DETAILED ACTION
This communication is a first Office Action Non-Final rejection on the merits. The Restriction election received on 05/08/2026 has been acknowledged. Claims 1-21 are now pending and have been considered below.
Election/Restrictions
1. Applicant’s election of Group I (claims 1-11) in the reply filed on 05/08/2026 is acknowledged.
2. Claims 12-21 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to nonelected invention Groups II-III. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 05/08/2026.
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 of this title, 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.
Claim(s) 1-11, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Keck (U.S. Patent No. 9,545,150) in view of Badenhorst et al. (AU 2013100181 A4).
Regarding claim 1, Keck teaches a pallet racking support system (abstract), the system comprising: vertical components (110, 140) coupled to a floor of a facility (figure 3); horizontal components (200, 210) coupled to the vertical components (figure 3), the vertical components and the horizontal components together forming storage spaces (figure 3) capable of receiving pallets.
Keck does not specifically disclose refrigeration components located on a roof of a refrigerated facility; wherein the vertical components extend through the roof of the refrigerated facility to couple to the refrigeration components; and thermal and moisture barriers applied to penetration regions between the refrigeration components and the roof.
Badenhorst et al. discloses refrigeration components located on a roof of a refrigerated facility (HVAC on a roof; abstract); wherein the vertical components (62-64) extend through the roof of the refrigerated facility (figure 9) to couple to the refrigeration components (at 60); and thermal and moisture barriers (roof sheeting; col. 4, lines 33-36) applied to penetration regions between the refrigeration components and the roof ([not labeled]; figure 10).
Therefore, from the teaching of Badenhorst et al., it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the facility of Keck to include refrigeration components located on a roof of a refrigerated facility; wherein the vertical components extend through the roof of the refrigerated facility to couple to the refrigeration components; and thermal and moisture barriers applied to penetration regions between the refrigeration components and the roof, as taught by Badenhorst et al., in order to provide cooling to a facility that requires a design temperature, without occupying a footprint within the facility to maximize storage space within the facility, and improve workability and mobility within the facility.
Regarding claim 2, Keck teaches the pallet rack support system is located within the facility (figure 3).
Regarding claim 3, Badenhorst et al. in the combination discloses the pallet rack support system supports a weight of the refrigeration components positioned on the roof of the refrigerated facility (it is understood that the support system of Keck would support a weight of the refrigeration components of Badenhorst et al. positioned on the roof of the refrigerated facility).
Regarding claim 4, Badenhorst et al. in the combination discloses the pallet rack support system supports a static load of the refrigeration components positioned on the roof of the refrigerated facility (it is understood that the pallet rack support system of Keck would support a static load of the refrigeration components of Badenhorst et al. positioned on the roof of the refrigerated facility).
Regarding claim 5, Badenhorst et al. in the combination discloses the pallet rack support system is configured to accommodate additional weight from the refrigeration components (it is understood that the pallet rack support system of Keck would accommodate additional weight from the refrigeration components of Badenhorst et al.).
Regarding claim 6, Badenhorst et al. in the combination discloses the vertical components are coupled to the refrigeration components through an upper terminus of the vertical components (figures 8 and 10).
Regarding claim 7, Keck teaches the vertical components comprise vertical beams (figure 3).
Regarding claim 8, Keck teaches the horizontal components comprise horizontal shelves (figure 3).
Regarding claim 9, Keck teaches the vertical components comprise steel (steel; col. 4, line 28).
Regarding claim 10, Keck teaches the vertical components comprise at least one of tubular steel, angular steel, or structural steel (steel; col. 4, line 28).
Regarding claim 11, Keck teaches the horizontal components comprise steel (steel; col. 4, line 28).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The cited patents listed on the included form PTO-892 further show the state of the art with respect to pallet racking support in general.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OMAR HIJAZ whose telephone number is (571)270-5790. The examiner can normally be reached on 8-6 EST Monday-Friday.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Brian Mattei can be reached on (571) 270-3238. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/OMAR F HIJAZ/Examiner, Art Unit 3633
Prosecution Insights