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 .
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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 2 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.
In the Remark filed 4/20/2026, the applicant has argued that the applied reference of Wu et al. (US 20230246400) does not qualify as a reference. Examiner agrees. Upon further search Examiner has found Colahan et al. (US 9,343,850) which would qualify as a reference, and the new rejection is based on Colahan reference.
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 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Youssefi-Shams et al. (US 8,550,857) in view of Colahan et al. (US 9,343,850).
Regarding Claim 1, Youssefi-Shams discloses a method for producing a plurality of models of AC adapters by using power supply modules and a plurality of types of housings (figures 18-20) that store the power supply modules (400, fig. 3) ,the power supply modules each including (1) a plug (figure 11) which is constituted by a first plug (411) and a second plug (412), (2) a pair of electrodes (figure 10) each of which is constituted by a metal plate and which are constituted by a first electrode (406) and a second electrode (408) that have respective one end parts configured to be electrically communicated with the first plug and the second plug, respectively, and (3) an internal frame which attaches the plug and the pair of electrodes to a corresponding housing, and the power supply modules being common to the plurality of models,
the housings each being constituted by a housing main body (part of 402, fig. 9) and a lid (404), the lid being configured to serve with the internal frame to sandwich the plug and the pair of electrodes (fig. 9), and the housings being unique to the respective plurality of models (see fig. 18-20),
said method comprising:
a housing selection step of selecting a specific housing from the plurality of types of housings (for figure 18-20, each housing is specific); an attachment step of attaching a given one of the power supply modules to an inner wall of the specific housing:
Youssefi-Shams, does not disclose welding step of welding the housing main body to the lid.
Colahan et al. discloses a power adapter with housing body (102) and lid (104). Colahan also discloses step of attaching the housing main body to the lid by welding (column 7, lines 25-26, fig. 7B).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use welding step for connecting housing main body and lid in Youssefi-Shams as suggested by Colahan et al. in order to have better mechanical connection between the housing main body and the lid.
Regarding Claim 2, Youssefi-Shams discloses an AC adapter product group constituted by AC adapters of a plurality of models, (figures 18-20), the AC adapters of the plurality of models comprising:
respective power supply modules each including (1) a plug (figure 11) which is constituted by a first plug (411) and a second plug (412), (2) a pair of electrodes (figure 10) each of which is constituted by a metal plate and which are constituted by a first electrode (406) and a second electrode (408) that have respective one end parts configured to be electrically communicated with the first plug and the second plug, respectively, and (3) an internal frame (404) which attaches the plug and the pair of electrodes to a corresponding housing of a respective power supply module (figures 18-20); and
the housing being constituted by a housing main body (no number given, part of 402, figure 9) and a lid (404), the lid being configured to serve with the internal frame to sandwich the plug and the pair of electrodes, the power supply modules being common to the plurality of models, and the housings being unique to the respective plurality of models (for figure 18-20, each housing is unique).
Youssefi-Shams, does not disclose welding the housing main body to the lid.
Colahan et al. discloses a power adapter with housing body (102) and lid (104). Colahan also discloses welding the housing main body to the lid (column 7, lines 25-26, fig. 7B).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use welding step for connecting housing main body and lid in Youssefi-Shams as suggested by Colahan et al. in order to have better mechanical connection between the housing main body and the lid.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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