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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of claims 5-7 in the reply filed on 3/3/26 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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 6 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.
In regard to claim 6, the claim fails to further limit the subject matter of claim 5, thus rendering the scope indefinite.
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 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Choi US 9,303,444 B1 (hereinafter ‘Choi’).
In regard to claims 5 and 6, Choi teaches a door rail assembly (see fig. 6), comprising:
a rail (20), a door panel (90), and at least one accessory (100);
the door rail including a channel (60) for securing the door panel and an accessory channel (70) for securing the at least one accessory, the accessory channel disposed below the channel for securing the panel (as seen in fig. 6);
the accessory channel including a dovetail (400) and the at least one accessory including a dovetail groove (as seen in fig. 6); and
wherein the at least one accessory is secured to the door rail by sliding the dovetail groove of the at least one accessory over the dovetail of the accessory channel (see col. 4, ln. 56).
It is noted that the claim does not require a specific location of the dovetail or the dovetail groove, but merely requires them to be included in the accessory channel. The dovetail and dovetail groove of Choi are included in the channel and have slidable capabilities thus Choi meets the claim.
In regard to claim 7, Choi teaches the claimed invention wherein the at least one accessory is selected from the group consisting of door alignment devices and door locking devices. Note that the claim does not require any specific structure for the accessory (100), which is capable of being a door alignment device (per MPEP 2114) because it is a mounting member that aids in adjusting the location of the second mounting member (200) in alignment with the accessory (100).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892.
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/PAOLA AGUDELO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3633
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