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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on January 23, 2025 was in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement has been considered by the examiner.
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 1-3, 5 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 6557958 B1 (Motta).
With respect to claim 1, Motta teaches a cabinet comprising a cabinet body (Motta Fig 1, cabinet 11) where in a slide rail (Motta Fig. 2, track 15) and a first pivoting portion (Motta Fig. 2, hole on side panel 24 through the axis of mid-lever pivot 18) are disposed within the cabinet body. A door panel (Motta Fig. 4, door 12) having a sliding portion (Motta Fig. 4, follower 16) wherein the sliding portion is rotatably and slidably connected to the slide rail and a second pivoting portion (Motta Fig. 2A, blind hole 39), and an opening and closing mechanism in a manner similar to that being taught by the claimed invention (See Motta Fig. 2), including a linkage member (Motta Fig. 4, lever 17) wherein the linkage member has a third pivoting portion (Motta Fig. 4, mid-lever pivot 18) pivotally connected to the first pivoting portion, and a fourth pivoting portion (see annotated Motta Fig. 2A below, depicted as item X) pivotally connected to the second pivoting portion.
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With respect to claim 2, Motta teaches one side of the cabinet body along a horizontal direction is provided with an opening (Motta Fig. 4, front opening 26), wherein the slide rail extends linearly along the horizontal direction as shown in Motta Fig. 2, wherein the slide rail has a front end (see annotated Motta Fig. 8 below, depicted as item Y) adjacent to the opening and a rear end (see annotated Motta Fig. 8 below, depicted as item Z)
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away from the opening, wherein the first pivoting portion is disposed below the slide rail along a vertical direction (Motta Fig. 2, 15 and 18), wherein the cabinet body defines a virtual pivoting axis passing through the first pivoting portion and extending along the horizontal direction (Motta Fig. 2, axis between 18 and 36), wherein the linkage member is rotatable relative to the cabinet body about the pivoting axis as demonstrated in the movements between Figs. 2 through 5, wherein the door panel has a top end and a bottom end (see annotated Motta Fig. 2 below, depicted as A and B)
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opposite the top end, wherein the second pivoting portion is disposed between the top end and the bottom end, and wherein the door panel is movable between a closed position and an open position (see Motta Fig. 2 and Fig. 5). Wherein when the door panel is in the closed position, the top end is moved near the front end and the bottom end is moved near a lower edge of the opening along the vertical direction thereby closing the opening (see Motta Fig. 2). Wherein when the door panel is in the open position, the sliding portion is moved near the rear end, and the bottom end is moved near an upper edge of the opening along the vertical direction, thereby not closing the opening (see Motta Fig. 5).
With respect to claim 3, Motta teaches a fifth pivoting portion disposed within the cabinet body (Motta Fig. 2, anchor 42) , wherein the linkage member is provided with a sixth pivoting portion (Motta Fig. 2, second leg 21’), wherein the opening and closing mechanism includes a damper (Motta Fig. 2., coil spring 43). Motta also teaches a different embodiment of a damper being a gas-piston-and-cylinder-dampening device (Motta column 5, lines 62-65). Wherein the damper is provided with a seventh pivoting portion (Motta Fig. 2, damper end connecting to anchor 42), and an eighth pivoting portion (Motta Fig. 2, interconnecting member 44). In the gas-piston-and-cylinder-dampening device embodiment the seventh pivoting portion is provided by the end of bottom end of the dampening device that connects to the anchor 42 and the eighth pivoting portion that is provided by the top end of the dampening device that connects directly to the second leg 21’. Wherein the damper is retractable to change a distance between the seventh pivoting portion and the eighth pivoting portion as generally shown in the movement between Fig. 2 and 5, wherein the seventh pivoting portion is pivotally connected to the fifth pivoting portion represented by connection between the right end of the damper and the anchor 42, wherein the eighth pivoting portion is pivotally connected to the sixth pivoting portion represented by the connection between the left end of the damper and the second leg 21’.
With respect to claim 5, Motta teaches the sliding portion provided with a shaft rod (Motta Fig. 2B, protrusion 31) and a circular sliding block (Motta Fig. 2B, hat-shaped bearing 32), wherein the sliding block is sleeved around the shaft rod and disposed within the slide rail (Motta Fig. 2 and Fig 2B, follower 16).
With respect to claim 6, Motta teaches the side of the cabinet body along the horizontal direction is provided with a side plate adjacent to the opening (Motta Fig. 1, side panel 24), wherein the slide rail is connected to an upper edge of the side plate along the vertical direction (Motta Fig. 2, track 15), and wherein the first pivoting point is disposed on the side plate (Motta Fig. 2, hole on side panel 24 through the axis of mid-lever pivot 18).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 is 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.
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 cabinet assemblies with cabinet body / cabinet door / opening & closing mechanisms.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kursat Acar whose telephone number is (571)270-3350. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs 6:30am-4:30pm.
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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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/KURSAT ACAR/Examiner, Art Unit 3637
JOH
June 23, 2026
/James O Hansen/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3637
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