DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 17 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 17 recites “rotable” in lines 2 and 4. The examiner suggests amending to --rotatable--.
Appropriate correction is required.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-7, 10 and 14-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Strempke et al. US 2020/0391372.
Strempke discloses a workbench comprising an operating portion (12) configured for users to process an external object and a supporting structure (26) configured to support the operating portion, wherein the operating portion comprises at least one fitting member (38 and/or 94), the at least one fitting member is located on a periphery side of the operating portion and configured to be detachably connected to a fitted member (another table, see fig. 16 or tools ¶0133); the supporting structure comprises a first supporting portion (right side legs 26) and a second supporting portion (left side legs 26) connected to the operating portion; the workbench has an accommodating state, when the workbench is at the accommodating state, the first supporting portion and the second supporting portion are folded up or stacked in order; wherein a part of the operating portion is capable of being in contact with a side of the first supporting portion, a part of the operating portion is capable of being in contact with a side of the second supporting portion; or the operating portion is capable of being in contact with a side of the first supporting portion; or the operating portion is capable of being in contact with a side of the second supporting portion (accommodating state shown in Figures 8-14).
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As for claim 2, Strempke discloses wherein the at least one fitting member (38 and/or 94) and the operating portion are an integral structure or a separated structure; and/or a side wall of the operating portion is provided with a mounting notch (94), the at least one fitting member (38) is detachably mounted on the mounting notch.
As for claim 3, Strempke discloses wherein the operating portion further comprises a bearing portion (annotated Fig. 17 below), the bearing portion is located on a side of the mounting notch towards a bottom wall of the operating portion, and the bearing portion is configured to limit the at least one fitting member.
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As for claim 4, Strempke discloses wherein the at least one fitting member (94) comprises a first fitting portion (see annotated fig. 17 below), and the first fitting portion comprises a snapping groove (106) formed on a side of the operating portion.
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As for claim 5, Strempke discloses wherein the operating portion comprises an operation surface (top surface) and a back surface (bottom surface) separated from each other, a side wall (108) of the operating portion is formed between the operation surface of the operating portion and the back surface of the operating portion; and the snapping groove (106) is provided with a first groove opening located on the operation surface of the operating portion (¶0126-131).
As for claim 6, Strempke discloses in annotated Fig. 17 above, wherein the snapping groove (106) is provided with a second groove opening (top opening of sidewalls 108) in communication with the first groove opening (top opening of 106), the second groove opening is formed on the side wall (108) of the operating portion, and a size H2 of the second groove opening along a depth direction of the snapping groove is less than a depth H1 of the snapping groove. The first groove opening is formed further from the second groove opening when measured in a depth direction from the edge (see dashed lines).
As for claim 7, Strempke discloses wherein at least part of the snapping groove penetrates through the operating portion along a vertical direction of the workbench (see annotated fig. 17 above).
As for claim 10, Strempke discloses wherein the at least one fitting member (94) comprises a second fitting portion (106 and 108), and the second fitting portion comprises a connecting protrusion disposed on and protruding out from a side wall or a top wall of the operating portion. Strempke discloses a plurality of fitting and connecting members (38 and 94) in Fig. 6 for connecting various accessories (¶0133).
As for claim 14, Strempke discloses wherein the supporting portion (26) is rotatably connected (via 172 and 194; ¶0157 and ¶0165) to the operating portion (22), the workbench further has a first working state and a second working state, the operating portion is capable of turning over relative to the supporting portion in order to switch between the first working state and the second working state; and the operating portion comprises an operation surface (22) and an auxiliary bearing surface (74), wherein when the workbench is at the first working state (see Fig. 1), the operation surface is defined as a work surface; and when the operating portion is at the second working state (see Figs. 8-10 and 19), the auxiliary bearing surface is defined as a work surface.
As for claim 15, Strempke discloses wherein the operating portion is in a plate shape (22), the operation surface and the supporting portion (26) are located on two sides of the operating portion opposite to each other, and the auxiliary bearing surface (74) is configured as a side surface of the operating portion and located between the operation surface and the supporting structure (see Figs. 8-10).
As for claim 16, Strempke discloses in Fig. 1 wherein the first supporting portion (26) comprises a third frame body, the second supporting portion (26) comprises a fourth frame body, the third frame body and the fourth frame body are hinged (via 172, ¶0157) at two opposite ends of the operating portion (12); and at least one of the third frame body and the fourth frame body is configured as a triangular support (see Fig. 1 and ¶0155-157).
As for claim 17, Strempke discloses wherein the triangular support comprises a first supporting leg (26), a second supporting leg (26), a rotatable shaft (hinge, 172, ¶0157) and a second fixing member; and the first supporting leg and the second supporting leg are hinged on the operating portion by the rotatable shaft (hinge 172, ¶0157), respectively, the second fixing member (36) is connected between the first supporting leg and the second supporting leg, and the second fixing member, at least part of the first supporting leg, and at least part of the second supporting leg are formed a triangle.
As for claim 18, Strempke discloses wherein the first supporting leg (26) is disposed towards the fourth frame body, the auxiliary bearing surface (74) is disposed towards the second supporting leg (26, see Fig. 19); when the operating portion (12) is at the second working state, the operating portion rotates towards the third frame body until being limited by the first supporting leg, and the auxiliary bearing surface turns over until being separated from the third frame body; and/or the second fixing member (36) is in a plate shape and capable of being folded, such that, when the workbench is at the accommodating state, the first supporting leg and the second supporting leg are in contact with each other (see Figs. 8-10, ¶0161-163).
As for claim 19, Strempke discloses at least one workbench of the claim 1 and at least one fitted member (accessory, table; ¶0132-133 and Fig. 16 or 40 and Fig. 17) wherein the at least one fitted member comprises a tool body (drill, hammer, nail gun, etc.; ¶0133; 40 with hook 164 and 168) and at least one adaptation portion (38 or 162), the at least one adaptation portion is disposed on the tool body, the at least one adaptation portion fits with at least part of the at least one fitting member (94 or 160) and is configured to detachably fit with the at least fitting member of the workbench (¶0132-133).
As for claim 20, Strempke discloses wherein the tool body (40, see Fig. 17) is a hook (164, 168), the hook comprises a fastening portion (166) and a hook portion (164, 168), the hook portion is connected to the fastening portion (166), the adaptation portion (162) is connected to a side of the fastening portion away from the hook portion; or the tool body is an accommodating box, the accommodating box (48, see Figs. 31-46) is provided with a cavity (208), the adaptation portion (128, 130) is connected to an outer periphery wall of the accommodating box; or the tool body is a fixture (42), the fixture comprises a rod, a movable fixture body and a fixed fixture body, the rod penetrates through the movable fixture body and the fixed fixture body, the adaptation portion (40) is connected to a side of the fixed fixture body away from the movable fixture body; or the tool body is another workbench (see Fig. 16), the adaptation portion (38) protruding out from a side of the workbench is disposed on the side of the workbench; or the fitted member comprises two adaptation portions, the tool body is a connecting member (270) with a preset length; the two adaptation portions (40) are disposed on two ends of the connecting member opposite to each other, the two fitting members adaptation portions are detachably connected to the fitting member of two workbenches or detachably mounted on adjacent two fitting members of one workbench after being folded (see Fig. 18).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 8-9 and 11-13 is/are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TYRONE V HALL JR whose telephone number is (571)270-5948. The examiner can normally be reached Mon.-Fri. 7:30am-3:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Monica Carter can be reached at (571) 272-4475. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TYRONE V HALL JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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