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 .
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) 1-3, 7, 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a2) as being anticipated by Zhoa et al.(US 7,125,295).
Regarding claim 1, Zhoa et al. discloses a plurality of terminals to be stacked on each other(fig 1A, fig 1B), wherein each of the plurality of terminals includes a plate-like base portion(fig 1A, 16; fig 1A, 17), a plate-like guided portion projecting from the base portion and a locking portion formed on the guided portion(fig 1A, 82), and out of the terminals adjacent in a stacking direction, one of the terminals includes a guide portion to be arranged along the guided portion of the other terminal and a resiliently deformable resilient locking portion to be locked to the locking portion of the other terminal(fig 1B, 27. 84, 88), wherein the one of the terminals and the other terminal are configured to be assembled by relative rotation in a circumferential direction(fig 2A, fig 2B).
Regarding claim 2, Zhoa et al. discloses wherein a pair of the guide portions(fig 1A, 83 82) of the one terminal are arranged respectively along both side edges of the guided portion of the other terminal(fig 2B).
Regarding claim 3, Zhoa et al. discloses wherein: a gap is formed between the guided portion and the base portion, and the guide portion of the one terminal is located in the gap of the other terminal and arranged to be able to contact the base portion and the guided portion of the other terminal(fig 2B, 82, 82 and 83, 85).
Regarding claim 7, Zhoa et al. discloses wherein the locking portion of the other terminal includes an upwardly bulged portion((fig 1B, 87), and the resilient locking portion of the one of the terminals includes a locking hole((fig 1A, 82).
Regarding claim 8, Zhoa et al. discloses wherein the upwardly bulged portion and the locking hole of the one of the terminals are formed such that the upwardly bulged portion of the other terminal is fit into the locking hole of the one of the terminals when the one of the terminals and the other terminal are assembled by the relative rotation(fig 2A, 2B).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6 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.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to timothy j thompson whose telephone number is (571)272-2342. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Timothy Thompson can be reached at 571-272-2342. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TIMOTHY J THOMPSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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