DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the application filed September 18, 2024. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . Claims 1-26 are pending. Claims 9-26 are withdrawn as set forth below. Claims 1-8 stand rejected as set forth below.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 9-26 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on May 22, 2026.
Applicant's election with traverse of Invention I in the reply filed on May 22, 2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that all of the claims of Groups II and II depend from Group I. This is not found persuasive because claims 9 and 23 are both independent claims that do not depend from claims 1-8. Also, claims 10-22 and 24-26 all depend on 9 or 23. Thus, none of the non-elected claims depend from the elected claims 1-8. Groups II and III are independent and distinct as described in the Restriction requirement dated March 30, 2026.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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 fill strip comprising a series of removable segments and guide marks on an interior surface of claims 1, 4 and 5 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 § 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 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Steffes (US Pub 2002/0121057) (hereinafter Steffes ‘057) in view of Steffes (US 8,726,591) (hereinafter Steffes ‘591).
In regard to Claim 1, Steffes ‘057 discloses a corner siding piece for covering a structure corner adjacent shake shingle impression siding (Figs 3a-3c), the corner siding piece comprising: a first panel (202) comprising a first top edge (top), a first bottom edge (bottom), a first side edge (204) and a first corner edge (208), a second panel (212) comprising a second top edge (top) (Figs 3a-3c) [0032], a second bottom edge (bottom), a second side edge (210) and a second corner edge (220) (Figs 3a-3c) [0032], the second corner edge and the first corner edge defining a corner shared by the first panel and the second panel (Figs 3a-3c) [0032], and a fill strip (annotated Fig 3c) comprising a fill strip top edge, a first fill strip side edge, and a second fill strip side edge, wherein the fill strip projects upwardly from the first top edge (annotated Fig 3c). Steffes ‘057 does not disclose the fill strip comprising a series of removeable segments.
Steffes ‘591 teaches a fill strip (140) comprises a series of removeable segments (column 8, lines 42-62) (Figs 4, 5). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the fill strip as disclosed by Steffes ‘057 to include a series of removeable segments as taught by Steffes ‘591, since as Steffes ‘591 states in column 8, lines 30-62 that it will allow for easy field modifications and the avoidance of gaps.
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In regard to Claim 2, Steffes ‘057 the corner siding piece as described above, wherein the first fill strip side edge is contiguous with the first side edge of the first panel (Figs 3a-3c).
In regard to Claim 3, Steffes ‘057 the corner siding piece as described above, wherein the first panel has a first panel width and the second panel has a second panel width, wherein the second panel width is less than or equal to the first panel width (Figs 3a-3c).
In regard to Claim 4, Steffes ‘591 in the combination discloses the corner siding piece as described above, wherein the removable segments of the fill strip are oriented horizontally and are vertically separated from one another (column 8, lines 42-62) (Figs 4, 5).
In regard to Claim 5, Steffes ‘591 in the combination discloses the corner siding piece as described above, wherein the removable segments of the fill strip are vertically separated by guide marks on a surface of the corner siding piece (column 8, lines 42-62) (Figs 4, 5). While Steffes ‘591 does not specifically state that the marks are on an interior surface, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date that when combining the references to place the marks of Steffes ‘591 on the interior surface of the fill strip of Steffes ‘057 so they are not visible on the finished product, as is well known in the art.
In regard to Claim 6, Steffes ‘057 the corner siding piece as described above, wherein the corner siding piece comprises polymer, wood, metal, fiber, a composite, or a combination thereof [0033].
In regard to Claim 7, Steffes ‘057 the corner siding piece as described above, wherein the metal comprises steel or aluminum, and wherein the polymer comprises PVC, polypropylene, vinyl, ASA, AES, or a combination thereof [0033].
In regard to Claim 8, Steffes ‘057 a method of making the corner siding piece as described above, wherein the method comprises a process comprising injection molding, compression, molding, vacuum forming, roll forming, stamping, rotary molding, blow molding, casting, extrusion, or co-extrusion [0037].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See list of references on PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Brian Mattei whose telephone number is (571)270-3238. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday 8:00 to 5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Namrata Boveja can be reached at 571-272-8105. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BRIAN D MATTEI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3635
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