DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the election filed June 16, 2026. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . Claims 1-11 are pending. Claims 3-5 and 7-11 are withdrawn as set forth below. Claims 1, 2 and 6 stand rejected as set forth below.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 3-5 and 7-11 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on June 16, 2026.
Applicant's election with traverse of Species III, Figs 8-11 in the reply filed on June 16, 2026 is acknowledged. As best understood by the examiner, the traversal appears to be on the ground(s) that there are not separate patentable species. This is not found persuasive because there is a lack of unity amongst the species since the only common special technical feature of a step sheet detachably coupled to the frame is not novel in view of ikamper Co., Ltd. (KR 102228108). Thus, there is no unique technical link between the species and they lack a posteriori lack of unity.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by ikamper Co., Ltd. (KR 102228108) (hereinafter Ikamper) (published 3/16/2021).
In regard to Claim 1, ikamper discloses a ladder (Fig 1) comprising: a pair of vertical frames (2a); a plurality of horizontal frames (2b) installed between the pair of vertical frames at predetermined intervals (Fig 4); and a step sheet (12) configured to be coupled to any two horizontal frames among the plurality of horizontal frames (Fig 1), respectively, to form a footrest of a ladder, wherein the step sheet may be detachably coupled to the horizontal frame through a coupling means (20, 30) (Fig 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.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ikamper as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Pytiak (US Pub 2022/0183270).
In regard to Claim 2, ikamper discloses the ladder as described above, but does not disclose the ladder as telescoping. Pytiak teaches wherein the pair of vertical frames include a space therein, and is configured such that a plurality of hollow pipes having different diameters are continuously connected to each other, overlapped and stacked inside each other (Figs 2, 4). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make the ladder as disclosed by ikamper to be telescoping as taught by Pytiak, since it will make the ladder easier to move as well as require less space to store.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ikamper as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of LeGrand et al. (US 6,006,863) (hereinafter LeGrand).
In regard to Claim 6, ikamper discloses the ladder as described above, wherein the coupling means comprises: and a pole member (40) formed on one side of the step sheet. Ikamper does not disclose a sliding groove formed on one side of the horizontal frame with coupling by sliding in the sliding groove. LeGrand teaches a sliding groove (3) formed on one side of the horizontal frame and coupling by sliding in the sliding groove (Fig 1). 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 coupling of ikamper to slide the pole member into a groove as taught by LeGrand, in order to make a more secure connection between the step sheet and the ladder thereby preventing unintentional removal of the step sheet.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See list of references on PTO-892.
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/BRIAN D MATTEI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3635
