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 Rejections - 35 USC § 103
1. 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.
2. Claims 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Patent 8,353,494 (Peng) in further in view of US 2019/0274427 (Chen).
With respect to claim 1, Peng shows a slide rail assembly, comprising: a first rail (100, Fig.1) comprising a first predetermined feature (1022, Fig.1); and a second bracket device (10, Fig.1) movable relative to the first rail, the second bracket device (10) comprising a locking member (20 and 30, Fig.1) having a second predetermined feature (23, Fig.2); wherein during a relative movement between the first rail (100) and the second bracket device (10), the first predetermined feature (1022) of the first rail and the second predetermined feature (23) of the locking member are configured to abut against each other (Fig.4), in order to move the locking member to switch from a first state (Fig.5) to a second state (Fig.4). With respect to claim 1, Peng doesn’t show a first bracket device arranged on the first rail. Chen teaches a first bracket device (24, Fig.5) arranged on the first rail (22). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a first bracket device on the opposite side of the first rail of Peng, such as taught by Chen, in order to be able to secure the first rail to another post at the other end and thus provide a stable adjustable slide rail assembly.
With respect to claim 2, the combination (Peng) shows wherein one of the first predetermined feature of the first rail and the second predetermined feature (23) of the locking member has a guiding part (Fig.4).
With respect to claim 3, the combination teaches (Chen) wherein the first rail (22) has a first end part and a second end part opposite to each other; wherein the first bracket device (24, Fig.5) is arranged adjacent to the first end part. The combination (Peng/Chen) teaches the second bracket device (10, Fig.2/26, Fig.5) is movable relative to the first rail (100/22) to be away from the first end part.
With respect to claim 4, the combination (Peng) teaches the second bracket device (10, Fig.1) comprises an extension frame (10), wherein the extension frame (10) is arranged with an end plate (16, FIg.1), and the end plate is arranged with at least one mounting member (162, FIg.1), the locking member (20, 30) is movably mounted to the extension frame (Fig.4, Fig.5); wherein when the locking member (30) is in the first state (Fig.5), a locking part (33, Fig.5) of the locking member is adjacent to the end plate (16); wherein when the locking member is in the second state (Fig.4), the locking part (33) of the locking member is away from the end plate (16). As modified Peng doesn’t teach a reinforcement member attached to first side of the first rail and that the extension frame is movably mounted to the reinforcing member. Chen teaches wherein the first rail (22, Fig.6) has a first side and a second side opposite to each other; wherein the slide rail assembly further comprises a reinforcing member (38, FIg.6) attached to the first side of the first rail (22), and the reinforcing member (38) is formed with a predetermined passage (40); wherein the second bracket device (26) further comprises an extension frame (30, FIg.6) movably mounted to the predetermined passage (40) of the reinforcing member to be movable relative to the first rail. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the first rail of modified Peng such that it has a reinforcing member attached to the first side, and to movably mount the extension frame of the second bracket device in the passage of the reinforcing member, such as taught by Chen, in order to further support and reinforce the extension frame during the sliding movement on the first rail.
With respect to claim 5, modified Peng teaches the locking member is a spring piece (30) and doesn’t teach a separate elastic feature. Chen teaches wherein the second bracket device (26) further comprises an elastic feature (36, Fig.6) configured to provide an elastic force to the locking member (34). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide an elastic feature to the locking member of modified Peng, such as taught by Chen, in order to further increase the elastic force to the locking member during movement between the first and second state.
With respect to claim 6, the combination (Peng) shows wherein the first rail (100, Fig.2) comprises a first wall (first end edge, Fig.2), a second wall (other end edge of 100, Fig.2) and a longitudinal wall (102, FIg.2) connected between the first wall and the second wall; wherein the first predetermined feature (1022) is adjacent to the first wall (first end edge) of the first rail (100).
With respect to claim 7, the combination (Peng) teaches wherein the first rail (100) comprises a first wall (104, FIg.2), a second wall (other flange 104, FIg.2) and a longitudinal wall (102) connected between the first wall and the second wall; wherein the locking member (20, 30) comprises a first extension arm (top arm 33, Fig.2), a second extension arm (bottom arm 33, FIg.2) and an operating part (31, FIg.2) connected between the first extension arm and the second extension arm, and the operating part (31) comprises the second predetermined feature (23, Fig.2, Fig.3); wherein the first extension arm and the second extension arm are adjacent to the first wall (104) and the second wall (other 104) respectively (Fig.6); wherein the first predetermined feature (1022, Fig.2) is arranged on the longitudinal wall (102) of the first rail (100, Fig.2).
