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. DETAILED ACTION Priority Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in China on 03/16/2023 . It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the CN202320644674.X application as required by 37 CFR 1.55. Claim Objections Claim 11 objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 11, line 7 appears to be incomplete. The line ends with a semi-colon. Appropriate correction is required. 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 , 5, 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN 107689315 A (herein CN315 ). In reference to claim 1, CN315 teaches a wire connection device (shown in figure 1) for a cooking appliance comprising: a fuse (6) with an outer surface, a first end (left end of 6 ; fig. 1) that connects to an internal wire of the cooking appliance, and a second end (right end of 6 ; fig. 1) that connects to a power cord of the cooking appliance; a fire-resistant sleeve (2; fig. 1) that encapsulates the outer surface (i.e. houses the fuse inside thereof) of the fuse and the first and second ends of the fuse. Regarding the limitation s for a cooking appliance, that connects to an internal wire of the cooking appliance, that connects to a power cord of the cooking appliance , it has been held that a recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitations. In reference to claim 5, CN315 teaches t he wire connection device according to Claim 1, further comprising at least two metal strips (left and right 4; fig. 1) that connects the first end of the fuse to the internal wire and connects the second end of the fuse to the power cord. In reference to claim 6, CN315 teaches the wire connection device according to Claim 5, wherein the fire-resistant sleeve may be made of a fire-resistant material. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 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. The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows: 1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art. 2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue. 3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art. 4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness. Claim s 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN315. In reference to claims 7, 8, 9, 10, CN315 substantially teaches the claimed invention. However CN315 does not teach: Claim 7. The wire connection device according to Claim 6, wherein the fire-resistant material is a glass fiber ; Claim 8 . The wire connection device according to Claim 6, wherein the fire-resistant material is a silicone glass fiber ; Claim 9. The wire connection device according to Claim 6, wherein the fire-resistant material is a basalt flame-retardant ; Claim 10. The wire connection device according to Claim 6, wherein the fire-resistant material is silica. It has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. The materials listed in claims 7-10 are known to be fire-resistant, therefore modifying material to arrive at the results of claims 7-10 is seen to be an obvious modification. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to change the material to arrive at the results of claims 7-10. Fire-resistance is still provided, therefore new results are not produced. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2-4, 11-16 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 following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: (Claim 17) at least two tightening members that encircle the fire-resistant sleeve located on at least two tightening positions near the first end and second end of the fuse, respectively; wherein the tightening members contract inwardly at said at least two tightening positions such that the cross-sectional area of portion of the fire-resistant sleeve between the tightening positions is smaller compared to the cross-sectional area of the at least two tightening positions when the tightening members are contracted; a cord protector comprised of a first port and a second port wherein the internal wire of the cooking appliance extends into the first port of the cord protector and the power cord of the cooking appliance extends into the second port of the cord protector; wherein the wire connection device is installed in the cord protector. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT TRAVIS SLOAN CHAMBERS whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-6813 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT M-F 8:30a.m.-5:00p.m. . Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Abdullah A Riyami can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT 571-270-3119 . The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /TRAVIS S CHAMBERS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831 03/27/2026