DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on November 10, 2025 has been entered.
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.
Claims 1, 3 & 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KR 10-2021-0004644. KR`644 teaches of a slide device (fig. 1) comprising a fixed rail (100) installed to be fixed to a main body; a movable rail (200) provided to be slidable relative to the fixed rail; a body (300) provided in one side end area (left side end area – fig. 1) of the fixed rail and having a guide path (310) provided therein; a slider (400) coupled to the body and configured to selectively move in a longitudinal direction of the body during sliding of the movable rail; a transfer pin (500) rotatably coupled to the slider and configured to move along the guide path; an elastic member (700) configured to connect the body and the slider and elastically compress or expand during movement of the slider; and a damper (600) provided in the body and having a rod (620) whose end is connected to the slider, the damper includes a housing (610) inserted into and coupled to the body; the rod provided to be movable in the longitudinal direction from the housing; and a mounting part (621 + 622 + 623) formed at the end of the rod and mounted on the slider, wherein the slider includes an insertion part (420) configured to support one side in the width direction of the mounting part (note fig. 6 in a manner similar to applicant’s representation in fig. 8); a support part (430) configured to support the other side in the width direction of the mounting part (note fig. 6 in a manner similar to applicant’s representation in fig. 6c); and a through-part (viewed as the top section opening – as shown in the bottom left enlargement within fig. 4) formed between the insertion part and the support part, wherein the slider comprises a single body (shown), and wherein the mounting part is configured to be inserted into the slider through the through-part and then rotated to be seated on and supported by each of the insertion part and the support part (such would be the instance where the mounting part (combined 621+622+623) as shown in fig. 3, is inserted “head” first into the through-part (as mapped in the rejection and shown enlarged in fig. 4), then the rest of the body (600) including (610) is rotated so that (600) is parallel to the slider and the mounting part seated therein, whereby the mounting part would be supported by both of the insertion and support parts (as mapped). It is noted that, the method of forming the device (such as the rotational coupling of the mounting part to the slider) is not germane to the issue of patentability of the device itself within a product claim (where the end product constitutes the assembled slide device) therefore, this limitation has been considered, but given minimal patentable weight. As to Claim 3, the mounting part includes a first coupling part (621) inserted into and supported by the insertion part (420) of the slider; a neck part (623) inserted into a neck part insertion groove (422) of the slider and formed to be concavely recessed so that a cross-sectional area is relatively reduced compared to the first coupling part; and a second coupling part (622) seated on and supported by a support part (430) of the slider, wherein, since directions in which the first coupling part and the second coupling part are supported are opposite to each other, detachment from the slider in a width direction (W) is prevented. As to Claim 5, an inclined part (433) is formed at the support part to facilitate seating of the second coupling part. As to Claim 6, the guide path includes a first guide path (311) longitudinally formed in the longitudinal direction of the body; and a second guide path (312) connected to the first guide path at an end area of the first guide path and provided to be bent relative to the first guide path. As to Claim 7, the transfer pin includes a pin body (510); a rotating shaft part (520) formed at one end of the pin body and coupled to the slider; an upper protrusion (530) configured to protrude from one surface of the pin body at the other end of the pin body and inserted into a first through-part (410) formed in the slider, and a lower protrusion (540) configured to protrude from the other surface of the pin body at the other end of the pin body and configured to move along the guide path during the movement of the slider, wherein the transfer pin is configured to be rotatable about the rotating shaft part relative to the slider.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s amendments to the claims and accompanying arguments, filed November 10, 2025, with respect to the 112(b) rejections & 102 rejection in view of Kim et al., have been fully considered and are persuasive. As such, the above mentioned rejections have been withdrawn. However, upon further review and consideration, the position is taken that the anticipatory rejection in view of KR`644 is still applicable and therefore retained. As noted in the rejection, the manner in which the mounting part is seated is immaterial to the seated contact between the insertion part, support part and mounting part when in the assembled state (i.e., final product). Applicant’s intended / functional use of the mounting part has been accounted for, and absent a structural detail which would negate the prior art’s ability to perform the claimed functionality, the application of the structural elements as mapped is deemed sufficient for anticipatory purposes.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES O HANSEN whose telephone number is (571)272-6866. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8 am - 4:30 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Daniel Troy can be reached at 571-270-3742. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
JOH
November 21, 2025
/James O Hansen/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3637