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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,”, “disclosed”, etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided.
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.
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gorman (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0236011). Gorman disclose a connector comprising: a connector body (500) that includes an opening (Fig. 5B); two power terminals (700) that are disposed within the opening, and each include a through hole (form between 701); an interlock terminal (800) disposed within the opening; and two tabs (520) that are provided on a side surface of the connector body, and each include a hole (Fig. 5A) through which a bolt (305) passes to fix the connector body, wherein in a plan view of the opening, the two power terminals and the interlock terminal are disposed such that a triangle connecting a center of the interlock terminal and centers of the two through holes is an isosceles triangle (see attached figures below) with the center of the interlock terminal corresponding to an apex (see attached figures below) of a vertex angle, and the two tabs are disposed in diagonal areas (see attached figures below) among four areas divided by a bisector (see attached figures below) of the vertex angle of the isosceles triangle and a straight line (see attached figures below) extended from a base of the isosceles triangle.
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Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited prior art discloses connectors, similar to Applicant’s claimed invention, having terminals forming triangles and diagonal tabs with bolts.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EDWIN A LEON whose telephone number is (571)272-2008. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10am-6pm.
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, Renee S Luebke can be reached on 5712722009. 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.
/EDWIN A. LEON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2833
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