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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This is a Non-final Office Action for application number 19/054,084 PILASTER STORAGE SYSTEM filed on 2/14/2025. Claims 1-23 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement submitted on 2/14/2025 is 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 1-6, 10-17 and 20-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by United States Patent Publication No. 2005/0127017 to Kessel et al.
With regards to claim 1, the publication to Kessel et al. discloses a device (20) having a pilaster (24), the pilaster including a plurality of pins (44) spaced apart from each other along a length of the pilaster; and a bracket (80), the bracket including a hook (100) and a notch (108), wherein the hook is configured to engage with a first one of the plurality of pins and the notch is configured to engage with a second one of the plurality of pins. (See Figure 6)
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]With regards to claims 2 and 13, Kessel et al. teaches wherein the pilaster includes a base, a first sidewall,
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and a second sidewall, wherein the first sidewall and the second sidewall extend out from the base, the first sidewall extending parallel to the second sidewall.
With regards to claims 3 and 14, Kessel et al. teaches wherein the plurality of pins (44) extend from the first sidewall to the second sidewall. (See Figure 5)
With regards to claims 4 and 15, Kessel et al. teaches wherein the first sidewall includes a plurality of blind holes and the second sidewall includes a plurality of through holes, each one of the plurality of pins extending through one of the plurality of through holes and into one of the plurality of blind holes. (See Figure 5)
With regards to claims 5 and 16, Kessel et al. teaches wherein the bracket includes
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]a first flange,
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and a second flange, wherein the first flange and the second flange are perpendicular to each other, the hook and notch disposed on the first flange.
With regards to claims 6 and 17, Kessel et al. teaches an accessory component (84, shelf) wherein the accessory component attaches to the second flange of the bracket.
[AltContent: arrow]With regards to claim 10, Kessel et al. teaches wherein the hook is disposed at a first end of the bracket,
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the notch disposed closer to a second end of the bracket than the first end, wherein the first end and second end are opposite each other. (See Figure 7)
[AltContent: arrow]With regards to claims 11, 20 and 23, Kessel et al. teaches wherein the notch further comprises a locking structure
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configured for providing stable engagement between the bracket and the second one of the plurality of pins.
With regards to claim 12, Kessel et al. teaches a pilaster (24), the pilaster including a first pin (44) and a second pin (44) extending between two sidewalls of the pilaster; and a bracket (80), the bracket including a first flange, a second flange connected to the first flange, a hook (100) extending from an end of the first flange, and a notch (108) disposed within the first flange, wherein the hook is configured to engage with the first pin and the notch is configured to engage with the second pin.
With regards to claim 21, as shown above Kessel et al. teaches a pilaster, the pilaster including a first pin and a second pin extending between two sidewalls of the pilaster; and a bracket, the bracket including a hook extending from an end of the bracket, and a notch disposed within the bracket, wherein the hook is configured to engage with the first pin and the notch is configured to engage with the second pin.
With regards to claim 22, Kessel et al. teaches a wall, wherein the pilaster and bracket are configured to adjustably attach an accessory component to the wall. (See 0041, “by being secured to other structure behind or adjacent to the upright members 32 (such as a wall or framing), and in still other manners”)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-9, 18 and 19 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.
With regards to claims 7 and 18, the prior art does not teach wherein the second flange includes an aperture and a pin, the accessory component attached to the second flange via the pin and a fastener extending through the accessory component and aperture of the bracket.
Cited References
PN 6,123,314 to Steele shows a pin and hook bracket
PN 9,974,203 to Ho et al. teaches a bracket and hook
PN 10,765,206 shows a bracket and hook
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication should be directed to Amy J. Sterling at telephone number 571-272-6823 or to Supervisor Jonathan Liu at 571-272-8227 if the examiner cannot be reached. The examiner can normally be reached (Mon-Fri 8am-5:00pm). The fax machine number for the Technology center is 571-273-8300 (formal amendments), informal amendments or communications 571-273-6823. Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application should be directed to the Technology Center receptionist at 571-272-3600.
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/AMY J. STERLING/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3631 10/6/26
