DETAILED ACTION
The response filed on 08/20/2026 has been fully considered. The amended drawings overcome the objections and rejections presented in the non-final dated 04/21/2026, however, the amendments to the drawings fail to comply with the description requirement. Therefore, an objection and rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) are presented below. Applicant’s amendment necessitated the new grounds of these rejections presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP 706.07(a)
Amendment to Disclosure Not Affecting Claim - 35 U.S.C. 132 Objection (New Matter)
The drawings are objected to under 35 U.S.C. 132 and 37 CFR 1.121 as introducing new matter. The original disclosure does not reasonably convey to a designer of ordinary skill in the art that applicant was in possession of the amended subject matter at the time the application was filed. See In re Rasmussen, 650 F.2d 1212, 211 USPQ 323 (CCPA 1981).
Specifically:
There is no support in the original disclosure dated 06/20/2025 for the removal of the broken lines in the amended drawings as referenced below. The current showing of the claimed design has no antecedent basis in the original disclosure and therefore constitutes impermissible new matter.
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To overcome this objection, applicant may either convincingly demonstrate that the original disclosure establishes that he or she was in possession of the amended claim or amend the drawings.
Claim Rejection - 35 U.S.C. § 112 (a)
The claim is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) as failing to comply with the description requirement. The original disclosure does not reasonably convey to a designer of ordinary skill in the art that applicant was in possession of the design now claimed at the time the application was filed. See In re Daniels, 144 F.3d 1452, 46 USPQ2d 1788 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Rasmussen, 650 F.2d 1212, 211 USPQ 323 (CCPA 1981).
There is no support in the original disclosure on 06/20/2025 for the amendments as referenced below. The current showing of the claimed design has no antecedent basis in the original disclosure and therefore constitutes impermissible new matter.
Specifically:
Several lines have been removed or altered from the original disclosure (Also shown in 1.2-1.3 and 1.5-1.7). constitutes impermissible new matter. These lines were originally shown as hard-edge lines. They have been altered to soft contour lines or removed entirely. The annotated image has been provided for example purposes only, however, all corresponding figures should be addressed.
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To overcome this rejection, applicant may either convincingly demonstrate that the original disclosure establishes that he or she was in possession of the amended claim or amend the drawings.
Replacement Sheets
If corrected drawings are submitted in response to this Office action, they must comply with 37 CFR 1.121(d). 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
The claim stands FINALLY REJECTED under 35 U.S.C. 112(a).
Applicant's amendment necessitated the 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 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.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Applicant may view and obtain copies of the cited references by visiting http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html and pressing the “Number Search” button.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAYLA MARIE BENNETT whose telephone number is (571)272-9590. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00AM-3:00 PM EST.
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, Supervisor, Justin Jonaitis can be reached at 571-270-5150. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KAYLA MARIE BENNETT/Examiner, Art Unit 2924
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