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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on November 13, 2023, and September 18, 2024, are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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.
(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, 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being unpatentable over Hara (JP 2007312570 A)
Regarding Claim 1 – Hara teaches a terminal unit (Hara [0001]) comprising: a plate-like base part (Fig 3; 2; Hara [0016] states “The actuator 1… is mounted… on one side 11 of a flat partition plate 2 (partition member)” and Hara [0019] states “the partition plate 2… flat-plate-shaped flange portion 21”); a first insulating portion that covers a plate surface of the base part (Fig 3; 4, 41; Hara [0023] states “main body portion 41 that covers the terminal hole 20… of the partition plate 2” and Hara [0024] states “seal member 4 is held between the partition plate 2 and the flat plate portion 30”); a terminal that extends in a predetermined direction, which is a direction intersecting the plate surface of the base part, and penetrates the base part and the first insulating portion (Fig 3; terminal 9 through terminal hole 20 and seal member 4; Hara [0005, 0023]); and a second insulating portion that extends from the first insulating portion in the predetermined direction and covers a side surface of the terminal (Fig 3; protruding portion 42 extending from main body 41; Hara [0023, 0026]), wherein the first insulating portion and the second insulating portion are integrally molded (Fig 3; one piece seal member 4 (comprising 41 and 42) as unit; Hara [0023] states “protruding portion 42… from the… main body portion 41” and Hara [0029] states “seal member 4… integrally formed”).
Regarding Claim 4 – Hara teaches the terminal unit according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first insulating portion or the second insulating portion is made of an elastic material (Fig 3; one piece seal member 4 (comprising 41 and 42) as unit; Hara [0029] states “the seal member 4 is made of rubber”).
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 2, 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hara (JP 2007312570 A) in view of Bitzer (US 20110012451 A1)
Regarding Claim 2 – Hara teaches the terminal unit according to claim 1, wherein the first insulating portion includes a sealing protrusion (Fig 3; 42; Hara [0023]) that protrudes from a surface of the first insulating portion (Hara [0023] states “protrudes from the upper surface”), and the sealing protrusion is made of an elastic material (Fig 3; Hara [0029] quoted above).
Hara fails to disclose a sealing protrusion that is provided over an entire region of an outer edge portion of the first insulating portion in a circumferential direction.
Bitzer teaches a sealing protrusion that is provided over an entire region of an outer edge portion of the first insulating portion in a circumferential direction (Fig 2; 26, 33, 44, 29; Bitzer [0017] states “a circumferential collar 33 whose outer diameter is greater than the housing opening 30 and therefore overlaps it… two outer axial sealing lips 44 that extend concentrically” and Bitzer [0018] states “only the axial sealing lips 44 protrude from an annular end surface 29 of the sealing sleeve 25” see also Bitzer [0017] states “outer axial sealing lip 44… pressed against the inside 20”).
It would have been obvious for a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the terminal unit of Hara with a sealing protrusion that is provided over an entire region of an outer edge portion of the first insulating portion in a circumferential direction as taught by Bitzer to obtain axial, reliable sealing (Bitzer [0017, 0019, 0020]).
Regarding Claim 5 – Hara teaches the terminal unit according to claim 1, but fails to disclose wherein the first insulating portion includes an insulating protrusion that protrudes from a surface of the first insulating portion.
Bitzer teaches the first insulating portion includes an insulating protrusion that protrudes from a surface of the first insulating portion (Fig 2; Bitzer [0018] quoted above, see also Bitzer [0016]).
It would have been obvious for a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the terminal unit of Hara with the first insulating portion includes an insulating protrusion that protrudes from a surface of the first insulating portion as taught by Bitzer to achieve axial, reliable sealing (Bitzer [0017, 0019, 0020]).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hara (JP 2007312570 A) in view of Plecher et al. (US 7186143 B2)
Regarding Claim 3 – Hara teaches the terminal unit according to claim 1, wherein the base part includes an exposed portion that is exposed from the first insulating portion (Fig 3; Hara [0023, 0024]), but fails to disclose the base part is made of a metallic material.
Plecher teaches the base part is made of a metallic material (Fig 1; 14; Plecher (Detailed Description) states “the top plate 14 which in this case is metallic” and “the O-ring fits tightly… to the upper front end of the top plate 14 (axial seal)”).
It would have been obvious for a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the terminal unit of Hara with the base part is made of a metallic material as taught by Plecher to provide a stiff, durable sealing surface that supports axial load and maintains seal compression.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hara (JP 2007312570 A) in view of Koitabashi et al. (US 20080138226 A1)
Regarding Claim 6 – Hara teaches the terminal unit according to claim 1, but fails to disclose a compressor comprising that unit.
Koitabashi teaches a compressor: the terminal unit (Fig 1; Koitabashi [0023] states “A scroll compressor… to compress a refrigerant” and an electrical connection device that passes a conductor through a housing wall “in a gastight fashion”; Fig 2; Koitabashi [0041] states “tubular lead holder 70 fitted through the through hole 68 in a gastight fashion” and Koitabashi [0045] states “reliably prevent the refrigerant in the housing 10… from leaking”).
It would have been obvious for a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided a compressor as taught by Koitabashi with the terminal unit of Hara to maintain a sealed boundary, because both references address sealing and electrical feedthrough across a partition and Koitabashi [0041] expressly requires a “gastight” refrigerant seal.
Conclusion
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/ADITYA SHARMA/ Examiner, Art Unit 2847
/TIMOTHY J THOMPSON/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2847