DETAILED ACTION
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 .
This office action is a response to the restriction requirement filed on 5/19/2026.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of restriction, Group I, Species D, claims 1-3 and 8-11 and 16-20, in the reply filed on 5/19/2026 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)).
Claims 4-7 and 12-15 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 5/19/2026.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: --MODULE FOR ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL CABLES--.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-3 and 8-11 and 16-20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Re. claim 1: The phrase “A module for a system for assembling electrical cables” as recited in line 1 appears to be –A module for assembling electrical cables--.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 and 8-11 and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Dietlein et al. (PGPub 2020/0161025 A1).
Dietlein et al. teach a module for a system for assembling electrical cables, comprising: a machine base (10, Fig. 2, paragraph [0074]) on which at least one processing station (A-K, Fig. 1, paragraph [0076]) configured to process electrical cables (3, Fig. 3, paragraph [0073]) is mountable, and an asynchronous and pitch-free transport device (26, Fig. 2, paragraphs [0077] and [0095]-[0099]) configured to transport at least one of the electrical cables to the at least one processing station and/or away from the at least one processing station.
Re. claim 2: The machine base has a welded frame to which a support (40, Fig. 4A, paragraph [0096]) is attached, and the at least one processing station is mountable to the support, and the transport device is attached to the support as shown in Fig. 2.
Re. claim 3: The transport device has a plurality of independently driven workpiece carriers (60, Fig. 4A-4B, paragraphs [0122]-[0126]) configured to transport the at least one of the electrical cables and is configured to move the workpiece carriers asynchronously and without pitch.
Re. claim 8: The at least one processing station is mounted on the machine base and is configured to process ends or intermediate portions of the electrical cables as shown in Fig. 2, and the transport device includes a buffer segment (a processing station D, paragraphs [0093]-[0094]) configured to enable at least one of the workpiece carriers having the at least one of the electrical cables to be processed by the at least one processing station to wait, either not moving or moving at a reduced speed, while the at least one processing station is occupied by another one of the workpiece carriers (paragraphs [0096]-[0098]).
Re. claims 9 and 20: The at least one processing station is mounted on the machine base and is configured to process ends or intermediate portions of the electrical cables, and the at least one processing station is configured to perform at least one processing operation selected from the group consisting of: stripping cable ends (B), crimping of contact parts or plugs or connecting means onto cable ends (H), joining parts to electrical cables to be processed (E) (see also paragraph [0076]).
Re. claim 10: A protective hood (a top portion of frame 10,Fig. 2) that at least partially covers the machine base, the at least one processing station and the transport device.
Re. claim 11: A first connection point on a first side along the transport direction, and a second connection point on a second side opposite to the first side, wherein the first connection point is configured to be compatible with the second connection point such that the module is connectable on the first side and/or on the second side to at least one additional module as shown in Fig. 2, which also has the first connection point and/or the second connection point, such that the transport devices of the two modules are connected to one another and form a common transport device as shown in Figs. 1-3.
Re. claim 16: The transport device has a plurality of independently driven workpiece carriers (38, Fig. 4A-4B, paragraph [0096]) configured to transport at least one of the electrical cables (22) and is configured to move the workpiece carriers asynchronously (individually and independently) and without pitch.
Re. claim 17: The transport device is configured to drive the workpiece carriers magnetically and to move the workpiece carriers linearly in a first direction (paragraph [0097]).
Re. claim 18: The transport device includes a first rail and a second rail and is configured to move the workpiece carriers along the first rail in the first direction and along the second rail in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the transport device is configured to transport the at least one of the electrical cables only during movement along the first rail as shown in Fig. 10 (paragraphs [0135]-[0137]).
Re. claim 19: The first and second rails extend horizontally and parallel to each other, the first rail is disposed above or below the second rail, the at least one processing station is mounted on the machine base and is configured to process ends or intermediate portions of the electrical cables, and the transport device includes a buffer segment configured to enable at least one of the workpiece carriers having the at least one of the electrical cables to be processed by the at least one processing station to wait, either not moving or moving at a reduced speed, while the at least one processing station is occupied by another one of the workpiece carriers as shown in Fig. 10 (paragraphs [0135]-[0137]).
The Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Sorg et al. (PGPub 2022/0368096 A1), DIETLEIN et al. (PGPub 2020/0159193 A1), and Sorg (US PAT. 12,107,376) are cited to further show the state of the art with respect to a module for a system for assembling electrical cables.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL D KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-4565. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 6:00 AM-2:00 PM.
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/PAUL D KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
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