¶ 15.15.04.fti    Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(e) rejection - design disclosed but not claimed in a patent

The claim is rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102  as being anticipated by patent [1].

Based upon the different inventive entity and the earlier effective U.S. filing date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102.

Since the design claimed in the present application is not the same invention claimed in patent [2], the examiner suggests overcoming this rejection in one of the following ways: (A) a showing under 37 CFR 1.132  that the design in the reference was derived from the designer of this application and is thus not the invention "by another;" (B) a showing of a date of invention for the instant application prior to the effective U.S. filing date of the reference under 37 CFR 1.131(a); (C) perfecting a claim to priority under 35 U.S.C. 119  that antedates the reference by filing a certified priority document in the application that satisfies the enablement and description requirements of 35 U.S.C. 112(a)  or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112,  first paragraph; or (D) perfecting the benefit claim 35 U.S.C. 120  by adding a specific reference to the prior filed application in compliance with 37 CFR 1.78  and establishing that the prior application satisfies the enablement and description requirements of 35 U.S.C. 112(a)  or 35 U.S.C. 112,  first paragraph. If the application was filed before September 16, 2012, the specific reference must be included in the first sentence(s) of the specification following the title or in an application data sheet; if the application was filed on or after September 16, 2012, the specific reference must be included in an application data sheet.

This rejection may not be overcome by the filing of a terminal disclaimer. See In re Bartfeld, 925 F.2d 1450, 17 USPQ2d 1885 (Fed. Cir. 1991).

Examiner Note:

1. This form paragraph should be used when the claimed design in the application being examined is disclosed in the drawings of an earlier-filed design or utility patent but is not claimed therein. When the design claimed in the application being examined is disclosed in the drawings of an earlier-filed design patent, it would most often be in the form of subcombination subject matter, (part or portion of an article), that is patentably distinct from the claim for the design embodied by the combination or whole article. It may also be unclaimed subject matter depicted in broken lines in the earlier-filed application.

2. In brackets 1 and 2, insert number of patent.

3. For applications with an actual filing date on or after March 16, 2013, that claim priority to, or the benefit of, an application filed before March 16, 2013, this form paragraph must be preceded by form paragraph 15.10.15.