 2026. Claims 1-10 and 12-20 are currently pending.
The rejections of claims 1-8, 10, and 12-20 under 35 USC 112 set forth in the Office Action dated December 3, 2025 are MAINTAINED for the reasons set forth below. Otherwise, claims 1-8, 10, and 12-20 contain allowable subject matter.
Claim 9 is OBJECTED TO as depending from a rejected claim, but otherwise contains allowable subject matter.
This action is final.
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 1-8, 10, 12-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1, the phrase “such as” in the limitation defining X renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitations following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. (See MPEP 2173.05(d).)
Claims 2-8, 10, and 12-20 contain all of the limitations of claim 1 and do not correct its deficiencies. Therefore, they are indefinite for the reason claim 1 is indefinite.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-8, 10, and 12-20 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) set forth in this Office action. Claim 9 is 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:
Claims 1-10 and 12-20 contain allowable subject matter for the reasons set forth in the December 3 Office Action at paragraph 30, which is incorporated by reference herein.
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 CATHERINE S BRANCH whose telephone number is (571)270-3539. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday.
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CATHERINE S. BRANCH
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1763
/CATHERINE S BRANCH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1763
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