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 the First Office action on the Merits from the examiner in charge of this application.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species I, Figs. 1-6 in the reply filed on 7/24/2025 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.03(a)).
Claims 12-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 7/24/2025.
Regarding claim 15-19, since claim 15, line 4 recites a handle “movably mounted to the second rail”, claims 15-19 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species.
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.
Claim 7 recites the limitation "the supporting feature" in lines 1-2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purpose of this examination, “the supporting feature” is considered to be “a supporting feature”.
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.
Claim(s) 1-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by USP 11197389 to Lin.
Lin discloses (Claim 1). A slide rail assembly, comprising: a first rail; a second rail 40 movable relative to the first rail; and a handle 71 movable relative to the second rail 40; wherein when the handle 71 is moved from a first operating position along a predetermined direction to a second operating position, the handle 71 is configured to unlock the second rail 40 relative to the first rail at a first predetermined position; (Claim 2). The slide rail assembly of claim 1, further comprising an actuating member (defined as one side of positioning slot 712); wherein when the handle 71 is moved from the first operating position along the predetermined direction to the second operating position, the handle 71 is configured to drive the actuating member to unlock the second rail 40 relative to the first rail at the first predetermined position; (Claim 3). The slide rail assembly of claim 1, wherein the second rail 40 is configured to carry a carried object 30, and the handle 71 is movably mounted to the carried object 30; (Claim 4). The slide rail assembly of claim 1, further comprising a supporting feature 12 arranged on the first rail, wherein the handle 71 comprises a first corresponding section (defined as one side of positioning slot 712); wherein during a process of the handle 71 being moved from the second operating position along the predetermined direction to a third operating position, the handle 71 is configured to continuously contact the supporting feature 12 through the first corresponding section, in order to move the second rail 40 from the first predetermined position to a second predetermined position (Fig. 8); (Claim 5). The slide rail assembly of claim 4, wherein the handle 71 further comprises a second corresponding section (defined as the other side of positioning slot 712), and a predetermined space 712 is defined between the second corresponding section and the first corresponding section; wherein when the second rail 40 is located at the first predetermined position and when the handle 71 is located at the first operating position, the supporting feature 12 is located in the predetermined space 712 (Fig. 7); (Claim 6). The slide rail assembly of claim 3, wherein the first rail is mounted to a rack 2 through a supporting frame 90 (such as shown in Figs. 12-13); (Claim 7). The slide rail assembly of claim 6, wherein a supporting feature 93 is arranged on the supporting frame 90; (Claim 8). The slide rail assembly of claim 3, wherein the handle 71 is movable relative to the second rail 40 in a pivotal manner; (Claim 9). A slide rail system, comprising: a carried object 30; a slide rail assembly configured to carry the carried object 30, the slide rail assembly comprising a supporting feature 12; and a handle 71 movably mounted to the carried object 30; wherein during a process of the handle 71 being moved from one operating position to another operating position, the handle 71 is configured to continuously contact the supporting feature 12, in order to move the carried object 30 from a first predetermined position to a second predetermined position (Fig. 8); (Claim 10). The slide rail system of claim 9, wherein the slide rail assembly further comprises a first rail, and the first rail is fixedly mounted to a rack 2 (such as shown in Figs. 12-13); (Claim 11). The slide rail system of claim 10, wherein the supporting feature 12 is arranged on the first rail.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure, and all show structures similar to various elements of applicant’s disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HANH VAN TRAN whose telephone number is (571)272-6868. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00-5:30.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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.
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HVT
August 7, 2025
/HANH V TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3637