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 .
This is a final Office Action for serial number 19/260,428, Detachable Hanging Plate With Locking Structure, filed on July 4, 2025, with a foreign priority filed on July 4, 2024.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: it is not clear if an overlap plate is part of an overlap portion as recited in claim 2. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-2, 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the connecting plate" in line 13. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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(s) 1-2, and 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent No. 7,252,274 to Brannen in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014/0150218 to Colangelo et al. (Colangelo), and in further view of U.S. Patent No. 9,211,023 to Weiss.
Brannen ‘274 discloses a detachable hanging plate (Fig. 1) with a locking structure (50), comprising a hanging plate body (32) hooked with a guide slot (open-sideway) of a fixed plate, wherein a notch (C-shaped) allowing the fixed plate to be embedded is formed in a side surface of the hanging plate body, thereby hooking the hanging plate body with the fixed plate; a locking portion (52) penetrating through the front and back surfaces of the hanging plate body is further arranged on a surface of the hanging plate body, the locking portion has a handheld end (52-head) and an abutting end (60) opposite to the handheld end, and end surface of the abutting end is clamped with the guide slot of the fixed plate, thereby locking the abutting end with the guide slot; and a hanging portion (12) is arranged on a front surface of the hanging plate body and is configured to hang an object.
Next, Brannen ‘274 fails to disclose wherein an overlap plate extending obliquely upwards and forming an included angle with the connecting plate (see 112 rejection) is connected at one end of the connecting plate. Nevertheless. Colangelo ‘218 discloses a clip (28 – Fig. 3) discloses an overlap plate (88) extending upwards with the connecting plate (112). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the hook clamping device of Brannen ‘274 with a C-shaped clip and an overlap portion because one would have a motivation to provide a rigid mount onto a frame as taught by Colangelo ‘218.
Next, Colangelo ‘218 fails to disclose wherein the overlap plate extending obliquely upwards and forming an included angle with the connecting plate. Nevertheless, Weiss ‘023 discloses wherein the overlap plate (50) extending obliquely upwards and forming an included angle (Fig. 1) with the connecting plate (20). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the hook clamping device of Brannen ‘274 in view of Colangelo ‘218 with the overlap plate extending obliquely upwards as taught by Weiss ‘023 because one would have a motivation for holding an object such that the object will not contact the ground.
Regarding claim 2, Brannen ‘274 in view of Colangelo ‘218, and in further view of Weiss ‘023 discloses wherein the hanging plate body is a thin plate with parallel top surface and bottom surface (Colangelo ‘218), an overlap portion (88) is formed at the top surface (112) of the hanging plate body, a positioning portion (120) is formed at the bottom surface of the hanging plate body, the overlap portion is provided with a connecting plate (112) parallel with the positioning portion (120) and the connecting plate, the hanging plate body and the positioning portion jointly form the notch (124) (Colangelo ‘218).
wherein an overlap portion is formed at the top of the hanging plate body, a positioning portion (34) if formed at the bottom of the hanging plate body, the overlap portion is provided with a connecting plate (top center portion – Fig. 3) parallel with the positioning portion at one point, and the connecting plate , the hanging plate body and the positioning portion jointly form the notch.
Regarding claim 4, Brannen ‘274 in view of Colangelo ‘218, and in further view of Weiss ‘023 discloses wherein the locking portion is in threaded connection (54) with the hanging plate body, and the abutting end is controlled by means of loosening or tightening (60) to be embedded into or separated from the guide slot of the fixed plate (Brannen ‘274).
Regarding claim 5, Brannen ‘274 in view of Colangelo ‘218, and in further view of Weiss ‘023 discloses wherein the end surface of the abutting end is provided with a long strip shaped locking piece (60 – wings) and the locking piece is embedded into the guide slot of the fixed plate to achieve reinforced locking (Brannen ‘274).
Regarding claim 6, Brannen ‘274 in view of Colangelo ‘218, and in further view of Weiss ‘023 discloses wherein the hanging portion is separate first U shaped hook (12), vertical section (10) on one side of the first u shaped hook is fixedly connected to the front surface of the hanging plate body; an opening of the first U shaped hook faces upwards (Figs. 1-2) and a vertical section on the other side of the first U shaped hook is fixedly connected to the front surface of the hanging plate body, an opening of the first U shaped hook faces upwards and a vertical section on the opposite side of the first u shaped hook is a free end for hanging the object (see Fig. 1 – Brannen ‘274).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 TODD M. EPPS whose telephone number is (571) 272-8282. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am - 5pm.
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, 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.
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.
/TODD M EPPS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3632 January 21, 2026
Prosecution Insights