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 Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. The limitations “the at least four projection pieces” and “the at least two locking pieces” lack antecedent basis.
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, 2, 15 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kajio et al. [Kajio hereinafter, US 6,459,052].
In regard to claim 1, Kajio discloses [in Figs. 2-4B] a fixture for mounting a maintenance-use actuator [7] to a sensor main body [2 and col. 5, lines 51-56] of a detection switch, comprising: a holding portion [4] configured to hold the actuator [7] that communicates with the sensor main body when a distance to the sensor main body is within a predetermined distance; and a mounted portion [13] configured to be detachably mounted to the sensor main body in a state of maintaining the distance between the actuator [7] held by the holding portion [4] and the sensor main body within the predetermined distance.
In regard to claim 2, Kajio discloses [in Figs. 2-4B] the fixture according to claim 1, wherein the sensor main body [2 and col. 5, lines 51-56] has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape having a longitudinal direction, and the fixture is configured to be disposed to face any one of three sides among four sides of a rectangular cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the sensor main body via the mounted portion [13].
In regard to claims 15 and 16, Kajio discloses [in Figs. 2-4B], an actuator with a fixture, comprising the fixture according to claim 1, and the actuator [7] held by the holding portion [4] of the fixture, and a detection switch comprising the sensor main body [2, col. 5, lines 51-56], and the actuator [7] with the fixture.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5 and 7-14 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.
In regard to claim 3, in combination with other limitations, the mounted portion including a first engaging portion provided at one end of the fixture in the longitudinal direction and engaged with one end of the sensor main body in the longitudinal direction, and a second engaging portion provided at the other end of the fixture in the longitudinal direction and engaged with the other end of the sensor main body in the longitudinal direction is neither disclosed nor suggested by the prior art.
In regard to claim 13, in combination with other limitations, the sensor main body having a light source, and the fixture is made of a material containing a light transmitting resin or a light diffusing resin.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LHEIREN MAE A CAROC whose telephone number is (571)272-2730. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm.
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/LHEIREN MAE A CAROC/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2833