DETAILED ACTION
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 1-16, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Samwoo (KR 10-2010-0095870).
As to claim 1, Samwoo discloses a connecting assembly of a storage rack comprising:
a connecting sleeve body 21, the connecting sleeve body being used for sleeving a supporting rod 10;
a position limiting device 23, the position limiting device being arranged on the connecting sleeve body, and the position limiting device being used for preventing a storage tray 1 from rotating around the supporting rod in a circumferential direction; and
a locking device 22,25, the locking device being used for locking the connecting sleeve body onto the supporting rod (Figure 1).
As to claims 2 and 12, Samwoo discloses a connecting assembly wherein the locking device 22,25 comprises a first connecting member 25 and a second connecting member 22, the first connecting member is provided on the connecting sleeve body 21, and the first connecting member is connected to the second connecting member to lock the connecting sleeve body onto the supporting rod 10 (Figure 1).
As to claims 3 and 13, Samwoo discloses a connecting assembly wherein the first connecting member 25 and the second connecting member 22 are detachably connected (Figure 1).
As to claims 4 and 14, Samwoo discloses a connecting assembly wherein the connecting sleeve body 21 is a U-shaped hollow sleeve body, and the connecting sleeve body is provided with a first side end, a second side end, and a first side opening;
the first connecting member comprises a first clamping arm 25 and a second clamping arm 25, the first clamping arm is connected to the first side end, and the second clamping arm is connected to the second side end;
the second connecting member comprises a fixing cap 22, and the fixing cap is connected to the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm to cause the connecting sleeve body to converge radially inward and abut against the supporting rod 10 (Figure 1).
As to claims 5 and 15, Samwoo discloses a connecting assembly wherein an outer surface of the first clamping arm 25 and an outer surface of the second clamping arm 25 are both equipped with an external threaded structure, and the fixing cap 22 is equipped with an internal threaded structure;
the fixing cap engages with the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm through threads, and when the fixing cap is twisted into the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm, the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm drive the connecting sleeve body 21 to converge radially inward and abut against the supporting rod 10 (Figure 1).
As to claims 6 and 16, Samwoo discloses a connecting assembly wherein the first clamping arm 25 and the second clamping arm 25 are arc-shaped (Figure 1).
As to claim 7, Samwoo discloses a connecting assembly wherein the position limiting device 23 comprises an engaging member fixedly connected to an upper end surface of the connecting sleeve body 21, and the engaging member is capable of being used for engaging with an engaging slot of the storage tray 1 to limit circumferential rotation of the storage tray around the supporting rod 10 (Figure 1).
As to claim 8, Samwoo discloses a connecting assembly wherein the engaging member 23 is an approximately semicircular arc-shaped sheet, a thickness of the engaging member is less than a thickness of the connecting sleeve body 21, and when the engaging member engages with the engaging slot, a bottom surface of the storage tray 1 abuts against the upper end surface of the connecting sleeve body (Figure 1).
As to claims 9 and 19, Samwoo discloses a connecting assembly wherein an inner wall of the connecting sleeve body 21 is fixedly connected with a first tightening rod A and a second tightening rod A (Figure 1 reprinted below with annotations), the first tightening rod and the second tightening rod are respectively arranged on two opposite side walls of the connecting sleeve body, the first tightening rod extends to an inner wall of the first clamping arm 25, and the second tightening rod extends to an inner wall of the second clamping arm 25 (Figure 1).
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As to claims 10 and 20, Samwoo discloses a connecting assembly wherein an outer surface of the fixing cap 22 is equipped with a plurality of anti-slip convex strips (Figure 1).
As to claim 11, Samwoo discloses a storage rack comprising a supporting rod 10, a storage tray 1, and a connecting assembly, wherein the connecting assembly comprises:
a connecting sleeve body 21, the connecting sleeve body being used for sleeving the supporting rod;
a position limiting device 23, the position limiting device being arranged on the connecting sleeve body, and the position limiting device being used for preventing the storage tray from rotating around the supporting rod in a circumferential direction; and
a locking device 22,25, the locking device being used for locking the connecting sleeve body onto the supporting rod (Figure 1).
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 17 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Samwoo in view of Nicely (US 4,627,543).
As to claim 17, Samwoo discloses a storage rack wherein the position limiting device 23 comprises an engaging member fixedly connected to an upper end surface of the connecting sleeve body 21 (Figure 1).
Samwoo fails to disclose a storage rack wherein the storage tray is equipped with a through hole in communication with an engaging slot, the storage tray is sleeved on the supporting rod through the through hole, and wherein the position limiting device comprises an engaging member engaging with the engaging slot to limit circumferential rotation of the storage tray around the supporting rod.
Nicely teaches a storage rack wherein a storage tray 11 is equipped with a through hole 59 in communication with an engaging slot 54, the storage tray is sleeved on a supporting rod 12 through the through hole, and wherein a connecting sleeve body 17 comprises a position limiting device comprising an engaging member 44 engaging with the engaging slot to limit circumferential rotation of the storage tray around the supporting rod; the through hole of the storage tray receiving the supporting rod therethrough and matingly receiving the engaging member of the connecting sleeve body therein, providing for a more rigid, more secure connection between the storage tray and the supporting rod (Figure 2). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the storage rack disclosed by Samwoo wherein the storage tray comprises a through hole receiving the supporting rod therethrough and matingly receiving an engaging member of the connecting sleeve body therein, as taught by Nicely, in order to provide for a more rigid, more secure connection between the storage tray and the supporting rod.
As to claim 18, Samwoo as modified by Nicely discloses a storage rack wherein the engaging member 23 (44 Nicely Figure 2) is an approximately semicircular arc-shaped sheet, a thickness of the engaging member is less than a thickness of the connecting sleeve body 21, and when the engaging member engages with the engaging slot (54 Nicely Figure 2), a bottom surface of the storage tray 1 abuts against the upper end surface of the connecting sleeve body (Figure 1).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL P FERGUSON whose telephone number is (571)272-7081. The examiner can normally be reached M-F (10:00 am-7:00 pm EST).
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01/09/25
/MICHAEL P FERGUSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3619