DETAILED ACTION
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claim(s) 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hornby (US 1355975) in view of Koczwara (US 2019/0240591).
Regarding claims 1-3, Hornby discloses, fig. 5, Page 2, col. 2:
a side structural member 5’ having a height and a length, the side structural member including
a series of mounting holes positioned horizontally on an axis extending along the length, the series of mounting holes including
a first mounting hole at approximately a center of the side structural member,
a second mounting hole placed a first distance from the first mounting hole and near a first end of the side structural member,
a third mounting hole placed the first distance from the first mounting hole and near a second end of the side structural member opposite the first end, and
fourth and fifth mounting holes placed on opposite sides of the first mounting hole, each of the fourth and fifth mounting holes being placed a second distance from the first mounting hole, the second distance being less than the first distance;
a structural component at 3 configured to be mounted on the side structural member and capable of being used as a hinge arm; and
the third physical component being removable hardware at 4 (bolts) configured to secure the structural component against movement.
Hornby is an old set of structural components from the 1920s and does not teach a set of digital files. Recently, it has been known to manufacture elements via 3-D printing.
For example, Koczwara is analogous art in regard to a set of modular components and corresponding fasteners, fig. 1 and 4, [0008].
Koczwara teaches an .stl file representing a 3D exterior mesh of the physical component and providing a set of one or more digital files having a file format together with information uniquely associated to control a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) program to generate physical code, the physical code executable in a printer to print a component part of a set of physical component parts [0056], [0072-0073] for the purpose of allowing a user the educational benefit of real world design and manufacturing [0070].
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 Hornby’s set to have a .stl digital files file for 3-D printing means as taught by Koczwara in order to allow a user to print and manufacture specific parts as needed without excess waste of materials and storage of unnecessary parts.
Claim(s) 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hornby and Koczwara as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Khatib (US 2019/0085885).
Regarding claim 4, the references applied above teach all of claim 1, as applied above. The references applied above teach that the hardware is a bolt, as applied above; not a cam lock.
Khatib teaches connection assemblies between components, and that cam locks are known alternative fasteners for connecting two components [0005].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the bolt fastener of Hornby and corresponding file for printing a fastener with a cam lock and corresponding file since a cam lock is a known alternative fastener for connecting two components as taught by Khatib and further more a cam lock is a quick fastener and takes less time to connect two parts than a bolt and a nut would take.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claim(s) have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference or combination thereof 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 MOLLIE L IMPINK whose telephone number is (571)270-1705. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday (7:30-3:30).
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MOLLIE LLEWELLYN IMPINK
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3799
/MOLLIE IMPINK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3799
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