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
Claims 7-14 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 December 14, 2025.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: on line 22, it appears that “movably” should be “movable”. Appropriate correction is required.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yarder (3,173,219).
Yarder discloses an advertising system that is operable to display advertising on a commercial vehicle (Fig. 1) wherein the advertising system comprises: a support frame (10, Fig. 1), the support frame having an upper horizontal support member (13, Fig. 1), the support frame having a lower horizontal support member (11, Fig. 1) being parallel to the upper horizontal support member, the upper horizontal support member having a first end and a second end, the lower horizontal support member having a first end and a second end, the support frame having a first vertical support member (12, Fig. 1), the first vertical support member being secured between the first end of the upper horizontal member and the first end of the lower horizontal member, the support frame having a second vertical support member (14, Fig. 1), the second vertical support member being secured between the second end of the upper horizontal member and the second end of the lower horizontal member, the support frame having a void (filled by display card 15, Fig. 1); an advertising support member, the advertising support member (15, Fig. 1) being releasably secured within the void, the advertising support member having indicia and logos imprinted thereon (column 2, lines 15-16); a first attachment member (23, Fig. 2), the first attachment member being secured to the upper horizontal
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support member proximate the first end thereof (via screw 22, Fig. 2), the first attachment member having a first portion (24, Fig. 2) and a second portion (28, Fig. 2); a second attachment member (23, Fig. 2, column 2, line 52), the second attachment member being secured to the upper horizontal support member proximate the second end thereof (via screw 22, Fig. 2), the second attachment member having a first portion (24, Fig. 2) and a second portion (28, Fig. 2); and wherein the first attachment member and second attachment member are movable (via screw 27, Fig. 2) so as to releasably secure the advertising system to the commercial vehicle.
Regarding claim 2, first portion (24, Fig. 2) of the first attachment member and the first portion (24, Fig. 2) of the second attachment member extend outward from the upper horizontal support member (13, Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 3, the second portion (28, Fig. 2) of the first attachment member and the second portion (28, Fig. 2) of the second attachment member are perpendicular in shape and movably couped to the first portion of the first attachment member and the first portion of the second attachment member (via screw 27, Fig. 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6 are 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:
Regarding claim 4, the prior art of record does not disclose or suggest positioning a portion of the commercial vehicle between the second portion of the first and second members and the support frame and biasing against the portion of the commercial vehicle. Yarder discloses towing eyes (31, Fig. 2) that are located between the second portion of the first and second members and the support frame, but the members and the frame are not biased against the towing eyes.
Claims 5 and 6 would be allowable based on their dependency, respectively.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The relevance of each reference is explained below, unless the relevance is deemed to be readily apparent.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GARY C HOGE whose telephone number is (571)272-6645. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday.
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/GARY C HOGE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3631