July 24, 2026
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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 8 is objected to because of the following informalities: In claim 8, Applicant claims “a Velcro member”. Applicant cannot used trademarked terms sch as “Velcro”. Applicant needs to change “Velcro” to - - hook and loop - -. Appropriate correction is required.
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 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hsieh (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0378641 A1).
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As for Claim 1, Hsieh teaches a holding device for dental medical devices, the holding device comprising: a headrest 211 installed on a headrest support of a dental chair; and a medical device holder 43 connected to the headrest and configured to hold dental medical devices used during dental treatment.
As for Claim 2, Hsieh further comprises at least one rod adjuster 3 arranged between the headrest and the medical device holder to connect the headrest and the medical device holder to each other, and bent in various shapes during dental treatment.
As for Claim 3, Hsieh teaches that the headrest has a structure that corresponds to various thicknesses and widths of the headrest support so as to be detachably installed regardless of a kind of a dental chair, and the rod adjuster is configured to comprise a plurality of joints, and to selectively lock movement of the joints to stably hold the dental medical devices.
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.
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hsieh (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0378641 A1) in view of LaPointe et al. (U.S. Patent No. 5,899,526 B1).
Hsieh teaches the structure substantially as claimed but does not teach a tray device detachably placed on the rod adjuster to temporarily store the dental medical devices and various auxiliary materials required for dental treatment. However, LaPointe et al. teach the concept of a detachable tray that can be attached to a rod adjuster to be old. It would have bene obvious and well within the level of ordinary skill in the art to modify the holding device, as taught by Hsieh, to include a detachable tray, as taught by LaPointe et al., since it would allow a caregiver, doctor, or dentist, to hold instruments, items, and other devices when tending to a patient.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-16 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.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure because it teaches structures and concepts similar to those of the present invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Rodney B. White whose telephone number is (571)272-6863. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30 AM-5:00 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, David R. Dunn can be reached at (571) 272-6670. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Rodney B White/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3636
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