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 § 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)(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 1-6, 8, 12-14 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Wei et al. (11,457,561).
Regarding claim 1, Wei et al. disclose a working machine, comprising:
a first operation rod (20 and 30, Fig. 1) extending in a front-rear direction;
a front unit (10) disposed frontward of the first operation rod and comprising a working part (12);
a rear unit (another 10, Fig. 1) disposed rearward of the first operation rod;
a first wire (23, Fig. 3) disposed in an interior of the first operation rod;
a first terminal (21) electrically connected to the first wire;
a first connector housing (22) holding the first terminal and configured to pass through the interior of the first operation rod in the front-rear direction;
a retainer (51, Fig. 3) configured to retain the first connector housing at one end of the first operation rod (Fig. 1);
a second terminal (31, Fig. 3); and
a second connector housing (32) holding the second terminal and configured to be detachably attached to the first connector housing (Fig. 13),
wherein the first terminal and the second terminal are electrically connected to each other by the first connector housing and the second connector housing being attached to each other (Fig. 13).
Regarding claim 2, Fig. 3 shows the retainer (51) comprises a retaining member (51) configured to be detachably attached to the first connector housing, and the retaining member is configured to retain the first connector housing at the one end of the first operation rod.
Regarding claim 3, Fig. 3 shows the retaining member comprises a stopper portion (first stopper portion, FIGURE A below) that protrudes outward beyond an outer surface of the first connector housing when the retaining member is attached to the first connector housing, and the first connector housing is retained at the one end of the first operation rod by the stopper portion contacting the first operation rod in the front-rear direction.
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Regarding claim 4, the FIGURE A above shows the stopper portion comprises: a first stopper portion; and a second stopper portion circumferentially offset from the first stopper portion.
Regarding claim 5, the FIGURE A above shows the stopper portion further comprises a third stopper portion circumferentially offset from each of the first stopper portion and the second stopper portion.
Regarding claim 6, an outer surface of the stopper portion (first stopper portion, FIGURE A above) is located inward of an outer surface of the first operation rod as viewed along the front-rear direction.
Regarding claim 8, the one end of the first operation rod comprises a notch (where the first stopper portion is insert, FIGURE A above) configured to receive the stopper portion in the front-rear direction.
Regarding claim 12, Fig. 1 shows other end of the first operation rod is attached to the rear unit or the front unit in a difficult-to-remove manner.
Regarding claim 13, a second operation rod (20, Fig. 1) extending in the front-rear direction and disposed between the front unit and the rear unit; and
a second wire (33, Fig. 3) disposed in an interior of the second operation rod, wherein the second operation rod is configured such that one end of the second operation rod is detachably attached to the one end of the first operation rod, the second wire is electrically connected to the second terminal, and the second connector housing is retained at the one end of the second operation rod.
Regarding claim 14, Fig. 1 shows other end of the second operation rod is attached to the front unit or the rear unit in a difficult-to-remove manner.
Regarding claim 17, Fig. 1 shows the rear unit comprises a power interface configured to be electrically connected to a power source (not shown), and the first wire functions as at least a part of a power transmission path between the working part and the power interface.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wei et al. in view of King et al. (7,484,300).
Regarding claim 15, Wei et al. disclose the claimed invention as described above except for a third operation rod extending in the front-rear direction and disposed between the front unit and the rear unit, the third operation rod is configured such that one end of the third operation rod is detachably attached to other end of the second operation rod.
King et al., Fig. 2 shows a third operation rod (16) extending in the front-rear direction and disposed between the front unit and the rear unit, the third operation rod is configured such that one end of the third operation rod is detachably attached to other end of the second operation rod. It would have been obvious to modify Wei et al. to have a third operation rod, as taught by King et al. for better connection.
Regarding claim 16, it is noted that King et al., Fig. 2 shows other end of the third operation rod is attached to the front unit or the rear unit in a difficult-to-remove manner.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7, 9-11 and 18 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
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 06/17/26
thanh-tam.le@uspto.gov
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