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 .
Drawings
The drawings were received on 11/30/2023. These drawings are approved.
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 4 is 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 4 recites the limitation "the connecting rear" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The originally filed claim 4 filed on 11/30/2023 recites, “a plurality of connecting screws connecting the connecting ears to connecting posts”. Therefore, it seems that “the connecting rear” in line 3 should be -- the connecting ears --.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Matsushita et al (US 11,664,621 B2).
Matsushita discloses a connector for connecting to a charging seat 21, comprising: a housing 22 formed with a terminal hole (not labeled, see Fig. 2) adapted to receive one end of a charging terminal 3 of the charging seat 21; a cover 25 arranged on an end of the housing 22 and formed with a conductive element opening 29; a conductive element 5 having one end inserted into the housing 22 through the conductive element opening 29 of the cover 25, the conductive element 5 including a first metal bar (see Fig. 2 below) and a second metal bar (see Fig. 2 below) adapted to be respectively connected to a first charging terminal 3 (see Fig. 2 below) and a second charging terminal (see Fig. 2 below) of the charging seat 21; and a connecting piece 18 provided in the housing 22 and adapted to connect the one end of the conductive element 5 to the one end of the charging terminal 3.
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Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-3, 6-7, 16 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Matsushita et al (US 11,664,621 B2) in view of Matsuda et al (US Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0147918 A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 16 being rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1), Matsushita discloses a connector 1 for connecting to a charging seat 21, comprising: a housing 22 formed with a terminal hole (not labeled, see Fig. 2) adapted to receive one end of a charging terminal 3 of the charging seat 21; a cover 25 arranged on an end 23b of the housing 22 and formed with a conductive element opening 29; a conductive element 5, (claim 16) which is a metal bar 9, one end of which is inserted into the housing 22 through the conductive element opening 29 of the cover 25; and a connecting piece 18 provided in the housing 22 and adapted to connect the one end of the conductive element 5 to the one end of the charging terminal 3.
However, Matsushita do not describe or disclose explicitly a plurality of connecting ears formed on an outer side of the housing and adapted to be connected to the charging seat for fixing the housing to the charging seat.
On the other hand, Figures 3 and 4 show the connector 10 of Matsushita having a plurality of connecting ears (see Figs. 3-4 below) formed on an outer side of the housing 22 and adapted to be connected to the charging seat 21 for fixing the housing 22 to the charging seat 21. Therefore, although Matsushita does not describe the plurality of connecting ears, the person having ordinary skill in the art can clearly recognize in the drawings Figures 3 and 4 of Matsushita that the connector housing 22 of Matsushita has the plurality of connecting ears.
In conclusion, in view of Figures 3 and 4, Matsushita discloses all the limitations recited in the amended claim 1 filed on 04/01/2026.
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In view of rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103, Matsushita does not explicitly describe or disclose a plurality of connecting ears formed on an outer side of the housing 22 connected to the charging seat 21 for fixing the housing 22 to the charging seat 21.
On the other hand, Matsuda discloses a connector C comprising a housing 20 having a base plate 21 formed with a plurality of mounting portions (connecting ears) for fixing the housing 20 to a vehicle.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the connector taught by Matsushita such that it would have a plurality of connecting ears formed on an outer side of the housing of the connector as taught by Matsuda because the plurality of connecting ears would allow easily and securely fix the housing to a charging seat or to a vehicle.
Regarding claim 2, the housing 22 includes a front end and a rear end opposite in its longitudinal direction, and a bottom wall and a top wall opposite in its height direction (see Fig. 4); the terminal hole (see Fig. 2) is formed in the bottom wall of the housing 22, and the cover 25 is arranged on the rear end of the housing 22; and an installation hole 23a is formed in the top wall of the housing 22, and the connecting piece 18 enters the housing 22 through the installation hole 23a.
Regarding claim 3, a connecting hole 71 is formed in one end of the conductive element 5, and the connecting piece 18 passes through the connecting hole 71 and is adapted to form a threaded connection with a threaded hole 33 in the charging terminal 3 to fasten the one end of the conductive element 5 to the charging terminal 3.
Regarding claim 6, the connector further comprising an elastic seal 13 installed in a rear port (see Fig. 2) of the housing 22, the conductive element 5 passes through the elastic seal 13, and the elastic seal is compressed between an inner wall of the housing 22 and the conductive element 5.
Regarding claim 7, a positioning step (not labeled, see Fig. 2) is formed in the rear port of the housing 22, and the positioning step and the cover 25 respectively abut against each end of the elastic seal 13 to maintain the elastic seal 13 in the rear port of the housing 22.
Regarding claims 8, Matsushita discloses the conductive element includes a first metal bar and a second metal bar having the same width, and the first metal bar and the second metal bar are used to be respectively connected to a first charging terminal and a second charging terminal of the charging seat.
However, Matsushita does not disclose the first metal bar and the second metal bar being spaced and overlapped in the height direction of the housing, so that two longitudinal sides of the first metal bar are respectively flush with two longitudinal sides of the second metal bar. Instead, Matsushita discloses the thickness side of the first metal bar being adjacent with the thickness side of the second metal bar.
