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 (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.
Claims 1-2, 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a, 1) as being anticipated by Washio (U. S. Patent 10,205,264).
Regarding claim 1, Washio, see figures 8-10, discloses a connection structure 50 configured to connect a housing (52, 54, 56) for accommodating a terminal 36 and a cover 58 for opening and closing an opening provided in the housing (52, 54, 56), comprising: a main body portion 58 disposed in the opening and an engagement portion 59 protruding from the main body portion 58 that are provided in the cover 58, wherein the engagement portion including a first protruding portion 59 protruding from the main body portion 58 to an outside in an inside-outside direction toward an inside and an outside of the opening, and a second protruding portion 59j continuing with the first protruding portion 59 and extending in an open-close direction, the open-close direction being orthogonal to the inside-outside direction and being a direction to open and close the cover 58; and an accommodation groove that is provided in the housing 52, 54, 56 to accommodate the engagement portion, the accommodation groove including a first groove (52i, 54i, 56i) extending in the inside-outside direction, and a second groove 52j continuing with the first groove (52i, 54i, 56i) to extend in the open-close direction, wherein in a state in which the housing (52, 54, 56) and the cover 58 are connected, the first protruding portion (59) is accommodated in the first groove (52i, 54i, 56i), and the second protruding portion 59j is accommodated in the second groove 52j.
Regarding claim 2, Washio discloses the engagement portion 59 has a predetermined width in a width direction intersecting to the open-close direction, and the engagement portion 59 is guided in the open-close direction by abutting both end portions of the engagement portion 59 in the width direction to an inner wall surface of the accommodation groove (52i, 54i, 56i).
Regarding claim 4, Washio discloses the engagement portion is formed with an L-shaped cross section by the first protruding portion 59 protruding from an end edge of the main body portion 58 in the inside-outside direction and the second protruding portion 59j extending from a protruding end portion of the first protruding portion 59 in the open-close direction.
Claim 3 is 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.
None of the references discloses the housing includes a pair of first ribs and a pair of second ribs, the pair of first ribs face each other with an interval therebetween in the width direction, protrude from an opening edge portion of the opening in the open-close direction, and extend in the inside-outside direction, the pair of second ribs face each other with an interval therebetween in the width direction and extend from the opening edge portion in the open-close direction, the pair of first ribs configure the first groove, and the pair of second ribs configure the second groove.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHUONG K DINH whose telephone number is (571)272-2090. The examiner can normally be reached M-F from 8:30 am - 5:30 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Riyami A Abdullah can be reached at 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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/PHUONG K DINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831