-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 Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: In line 5 the “a” before “car shell frame” should be replaced with a “the” since the car shell frame was previously disclosed. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 5 objected to because of the following informalities: The claim limitation of “and the decorative part is in part exposed to the car shell, and the decorative part in part passes through the avoidance opening and is connected to the connecting base” would be clearer as “the decorative part is positioned on the car shell and includes a part that passes through the avoidance opening and connects to the connecting base”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 8 is objected to because of the following informalities: In line 6 after “connect the” delete “other one, thereof” and insert “upper slider and the lower slider” for clarity. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitations "the end of the car shell frame" in line 5 and “the end of the car shell assembly” in line 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim. Also the claim seems to be disclosing a location of the limiting part and locking mechanism relative to each other at respective ends but relates the ends separately to the frame and then the assembly as a whole which is unclear. For the purposes of examination, the claim will be interpreted as “ a limiting part is arranged at a first end of the car shell frame in the length direction; and a locking mechanism, the locking mechanism being located at a second end of the car shell frame away from the limiting part”.
Claim 2 recites the limitation "the side of the main holder" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 4 discloses that first reinforcing ribs are arranged on the surface of the connector “close to the car shell” which is unclear as to what surface is considered “close to the car shell” in order to meet the limitations of the claims. For the purposes of examination, the claim will be interpreted as the ribs being arranged on a surface of the plug-in connector facing the car shell. The claim also discloses “a clearance slot is formed between adjacent second reinforcing ribs” in line 7 then in lines 8-9 the claim discloses that “each of the first reinforcing ribs is inserted into the corresponding clearance slot” which is unclear since a single slot and a plurality of corresponding slots appears to be disclosed simultaneously making what is intended by the claim unclear. For the purposes of examination the claim will be interpreted as “clearance slots are formed between adjacent second reinforcing ribs; and in the state that the plug-in connector is plugged into the first bayonet, each of the first reinforcing ribs is inserted into a corresponding clearance slot, respectively”.
Claim 6 discloses that the model car includes “a second bayonet” but the claim is disclosed as depending “according to any one of claims 1 to 5” where a first bayonet is not disclosed until claim 2 and further claim 7 which depends from this claim discloses a second holder part and a vault frame wherein a first holder part and vault frame are not introduced until claim 3 making what is intended to be encompassed by the claims unclear. For the purposes of examination the claim will be interpreted as depending from claim 3.
Claim 7 discloses that the car shell frame includes a vault frame but claim 3 also references a vault frame making it unclear if the vault frames from each of the claims is the same part or different parts and as such the scope of the claim is unascertainable. For the purposes of examination, the claim will be interpreted as the main holder of the car shell frame further includes a second holder part.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the objections and rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The closest prior art of Allmendinger (10894218) discloses a model car having a car body (Fig. 1B) with first (104) and second (106) locking fitting frames respectively arranged at the ends of the car body in a length direction, a car shell assembly with a car shell frame and a car shell arranged on the car shell frame (Fig. 3B) with a limiting part arranged on the car shell frame at an end of the car shell frame in the length direction (300) and a locking mechanism (302) located at another end of the car shell assembly away from the limiting part wherein the limiting part clamps the first locking fitting frame (Fig. 3F) and the locking mechanism engages the second locking fitting frame (Fig. 3R). However, the locking mechanism of Allmendinger is formed as an upper pivoting lever that activates a pivoting lower jaw mechanism to lock with the second locking fitting frame and as such fails to disclose the locking mechanism having an inner slider connected to an outer slider such that the sliders are respectively arranged at both sides of the car shell in a thickness direction wherein the inner slider is slidably connected to the car shell frame and the outer slider is enabled to slide bidirectionally in the length direction of the car body to drive the inner slider to be clamped on or disengaged from the second locking fitting frame.
While bidirectional sliding locking mechanisms that move along a length direction of a toy vehicle are known as shown in 2757482, 3176429 and 5380231, the sliding mechanisms are horizontal members with aligned outer and inner portions that extend laterally from the car body not the car shell which is configured in a plurality of distinct and separable parts and as such does not teach having outer and inner sliders arranged on both sides of a car shell in the thickness direction such that bidirectional movement of the outer slider drives the inner slider to clamp or disengage from a second locking fitting frame of the car body while also including with the toy vehicle a limiting part that engages a first locking fitting frame and trying to reconfigure the locking mechanism of Allmendinger with a sliding mechanism would take considerable rework with structural changes only provided with the benefit of applicant’s own disclosure.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
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/A.M.H/ Examiner, Art Unit 3711 /EUGENE L KIM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3711