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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species A in the reply filed on 1/7/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 8-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. (Examiner notes that Species A does not include claims 8-12, which include the self-retaining clip, the special feature of Species B). Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 1/7/2026.
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) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2015/0183066 to Lippert et al. (hereinafter “Lippert”).
-From Claim 1: Lippert discloses a clamp for coupling a solar panel to a frame comprising:
a bolt extending along a longitudinal axis and having a head 46, an end, and a shaft 41 extending between the head and the end;
a retainer portion 53 extending at least partially between the head and the end along the shaft, wherein the retainer portion is moveable between a first position with a first diameter and a second positioned with a second diameter, (by virtue of being resilient/flexible, the retainer portion would expand when compressed between a first and second diameter) the first diameter and the second diameter being greater than a diameter of the shaft; and
a nut 48 threadedly coupled to the bolt proximate the end of the bolt such that rotation of at least one of the bolt or the nut cause the nut to move longitudinally along the shaft.
-From Claim 2: Lippert discloses wherein the retainer portion 53 is moveable between the first position and the second position by deforming under a compressive force along the longitudinal axis.
-From Claim 3: Lippert discloses wherein the retainer [portion] further comprises a substantially convex top.
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Reproduced from Lippert (Examiner Annotated)
-From Claim 4: Lippert discloses wherein in the second position under the compressive force the top deforms along the longitudinal axis and extends radially perpendicular to the axis such that the retainer portion expands from the first diameter to the second diameter. (by virtue of being resilient/flexible, the retainer portion would expand when compressed between a first and second diameter)
-From Claim 5: Lippert discloses wherein a distance between the nut and the head is greater in the first position than in the second position. (Fig. 3)
-From Claim 6: Lippert discloses a flange 45 extending radially from the retainer portion.
-From Claim 7: Lippert discloses wherein the flange 45 is configured to engage with a first frame member and a second frame member, and wherein in the first position a first compressive force exerted by the flange on the first frame member and the second frame member is less than a compressive exerted in the second position.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure, as the cited references include structure similar to that of the presently claimed invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL J WILEY whose telephone number is (571)270-7324. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm PST.
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, Amber Anderson can be reached at 5712705281. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANIEL J WILEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3678 5/15/2026
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