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 .
This is the third office action for application number 18/498,255, Soap With a Handle, filed on October 31, 2023.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 8-11 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on July 29, 2025.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent No. 12,193,619 to Lane. Lane discloses a soap (10) with an integrated handle (14) comprising: a soap bar (12) designed for body cleansing, the soap bar made from soap material (Col. 2, lines 3-5); the integrated handle incorporated into the soap bar, the handle being made from the same soap material (Col. 6, lines 45-57) as the soap bar; wherein the integrated handle is configured to provide a secure and slip-free grip during use (Col. 2, lines 52-58); designed to facilitate effortless and efficient use, minimizing wastage and enhancing longevity; wherein the integrated handle is circular in shape and is designed to provide an ergonomic grip for the user; and wherein the integrated handle is of a stack type, providing an alternative means to hold the soap bar.
Lane discloses the claimed invention except for the limitation of the soap bar being rectangular in shape.
As the applicant claims, these limitations are design preferences and no criticality is provided for the specific shape of the soap and thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the shape of the soap bar in Lane to have been rectangular in shape since such a modification would have merely involved a change in shape (In re Dailey, 140 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1976)) and would not have yielded any unpredictable results other than a design preference for aesthetic appearance of the soap.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed March 24, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The claims are rejected as being unpatentable over the previously applied reference to Lane.
In response to applicant's argument that Lane does not disclose nor teach the limitation of the soap bar being rectangular in shape, in Figs. 12A and 14A of the reference to Lane, it is shown that the soap may have a soap bar having a rectangular shape. Applicant's specification does not give any detailed or significant purpose of the soap bar being a specific well-known shape other than stating that the rectangular shape being easy to use, which is subjective, and visually appealing as cited in paragraph [0026]. It is also known in the art that the handle of the soap may be of a different shape than that of the soap bar, see U.S. Patent No. 9,603,492 to Cannata, which was previously cited the office action mailed on November 24, 2025.
In response to applicant's argument that the references fail to show certain features of the invention, it is noted that the features upon which applicant relies (i.e., the shape of the soap bar prevents rolling and breaking or the specific geometry allows for a linear "sweeping" motion that covers large body areas more efficiently) are not recited in the rejected claim(s). Although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are not read into the claims. See In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d 1181, 26 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1993).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANITA M KING whose telephone number is (571)272-6817. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30am-4:00pm.
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/ANITA M KING/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3632 April 3, 2026