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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 08/27/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/14/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, “the outwardly protruding projection offset from the contact edges” in claim two and “the two steps extending in parallel with the contact edges” in claim three must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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 recites the limitation "two steps" in the second line. It is unclear what structure defines a two step. The claim and specification do not define what two steps is. No prior art is being applied since the indefinite limitation is incomprehensible.
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.
Claims 1, 2 and 4-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Quo (CN publication No. 215355335) in view of Qin (CN publication No. 102728616).
Regarding claim 1 Quo discloses A stand housing for a stand for rolling metal rods, wires, or pipes along a rolling axis, comprising: at least four contact surfaces arranged on an outside of the stand housing, the at least four contact surfaces being parallel with the rolling axis when viewed along the rolling axis (Quo discloses a structure (Fig. 2) wherein the structure has 5 contact surfaces, the five sides of the contact surface are parallel to the rolling axis. (two out of five of the contact surfaces are labeled, see Fig. 2 illustrated below)) when viewed along the rolling axis, wherein two of the at least four contact surfaces form non-adjacent, mutually parallel contact surfaces (The two diagonal out of the five contact surfaces are parallel to each other (see Fig. 2, illustrated below).), and , wherein the two parallel contact surfaces and/or the two adjacent contact surfaces are configured to receive sliding rails for insertion of the stand housing into a stand base (The railing system is not positively claimed. The contact surfaces are configured to receive a sliding rail. This limitation only sets forth that the contact surfaces have the ability to receive sliding rails. Any surface can receive a sliding rail, the contact surfaces can receive a sliding rail.)
Quo fails to disclose the other two of the at least four contact surfaces form adjacent contact surfaces to each other, wherein the adjacent contact surfaces are at an angle of 120° relative to one another, and each of the adjacent contact surfaces is at an angle of 120° to one of the parallel contact surfaces.
Qin teaches the adjacent contact surfaces are angled 120 degrees from each other. As shown in the image below (Fig. 1) the shape of the structure is hexagon meaning each adjacent side is angled 120 degrees from one another. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the shape of the stand housing to be 120-degree hexagon, as taught by Qin. A 120-degree hexagon stand was known in the art and one of the ordinary skills in the art could have substituted the components to fit in different shaped stands/areas. The results would have been predictable.
PNG
media_image1.png
304
447
media_image1.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image2.png
388
447
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 2, Quo discloses the stand housing according to claim 1, wherein each of the contact surfaces includes multiple parts having at least two contact edges that are spaced apart along the rolling axis, wherein at least one outwardly protruding projection (6; Fig. 2) is formed between the at least two contact edges. (As shown in the image below, the contact surfaces are made from 5 different pieces. Wherein they are outwardly projected from the structure.)
PNG
media_image3.png
406
429
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 4, Quo discloses the stand housing according to claim 1, wherein each of the contact surfaces is configured to receive a pair of sliding rails. (The contact surfaces in the Fig. 2 above are configured to receive a pair or sliding rails. Any surface can receive sliding rails.)
Regarding claim 5, Quo discloses the stand housing according to claim 2, wherein each of the contact surfaces is configured to receive a pair of sliding rails, and wherein one sliding rail of the pair of sliding rails is configured to be received on each contact edge. (The sliding rails are not positively claimed. The contact surfaces in the above fig. 2 are configured to receive a pair sliding rail. Where one sliding rail is configured to be received by the contact edges. Nothing is preventing sliding rails from being received by the contact surfaces.)
Regarding claim 6, Quo discloses the stand housing according claim 1, wherein the contact surfaces comprise threaded holes for fastening sliding rails. (As shown in Fig. 2 the contact surfaces have threaded holes for a bolt or screw.)
Regarding claim 7, Quo discloses A stand for rolling metal rods, wires, or pipes along a rolling axis, comprising: a stand housing according to claim 1 (see the rejection of claim 1 above); and three rollers (numbers 1, 2, and 3; Fig. 2) which are each positioned on a respective roller shaft (each of the rollers has a roller shaft allowing the roller to roll), wherein the three rollers surround the rolling axis in a star-shaped manner (see Fig. 2), and collectively form a caliber (Fig. 2; see space between the three rollers). (Quo discloses in the abstract “the machine body is equipped with a first roller group, a second roller group and a third roller”. )
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEWIE S WELDEGIORGIS whose telephone number (571)270-0872. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8am-5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christopher Templeton can be reached at (571) 270-1477. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/L.S.W./Examiner, Art Unit 3725
/Christopher L Templeton/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3725
Prosecution Insights