DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to the amendment filed July 11, 2026 in which claims 1-10 and 12-16 are presented for examination and claim 11 is withdrawn.
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 .
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 6-8, 10, 12, and 14-16 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s First Argument: Objection to the drawings should be withdrawn at least in view of current amendments to the drawings.
Examiner’s Response: Agreed. The objection is withdrawn.
Applicant’s Second Argument: Objection to the specification for minor informalities should be withdrawn at least in view of current amendments to the specification.
Examiner’s Response: Agreed. The objection is withdrawn.
Applicant’s Third Argument: Rejection of claims 1 and 2 under 35 USC 102 over cited references should be withdrawn at least in view of current amendments to the claims.
Examiner’s Response: In view of Applicant’s amendment, the search has been updated and new prior art has been identified and applied. Applicant’s arguments, which appear drawn only to the newly amended limitations and previously presented rejections have been considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 1, line 13 should be amended to end in either a comma or semicolon following the limitation “a rotation limiter comprising a first edge engager.”
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, 3-5, 9, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by USPN 9,113,736 Antler.
To claim 1, Antler discloses a garment hanger (2) (see Figures 1-12; col. 1, line 53 – col. 4, line 45) comprising:
a body (4) having an upper edge for supporting a garment thereon (see for example Figures 1-3; col. 1, lines 53-57), said body comprising a sheet material (col. 2, lines 4-5; plastic) and having a non-circular aperture (46,48,62) extending therethrough (see Figures 1 and 3-8; col. 2, line 41 – col. 3, line 21);
and a suspension member (12) (see Figures 1-5; col. 2, line 41 – col. 3, line 39) comprising:
a hook (38) for suspending the hanger (see Figures 1-5; col. 2, lines 41-51);
a retainer (42,44) extending from a surface of said suspension member and, in use, extending through said non-circular aperture thereby providing a releasable and rotatable engagement between said suspension member and said body, said retainer comprising an axle (42) and at least one foot (44) (see Figures 1, 3-5, and 7; col. 2, line 41 – col. 3, line 39); and
a rotation limiter comprising a first edge engager (see especially Figures 3-8; col. 2, line 41 – col. 3, line 39);
said garment hanger operating in either a working condition (Figures 1-2 and 5; col. 2, line 24 – col. 3, line 39) or a storage condition (Figures 3-4 and 12; col. 2, line 24 – col. 3, line 39), wherein:
in said working condition, said hook extends beyond said upper edge of said body and said first edge engager engages said upper edge of said body to limit rotation of said suspension member relative to said body in a first direction (Figures 1-2 and 5; col. 2, line 24 – col. 3, line 39); and
in said storage condition, said suspension member is rotated relative to said body, in a second direction opposite said first direction, such that said first edge engager is moved out of engagement with said upper edge of said body (Figures 3-4 and 12; col. 2, line 24 – col. 3, line 39).
To claim 3, Antler further discloses a garment hanger wherein said suspension member further comprises a connector for joining said hook to said retainer (see especially Figures 3-8; col. 2, line 41 – col. 3, line 39).
To claim 4, Antler further discloses a garment hanger wherein said connector comprises a label area (see especially Figures 3-8; col. 2, line 41 – col. 3, line 39; any of the portions of the connector may be considered a “label area”).
To claim 5, Antler further discloses a garment hanger wherein said suspension member comprises a single component (see Figures 1-5; col. 2, line 41 – col. 3, line 39; in a fully-assembled construction of garment hanger 2 as depicted in at least Figures 1-5, suspension member 12 is configured as a single component).
To claim 9, Antler further discloses a garment hanger wherein said suspension member comprises an injection moulded thermoplastic material (col. 2, lines 4-5).
To claim 13, Antler further discloses a garment hanger wherein said body comprises a lower edge opposite the upper edge, and wherein when said at least one foot is aligned with said non-circular aperture, at least a portion of said hook extends beyond said lower edge of said body (Figures 3-4 and 12; col. 2, line 24 – col. 3, line 39; it is respectfully noted that claim 13 does not recite, for example, that the lower edge of the body is a lowermost edge of the garment hanger).
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 GRIFFIN HALL whose telephone number is (571)270-0546. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:00 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, Alissa Tompkins can be reached at (571) 272-3425. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/F Griffin Hall/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3732
Prosecution Insights