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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2021/0145173 (Chen ‘173) in further in view of US 2018/0031037 (Chen ‘037).
With respect to claim 1, Chen ‘173 shows a slide rail assembly (20), comprising: a first rail (22) arranged with an auxiliary structure (38, Fig.1); a second rail (26); a third rail (24) movably mounted between the first rail and the second rail; the third rail (24) arranged with an engaging member (72, Fig.1); the second rail (26) arranged with a predetermined part (92, 94, Fig.1), the predetermined part having a first predetermined section (92) and a second predetermined section (94); and a switching member (110, Fig.2) movable relative to the third rail (24, FIg.2) and comprising a first contact part (a first contact part on 120, Fig.13) and a second contact part (second contact on 120, Fig.17); wherein when the third rail (24) is located at a first predetermined position relative to the first rail (22) and the second rail (26) is located at a second predetermined position relative to the third rail (24), the slide rail assembly has a first predetermined length; wherein during a process of the switching member (110) being moved to switch from a first state (S1) to a second state (S2) with the second rail (26) being moved from the second predetermined position (E2, FIg.10) along a retracting direction (D2), the first contact part (120) of the switching member (110) in the second state (S2, Fig.13) and the first predetermined section (92, Fig.13) of the predetermined part are configured to abut against each other (Fig.13), such that the second rail (26) is configured to drive the third rail (24) to move along the retracting direction to a third predetermined position (P, “such that the third rail 26 is configured to drive the second rail 24 to move along the retracting direction D2” section 0066); wherein when the third rail (24) is located at the third predetermined position (P, Fig.16) relative to the first rail (22), the engaging member (72) is configured to be engaged with the auxiliary structure (38 at 44, FIg.16) in order to prevent the third rail (24) from being moved along an opening direction (D1; “such that the engaging section 78 of the second engaging member 72 is engaged with the engaging section 44 of the rear base 38 in order to prevent the second rail 24 from being moved relative to the first rail 22 from the predetermined position P along the extending direction D1” section 0069), and the slide rail assembly has a second predetermined length shorter than the first predetermined length; wherein during a process of the second rail (26) being moved along the opening direction relative to the third rail (24) located at the third predetermined position (P, FIg.17), the second contact part (another contact part on 120) of the switching member (110) and the second predetermined section (94) of the predetermined part are configured to abut against each other (Fig.17) in order to drive the switching member (110) to return from the second state (S2, FIg.17) to the first state (S1, FIg.18, section 0071).
With respect to claim 1, Chen ‘173 shows the predetermined part arranged on the second rail not the third rail and the switching member is movably mounted on the third rail not the second rail.
Chen ‘037 teaches the third rail (20) arranged with a predetermined part (60, FIg.2, Fig.13) and the switching member (64, Fig.2) movably mounted on the second 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 modify the slide assembly such that the predetermined part is arranged on the third rail and the switching member is on the second rail, since it has been held that a mere reversal of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art; and such a modification would not affect the functionality of the slide rail assembly and would still result in the abutment of the switching member and the predetermined part.
With respect to claim 2, modified Chen ‘173 teaches wherein the second predetermined section (94) of the predetermined part has a guiding structure (132, Fig.17).
With respect to claim 3, modified Chen ‘173 teaches wherein the guiding structure (132) has an inclined surface (Fig.17).
With respect to claim 4, modified Chen ‘173 teaches wherein the switching member (110) is movably mounted on the second rail (26, as modified by Chen ‘037).
With respect to claim 5, modified Chen ‘173 teaches wherein the switching member (110) is pivotally connected to the second rail (26) through a shaft member (118, Fig.2).
With respect to claim 6, modified Chen ‘173 teaches wherein the switching member (110) comprises a first part (end part with hole for 118, Fig.2), a second part (other end at 130) and an extension part (part with hole for 120) connected between the first part and the second part; wherein the first part is pivotally connected to the second rail (26, as modified by Chen ‘037) through the shaft member (118), and the extension part comprises the first contact part and the second contact part (120, Fig.3).
With respect to claim 7, modified Chen ‘173 teaches wherein one of the second part (130) of the switching member (110) is arranged with a first limiting feature, and the second rail (26) is arranged with a second limiting feature (128).
With respect to claim 8, modified Chen ‘173 teaches wherein one of the first limiting feature and the second limiting feature is formed with a limiting space (130, Fig.2), and the other one of the first limiting feature and the second limiting feature is a protrusion part (128, Fig.2) passing through a portion of the limiting space (Fig.3).
With respect to claim 9, modified Chen ‘173 teaches wherein one of the switching member and the second rail comprises a holding feature (128), and the other one of the switching member and the second rail comprises a corresponding feature (end of slot 130, Fig.13); wherein when the switching member (110) is in the second state (S2), the holding feature (128) is configured to be detachably engaged with the corresponding feature (end of slot 130) in order to hold the switching member in the second state.
With respect to claim 10, modified Chen ‘173 teaches wherein the auxiliary structure (38, Fig.1) comprises a first auxiliary part (42) and a second auxiliary part (44); wherein when the third rail (24) is located at the third predetermined position (P, Fig.16, Fig.17) relative to the first rail (22), the engaging member (72) is configured to be engaged between the first auxiliary part (42, FIg.15) and the second auxiliary part (44, Fig.16) in order to prevent the third rail (24) from being moved along the opening direction or the retracting direction (section 0069).
With respect to claim 11, modified Chen ‘173 teaches wherein the first rail (22) has a first end part and a second end part opposite to each other; wherein the auxiliary structure (38, Fig.1) is arranged adjacent to the second end part, and the first rail (22) is further arranged with a blocking structure (32) adjacent to the first end part (Fig.1).
With respect to claim 12, modified Chen ‘173 teaches wherein the third rail (24, Fig.1) is further arranged with a blocking member (54, Fig.1); wherein when the third rail is located at the first predetermined position (E1, Fig.9) relative to the first rail, the blocking member (54) and the blocking structure (32) are configured to block each other (via 60 on blocking member 54 and 36 on blocking structure 32, FIg.9) in order to prevent the third rail (24) from being moved relative to the first rail (22) from the first predetermined position (E1) along the retracting direction (D2) (“the engaging part 60 of the first engaging member 54 is blocked by the blocking feature 36 of the front base 32, in order to prevent the second rail 24 from being moved from the first extended position E1 along a retracting direction D2” section 0062); wherein during a process of the second rail (26) being moved from the second predetermined position (E2, Fig.11) along the retracting direction (D2), a predetermined feature (98, Fig.12) of the second rail (26) is configured to drive the blocking member (54, on disengagement part 140 of 54, Fig.12) to move, such that the blocking member (54, Fig.13) and the blocking structure (32) no longer block each other (Fig.13, paragraph 0066).
With respect to claims 13 and 14, Chen ‘173 in view of Chen ‘037 teach all the limitation as discussed above in claim 1.
With respect to claim 15, modified Chen ‘173 teaches all the limitations as discussed above in claim 2.
With respect to claim 16, modified Chen ‘173 teaches all the limitations as discussed above in claim 9
With respect to claim 17, modified Chen ‘173 teaches all the limitations as discussed above in claim 10.
With respect to claim 18, modified Chen ‘173 teaches all the limitations as discussed above in claim 11.
With respect to claims 19 and 20, modified Chen ‘173 teaches all the limitations as discussed above in claim 12.
Conclusion
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/HIWOT E TEFERA/Examiner, Art Unit 3637