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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-19 in the reply filed on 01/30/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim 20 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 01/30/2026.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because Figures 4-6B and 17 are greyscale images. Since the subject matter depicted in these figures would be properly conveyed using black and white line drawings, black and white replacement drawings for these figures is required. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claims 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Matthew et al. (US 2013/0058615 A1).
Claims 1 and 11: Matthew et al. discloses an apparatus forming a module pulling container (100 of Figure 1) that includes, a cable (206), a housing (see annotated copy of Figure 1 of Matthew et al.) structured to enclose at least one module terminating (202,204 of Figure 2) a cable (206 of Figure 2); a front eyelet (see annotated copy of Figure 1) of the housing; a tapered front end (see annotated copy of Figure 1) of the housing; a back eyelet (see annotated copy of Figure 1); and one or more retention members (see annotated copy of Figure 1) structured to support the at least one module within the module pulling container (the inner side walls, base and top, and surface that includes the back eyelet and the backplate perpendicular to the back eyelet surface are all structured such that they support the module, note that the back wall with the eyelet would support the module if the container was hung from the eyelet, for example).
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Greyscale
Annotated Copy of Figure 1 of Matthew et al.
Claims 2 and 12: Matthew et al. further discloses that the one or more retention members comprising a backplate comprising the back eyelet (as addressed above and depicted in Figure 1).
Claims 3 and 13: Matthew et al. further discloses an alignment tab (134a,134b of Figure 2) of the housing; and a slot of a backplate structured (136a, 136b of Figure 2) to receive the alignment tab.
Claims 4 and 14: Matthew et al. further discloses a locking window (136a,136b of Figure 2) formed as part of the housing; a retaining clip (134a,134b of Figure 2) formed as part of a backplate (portion that defines wall perpendicular to 128a,128b) and structured to fit to the locking window (as depicted in Figure 3).
Claims 5 and 15: Matthew et al. further discloses one or more rounded edges of the housing (the housing is cylindrical and tapered at its ends).
Claims 6 and 16: Matthew et al. further discloses an internal cross-sectional area of the housing that is no more than ten percent greater than an external cross-sectional area of the at least one module (as depicted in Figure 2).
Claims 7 and 17: Matthew et al. further discloses a cable guide structured to provide cable bend radius protection (124a,124b form a tapered wall that prevent the cable from bending).
Claims 8 and 18: Matthew et al. further discloses the at least one module (202 of Figure 2).
Claims 9 and 19: Matthew et al. further discloses that the one or more retention members comprising a retention wall (portion that includes 136a,136b) and a retention fin (134a,134b).
Claim 10: Matthew et al. further discloses an alignment guide pin (130a,130b) of the housing; an alignment guide hole (132a,132b) of the housing structured to receive the alignment guide pin.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON L VAUGHAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5704. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Friday 8:30 - 5:00.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sunil Singh can be reached at (571) 272-3460. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JASON L VAUGHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3726
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