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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species A in the reply filed on 11/14/2025 is acknowledged. Accordingly, claims 9-13, 15, 19-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. In claim 6, there is no antecedent for “the one or more” because claim 1 introduces “three or more”. Also in claim 7, it is unclear what the “206” refers to; it should be in parentheses if it’s a drawing reference. The claims were examined as best understood.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-8, 14, and 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gagne (US 8,950,993). In considering the embodiment shown in Figs. 9a-10c, Gagne discloses a stud fastener (33) comprising: body (4) with a sidewall which defines a hollow space; three retention features (2) spaced from one another by 120° within the hollow space and angled towards the axis for deflecting outward with the insertion of a stud (8); the body defines a recess within the sidewall wherein the retention features are coupled to the sidewall within the recess; the body and retention features are a unitary structure (Fig. 9e); the retention features each include: a return arm, a foot, and friction features (3); the body includes open leading and base ends, the leading end having chamfer; and the sidewall defines a diameter that corresponds to an outer diameter of the stud (Fig. 10).
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Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Hauser (US 8,919,717) is cited for teaching individual recesses for each of three retention features with a sidewall conforming to a stud. The other references cited teach additional examples of retention features within recesses.
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/FLEMMING SAETHER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675