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, line 13, “a first basis state” should be --the first basis state--;
Claim 1, line 13, “a second basis state” should be --the second basis state--;
Claim 2, line 3, --second-- should be inserted before “housing part”;
Claim 2, line 4, “an outside housing part” should be --the second housing part--;
Claim 2, line 5, --first-- should be inserted before “housing part”;
Claim 3, line 2, --first-- should be inserted before “housing part”;
Claim 3, lines 2-3, “a plurality of radial recesses”. Are they the same recesses as “a corresponding radial recess” in claim 2, line 5?
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nance (7,575,389).
Regarding claim 1, Nance discloses an electrical connector comprising:
at least a first housing part (20, figure 1) and a second housing part (30, figure 1), an engagement region of one of the first housing part and the second housing part being configured to engage at least partially and concentrically with an other of the first housing part and the second housing part, the first housing part and the second housing part are configured to be rotatable in the engagement region relative to each other about an axis of rotation,
at least one bolt (34, 36, 37 and 38, figure 4A) disposed in the engagement region, which in a first basic state secures the first housing part and the second housing part against rotation of the housing parts relative to each other about the axis of rotation (figure 4A), and in a second basic state releases said the housing parts (figure 1),
wherein the at least one bolt is magnetic (54, figure 4C) and preloaded by a spring force (37, figures 4B and 4C), a transition of the bolt from the first basic state to the second basic state inducible by application of a magnetic force to the at least one bolt.
Regarding claim 2, the at least one bolt extends in the first basic state in a
radial direction through a corresponding radial feedthrough from the second housing part located outside in the engagement region into an inner cavity (32, figure 4A) of the second housing part (30) and further extends at least partially into a corresponding radial recess (24, figures 1 and 4A) in the housing part (20) located inside in the engagement region (figure 4A).
Regarding claim 3, figure 5 shows the first housing part (20) located inside in the engagement region has a plurality of radial recesses (24) disposed along an outer circumference thereof.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THANH TAM T LE whose telephone number is (571)272-2094. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-6PM.
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/THANH TAM T LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831 12/03/25
thanh-tam.le@uspto.gov
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