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.
Claims 1, 3-6, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ryosuke WO 2014196446 (see English translation).
As for claim 1, Ryosuke discloses a female terminal (see Figures 1-5) comprising a terminal body (1A), the terminal body including: a base portion 3 to be connected to an electric wire (second half of page 2, wire not shown); and a spring member (spring constituting member 10, see Fig 2 and page 4) to be attached to the base portion (as shown in Fig 2), wherein the base portion 3 includes a pair of side walls (3a, 3c, Fig 1 and 2) disposed at a predetermined interval into which a male terminal (plate-like tab 20 Fig 3a, 4b, 5c) can be inserted (second half of page 2), the spring member 10 includes a laying plate (12, 13) along at least an inner side surface of each of the side walls (see Figures 1-5) and an arm spring 13a extending from the laying plate (12, 13) toward the side wall (extends towards 3a, 3c, see Fig 3A) facing the laying plate (12, 13, see Fig 3a) the side wall (3a 3c of base portion 3) and the laying plate 12, 13 are welded to form a welded portion (top of page 3 teaches welding these components), and a fulcrum portion of the arm spring 13a abutting the side wall is provided between the welded portion and a contact portion 14 abutting the male terminal (Fig 3a, 4b, 5c).
As for claim 3, Ryosuke discloses the female terminal according to claim 1, and further teaches the laying plate (12, 13) is disposed along an outer side surface of the side wall (on outer surface of 3a, 3c, see at least Fig 3a and 4b), and the laying plate is welded to the outer side surface of the side wall (top of page 3 teaches welding these components).
As for claim 4, Ryosuke discloses the female terminal according to claim 1, and further teaches the laying plate (12, 13) is welded to an inner side surface of the side wall (top of page 3 teaches welding may be used these components).
As for claim 5, Ryosuke discloses the female terminal according to claim 1, and further teaches the welded portion in at least one side wall of the pair of side walls is formed of a plurality of welded portions or a plurality of welded points (top of page 3 teaches welding may be used these components; see Fig 3a and 3b which shows a plurality of portions that may be welded).
As for claim 6, Ryosuke discloses the female terminal according to claim 1, and further teaches the fulcrum portion of the arm spring 13a is a portion abutting a protruding portion provided on the laying plate (12, 13) and protruding toward the side wall or a protruding portion provided on the side wall and protruding toward the laying plate (see at least Fig 3).
As for claim 13, Ryosuke discloses a terminal-attached electric wire (see wire connection 4 and bottom of page 2) comprising: the female terminal according to claim 1(see Figures 1-5 and the discussion above regarding the limitations of claim 1); and the electric wire 4 connected to the base portion of the female terminal (see bottom of page 2 of translation).
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:
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 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 and 7-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ryosuke.
As for claims 2 and 7-11, Ryosuke discloses the female terminal according to claim 1 (see Figures 1-5). With regard to the limitations of: the laying plate is disposed along a distal end surface of the side wall, and the laying plate welded to the distal end surface of the side wall (claim 2), the welded portion in at least one side wall of the pair of side walls forms one or a plurality of curved or bent- line-shaped welding patterns (claim 3), the welded portion in at least one side wall of the pair of side walls forms a welding pattern with an end in which one or a plurality of end portions are widened (claim 8), the welded portion in at least one side wall of the pair of side walls forms one or a plurality of endless welding patterns (claim 9), the welding pattern is formed by disposing an end point of a continuous welding line at a start point of the welding line (claim 10), and the welding pattern is formed by a continuous welding line passing through a start point of the welding line and disposing an end point of the welding line in a middle portion of the welding line (claim 11), Ryosuke at least suggest an equivalent structure (see configuration of laying plate and welding configuration shown in Figures 1-5 and teaching of utilizing of welding in the top of page 3) for the purpose of providing a suitable welded structure of the laying plate and walls of the connector device, since In re Williams, 36 F.2d 436, 438 (CCPA 1929) ("It is a settled principle of law that a mere carrying forward of an original patented conception involving only change of form, proportions, or degree, or the substitution of equivalents doing the same thing as the original invention, by substantially the same means, is not such an invention as will sustain a patent, even though the changes of the kind may produce better results than prior inventions.") MPEP 2144.05 II A. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling of the claimed invention to recognize Ryosuke’s structure as an equivalent structure for purpose of providing a suitable welded configuration for the connector components.
Claims 12 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ryosuke in view of Allgood US PAT 7150660.
As for claim 12, Ryosuke discloses a connector comprising the female terminal according to claim 1 (see Figures 1-5 and the discussion above regarding the limitations of claim 1). Ryosuke fails to further teach a connector housing that houses the female terminal. Allgood teaches a connector housing that houses the female terminal (shroud 190, see at least Figures 11, 17, and column 7 ln 65-col 8 ln 4). It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling of the claimed invention to utilize the housing of Allgood for housing the female connector to provide additional protection for the connector.
As for claim 14, Ryosuke discloses a connector-attached electric wire (see 4, and bottom of page 2) comprising: the terminal-attached electric wire according to claim 13 (see above regarding the limitations to claim 13). Ryosuke fails to further teach a connector housing that houses the terminal-attached electric wire. Allgood teaches a connector housing (shroud 190, see at least Figures 11, 17 shows also housing a wire, and column 7 ln 65-col 8 ln 4). It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling of the claimed invention to utilize the housing of Allgood for housing the electric wire to provide additional protection for electrical wire.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ryosuke in Kawamura US 2015/0079857.
As for claim 15, Ryosuke discloses the terminal attached electric wire 4 according to claim 13 (see 4 and bottom of page 2; see discussion above regarding the imitations of claim 13). Ryosuke does not specifically recite a wire harness comprising the terminal. The examiner takes Official Notice that using wiring harnesses in electrical connection devices is well known as a means of supporting multiple wires. Kawamura is provided as evidence for teaching the use of a wire harness 20 having a terminal (see paragraph 0095). It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling of the claimed invention to utilize a wire harness, such as that of Kawamura with the device of Ryosuke to provide a well-known means for facilitating supporting wires to be used in the device of Ryosuke.
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ryosuke in view of Allgood US PAT 7150660, as applied to claim 14 above, and further in view of Kawamura US 2015/0079857.
As for claim 16, Ryosuke teaches the connector attached electric wire (4, bottom of page 2) according to claim 14 (see above regarding the limitations of claim 14). Ryosuke does not specifically recite a wire harness comprising connector attached wire. The examiner takes Official Notice that using wiring harnesses in electrical connection devices is well known as a means of supporting multiple wires. Kawamura is provided as evidence for teaching the use of a wire harness 20 having a terminal (see paragraph 0095). It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling of the claimed invention to utilize a wire harness, such as that of Kawamura, with the device of Ryosuke to provide a well-known means for facilitating supporting wires to be used in the device of Ryosuke.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. TYLER US’595 discloses a terminal body having a mating portion including plates with a mating space therebetween. GOESMANN US’326 discloses a plug-in connector that may include a first connecting element having a first contact section, and a second connecting element having a second contact section. MUKUNO US’441 discloses a connecting structure that has a male terminal (10) including a tab (13) and a female terminal (20) including a rectangular connecting tube (23) that receives the tab (13). A louver spring (30) is housed in the connecting tube (23) and has two spaced apart contact piece rows (31) each including juxtaposed resilient contact pieces (35) with contact portions (36) facing each other.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Evan P Dzierzynski whose telephone number is (571)272-2336. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm PST.
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/EVAN P DZIERZYNSKI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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