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
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 .
Lection of Claims 1-10 without traverse is noted and claims 11-20 stand withdrawn and should be cancelled in next response.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the claims 4, 5, recited “a pair of tangs located on opposite side of the independent secondary lock that engage a pair of indentations in the connector body”. Must be shown or the features cancelled from the claims However, tangs 124 and indentations or grooves 124 are shown on only one side (topo edge) of secondary lock 112. See figures 4B, 7B, 8A, 8B, 16, 19. For example in figure 7B tangs 124 grooves 126 are shown only at top side of ISL 112. To correct, figures 7B, 8B could be amended to depict tangs 124 and grooves 126 at bottom side edge of both ISLs 112. . No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. 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. 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. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to because
Drawings objected to lack of depiction of tangs grooves on both edges of ISL 112. As discussed above Depiction of this feature is seen as necessary for proper disclosure, even apart from requirement of depict claimed feature. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. 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. 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. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claims 1-3, 6-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a, 1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Kirschner 11600947.
For claim 1, Kirschner figures 1-4, includes a connector body 3 defining a terminal body 4 to receive an electrical terminal 5 and having flexible primary lock arm 6 configured to secure the terminal in the body and having a tab 10 extending from a free end of the primary lock arm and an independent secondary lock 7 defining a window 11 and attached to the body 3 and movable from a pre-staged position to a staged position, the tab 10 of the primary lock arm 6 is received in the window when the primary lock arm is in an unflexed position and the secondary lock 7 is in the staged position and serves to inhibit flexing of the primary lock arm. Should the matter be at issue as alternative it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to form the part 7 to prevent flexing of the lock arms 6 when part 7 is in fully staged position.
For claim 2, the tab and window are misaligned when the primary lock arm 6 is in a flexed condition thereby preventing the secondary lock 7 from moving to the staged position.
For claim 3, the parts are formed so at the tab is received in the window only when the primary lock arm is in an unflexed condition.
For claim 6 and 9 , clearly met by the patent device as shown. For claim 7, the apertures 11 are shown to have a rectangular shape. For claim 8, the tabs 10 are shown to have rectangular shape and such shape is a form of trapezoid. For claim 10, Kirschner figures 6, 7, is shown to include two independent secondary locks 7, 7, and each lock 7 includes two separate windows 11. For all claims listed above should issue arises as to particular claims limitations these may be deemed matters of obvious design
Claims 4, 5 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Neil Abrams whose telephone number is 571 272 2089 The examiner can normally be reached M-F from 8:30 am - 5:30 pm.
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, TC Patel can be reached at 571-272-2098. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NEIL ABRAMS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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