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 .
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 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hoshino (US 4,674,814).
Regarding claim 1: Hoshino teaches a quick connector (Fig. 1), comprising a socket 12 and a plug 11, the socket 12 comprising a hanging platform (at 25, 26, 43; Fig. 1) in a convex annular structure or a groove structure located on an outer circumference thereof (see Fig. 1), an annular slot (at 14; Fig. 1) defined on an inner side of the plug 11 (see Fig. 1), the socket 12 and the hanging platform inserted in the annular slot of the plug 11 (see Figs. 2-4), the plug 11 comprising an elastic hook 42 in a cantilever structure (see at 42; Fig. 1) located on a side wall of the annular slot (see Figs. 1-2), the cantilever structure of the elastic hook extending axially along the plug under a free state (see Fig. 1), a hook (e.g. distal end of cantilever 42; see Fig. 1) on an free end of the elastic hook 42 engaged with a stepped surface 43 of the hanging platform opposite to the plug (see Fig. 2); wherein the plug 11 comprises an operating handle 32 disposed along an elastic deformation direction of the elastic hook 42 (see Figs. 1-3), and the operating handle 32 is connected to the plug 11 by a locking manner in the elastic deformation direction of the elastic hook 42 (see Fig. 3 and Col. 5, lines 3-12).
Claims 1-3, 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Saba (US 6,024,595).
Regarding claim 1: Saba teaches a quick connector (Fig. 1), comprising a socket M1 and a plug F1, the socket M1 comprising a hanging platform (at 13; Fig. 1) in a convex annular structure or a groove structure located on an outer circumference thereof (see Fig. 1), an annular slot (at 10; Fig. 1) defined on an inner side of the plug F1 (see Fig. 1), the socket M1 and the hanging platform inserted in the annular slot of the plug F1 (see Figs. 4-5), the plug F1 comprising an elastic hook 8 in a cantilever structure (see at 8; Fig. 1) located on a side wall of the annular slot (see Fig. 1), the cantilever structure of the elastic hook 8 extending axially along the plug under a free state (see Fig. 1), a hook 12 (Fig. 1) on an free end of the elastic hook 8 engaged with a stepped surface 13 of the hanging platform opposite to the plug (see Figs. 4-5); wherein the plug F1 comprises an operating handle 15 disposed along an elastic deformation direction of the elastic hook 8 (see Figs. 1-5), and the operating handle 15 is connected to the plug F1 by a locking manner in the elastic deformation direction of the elastic hook 8 (see Figs. 4-5 and Col. 6, lines 14-30).
Regarding claim 2: Saba teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the operating handle 15 is slidably and distance-adjustably mounted on the cantilever structure and along an extension direction of the cantilever structure of the elastic hook 12 (see Figs. 4-5), the plug F1 comprises a handle positioning block 25, 27 disposed protrusively and radially on an outer circumferential wall thereof (see Figs. 1 and 3), the handle positioning block comprises a limiting slot (at 28; Fig. 1) extended along an axial direction of the plug F1, and one end of the operating handle 15 is inserted in the limiting slot along a sliding direction thereof (see Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 3: Saba teaches all the limitations of claim 2 and further teaches wherein a first bump 18 is disposed on a side wall of one end of the operating handle 15 along a slide direction of the operating handle 15 (see Fig. 1), a second bump 28 is disposed on a side wall of the limiting slot, and the second bump interferences with the first bump in a direction of relative sliding (see Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 9: Saba teaches all the limitations of claim 2 and further teaches wherein the cantilever structure of the elastic hook 8 is a bent structure (at 12a; Fig. 1) with a free end tilted toward the annular slot (see Fig. 1); the free end of the cantilever structure of the elastic hook 8 comprises a reinforcing rib structure (e.g. let and right of 22; Fig. 3) on a side wall opposite to the annular slot (Fig. 3); the handle positioning block 25, 27 further comprises an anti-off boss (at 25; Fig. 3); a setting gap 21 is defined between reinforcing ribs located at an end of the free end and a side wall of the cantilever structure of the elastic hook 8 and the anti-off boss; and a distance from the anti-off boss to a bending point of the cantilever structure of the elastic hook 8 is less than a length of an inclined bending structure at the free end of the elastic hook 8 (see Figs. 3-5).
Regarding claim 10: Saba teaches all the limitations of claim 2 and further teaches wherein a plurality of patterns 19, 30-32 that make friction with fingers and lock and unlock indicators are defined on a side wall of the operating handle 15; the operating handle comprises an arcuate stepped surface to facilitate a swinging motion, and a curvature of the arcuate stepped surface matches that of human fingertips (see Figs. 1-).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-8 are 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please see PTO-892 for pertinent prior art, the following references being of closest relevance:
Mumper (US 2011/0195591) teaches a plug and socket connector comprising an elastic hook within and a member to ensure and maintain the mechanical connection;
Xiang (US 2025/0219315) teaches a plug and socket connector comprising an elastic hook within and a member to ensure and maintain the mechanical connection but its filing date does not permit the reference to be used as prior art;
Tabor (US 6,012,945) teaches a plug and socket connector comprising an elastic hook within and a member to ensure and maintain the mechanical connection;
Kawase (US 6,383,009) teaches a plug and socket connector comprising an elastic hook within and a member to ensure and maintain the mechanical connection;
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OSCAR C JIMENEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-0272. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
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/OSCAR C JIMENEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896