Detailed Action
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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 04/29/2025 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
In the response filed 04/29/2025, applicant has amended claim 1, the specification, and the drawings with new limitations, text and item numbers. The amendments are supported by the original drawings and what one of ordinary skill would have understood when viewing said drawings.
Claim Interpretation
Claim 1 recites “An engaging device”. The specification does not define the term “engaging device”, nor provide the field of endeavor of the invention such that an artisan reading the disclosure would understand the device has an inherent structure. As such, the “engaging device” is interpreted as being any “device” that has the structure as claimed as opposed to being required to engage a specific component/system.
Claim 1 recites “mold” and “another mold”. This is interpreted as any structure applying force to achieve the claimed method, as the structure of the molds is not provided in the claims.
Claim 1 recites “the head is movably assembled with the body after the head or the body is pressurized by an external force”. This is interpreted as the head or body is moved by an external force applying pressure on the head or body in order to place it in position to be assembled with the head or body. For example, the act of moving the body to the joining location is an application of external force to the body, and the head being brought to the joining location in the prior art will be a movable assembly.
Claim 1 recites “a movement is provided with the head when the head is not stopped by the corresponding stopping portion”. This is interpreted as the head is able to move or is moved while not being in contact with the stopping portion. The claim does not specify when this movement occurs in the order of operations. For example, the act of moving the head into position to be formed/deformed is interpreted as meeting the claimed movement.
Claim 1 recites “the engaging portion normally protrudes outside of the inner space”. This limitation was not found explicitly in the specification, but appears to be an inherent property of the device when in use. The specification does not define what situation is “normal” for the device, so if the normal operation of the prior art is that the engaging portion protrudes outside of the space, then it is applicable to the claim.
Claim 1 recites “near the opening”. There is no definition in the claim to define “near”. The term will be interpreted as within a reasonable distance.
Claim 16 recites “forming an integral with an object”. This recitation is interpreted as joining the body with another object such that there is plastic deformation of one or the other to form an integral component.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chiu (US20100137116A1).
See the annotated version of Chiu, Figure 4 below for further detail regarding the interpretation.
Claim 1
Chiu teaches an assembly method of an engaging device (2), the engaging device comprising a head (21) and a body (22), the head comprising a first stopping portion (inner surface of Item 211), a second stopping portion (lower/inner surface of Item 212), a first inner space (Within the hollow interior of Item 21) and an engaging portion (Figure 4, Item 23), and the body (22) comprising a corresponding stopping portion (The lower surface of Item 222) and a second inner space (The hollow interior of item 22.); wherein the first stopping portion and the second stopping portion are located on opposite sides of the head (Item 211 and Item 212 are located on opposite sides of a line drawn through the center of the height of Item 21.), and the head is movably assembled with the body after the head or the body is pressurized by an external force (¶0028 teaches the head (cap, 21) is moved relative to the body (socket, 22).); wherein the body further comprises a coupling portion (Figure 4, Item 22 has a lower portion that is to be inserted into a hole in a first plate member (¶0028).), the corresponding stopping portion and the coupling portion are integral to the body (Figure 4 shows the body as a one piece article.), and the corresponding stopping portion is protruding outward relative to the body (Figure 4 shows the portion of the body (22) that forms the corresponding stopping portion (lower surface of Item 222) protrudes away from a central axis of the body.); and wherein the head has an opening at one side which is originally bigger than the corresponding stopping portion (Figure 4 shows the opening of the head (21) after the first stopping portion (211) has been formed. Prior to folding over of Item 211, the opening is larger than the protrusion distance of the corresponding stopping portion (lower surface of Item 222).), moving one of the body and the head toward the other to move the corresponding stopping portion into the first inner space from the opening (¶0020 teaches the body (mounting socket, 22) is inserted into the head (cap, 21) prior to the processing.), also the engaging portion is moved to penetrate in the second inner space (Figure 4 shows the engaging portion (screw, 23) passes within the second inner space (hollow interior of Item 22).), when the corresponding stopping portion is positioned near the opening (Figure 4 shows that the corresponding stopping portion (lower surface of Item 222) is “near” the opening in Item 21. The term “near” in this case is interpreted proximate or close and the claim does not specify a measurement of the distance to require a different interpretation. The lower surface of Item 222 is proximate or close to the opening of Item 21.) and separated from the second stopping portion by a spacing distance (The thickness of Item 222 has a size. This thickness separates the corresponding stopping portion (lower surface of Item 222) from the second stopping portion (lower surface of Item 212).), then forcing a mold (Figure 4, Item 113) to pressurize the head (Figure 4 shows the mold (113) presses on a portion of the head (21).) on another mold (Figure 4 shows another mold (111) that holds the head (21) in place during the pressing.) to form the first stopping portion which is below the corresponding stopping portion and deformed inward to narrow the opening (Figure 4 shows, via the arrow, that the first stopping portion (inner surface of Item 211) is deformed inward to narrow the opening in Item 21. See also ¶0020.), so as the body is held by the corresponding stopping portion in the first inner space (¶0020 teaches that the head (21) and body (22) are coupled together by the bending of the wall (211) inward.), and the corresponding stopping portion in the first inner space is for abutting against the first stopping portion to stop and limit the outwardly protruding corresponding stopping portion of the body (¶0020 teaches that the first stopping portion (inner surface of Item 211) is for contacting the body (22) between the two flanges (222) and allow for axial movement within a limited range. The upper end of this “limited range” is when the first stopping portion (inner surface of Item 211) contacts/abuts the corresponding stopping portion (lower surface of the upper of the two flanges (222)).), a movement is provided with the head when the first stopping portion is not stopped by the corresponding stopping portion. (¶0020 teaches the first stopping portion (inner surface of Item 211) is bent inwards to form the connection between the head (21) and body (22) and still allow for limited axial movement.)
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Figure 4A: Examiner interpretation of Chiu Figure 4
Claim 16
Chiu teaches the assembly method of an engaging device according to claim 1, wherein the coupling portion is for rivet connecting, solder connecting (¶0028 teaches the soldering of the body (22) to the first plate member during use.), expansion connecting, lock connecting, elastic engagement connecting or engagement connecting to an object or forming an integral with an object.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Chiu was not relied upon for the previous rejection.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure can be found on the PTO-892 Notice of References Cited Form.
Document
Date
Description
US6238155B1
1995-11-06
Figure 4 teaches a head and body with cooperating stopping portions (26’ and 72). Col. 4 Line 47 teaches that the portion (26’) is formed by rolling during the assembly.
US6033168A
1998-10-06
Figure 16 teaches that when forming a stopping portion (126) on the head, force is applied from both direction (See the “A” with arrows). The motivation to use force in both directions is to hold the head in place during the deformation by providing a counter force to the force pressing on the area to be deformed.
US20100132178A1
2008-12-03
¶0023 teaches that the wall (12) of the cap is bent inwards with a tool means to create the stop.
US6857250B1
2004-01-07
Figures 7-8 teach a method of joining a ferrule (40), which initially has a larger opening size, to a container (10). The method includes inserting the container top/mouth having a lip into the opening, then modifying the shape of the opening (Figure 8) to create cooperating “stopping portions”. There is an upper mold (Figure 3, Item 38) that cooperates with the lower mold (22) to perform the deformation.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Michael W Hotchkiss whose telephone number is (571)272-3854. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday from 0800-1600.
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/MICHAEL W HOTCHKISS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3726