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
Acknowledgement is made of the response filed on July 20, 2026.
Restriction/Election
Group II (Reproductions 4.1 – 4.6, 5.1 – 5.7, 6, 10.1 – 10.6, 11.1 – 11.7, and 12) are withdrawn from further consideration by the examiner, 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being for the nonelected design. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on July 20, 2026.
Group II (Reproductions 4.1 – 4.6, 5.1 – 5.7, 6, 10.1 – 10.6, 11.1 – 11.7, and 12) directed to a design or designs nonelected without traverse, and without the right to petition such Groups have been cancelled.
Objection to the Specification
For accuracy and clarity, as reproductions 3.7 and 6.7 show the door handle in an alternate position, the reproduction 3.7 and 6.7 descriptions should be amended to read:
--3.7 : Perspective in an alternate position--
--6.7 : Perspective in an alternate position--
The descriptive statement starting with “The characteristic features” and ending with “shown in the drawings” must be cancelled as it is indefinite and nonenabling. The drawings disclose more than the “shape” of a door handle; they disclose boundary lines and grayscale shading, as well.
Claim Rejection – 35 U.S.C. § 112(a) and (b)
The claim is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) and (b) 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 applicant regards as the invention.
The claim is indefinite and nonenabling for the following reasons:
The replacement drawings filed on July 20, 2026 show the views with distorted proportions compared to the original drawings. Therefore, the complete appearance of the amended reproductions 1.1 – 1.7, 2.1 – 2.6, 3.1 – 3.7, 4.1 – 4.7, 5.1 – 5.6, and 6.1 – 6.7 is different from what is shown in the original reproductions.
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1352
1478
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Greyscale
The quality of the line and gray scale shading drawings is not sufficient enough for a printed patent. The lines appear jagged and hazy, and the grayscale shading appears grainy and pixelated. The lines and grayscale shading should be clean, dense, uniformly thick and well-defined (See CFR 1.84(l)). Correction is required.
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753
1332
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Greyscale
Reproductions 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5, and 6.5 show features “A” that are not shown in the corresponding locations in reproductions 1.3, 1.4, 2.3, 2.4, 3.3, 3.4, 4.3, 4.4, 5.3, 5.4, 6.3, or 6.4.
It is not possible to ascertain the exact depth and spatial relationship of certain elements shown in reproductions 1.3 – 1.7, 2.3 – 2.6, 3.3 – 3.6, 4.3 – 4.7, 5.3 – 5.6, and 6.3 – 6.6. Without additional perspective or cross-section views it is unlikely that said portions can be clarified. Since the introduction of additional views at this time would be considered new matter under 35 U.S.C. 132, 37 CFR 1.121, it is suggested that applicant reduce the following features that have been highlighted in the line drawings below, all of which apply to the grayscale shading reproductions 4.3 – 4.7, 5.3 – 5.6, and 6.3 – 6.6, to broken lines:
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1467
1191
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Greyscale
Any amended replacement drawing 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 where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. If all the figures on a drawing sheet are canceled, a replacement sheet is not required. A marked-up copy of the drawing sheet (labeled as “Annotated Sheet”) including an annotation showing that all the figures on that drawing sheet have been canceled must be presented in the amendment or remarks section that explains the change to the drawings. Each drawing sheet 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). 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.
When preparing new or replacement drawings, be careful to avoid introducing new matter. New matter is prohibited by 35 U.S.C. 132 and 37 CFR 1.121(f).
Conclusion
Accordingly, the claim stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 112(a) and (b) as outlined above.
The references cited, but not applied, are considered cumulative art related to the claimed design.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to L. Calve whose telephone number is (571) 272-7939, and whose work schedule is Monday-Friday 10am-7pm. 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, Wendy Arminio, can be reached at (571) 270-0221. As of 7/15/05 the Right FAX number for this group is (571) 273-8300 for both Official faxes and After Finals.
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.
/LAUREN R CALVE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2923
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