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 .
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species I, Figures 1-15, Claims 1-4 and 7-13 in the reply filed on February, 11, 2026 is acknowledged.
An action on the merits of Claims 1-4 and 7-13 follows below. (Claims 5, 6 and 14-29 withdrawn.)
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because the abstract begins with “The present disclosure disclose” which is implied. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by EP 3 293 043 issued to BOS GMBH (Foreign Citation No. 1 in the IDS filed on 10/15/2024).
Regarding Claim 1, BOS GMBH teaches an armrest mounting unit, comprising:
a fixed base (4);
a connecting base (37; Figures 19-20);
a first magnetic member (43) fixed on one of the fixed base (4) and the connecting base; and
a locking mechanism (38, 40) disposed on the other one of the fixed base and the connecting base (37),
wherein when the locking mechanism (38, 40) is in a locked state, the connecting base (37) is fixable (see Figures 17-18) on the fixed base (4) through the locking mechanism (38, 40), and
when the locking mechanism (38,40) is in an unlocked state, the connecting base (37) is separable from the fixed base (4), and wherein the first magnetic member (43) forms a magnetic action with the locking mechanism (38, 40), to assist positioning and separation of the fixed base and the connecting base (The magnetic force of the magnetic lock 43 pulls the plug wedge 38 into the plug-receiving area 42 axially and secures the plug wedge 38 in the insertion direction by the corresponding magnetic force. The magnetic force can act on the plug wedge 38, since the metal pins 40 are attracted to the front side of the plug wedge 38 of the permanent magnet).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 2-4 and 7-13 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: the primary reason for the indication of allowable subject matter in this case is the inclusion of: in re claim 2, where an unlocking member moves between a first locked position and a first unlocked position and an engaging member is disposed on the connecting base and a second magnetic member movably disposed on the connecting base and forming a magnetic action with the first magnetic member; in re claim 12 where the fixed base includes a first coupling portion and the connecting base includes a second coupling portion; and when the connecting base is engaged with and locked with the fixed base, the second coupling portion is sleeved outside the first coupling portion; in re claim 13 where a handcart is provided with a frame, an armrest body, and the armrest mounting unit, where the fixed base is disposed on one of the frame and armrest body and the connecting base is disposed on the other one of the frame and armrest body, and the armrest body is detachably mounted on the frame through the armrest mounting unit, in combination with the other elements recited, not found in the prior art of record.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIAN L SWENSON whose telephone number is (571)270-5572. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday (9-5).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Allen Shriver can be reached at (303) 297-4337. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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BRIAN SWENSON
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3618
/BRIAN L SWENSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3613
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