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 .
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3, 9-10, 22-23, 27 and 29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hamaguchi (US 7,189,112). Hamaguchi discloses a fastener assembly (12) to secure a first component (M) to a second component (P) wherein a first surface of the second component (shown facing downward in Fig. 1) abuts a second surface the first component (facing upward) comprising: a grommet (1) including a plurality of side walls (11) with resilient retention tabs (13) configured to engage a second/underside surface (facing upward) of the second component opposite the first component (at 131) and a through-hole slot (141) in the sidewall, a lip portion (10) configured to abut the first side of the second component opposite the retention tabs (column 7, paragraph beginning line 37), and a cavity (12); and a pin (2) engaged through a first opening (Ma) in the first component wherein the pin is linearly engaged into the cavity (column 7, paragraph beginning line 3) and is rotated to disengage from the cavity (column 7, paragraph beginning line 14). The pin comprises a cylindrical pin body (20) and a head portion (20) with an tool engagement feature (3); a box prong (211) is resiliently coupled to a side wall of the pin body to engage with the slot in the grommet (see Fig. 4 for example). The pin body is cylindrical (Fig. 6); the grommet body is rectangular (Fig. 6); the through slot is located below the lip (see Fig. 5) and when assembled the first and second components abut each other (Fig. 1).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 4-6, 12-13, 15, 21, 24-26 and 28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hamaguchi as applied to claims 1-3 and 22-23 above, and further in view of Ichikawa (US 6,491,333). Hamaguchi does not disclose the box prong comprising a chamfered edge. Ichikawa discloses a fastener assembly (12) similar to Hamaguchi including a pin (14) with a box prong (26) but in Ichikawa the box prong includes a chamfer (26C) and on two sides of the box prong (26A, 26B) to engage with a side wall of a slot (50) during rotation to urge the box prong inward to disengaging the pin from the cavity (column 9, lines 46-49). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the box prong of Hamaguchi with chamfered edges as disclosed in Ichikawa because the they would continue to yield the same predictable results.
Response to Remarks
After consideration of applicant’s remarks the rejections remain unchanged.
Applicant argues that Hamaguchi (US 7,189,112) does not disclose the pin configured to rotatably disengage from the slot but, instead points to the edge of the pass through part 121 preventing the coupling claw 211 from rotating. In response, the examiner disagrees because the Fig. 5 in Hamaguchi described as “a male part rotated toward and uncoupled position” (column 4, line 21-22). So the edge of the pass though part is not preventing the coupling claw from rotating but is only showing an intermediate step in the decoupling. Additionally, the Abstract describes the pin’s released by rotation “The male part is assembled with the female part to be capable of rotation from a coupled position to an uncoupled position” and the Summery adds “a guide surface for guiding rotation of the male part with the leg part of this male part as axis of rotation is formed inside the female part, and it is made such that the male, part is combined in the female part to be capable of rotation from a coupled position in which the elastic coupling claw projects out from the pass-through part toward an uncoupled position in which this elastic coupling claw is drawn into the female part” (column 2, paragraph beginning line 6).
In regards to claims 2, 28 and 29, applicant argues Hamaguchi does not disclose the head portion 20 any surface of the first component. In response the examiner disagrees because as shown in Fig. 27 and explained in column 5, paragraph beginning line 28, the head portion secures the mat-like interior material.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FLEMMING SAETHER whose telephone number is (571)272-7071. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 - 7:00 eastern.
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/FLEMMING SAETHER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675