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 .
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.
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 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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by ARAKI (US Patent Application Publication 20200313344 A1).
As per claim 1, ARAKI teaches a connector 20, comprising: an electric wire 10; a terminal 21 connected to the electric wire 10; a housing 22 having an accommodation space 25A inside the housing 22, the accommodation space 25A accommodating a connection portion 2 between the electric wire 10 and the terminal 21; a seal member 12 configured to seal (along 12) an opening portion (along 12) of the accommodation space 25A to isolate the connection portion 2 accommodated in the accommodation space 25A from outside; and a heat storage member (11 and 13 along 50, see paragraph 66) disposed in the accommodation space 25A to surround the connection portion 2, wherein the heat storage member (11 and 13 along 50, see paragraph 66) is deformable to elastically expand (shown in figure 6 and 7) and contract in accordance with a shape (along 21B) of the accommodation space 25A, and a first part (13, see paragraph 52) of the heat storage member (11 and 13 along 50, see paragraph 66) is in contact with an inner surface (of 22) of the housing 22 defining the accommodation space 25A, and a second part (adjacent to 11a, see paragraph 66) of the heat storage member (11 and 13 along 50, see paragraph 66) is in contact (along figure 5) with an outer surface (of 2) of the connection portion 2.
As per claim 2, ARAKI teaches a connector 20, wherein the heat storage member (11 and 13 along 50, see paragraph 66) has a three-dimensional structure (along 11 and 13) made of a metal wire (see paragraph 23) material (along 11 and 13).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
As per claim 3, The prior art does not disclose or suggest: wherein the heat storage member has a three-dimensional structure in which a plate-shaped body made of the wire material is wound to surround the connection portion.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NELSON R BURGOS-GUNTIN whose telephone number is (571)270-0574. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00am-5:00PM, Monday-Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abdullah A. Riyami can be reached on (571)270-3119. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Nelson R. Burgos-Guntin/Examiner, Art Unit 2831
/ABDULLAH A RIYAMI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831