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 .
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a2 as being anticipated by Goldsmith (US 20150191229 A1)
Regarding Claim 1, Goldmsmith discloses a method comprising: possessing an apparatus having a buoyant frame (Element 20) that surrounds a space and a net (paragraph 29, mesh) mounted to the buoyant frame such that the net extends across the space; placing the apparatus on the surface of a body of water adjacent a boat and such that the net is generally horizontal and covers a portion of the surface of the body of water(Fig. 3.); and performing maintenance (for example, wrapping the hull in an antifouling blanket, paragraph 5) on the boat with tools (anchor line 52 is a tool) or parts above the net.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-10 allowed.
Claims 2-7 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Safetey nets for construction are disclosed by WO 2025206960 A1, US 9803384 B2, US 9556578 B1, US 20150211247 A1. Floating work station is disclosed by US 7837526 B1. Floating safety nets are disclosed by CN 121019802 A, CN 118618571 A1, CN 109693764 A, CN 1784253 A
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/ANDREW POLAY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3615 22 March 2026