Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
This is a first office action on the merits of application SN 18/426,369 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) 1-8 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Patent 11,241,087 to Choi.
Choi teaches
1. A storage rack, comprising: a support (80, 70a, 70b, 10a, 10b, 11, 12) and a control mechanism (20,30), wherein the support comprises a plurality of telescopic rods (10a, 10b,12, 11); the control mechanism is connected to the telescopic rod and configured to control an extension length of the telescopic rod; and the control mechanism comprises a control rod (30), a movable cross beam (40a, 40b), and a housing (20,22, as best seen in figure 7); the telescopic rod comprises an outer rod (12) and an inner rod (11); the outer rod is slidably connected to the inner rod; the housing is fixedly connected to the outer rod; the inner rod is provided with a groove (14) to be clamped with the movable cross beam; and the control rod is slidably connected to the movable cross beam and configured to control the movable cross beam to be clamped with the inner rod.
2. wherein the movable cross beam comprises a first cross beam (40a) and a second cross beam (40b); the first cross beam and the second cross beam are horizontally arranged and located at a same horizontal height (as best seen in figure 3); and the first cross beam and the second cross beam are slidably connected to the control rod and displace left and right with vertical movement of the control rod.
3. wherein the first cross beam and the second cross beam are completely identical (as best seen in figure 1); the first cross beam and the second cross beam are slidably connected to the housing; the first cross beam and the second cross beam each comprise a protrusion (47a); and the protrusion is clamped with the groove to fix the extension length of the telescopic rod (as best seen in figure 5).
4. wherein the first cross beam and the second cross beam each further comprise a sliding groove (41a,41b), a first elastic member (62a, 62b), and a clamping slot (43a,43b); the control rod comprises a sliding groove plate (Figure 3); the sliding groove is slidably connected to the sliding groove plate; and the first elastic member is located in the clamping slot.
5. wherein the housing comprises a first housing (20) and a second housing (22); the first housing is buckled with the second housing (as best seen in figure 7); the first housing comprises a clamping plate (53a as best seen in figure 6); and the clamping plate is configured to separate the sliding groove from the clamping slot and fix the first elastic member in the clamping slot.
6. wherein the sliding groove has an included angle of 120° to 150° (as best seen in figure 3 and 9).
7. wherein the control rod comprises a button (top of 30 as best seen in figure 3) and a second elastic member (61); the button is provided with a plurality of sliding groove plates (51a,51b); the sliding groove plates are slidably connected to the movable cross beam; the movable cross beam horizontally moves with vertical movement of the button; and the second elastic member abuts against the button.
8. wherein the support further comprises an upper base (80) and a lower base (81); and the plurality of telescopic rods are fixedly connected to the upper base and the lower base.
10. wherein the inner rod comprises a plurality of grooves (14), and the grooves have an equal spacing (as best seen in figure 8, col 11, lines 35-59).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Patent 11,247,087 to Choi in view of US Patent Publication 2006/0191447 to Ashby.
Choi discloses every element as claimed and discussed above except a storage box.
Ashby teaches a table with hollow region (228) that receive a storage box (drawer 212) as best seen in figures 24-36. The storage box has protrusions (252, 254) that allow for sliding the drawer on the rollers (250). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the table of Choi by adding a tabletop with a hollow region and storage box to the upper base frame as taught by Ashby to allow for item storage.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TIMOTHY MICHAEL AYRES whose telephone number is (571)272-8299. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 11:30-8.
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/TIMOTHY M AYRES/Examiner, Art Unit 3637