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 .
The applicant’s remark and amendment to the drawing and specification, received on 01/12/2026, are acknowledged.
The Applicant's remark, amendment to the drawing, specification, and election of Group I (Embodiment 1, Figs. 1.1 –1.8), as set forth in a reply filed on January 12, 2026, have been received and are acknowledged. Applicant's election was made without traverse.
Group II is withdrawn from further consideration by the examiner, 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being for a nonelected invention.
The original Figs. 2.1 – 2.8 drawing views and descriptions have been canceled as being directed to a nonelected invention.
35 U.S.C. 112 (a) and (b)
The claim is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) and (b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, first and second paragraphs, as the claimed invention is not described in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the same, and fails 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.
The claim is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) and (b) for the following reason:
The detail of the amended Figs. 1.1–1.8, dated 01/12/2026, cannot be clearly defined due to poor, blurred reproduction quality, and reduced size. In contrast, the original figures are larger and provide sharper, clearer detail. See some samples of amended and original drawing below.
SOLUTION:
Ensure the amended Figs. 1.1–1.8 are consistent in size and quality with the original Figs. 1.1–1.8 (dated 02/07/2025).
See some samples of amended and original drawings below.
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374
343
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Greyscale
Amended Fig. 1.1
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417
389
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Amended Fig. 1.2
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681
658
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Original Fig. 1.1
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678
659
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Original Fig. 1.2
The necessity for good drawings in a design patent application cannot be overemphasized. As the drawing constitutes the whole disclosure of the design, it is of utmost importance that it be so well executed both as to clarity of showing and completeness, that nothing regarding the design sought to be patented is left to conjecture. An insufficient drawing may be fatal to validity (35 U.S.C. 112(a) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph). Moreover, an insufficient drawing may have a negative effect with respect to the effective filing date of a continuing application.
Any attempt to clarify the claimed design must avoid the introduction of new matter, 35 U.S.C. 132; 37 CFR 1.121.
To overcome the 35 U.S.C. 112 (a) and (b) rejection above, applicant is advised to correct the drawing as suggested in the solution above.
The claimed design is patentable over the references cited. However, a final determination of patentability will be made upon resolution of the above rejection.
The claim stands rejected.
When preparing new drawings in compliance with the requirement therefor, care must be exercised to avoid introduction of anything which could be construed to be new matter prohibited by 35 U.S.C. 132 and 37 CFR 1.121.
Any amended replacement-reproduction sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. If all the figures on a drawing sheet are canceled, a replacement sheet is not required. Each sheet of reproductions submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). The numbering of the reproductions must follow the Hague Administrative Instructions Section 405(a) (see CFR 1.1026 and MPEP 2909.02). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mimosa De whose telephone number is 571-272-2637. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday 6:00am-4:00pm, Eastern time. 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/interview practice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Barbara Fox, can be reached at (571)272-4456. 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.
Discussion of the Merits of the Application
All discussions between the applicant and the examiner regarding the merits of a pending application will be considered an interview and are to be made of record. See MPEP 713. The examiner will not discuss the merits of the application with applicant’s representative if the representative is not registered to practice before the USPTO. Appointment as applicant’s representative before the International Bureau pursuant to Rule 3 of the Common Regulations under the Hague Agreement does NOT entitle such representative to represent the applicant before the USPTO. Furthermore, an applicant that is a juristic entity must be represented by a patent attorney or agent registered to practice before the USPTO. Additional information regarding interviews is set forth below.
Telephonic or in person interviews
A telephonic or in person interview may only be conducted with an attorney or agent registered to practice before the USPTO (“registered practitioner”) or with a pro se applicant (an applicant who is the inventor and who is not represented by a registered practitioner).
The registered practitioner may either be of record or not of record. To become “of record”, a power of attorney (POA) in accordance with 37 CFR 1.32 must be filed in the application. Form PTO/AIA /80 “Power of Attorney to Prosecute Applications Before the USPTO”, available at
https://www.uspto.gov/patent/forms/forms-patent-applications-filed-or-after-september-16-2012, may be used for this purpose. See MPEP 402.02(a) for further information. Interviews may also be conducted with a registered practitioner not of record provided the registered practitioner can show authorization to conduct an interview by completing, signing and filing an “Applicant Initiated Interview Request Form” (PTOL-413A) (available at the USPTO web page indicated above). See MPEP 405. For acceptable ways to submit forms to the USPTO, see “When Responding to Official USPTO Correspondence” below.
Responding to Official USPTO Correspondence
The USPTO transacts business in writing. All replies must be signed in accordance with 37 CFR 1.33(b). Pursuant to 37 CFR 1.33(b)(3), a reply submitted on behalf of a juristic applicant must be signed by an attorney or agent registered to practice before the USPTO. Applicants may submit replies to Office actions only by:
Online via the USPTO's Electronic Filing System‐Web (EFS‐Web) (Registered eFilers only) https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply
Mail: Commissioner for Patents, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA, 22313‐1450
Facsimile to the USPTO's Official Fax Number (571‐273‐8300)
Hand‐carry to USPTO's Alexandria, Virginia Customer Service Window
https://www.uspto.gov/patents/maintain/responding-office-actions
/Mimosa De/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2913