FINAL REJECTION
Reconsideration has been accorded the merits of the claim in view of applicant’s response. While an earnest attempt has been made to address the issues that necessitated the rejection in the prior office action, the response falls short of attaining this goal. The rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112 is repeated and made final.
Claim Rejection; 35 U.S.C. 112
The claim is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) because the application fails to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which applicant regards as the invention.
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476
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502
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494
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The description of the location of the boundary on the end remains inconsistent and thus indefinite. Figure 1 shows a broken boundary line inside of the broken line edge, Figs. 3 and 4 show the edge in full lines, and Fig, 7 shows the edge in broken lines. The issue might be that the tapering surface of the exterior is missing from Figs. 6 and 7. Alternately, the tapering surface is shown but the solid line edge is missing from the view. Regardless, Fig. 1 shows a tapering surface, a solid line edge, and a broken line boundary, whereas Figs. 6 and 7 only shows two those of three components. Regardless of which component is missing From Figs. 6 and 7, the end result is the same. The views lack consisstency.
Conclusion
The claim is finally rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112.
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 extension fee 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 should be directed to Philip Hyder at telephone number 571-272-2621.
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 contact the examiner directly, or use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
/Philip S. Hyder/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2924
10/07/2026
Prosecution Insights