DETAILED ACTION
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a(1) as being anticipated by Chan, US 2010/0186200 A1. Chan discloses a slider (11) comprising a slider body (12, 13) configured to guide elements in a front-rear direction; a pull tab holder (16) provided on a side of the slider body in an up-down direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction and configured to hold a shaft (34a) of a pull tab (34); and, a closure member (29) attached to the pull tab holder (figure 4). The pull tab holder (16) includes a first end portion extending from the slider body along the up-down direction; a body (16, figure 1) extending from the first end portion along the front-rear direction; a shaft-holding space (31, figure 7) being defined between the body (16) and the slider body (12) in which the shaft is disposed (figure 7); and, a second end portion (at end of leader line of 16 in figure 7) provided on a side of the body (16) opposite the first end portion (portion extending upwardly from an attached to the upper plate of the slider body 12) to face the slider body (figure 7); an insertion gap (17) being defined between the second end portion and the slider body (figure 1) into which the shaft is insertable (figure 5); the body (16) includes a through hole (20) penetrating through the body in the up-down direction and a pair of side walls facing each other across the through hole in a right-left direction orthogonal to each of the front-rear direction and the up-down direction (figure 1). The closure member (29) includes a base (portions extending downwardly from the top surface of the closure member) configured to fit between the pair of side walls (figure 4); and, a first leg (35a) extending from the base and configured to be fitted to the insertion gap (17, as can be see in figure 6). The leg (35a) extends into the gap (17) from a side of the shaft-holding space. Chan also discloses that the closure member (29) is configured to be inserted through the through hole (20) in the up-down direction (figure 3).
Regarding claim 2, Chan discloses the pair of sidewalls are in engagement with the sides of the base (elements extending downward from the top surface of 29, figure 4).
Regarding claim 3, Chan discloses the pull tab holder with a pair of front-rear opposing surfaces facing one another across the through hole and engaging the the surfaces on the closure member in the front-rear direction. Please see the annotated drawing on the subsequent page.
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-5 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.
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Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-3 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACK W LAVINDER whose telephone number is (571)272-7119. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Friday 9-4pm (EST).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jason San can be reached at 571-272-6531. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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JACK W. LAVINDER
Primary Patent Examiner
Art Unit 3677
/JACK W LAVINDER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3677
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