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
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention I, claims 1-13 and 47-52, in the reply filed on 01/12/2026 is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/16/2023 was filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Applicant uses “102” for both bracket member and body section in paragraph [0047].
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-13, and 47-52 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Harling Donald (US Patent No. 2846570, hereby referred as Donald) in view of Heath et al. (US Pub. No. 2020/0119537, hereby referred as Heath).
Regarding claim 1,
Donald discloses,
A mounting bracket, comprising (figure 4):
a bracket member having a main body section and two arms extending outwardly at an oblique angle from opposing ends of the main body section (bracket member 22,25,26,29 and two arms 26 and 25),
wherein the main body section comprises a slot (slot 35 and other slots for elements 20); and a brace member (element 28/30),
wherein a middle section of the brace member is configured to be received within the slot of the bracket member and opposing end sections of the brace member contact a respective arm of the bracket member (element 28 is connected to both arms 25-26 and 16-17 and each area of element 20 is a slot).
Donald does not disclose,
each arm includes a plurality of mounting apertures.
However, Heath teaches,
each arm includes a plurality of mounting apertures (figure 1, the bracket 22 comprise of two arms and a plurality of slots).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to incorporate each arm includes a plurality of mounting apertures, as taught by Heath, into Donald in order to provide a better and more stable bracket.
Regarding claim 2,
Donald discloses,
wherein the bracket member is generally W-shaped (figure 4, elements 25-26 and 29).
Regarding claim 3,
Donald discloses,
The mounting bracket of Claim 1, further comprising transition sections residing between the main body section and each arm, wherein the slot extends into each transition section (figure 4, each arm or section 25,26,16 and 17 has a transition section).
Regarding claim 4,
Donald discloses,
wherein the bracket member is monolithic (figure 4, elements 25-26 and 29).
Regarding claim 5,
Donald discloses,
wherein the main body section of the bracket member further comprises a plurality of mounting holes sized and configured to receive respective fasteners to secure the mounting bracket to a mounting structure (figure 4, fastener 30 or elements 20 and the holes for each area of element 20).
Regarding claim 6,
Donald does not disclose,
wherein the mounting structure is the leg of an antenna tower.
However, Heath teaches,
wherein the mounting structure is the leg of an antenna tower (figure 1 and abstract).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to incorporate wherein the mounting structure is the leg of an antenna tower, as taught by Heath, into Donald in order to provide a better and more stable bracket.
Regarding claim 7,
Donald discloses,
wherein the mounting apertures comprise a pair of open-ended slots and holes configured to secure a mounting panel to the mounting bracket (figure 4, a pair of open-ended slots 35).
Regarding claim 8,
Donald discloses,
wherein the open-ended slots are located on a top edge of each arm of the bracket member such that a fastener is slid into the open-ended slot and enables the fastener to descend to the lowest end of the slot (figure 4, open-ended slots 35 at the end of arms 25 and 26).
Regarding claim 9,
Donald discloses,
wherein a pair of mounting panels are secured to the mounting bracket (figure 4, both elements 16 and 17).
Regarding claim 10,
Donald discloses,
The mounting bracket of Claim 9, further comprising a mounting panel stabilizer securing the ends of each mounting panel together (figure 4, element 22 or element 28).
Regarding claim 11,
Donald does not disclose,
wherein one or more RRUs is mounted to the mounting panels.
However, Heath teaches,
wherein one or more RRUs is mounted to the mounting panels (figure 4 and paragraph [0002]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to incorporate wherein one or more RRUs is mounted to the mounting panels as taught by Heath, into Donald in order to provide new towers to support greater numbers of antenna and radio units, while existing towers are retrofitted to support more units, and effort is made to fully utilize space available on the towers.
Regarding claim 12,
Donald discloses,
wherein the mounting bracket is secured to a mounting structure (figure 4, elements 25-26 secured to elements 16-17).
Regarding claim 13,
Donald discloses,
wherein a first portion of the brace member extends rearwardly of the main body and a second portion of the brace member extends forwardly of the main body (element 28 includes element 30 which extends from two opposite sides).
Regarding claim 47,
Donald discloses,
A mounting bracket, comprising (figure 4):
a bracket member having a main body section and two arms extending outwardly at an oblique angle from opposing ends of the main body section such that the bracket member is generally W-shaped (bracket member 22,25,26,29 and two arms 26 and 25),
wherein the main body section comprises a slot (slot 35 and other slots for elements 20); and a brace member (element 28/30),
wherein a middle section of the brace member is configured to be received within the slot of the bracket member and opposing end sections of the brace member contact a respective arm of the bracket member (element 28 is connected to both arms 25-26 and 16-17 and each area of element 20 is a slot),
wherein the bracket member is monolithic (elements 25-26 and 29).
Donald does not disclose,
each arm includes a plurality of mounting apertures.
However, Heath teaches,
each arm includes a plurality of mounting apertures (figure 1, the bracket 22 comprise of two arms and a plurality of slots).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to incorporate each arm includes a plurality of mounting apertures, as taught by Heath, into Donald in order to provide a better and more stable bracket.
Regarding claim 48,
Donald discloses,
The mounting bracket of Claim 47, further comprising transition sections residing between the main body section and each arm, wherein the slot extends into each transition section (figure 4, each arm or section 25,26,16 and 17 has a transition section).
Regarding claim 49,
Donald discloses,
wherein the main body section of the bracket member further comprises a plurality of mounting holes sized and configured to receive respective fasteners to secure the mounting bracket to a mounting structure (figure 4, fastener 30 or elements 20 and the holes for each area of element 20).
Regarding claim 50,
Donald discloses,
wherein the mounting apertures comprise a pair of open-ended slots and holes configured to secure a mounting panel to the mounting bracket (figure 4, a pair of open-ended slots 35).
Regarding claim 51,
Donald discloses,
wherein the open-ended slots are located on a top edge of each arm of the bracket member such that a fastener is slid into the open-ended slot and enables the fastener to descend to the lowest end of the slot (figure 4, open-ended slots 35 at the end of arms 25 and 26).
Regarding claim 52,
Donald discloses,
wherein a first portion of the brace member extends rearwardly of the main body and a second portion of the brace member extends forwardly of the main body (element 28 includes element 30 which extends from two opposite sides).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Lapalme et al. US Pub. No. 2022/0359973, Rathbone et al. US Pub. No. 2010/0025559, Wen et al. US Pub. No. 2008/0011919, Towne et al. US Pub. No. 2026/0074411.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AWAT M SALIH whose telephone number is (571)270-5601. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8:30AM-5:00PM.
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/AWAT M SALIH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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