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 .
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
3. Claim(s) 1, 2 and 4-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mischel, Jr. et al (US 8,910,402) in view of Grim, Jr. (US 3,273,893).
Mischel, Jr. et al discloses a smart mirror system comprising medicine cabinet assembly having an electronic device (24, 520, 720) having a screen (see figures 2 and 5-7), the screen being illuminated by the electronic device to portray a display (see figures 2 and 5-7); a housing (18) having a front panel (22), a back panel (50), and a perimeter wall (54) extending between the front panel and the back panel to define an interior space between the front panel and the back panel (see figures 2 and 5-7); the front panel comprising a one-way mirror (26) having an outer side and an inner side (see figures 2 and 5-7), the inner side facing the interior space (see figures 2 and 5-7), whereupon the outer side functions as a mirror and light is transmittable from the interior space through the one-way mirror via display (23, 520, 720); see figures 2 and 5-7, the back panel having an interior surface being substantially non-reflective (see column 3, lines 27-30, wherein wood is considered a nonreflective material); and a receiver (.i.e., bracket(s), adhesive(s), fasteners, screws…etc., which would inherently allow the electronic device (24, 520, 720) to be secured or mounted to element (50) within the interior space (see column 3, lines 22-30), and would impart removably receiving the electronic device such that the display faces the one-way mirror (see column 3, lines 36-39 along with Fig. 2); wherein the front panel is hingedly attached to the perimeter wall to access the interior space (see column 4, lines 29-33), wherein the perimeter wall further comprising a top edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge, the first and second side edges extending downwardly from the top edge; and a bottom edge opposite the top edge, the bottom edge defining an opening extending into the interior space (see Fig. 2), note figures 2 and 5-7, except for explicitly stating that the receiver is removably attached to the back panel with a connector, wherein the connector includes a first portion substantially covering the back panel and a second portion positioned on the receiver, and the connector comprises a hook and loop connectors.
Grim, Jr. teaches it is well known to use and employ hook and loop connectors (Velcro)
in analogous art for the purpose of attaching one element to another element. See figures 1-4.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the back panel of Mischel, Jr. et al (‘402) to include an adhesive (receiver) having one hooks or loops type connectors to substantially cover the back panel and modify the back surface of the electronic device back to include an adhesive having the other one of the hooks or loop type connectors, as taught by Grim, Jr., in order to obtain rapid replacement of the electronic device when defective.
As to the limitations of claims 5 and 6 that the interior surface of the back panel is a black or dark color, respectively, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the interior surface of the back panel of Mischel, Jr. et al (‘402) in view of Grim, Jr. to include a black or dark color in order to reduce unwanted light and/or heat of the electronic device and/or assembly.
4. Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mischel, Jr. et al (US 8,910,402) in view of Grim, Jr. (US 3,273,893) as applied to claims 1, 2 and 4-6 above, and further in view of Herber (US 2007/0013278).
Mischel, Jr. et al (‘402) in view of Grim, Jr. discloses all of the subject matter claimed, note the above explanation, except for explicitly stating that the cabinet assembly includes a closure feature for releasably securing the front panel having a first magnetically active material to the housing of the cabinet having a second magnetically active material in a closed position.
Herber teaches it is well known to use and employ a first magnetically active material and place the first magnetically active material on one of a front panel (door) or a housing of a cabinet and place a second magnetically active material on the other of the front panel (door) or the housing of the cabinet in the same field of endeavor for the purpose of securing the front panel (door) to the cabinet in a closed shut position. See figures 3 and 4 along with the associated description thereof.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the front panel (door) or the housing of the cabinet of Mischel, Jr. et al (‘402) in view of Grim, Jr. to include a first magnetically active material and modify the other of the front panel (door) or the housing of the cabinet to include a second magnetically active material, as taught by Herber, in order to secure the front panel (door) to the cabinet in a closed shut position
5. Claims 7 and 8 is 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.
6. Claim 9 is allowed.
7. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICKY D SHAFER whose telephone number is (571)272-2320. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri. 11:00-7:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Stephone B. Allen can be reached at (571) 272-2434. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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RDS
September 29, 2025
/RICKY D SHAFER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872