DETAILED ACTION
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Specification
The following title is suggested: --Support Device With Adjustment Mechanism-- (as opposed to “Support Device With Adjustment Mecganism”).
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.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. In Claim 1, line 5, the recitation of “an adjustment mechanism” is unclear and confusing as presently set forth since it is not known whether this is a new and distinct limitation, or if it is meant to be a reference back to the “a support device with adjustment mechanism” as established in line 1, whereby the metes and bounds of patent protection being sought by applicant is unascertainable. Consequently, the remaining claims are rejected since they are dependent, either directly or indirectly, upon an indefinite claim.
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 & 5-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kofstad [US 5,833,337]. Kofstad teaches of a support device with adjustment mechanism (note figs. 1 & 3-4 for instance), comprising: an adapter plate (54) having a first end and a second end (opposing longitudinal distal ends for instance – fig. 3); a front bracket ((68) with “front” being a relative term, i.e., it depends upon viewed orientation / perspective of a device) covering one side of the first end of the adapter plate (shown in fig. 3) and displaceable relative to the adapter plate (longitudinally); and an adjustment mechanism (56) comprising a locking member (such as (90) for instance) disposed at the first end of the adapter plate – fig. 4), a supporting member (such as (94) for instance) disposed at a front end of the front bracket and an adjustment member (89) passed through the supporting member (via the grooved notches for instance) to form a pivot connection (the adjustment member can pivot / rotate along (94) when the opposing end is free and unattached) and then passed through the locking member (again, via the grooved notches for instance), the adjustment member comprising an operating portion (such as the right side hooked end – fig. 4) located at one end thereof and far from the locking member and protruding out of the front bracket (once secured, the operating portion protrudes out laterally from the front bracket for instance), the operating portion being operable for the adjustment member to drive the front bracket to adjust the displacement relative to the adapter plate (i.e., once assembled, the mechanism enables automatic adjustment in length of the rack slide to fit snugly between uprights of a rack). As to Claim 5, the adapter plate comprises a bent portion (such as (82a) for instance) protruded on an inner edge surface thereof (fig. 4), and two bent sections (such as the upper and lower curled flanged sections) extending inward on opposing upper and lower sides thereof, so that when the adjustment member drives the front bracket to move relative to the adapter plate to a folded position, the adjustment member has one end thereof (right side end – fig. 4) form an extension section away from the locking member, and the extension section is located between the inner edge surface of the adapter plate, the bent portion and the bent sections (spatially) adjacent thereto to form a limit. As to Claim 6, the adapter plate is further provided with at least one fixing member, said at Least one fixing member (48) having two ends thereof (upper and lower ends – fig. 4) respectively connected to the two bent sections of the adapter plate and being used for installation on a preset rack (fig. 1). As to Claim 7, the adapter plate further comprises at least one fastener (82b with 88b); the front bracket further comprises at least one rail groove (80b) for the at least one fastener to penetrate, so that after the adjustment member drives the front bracket to move relative to the adapter plate, the at least one fastener is forced to lock, so that the front bracket is locked relative to the adapter plate (fig.3). As to Claim 8, the support device with adjustment mechanism further comprising a first mounting member (58) mounted at the second end of the adapter plate, and a second mounting member (70) mounted at the front bracket far away from the first end of the adapter plate and connected to another mounting member (such as (40d) for instance), the first mounting member and the second mounting member being used to assemble a preset slide rail assembly (fig. 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4 & 9-10 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure – see the attached Form PTO-892 showing various support devices with adjustment mechanisms related to rack slide assemblies.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES O HANSEN whose telephone number is (571)272-6866. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8 am - 4:30 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Daniel Troy can be reached at 571-270-3742. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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JOH
June 4, 2026
/James O Hansen/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3637
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