On the other hand, whether two longitudinal sides of the first metal bar are respectively flush with two longitudinal sides of the second metal bar or the thickness side of the first metal bar is adjacent with the thickness side of the second metal bar, the functions of the first and second metal bars will remain the same.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the connector taught by Matsushita such that it would have two longitudinal sides of the first and second metal bars being flushed with each other as taught by the instant invention because it only deals with rearrangement of parts that does not affect or change the function of the first and second metal bars. Whether two longitudinal sides of the first metal bar are respectively flush with two longitudinal sides of the second metal bar as taught by the instant invention or the thickness side of the first metal bar is adjacent with the thickness side of the second metal bar as taught by Matsushita, all the metal bars are working the same. It has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Regarding claim 9, Matsushita discloses the first metal bar and the second metal bar are inserted into the housing 22 along a longitudinal direction (X-direction) of the housing 22 (see Fig. 2 above), surfaces of the first metal bar and the second metal bar being parallel to a transverse direction (Y-direction) and the longitudinal direction (X-direction) of the housing 22 (see Figs. 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 10, Matsushita discloses the connecting hole 60 includes a first connecting hole 60 formed in the first metal bar and a second connecting hole 60 formed in the second metal bar; the connecting piece 18 includes a first connecting piece 18 and a second connecting piece 18 passing through the first connecting hole 60 and the second connecting hole 60; and the first connecting piece 18 and the second connecting piece 18 connect the first metal bar and the second metal bar to the first charging terminal 3 and the second charging terminal 3, respectively.
Regarding claim 11, Matsushita does not disclose, “a size of the first connecting hole and the second connecting hole in a length direction of the conductive element is greater than the size in a width direction of the conductive element, the first connecting piece and the second connecting piece is movable along the length direction of the conductive element in the first connecting hole and the second connecting hole, respectively.”
On the other hand, it is common knowledge that a connecting hole is not limited to one shape or size, but can be made in many different shapes and sizes without affecting the function of the connecting hole connecting with the connecting pieces.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the connecting hole taught by Matsushita such that it would have a length direction size and a width direction size of the connecting hole to be different as taught by the instant invention because it is common knowledge that a connecting hole is not limited to one shape or size, but can be made in many different shapes and sizes without affecting the function of the connecting hole connecting with the connecting pieces. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955).
Regarding claim 12, a central axis of the first connecting hole 60 and a central axis of the second connecting hole 60 are parallel to each other and located in the same plane perpendicular to the width direction of the conductive element 5 (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 13, the first metal bar comprises a flat first metal conductor (see Fig. 1) and a first insulator (not labeled, see Fig. 1 and column 3, lines 19-22) wrapped on the first metal conductor, the first metal conductor has a first connection end 6 exposed out of the first insulator for electrical connection to the first charging terminal 3 (see Fig. 2), and the first connecting hole 60 is formed in the first connection end 6; and the second metal bar comprises a flat second metal conductor 5 and a second insulator (not labeled, see Fig. 1 and column 3, lines 19-22) wrapped on the second metal conductor 5, the second metal conductor 5 has a second connection end 6 exposed out of the second insulator for electrical connection to the second charging terminal 3, and the second connecting hole 60 is formed in the second connection end 6.
Regarding claim 14, the first connection end 6 is spatially separated from the second connection end 6, so that the first connecting hole 60 in the first connection end 6 is not obstructed by the second connection end 6.
Regarding claim 22, Matsushita discloses the first metal bar and the second metal bar being spaced and overlapped in the height direction (see Y-direction in Fig. 2) of the housing 22.
However, two longitudinal sides of the first metal bar are not respectively flush with two longitudinal sides of the second metal bar. Instead, the thickness side of the first metal bar is adjacent with the thickness side of the second metal bar.
On the other hand, whether two longitudinal sides of the first metal bar are respectively flush with two longitudinal sides of the second metal bar or the thickness side of the first metal bar is adjacent with the thickness side of the second metal bar, the functions of the first and second metal bars will remain the same.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the connector taught by Matsushita such that it would have two longitudinal sides of the first and second metal bars being flushed with each other as taught by the instant invention because it only deals with rearrangement of parts that does not affect or change the function of the first and second metal bars. Whether two longitudinal sides of the first metal bar are respectively flush with two longitudinal sides of the second metal bar as taught by the instant invention or the thickness side of the first metal bar is adjacent with the thickness side of the second metal bar as taught by Matsushita, all the metal bars are working the same. It has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 17-20 are allowed.
Claims 5 and 15 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-22 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
After very careful reconsideration of the amended claims filed on 04/01/2026, the examiner determined that the amended claims are not in condition for allowance.
In the amended claim 1, although the applicant incorporated a portion of the limitations from claim 4, the added portion of the limitations itself is not allowable limitation because the claimed feature of the added portion of the limitations of claim 4 is already known and commonly used feature. Please, see rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 stated above.
Regarding the newly added claims 21 and 22, although claims 21 written to incorporate all the limitations of the independent claim 1 and a portion of the limitations of claim 8 already disclosed and taught by Matsushita. Also, claim 22 only recites remaining portion of the limitations of claim 2, which recites obvious modification. Therefore, claims 21 and 22 had to be rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) and 35 U.S.C. 103, respectively.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HAE MOON HYEON whose telephone number is (571) 272-2093. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9:30 am - 6:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abdullah A Riyami 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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/hmh/
/Hae Moon Hyeon/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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