With respect to claim 8, Peng shows a slide rail assembly (Fig.1), configured to be mounted to a rack (“mounting a slide rail 100 to a component rack”) comprising a first post and a second post (“the component rack may include a plurality of first rack posts 80 defining a plurality of rectangular through holes 82” Col. lines 40-44), the slide rail assembly comprising: a first rail (100, FIg.1) comprising a first predetermined feature (1022); and a second bracket device (10, Fig.1), wherein the second bracket device (10) and the first rail (100) are movable relative to each other, the second bracket device (10) comprises a locking member (20, 30) having a second predetermined feature (23); the second bracket device (10) is configured to detachably mount the first rail (100) to the second post (80, FIg.3-Fig.5), and the locking member in a locking state (Fig.5) is configured to lock the second bracket device (10) to the second post (80, Fig.5); wherein during a process of the first rail (100) being moved relative to the second bracket device (10) along a predetermined direction, the first predetermined feature (1022) of the first rail and the second predetermined feature (23) of the locking member are configured to abut against each other (Fig.4), in order to move the locking member to switch from the locking state (Fig.5) to an unlocking state (Fig.4) to no longer lock the second bracket device (10) to the second post (80). With respect to claim 8, Peng doesn’t show a first bracket device. Chen teaches wherein the first bracket device (24, Fig.5) is configured to detachably mount the first rail (22) to the first post (28a), and that the first rail (22) is moved relative to the second bracket device (26) with the first bracket device (24) being detached from the first post (28a). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a first bracket device to detachably mount the opposite side of the first rail to a first post, such as taught by Chen, in order to be able to secure the first rail of Peng to another post at the other end and thus provide a stable adjustable slide rail assembly.
With respect to claim 9, the combination (Peng) shows wherein one of the first predetermined feature of the first rail and the second predetermined feature (23) of the locking member has a guiding part (Fig.4).
With respect to claim 10, the combination teaches (Chen) wherein the first rail (22) has a first end part and a second end part opposite to each other; wherein the first bracket device (24, Fig.5) is arranged adjacent to the first end part. The combination (Peng/Chen) teaches the second bracket device (10, Fig.2/26, Fig.5) is movable relative to the first rail (100/22) to be away from the first end part.
With respect to claim 11, the combination (Peng) teaches the second bracket device (10, Fig.1) comprises an extension frame (10), wherein the extension frame (10) is arranged with a mounting member (162, FIg.1) configured to be mounted to a mounting hole (82, FIg.2) of the second post (80), the locking member (20, 30) is movably mounted to the extension frame (Fig.4, Fig.5). As modified Peng doesn’t teach a reinforcement member attached to first side of the first rail and that the extension frame is movably mounted to the reinforcing member. Chen teaches wherein the first rail (22, Fig.6) has a first side and a second side opposite to each other; wherein the slide rail assembly further comprises a reinforcing member (38, FIg.6) attached to the first side of the first rail, and the reinforcing member (38) is formed with a predetermined passage (40); wherein the second bracket device (26) further comprises an extension frame (30, FIg.6) movably mounted to the predetermined passage (40) of the reinforcing member to be movable relative to the first rail. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the first rail of modified Peng such that it has a reinforcing member attached to the first side, and to movably mount the extension frame of the second bracket device in the passage of the reinforcing member, such as taught by Chen, in order to further support the second bracket device during the sliding movement and further reinforce and support the extension frame on the first rail.
With respect to claim 12, the combination (Peng) teaches wherein the locking member (30) is pivoted relative to the extension frame (10, Fig.4, Fig.5).
With respect to claim 13, modified Peng teaches the locking member comprises a spring piece (30) and doesn’t teach a separate elastic feature. Chen teaches wherein the second bracket device (26) further comprises an elastic feature (36) configured to provide an elastic force to the locking member (34). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention provide an elastic feature to the second bracket device of modified Peng, such as taught by Chen, in order to further increase the elastic force to the locking member during movement between the locking and unlocking state.
With respect to claim 14, the combination (Chen) teaches wherein the first bracket device (24) comprises a mounting part (square pins at the end of 24) configured to be mounted to a mounting hole of the first post (28a).
With respect to claim 15, modified Peng doesn’t show a second rail at the second side of the first rail. Chen teaches a second rail (82, FIg.6) located at the second side of the first rail (22) and movable relative to the first rail (22). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a second rail to the second side of the first rail, such as taught by Chen, in order to be able to carry an electronic device/drawer on the slide assembly.
Conclusion
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/HIWOT E TEFERA/ Examiner, Art Unit 3637