Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
This is a first office action on the merits of application SN 18/403,237 and filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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, 2, 5, and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Patent 4,407,476 to Bohannan.
Bohannan teaches
1. A shelving unit comprising: first and second end panels (walls, unshown); at least one shelf (10) adapted to extend between said first and second end panels; first and second shelf mounts (16,18), each having an elongated body (as best seen in figure 1) defined by a interior side, exterior side, top, bottom, mid-section and opposed ends (as best seen in figure 4), said first and second shelf mounts are adapted to be mounted at said opposed ends between said first and second end panels, said first and second shelf mounts are adapted to be mounted parallel to and spaced apart from one another when mounted to said first and second end panels to create a front and a back of said at least one shelf (as best seen in figure 1); a first receiver (34) adjacent said elongated body top and a second receiver (36) adjacent said elongated body bottom, each receiver adapted to receive a fastener (71) to mount said first and second shelf mounts to said first and second end panels; a first jaw (24) extending outwardly from said mid-section of said interior side of said first shelf mount and a second jaw (24) extending outwardly from said mid-section of said interior side of said second shelf mount (as best seen in figure 4), said first and second jaws facing one another and adapted to receive said at least one shelf, said first and second jaws each having opposed fingers (22,24) that are adapted to flex for frictional receipt of said at least one shelf (as best seen in figure 4); a first divider mounting hook (86, 94, 96) protruding from said mid-section of said interior side of said first shelf mount between said first receiver and said second receiver (as best seen in figure 1 and 3); a second divider mounting hook (88, 98, 100) protruding from said mid-section of said interior side of said second shelf mount between said first receiver and said second receiver (as best seen in figure 1 and 3).
2. further including a throat (20) between each of said first and second opposed fingers (as best seen in figure 4).
5. wherein said first and second receivers are defined by an elongated hollow body (as best seen in figures 1 and 2, the slots allow for receiving of the shelf, and recess 64 act as lightening holes making the receiver hollow).
6. wherein said first and second receivers each have an elongated slot (40, for receiving the end of the shelf as best seen in figures 1 and 2) extending the length of said elongated hollow body.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 4, and 7-22 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.
Conclusion
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/TIMOTHY M AYRES/ Examiner, Art Unit 3637