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 .
The following correspondence is a non-final Office Action for application no. 19/024,362, for a SOLAR PANEL MOUNTING SYSTEM, filed on 1/16/2025. Claims 1-20 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mori et al. (U.S. Pat. 10,447,198).
Regarding claim 1, Mori teaches a mounting system comprising: a lower solar panel mast connected to an upper solar panel mast through a rotating connection; a lower solar assembly extending away from a mid-point of the upper solar panel mast; and an upper solar assembly positioned at a top end of the upper solar panel mast and comprising a base portion attached to the top end of the upper solar panel mast, and a rotating portion attached to the base portion.
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Rotating portion)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Base portion)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Lower solar assembly)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Rotating connection)][AltContent: textbox (Upper solar panel mast)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Lower solar panel mast)][AltContent: arrow]
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Regarding claim 2, Mori teaches the system of claim 1, wherein: the rotating connection allows the upper solar panel mast to rotate about a vertical centerline of the upper solar panel mast (Fig. 25).
Regarding claim 3, Mori teaches the system of claim 1 wherein: the upper solar panel mast and lower solar panel mast share a common vertical centerline.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-8 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 9-20 are allowed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. USP 11146206, 10447198, 12188236, 10958209, 8322877 (solar panel mounts)
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NKEISHA J. SMITH whose telephone number is (571)272-5781. The examiner can normally be reached Normal hours: M/Th 7-4; T 9-5; W 7-3; F 7-4.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Terrell McKinnon can be reached at 571-272-4797. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NKEISHA SMITH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3632 July 28, 2026
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