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 .
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) 1, 12 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being clearly anticipated by Okuyama et al (US 2008/0027598; cited by Applicant). With respect to claims 1, 12, 20, Okuyama et al disclose the claimed communication system (paragraphs 0029, 0034-0039: Figures 1, 5) for an outboard motor 11 with a main bus line including a first end and a second end each located in a hull 10, two signal lines to transmit data using a voltage difference between the two signal lines, and operable to communicated with the outboard motor, an in hull maneuvering controller at the first end of the main bus line, a first terminating resistor in the in hull maneuvering controller to electrically connect the two signal lines and a second termination resistor at the second end of the main bus line to electrically connect the two signal lines with the main bus line extending from the first terminating resistor to outside the hull, through the outboard motor, and then back into the hull to connect to the second terminating resistor in the hull.
Claims 2-11 and 13-19 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.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Takashi (JP 2006282171 A) shows an outboard motor and vessel network system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEPHEN AVILA whose telephone number is (571)272-6678. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thu 6-4.
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STEPHEN AVILA
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3617
/STEPHEN P AVILA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3615
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