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 .
This is a non-final Office Action for serial number 18/282,741, Mounting Bracket Assembly, filed September 18, 2023.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species 1 in the reply filed on October 7, 2025 is acknowledged.
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 7, 13 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.
Claims 7, 13 recites the limitation "the engaging element" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1-11, and 13-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO 2020/243780 A1 by Holz.
Holz ‘780 discloses a mounting bracket assembly (100) for mounting an article to a mounting site, the assembly comprising: a bracket base (104, 106) that includes at least a mounting structure (104) that is configured to affix to the mounting site, and a receiving structure (106) and a bracket adaptor (108) that includes at least an engaging structure (112a, 112b) to the receiving structure of the bracket base, wherein the bracket adaptor is mounted to the bracket base by being oriented in an engaging orientation relative to an orientation of the bracket base and linearly sliding the engaging structure in a first direction and into engagement with the receiving structure (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 2, Holz ‘780 discloses wherein the receiving structure (106) comprises at least one guiding face (walls of item 114a, 114b) that is arranged to extend at an acute angle to the first direction (curved at an acute angle – 114a 114b); the engaging structure comprises at least one complementary face (walls - 112a, 112b) that extends parallel and complementary to the at least one guiding face of the receiving structure; and upon the engaging structure linearly sliding into engagement with the receiving structure, the at least one guiding face and at least one complementary face are adjacent to and contacting one another.
Regarding claim 3, Holz ‘780 discloses wherein the receiving structure comprises a guide rail (114a, 114b, 118) extending in the first direction for a portion of a length and the engaging structure comprises a rail receiving portion (112a, 112b, side wall of 108) adapted to linearly slide proximal to the guide rail.
Regarding claim 4, Holz ‘780 discloses wherein the at least one guiding face is an outwardly directed face of the guide rail and at least one complementary face is an inwardly directed face of the rail receiving portion (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 5, Holz ‘780 discloses wherein one of the guide rail and the rail receiving portion comprises a secondary guide protrusion (protruding portion from bottom sidewall of 108) and having a length substantially parallel to the first direction; the other of the rail receiving portion and the guide rail comprises a secondary slot (slot of bottom part of 106) adapted to receive the secondary guide protrusion therein.
Regarding claim 6, Holz ‘780 discloses wherein at least one outwardly directed face of the secondary guide protrusion provides the at least one guiding face; and at least one inwardly directed face of the secondary slot provides the at least one complementary face.
Regarding claims 7, and 13, Holz ‘780 discloses wherein the receiving structure comprises a slide stop (bottom wall of 118) and arranged to form a tab slot (slot of bottom part of 106) and the engaging structure comprises a tab (protruding portion from bottom sidewall of 108) extending from the engaging element (?) and arranged to when the bracket adaptor is oriented in the engaging orientation, extend in the first direction and be received by the tab slot when the engaging structure linearly slides into engagement with the receiving structure.
Regarding claims 8, and 14, Holz ‘780 discloses wherein the at least one guiding face is a face of the at least one flange (?) that is adjacent to the tab slot and the at least one complementary face is a face of the tab that is received by the tab slot.
Regarding claims 9, 15, and 18, Holz ‘780 discloses wherein the receiving structure further comprises a directional face extending substantially parallel to the first direction (Fig. 1) and the engaging structure (112a, 112b) further comprises a sliding face (wall face) that extends substantially parallel to the first direction when the bracket adapter is oriented in the engaging orientation.
Regarding claims 10, 16, and 19, Holz ‘780 discloses wherein the receiving structure (106, 118) comprises a further guide rail (slot) arranged along side and space from the guide rail and extend substantially parallel; the rail receiving portion of the engaging structure is adapted to receive and linearly slide proximal to both the guide rail and the further guide rail; wherein upon the engaging structure linearly sliding into engagement with the receiving structure, a cavity (aperture) is formed within the space between the guide rail and the further guide rail.
Regarding claims 11, 17, and 20, Holz ‘780 discloses a first aperture extending through the bracket adaptor and a second aperture extending through the bracket base (where 110 goes throu); wherein the first and second apertures are each adapted to receive a fastener (110) and upon the engaging structure linearly sliding into the engagement with the receiving structure, the first and second apertures align with one another.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0224539
U.S. Patent No. 4,088,250
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TODD M. EPPS whose telephone number is (571)272-8282. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am - 5pm.
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/TODD M EPPS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3632 December 13, 2025
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