DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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 anticipatory rejections under 35 U.S.C. 102 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.
(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.
Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Osaka et al. US 11517847 (“Osaka”).
Regarding claim 1, Osaka discloses a joint terminal 11 (i.e., a terminal having plural connection portions 43 electrically connected to each other ) made of a metal plate material (col. 9, lines 24-51), comprising:
a base portion (labeled BS in annotated figure 10 below);
a plurality of connecting portions (43, labeled CP below) projecting forward from the base portion; and
a guide portion (labeled P1, P2, P3 below) extending in a front-rear direction while surrounding the plurality of connecting portions.
Per claim 2 the guide portion integrally includes a first plate portion (labeled P1),
a pair of second plate portions (labeled P2) rising from both ends of the first plate portion and
a third plate portion (labeled P3) projecting from one of the pair of second plate portions toward the other.
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Per claim 3, the plurality of connecting portions are coupled to the third plate portion via the base portion having a folded shape.
Per claim 4, the third plate portion includes a fixed lock portion lockable to a mating resilient lock portion (col. 7, lines 7-17).
Per claim5 the joint terminal is entirely made of the single plate material (col. 9, lines 24-51).
Conclusion
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/ROSS N GUSHI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834