DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Invention 1 in the reply filed on 6/3/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that all claims have been amended to provide limitations directed to a single invention. This is found persuasive, and the requirement is withdrawn.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-7, and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by McInturff et al. (US 2024/0090650, hereinafter ‘McInturff)’.
McInturff discloses a system, comprising: a chest harness mounting system that includes: a rigid frame body (300) that includes a first wall (304) having a first surface and a second surface (front and back); a receivable opening (middle aperture 52) in the first surface of the first wall; and an integrated receiving support (302) coupled to the first wall and the receivable opening.
McInturff further discloses a magnet support opening (40) in the second surface of the first wall and that is aligned with the receivable opening (vertically aligned); and the receivable opening extends from the first surface to the second surface through the first wall (see Fig. 8); the structure having the rigid frame body is a hollow-rectangular shaped structure with a bottom surface (see overall shape in Fig. 3A); the second surface of the first wall includes a recessed portion (screwholes, see Fig. 8); a coupling mechanism inserted into the recessed portion of the second surface (fasteners inserted in screw holes, see Fig. 3A); the rigid frame body includes a second wall opposite the first wall, a third wall opposite a fourth wall, the third wall transverse to the first and second walls (see Fig. 8; multitude of ‘walls’ shown).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 8, 9, and 11 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.
Claims 12-20 are allowed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER N. HELVEY whose telephone number is (571)270-1423. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10am-7pm EST.
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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.
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/PETER N HELVEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3734
September 14, 2026
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