DETAILED ACTION
This is a final Office Action addressing the response dated 28 August 2026. The following is a status of the presented claims:
Claims 1-15 and 26-37 are pending. Of those:
Claims 1, 3, 6, 10 and 13 are amended
Claims 2, 4, 5, 7-9, 11, 12, 14 and 15 are original
Claims 26-37 are new
Claims 16-25 are canceled.
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 .
Specification
The amendment to the Specification to Amend the title is entered.
Response to Arguments
The following addresses applicant’s remarks/arguments dated 28 August 2026. Applicant’s courtesies are appreciated.
Claim Rejections under 35 USC 112(b) – response: page 10
Applicant’s amendments and/or cancellation of the claims overcome the rejections previously raised under this heading and the rejections are withdrawn.
Claim Rejections under 35 USC 102 and 103 – response: beginning at page 11
Applicant’s arguments have been considered and are persuasive. The rejections with respect to the prior art are withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 3: “an interior space of the main base portion” and “an interior space of the projection base portion” have already been provided in claim 1 (see second to last paragraph). It is unclear if these reference the same or different respective interior spaces previously provided.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 2, 4-15 and 26-37 are allowed.
Claim 3 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 WILLIAM V GILBERT whose telephone number is (571)272-9055. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 0800-0430 Eastern.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eileen Lillis can be reached at 571.272.6928. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WILLIAM V GILBERT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3993
