DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species 1, claims 1-6 and 11, in the reply filed on July 20, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 9 and 10 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on July 20, 2026.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 1 (line 2) “including; ” should recite –including: --.
For the purpose of examining the application, it is assumed that appropriate correction has been made.
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 1-6 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Quinn (US 616,970) in view of Gapiand (FR 370 225).
As to claims 1-4 and 11, Quinn discloses a mesh fence having a top and bottom, said fence including:
a series of spaced vertical stay wires 2;
a series of spaced horizontal line wires 1 that cross said stay wires and contact said stay wires at intersections, with at least some of the intersections of the stay wires and the line wires secured by a knot 3, wherein each of said stay wires is a continuous wire extending from the bottom of the fence to the top of the fence;
wherein the line wires have an uppermost wire that is made of twisted wire;
wherein each said line wires is made of twisted wire; and
wherein each line wire is selected from a group consisting of: continuous twist wire and reverse twist wire (Figures 1-4).
Quinn fails to discloses a mesh fence wherein each twisted line wire comprises barbed wire selected from a group consisting of: continuous twist barbed wire and reverse twist barbed wire.
Gapiand teaches a mesh fence wherein each twisted line wire d comprises barbed wire selected from a group consisting of: continuous twist barbed wire and reverse twist barbed wire; barbs a on the twisted line wires providing for a more secure fence (Figures 1-4). Accordingly, 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 mesh fence disclosed by Quinn wherein each twisted line wire comprises barbs, as taught by Gapiand, in order to provide for a more secure fence.
As to claims 5 and 6, Quinn discloses a mesh fence wherein each of said intersections of each of said stay wires 2 and each of said line wires 1 are secured by a wire knot 3 (Figures 1-4).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL P FERGUSON whose telephone number is (571)272-7081. The examiner can normally be reached M-F (10:00 am-7:00 pm EST).
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07/28/26
/MICHAEL P FERGUSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3619
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