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 .
DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
This is the first Office Action on the merits of Application 18/586,071 filed on 2/23/24. Claims 1-18 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 2/23/24 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 5, 11-14 & 18 are 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.
Claim 5
Line 3: “the first wiring harness”
It is unclear if the claimed limitation is referring to the first wiring bundle mentioned in claim 1 or a new first wiring harness is being mentioned.
Claim 11
Line 4: “the first wiring bundle”
It is unclear if the claimed limitation is referring to the wiring harness mentioned in claim 10 or a new first wiring bundle is being mentioned.
Claim 14
Line 3: “the first wiring harness”
It is unclear if the claimed limitation is referring to the wiring harness mentioned in claim 10 or the first wiring harness mentioned in claim 11.
Claim 18
Line 3: “the first wiring bundle”
It is unclear if the claimed limitation is referring to the wiring harness mentioned in claim 10 or a new first wiring bundle is being mentioned.
Claims 12 & 13 are also rejected for being dependent upon a rejected base claim.
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.
Claims 1-3, 6, 9-12, 15 & 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent 7,810,969 to Blackmore et al. in view of U.S. Patent 5,106,143 to Soeters.
Claim 1
Blackmore discloses in Figs 1-10,
A center console bracket, comprising: a center console (e.g. 20) having a first side wall (e.g. 24) that at least partially defines a hollow interior (see Fig 2) of the center console; and a bracket (e.g. 42 being secured). Blackmore however, does not explicitly disclose that the bracket has a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being attached to the first side wall within the hollow interior, the second portion being configured to position and retain a first wiring bundle within the hollow interior at a location spaced apart from the first side wall.
Soeters however, teaches a bracket with a first portion (e.g. 32 or 71) and second portion (e.g. 37 or 73) which retails a wiring bundle (e.g. 19) and located in the interior space (see Fig 1). Therefore it would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the claims were effectively filed to utilize the teaching of a two portion bracket, as taught by Soeters, and modifying Blackmore’s bracket for the benefit of improving the securing of the wiring bundle to the side wall of the console.
Claim 2
The center console bracket according to claim 1, further comprising: a connector (e.g. 17, Soeters) attached to the second portion of the bracket, the connector being connected to and supporting the first wiring bundle.
Claim 3
The center console bracket according to claim 2, wherein the connector is connected to a second wiring harness (e.g. 29, Soeters) that extends rearward within the hollow interior of the center console, the second wiring harness including wiring that connects to components installed to the center console.
Claim 6
The center console bracket according to claim 1, wherein the first portion and the second portion of the bracket are perpendicular to one another (Soeters, Figs 1 & 5).
Claim 9
The center console bracket according to claim 1, wherein the connector has a forward end (e.g. 31) configured to receive and retain an end connector (e.g. 17 or 19) of the first wiring bundle.
Claim 10
Blackmore in view of Soeters teaches (see reasoning above),
A center console bracket, comprising: a center console (e.g. 20) having first side wall (e.g. 24) with the center console having a hollow interior at least partially defined by the first side wall; a bracket having a first portion (e.g. 32 or 71) and second portion (e.g. 37 or 73), the first portion being attached to the first side wall within the hollow interior, the second portion extending away from the first portion and the first side wall; and a wiring harness (e.g. 19) having a portion thereof that extends within the hollow interior of the center console and the second portion being configured and dimensioned to position and retain the wiring harness within the hollow interior at a location spaced apart from the first side wall.
Claim 11
The center console bracket according to claim 10, further comprising: a connector (e.g. 17, Soeters) attached to the second portion of the bracket, the connector being connected to and supporting the first wiring bundle.
Claim 12
The center console bracket according to claim 11, wherein the connector is connected to a second wiring harness (e.g. 29, Soeters) that extends rearward within the hollow interior of the center console, the second wiring harness including wiring that connects to components installed to the center console.
Claim 15
The center console bracket according to claim 10, wherein the first portion and the second portion of the bracket are perpendicular to one another (Soeters, Figs 1 & 5).
Claim 18
The center console bracket according to claim 10, wherein the connector has a forward end (e.g. 31) configured to receive and retain an end connector (e.g. 17 or 19) of the first wiring bundle.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 7, 8, 16 & 17 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.
Claims 5, 13 & 14 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/HUAN LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655