Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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
2. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 9/9/24 is noted. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. Accordingly, the examiner is considering the information disclosure statement.
Specification
3. The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In paragraph [0007], it seems line 9 should end with “and a second state of sliding”.
In paragraph [0007], the last sentence is incomplete.
In paragraph [0024], lines 8-9, the sentence “The first state of sliding and the second state of sliding towards the first clamping component 3 when the cover plate 1 is closed;” is an incomplete sentence and ends in a semicolon instead of a period.
Appropriate correction or clarification is required.
Claim Objections
4. Claims 1 and 4 are objected to because they should be presented in single sentence form. The current sentences should be separated by semicolons to become clauses within that one sentence. See MPEP 608.01(m) Appropriate correction is required.
5. Claim 1 is objected to because it seems line 7 should end with “and a second state of” in order to follow the Specification paragraphs [0007] and [0024]. Appropriate correction is required.
6. Claim 1 is objected to because the very last phrase “the second state of directional sliding.” Is incomplete and seems misplaced. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
7. Claims 1-10 are 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 claim 1, the issues identified in the claim objections above also confuse the actual scope of the claims. For the purpose of examination, Examiner is assuming the changes suggested above are accurate and that the very last phrase was a mistake.
In claim 1, the scope of the limitation “flexible installed” is unclear. This language is also found in paragraph [0007] of the Specification but does not describe the connection between the locking mechanism and the base enough to reasonably convey what is meant by “flexible installed”.
Closest Prior Art
8. Sternving (WO 2011/102780 A1) is the closest art of record. In Sternving, the second clamping piece (21) is not slidably installed on the base (8) - the second clamping piece is only pivotably installed via hinge pin (51); the cover (84) is not linked to the second clamping piece (21) - it rotates independently of the clamping piece (see Figure 5a); and the second clamping piece (21) does not have a first state of sliding backward when the cover plate (84) is opened and a first state of sliding towards the first clamping member (22) when the cover plate (84) is closed - the second clamping piece only pivots and even the pivoting is independent of the cover plate.
Conclusion
9. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN MATTHEW LARSON whose telephone number is (571)272-8649. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 7am-3pm. 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, Nathan Newhouse can be reached at (571)272-4544. 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.
/JUSTIN M LARSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3734 1/8/26