DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election with traverse of Species A (Fig. 1) in the reply filed on 4-13-26 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 1-3, 5, 7-10, 12, and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KR 200389026 Y1 (Lee) in view of DE 202006011254 U1 (Otten).
With regards to claims 1-3, 5, 7-10, 12, and 14, the Examiner has adopted the rejections from the Ex Parte Reexamination (90/015,564) Ground 1 provided via the I.D.S. received 3-16-26. Also see the U.S. Reexamination Application No. 90/105,494 provided via the I.D.S. received 11-5-25 and the Ex Parte Reexamination (90/015,494) provided via the I.D.S. received 3-16-26.
Claims 4 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KR 200389026 Y1 (Lee) in view of DE 202006011254 U1 (Otten) as applied to claims 1 and 10 above, and further in view of Tomassetti et al. (2004/0177519) and Gray (D444,267).
With regards to claims 4 and 11, the Examiner has adopted the rejections from the Ex Parte Reexamination (90/015,564) Ground 2 provided via the I.D.S. received 3-16-26. Also see the U.S. Reexamination Application No. 90/105,494 provided via the I.D.S. received 11-5-25 and the Ex Parte Reexamination (90/015,494) provided via the I.D.S. received 3-16-26.
Claims 5 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KR 200389026 Y1 (Lee) in view of DE 202006011254 U1 (Otten) as applied to claims 1 and 10 above, and further in view of FR 2639280 A1 (Izoard).
With regards to claims 5 and 12, the Examiner has adopted the rejections from the Ex Parte Reexamination (90/015,564) Ground 3 provided via the I.D.S. received 3-16-26. Also see the U.S. Reexamination Application No. 90/105,494 provided via the I.D.S. received 11-5-25 and the Ex Parte Reexamination (90/015,494) provided via the I.D.S. received 3-16-26.
Claims 1, 2, 5-8, 10, and 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE 3635552 A1 (Köppen) in view of Ma (6,685,147) and Huppmann-Valbella (442,585).
With regards to claims 1, 2, 5-8, 10, and 12-14, the Examiner has adopted the rejections from the Ex Parte Reexamination (90/015,564) Ground 5 provided via the I.D.S. received 3-16-26. Also see the U.S. Reexamination Application No. 90/105,494 provided via the I.D.S. received 11-5-25 and the Ex Parte Reexamination (90/015,494) provided via the I.D.S. received 3-16-26.
Claims 4 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE 3635552 A1 (Köppen) in view of Ma (6,685,147) and Huppmann-Valbella (442,585) as applied to claims 1 and 10 above, and further in view of Tomassetti et al. (2004/0177519) and Gray (D444,267).
With regards to claims 4 and 11, the Examiner has adopted the rejections from the Ex Parte Reexamination (90/015,564) Ground 6 provided via the I.D.S. received 3-16-26. Also see the U.S. Reexamination Application No. 90/105,494 provided via the I.D.S. received 11-5-25 and the Ex Parte Reexamination (90/015,494) provided via the I.D.S. received 3-16-26.
Claims 5 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE 3635552 A1 (Köppen) in view of Ma (6,685,147) and Huppmann-Valbella (442,585) as applied to claims 1 and 10 above, and further in view of FR 2639280 A1 (Izoard).
With regards to claims 5 and 12, the Examiner has adopted the rejections from the Ex Parte Reexamination (90/015,564) Ground 7 provided via the I.D.S. received 3-16-26. Also see the U.S. Reexamination Application No. 90/105,494 provided via the I.D.S. received 11-5-25 and the Ex Parte Reexamination (90/015,494) provided via the I.D.S. received 3-16-26.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON DANIEL PRONE whose telephone number is (571)272-4513. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday: 7:00 am-3:00 pm.
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14 May 2026
/Jason Daniel Prone/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3724
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