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 of Group I, Species IA, drawn to claims 1-4 in the reply filed on 12/16/2025 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)). 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. 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. Claim s 1-2 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Kanai (JP 5576436 B2). Regarding claim 1 , Kanai teaches a connector system for facilitating electrically connecting to a fuel cell stack, the connector system comprising: a receptacle, or recess/terminal mounting hole 15 within the fuel cell stack 11 , the receptacle 15 being configured to facilitate electrically connecting to the fuel cell stack 11 (P9-16; Fig. 1-2); a circuit board 23 (P23-28; Fig. 1-2); and a connector, or voltage detection terminal 21 electrically connected to and extending from the circuit board 23 , the connector 21 being receivable within the receptacle 15 for electrically connecting the circuit board 23 to the fuel cell stack 11 , the connector 21 being elastically deformable to facilitate operative positioning of the connector 21 within the receptacle 15 , and to facilitate an interference fit of the connector 21 within the receptacle 5 against a surface defining, at least in part, the receptacle 15 to secure the connector 21 within the receptacle, with the connector 21 electrically connected to a fuel cell plate, or separator plate 14 of the fuel cell stack 11 (P13-30; Fig. 1-3). Regarding claim 2 , Kanai teaches the connector 21 comprises a wire connector with a first end 21 fixedly mounted to the circuit board 23 and a second end 25 movably constrained by the circuit board, or constrained in movement relative to the circuit board 23 (P23-30; Fig. 1-2). Regarding claim 4 , Kanai teaches wherein the connector 21 comprises a U-shaped wire connector 22/51 , with at least one end of the U-shaped wire connector coupled to the circuit board 23 , and the U-shaped wire connector 21 having a narrowed neck region which facilitates retention of the connector within the receptacle, the receptacle having a tapered middle region, or convexed portion 16 /narrowed region 18 and the connector being elastically deformable for insertion into the receptacle with the interference fit being, at least in part, about the tapered middle region 16/18 of the receptacle (Fig. 2.4.7). 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. The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows: 1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art. 2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue. 3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art. 4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness . This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention. Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kanai (JP 5576436 B2 ), as applied to at least claim 2 above. Regarding claim 3 , Kanai teaches a second end 2 5 of the wire connector and the circuit board 23 can be pulled/pushed by a removal jig 32 to facilitate operative positioning of the connector within the receptacle and that another ending portion 26 of the wire connector extends into and is slidable within a slot 31 formed in a connection jig 31 that may be connected to the circuit board to maintain a constant interval (P24-30; Fig. 2 -3 ). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application , particularly since the use of a one-piece, integrated construction instead of the structure disclosed or taught in the prior art would have been within the ambit of a person of ordinary skill in the art , to make the jigs and circuit board integrally, thus having the second end of the wire connector extend into and slidable within a slot of the circuit board (Fig. 3) for operatively positioning the connector within the receptable. MPEP 2144.04 Forming the jigs and circuit board as one adjoined member with slots through each (similar to shown in Fig. 3) would not produce a ‘new’ or ‘different function’” and that to those skilled in the art the use of the old elements in combination would have been obvious. MPEP 2143 A Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT Amanda Rosenbaum whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-8218 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT Monday-Friday 9:00 am-5 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Nicholas A. Smith can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT (571) 272-8760 . The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /Amanda Rosenbaum/ Examiner, Art Unit 1752 /Helen Oi K CONLEY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752