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)(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 1-11, 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ishikawa (US 5,964,622).
Regarding claim 1: Ishikawa teaches a lead block (see Fig. 1) for a rotary connector device (e.g. Ishikawa teaches the lead block to be used in an electrical instrument case and further these limitations are examined as intended use) comprising: a plurality of connection pins 4 arranged at intervals in an arrangement direction (see Fig. 2); a pin holder 6 holding the plurality of connection pins 4 (see Figs. 1-2); the plurality of connection pins 4 protruding from the pin holder 6 in a protruding direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction (see Fig. 2); and the pin holder including an inclined surface (at 8; Fig. 2) inclined relative to the protruding direction (see Fig. 2); the inclined surface (at 8; Fig. 2) being inclined to contact an inner inclined surface (at 8; Fig. 2) of a lead-block attachment portion (at 7; Fig. 1) in an attachment state where the pin holder 6 is attached to the lead-block attachment portion (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 2: Ishikawa teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the inclined surface includes a first inclined surface inclined relative to the protruding direction (see Fig. 2), and the first inclined surface is inclined relative to a thickness direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction and the protruding direction (e.g. left and right sides of connector pin holder 6 have inclined surfaces; see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 3: Ishikawa teaches all the limitations of claim 2 and further teaches wherein the pin holder 6 includes a first end portion and a second end portion provided on an opposite side of the first end portion in the protruding direction (e.g. upper and lower portions of holder 6; see Fig. 2), the plurality of connection pins 4 protrudes from the first end portion in the protruding direction (see Fig. 2), and the first inclined surface (at 8; Fig. 2) is inclined relative to the protruding direction such that a first distance defined in the thickness direction from the plurality of connection pins 4 to the first inclined surface decreases toward the first end portion (e.g. thickness of portions closer to the top are less than the thickness at a lower portion; see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 4: Ishikawa teaches all the limitations of claim 2 and further teaches wherein the inclined surface (at 8; Fig. 2) includes a second inclined surface inclined relative to the arrangement direction and the protruding direction (e.g. see Fig. 2 for left and right inclined surfaces).
Regarding claim 5: Ishikawa teaches all the limitations of claim 4 and further teaches wherein the pin holder 6 includes a main portion (at 6; Fig. 4) and a protruding portion (e.g. flange portion 8 located below leadline 6; Fig. 4), the main portion includes the first inclined surface (e.g. inclined surface 8 located on a right side; Fig. 4), and the protruding portion protrudes from the first inclined surface in the thickness direction and includes the second inclined surface (e.g. inclined surface 8 located on a left side; Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 6: Ishikawa teaches all the limitations of claim 5 and further teaches wherein the inclined surface includes a third inclined surface (e.g. inclined surface on the lower portion of 8; Fig. 2) inclined relative to the protruding direction and the thickness direction (see Fig. 2), and the protruding portion includes the third inclined surface (see Fig. 2 for inclined surfaces on portion 8).
Regarding claim 7: Ishikawa teaches all the limitations of claim 2 and further teaches wherein the pin holder 6 includes a reverse surface (at 6b; Fig. 4) provided on a reverse side of the first inclined surface in the thickness direction, and the reverse surface is parallel to the protruding direction (see Figs. 4).
Regarding claim 8: Ishikawa teaches all the limitations of claim 7 and further teaches wherein the reverse surface is parallel to the arrangement direction (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 9: Ishikawa teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the pin holder 6 includes a coupling portion (at 6a; see Fig. 2) configured to couple another lead block and the pin holder (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 10: Ishikawa teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the pin holder 6 includes a first lateral surface (at 6a; Fig. 4) facing in the arrangement direction (Fig. 4), and a first protruding portion (at 6b; Fig. 4) protruding from the first lateral surface (Fig. 4), and the first protruding portion includes the inclined surface (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 11: Ishikawa teaches all the limitations of claim 10 and further teaches wherein the pin holder 6 includes a second protruding portion (at 8 on left; Fig. 4) protruding from the inclined surface (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 17: Ishikawa teaches all the limitations of claim 2 and further teaches wherein the first inclined surface is parallel to the arrangement direction (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 18: Ishikawa teaches all the limitations of claim 17 and further teaches wherein the first inclined surface is inclined to contact a first inner inclined surface of the lead- block attachment portion in the attachment state, the first inner inclined surface being inclined relative to the thickness direction in the attachment state (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 19: Ishikawa teaches all the limitations of claim 18 and further teaches wherein the pin holder 6 includes a reverse surface provided on a reverse side of the first inclined surface in the thickness direction, the reverse surface is parallel to the protruding direction, and the first inclined surface is configured to contact the first inner inclined surface of the lead-block attachment portion to move the pin holder toward the reverse surface in the thickness direction in the attachment state (see Fig. 2).
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 1, 12-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ushiyama (US 2019/0207352), in view of Ishikawa (US 5,964,622).
Regarding claims 1 and 12: Ushiyama teaches a rotary connector device 1 comprising: a stator 13; a rotator 12 provided rotatably relative to the stator about a rotational axis X (see Fig. 1); the lead block according to claim 1 (see Figs. 1-4); at least one of the stator and the rotator including a lead-block attachment portion 123; and the lead block being attached to the lead-block attachment portion (see Fig. 1).
Ushiyama does not explicitly teach the limitations of claim 1.
Ishikawa teaches the limitations of claim 1.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to be able to modify the invention with the limitations of claim 1 as taught by Ishikawa into the rotary connector device of Ushiyama in order to achieve the advantage of having a pin holder with greater mechanical connection within a lead block.
Regarding claim 13: Ushiyama, in view of Ishikawa, teaches all the limitations of claim 12 and Ushiyama further teaches wherein the lead-block attachment portion 123 includes an inner inclined surface (at 125a; Fig. 3B) contactable with the inclined surface of the pin holder in a state where the lead block is attached to the lead-block attachment portion (see Figs. 3A-3B), and the inner inclined surface is inclined relative to in the protruding direction (Figs. 3A-3B).
Regarding claim 14: Ushiyama, in view of Ishikawa, teaches all the limitations of claim 12 and further teaches wherein the lead-block attachment portion 123 includes a lead-block housing space housing the lead block in a state where the lead block is attached to the lead-block attachment portion (see Figs. 1-3B), and a holding pawl 166 holding the lead block in a state where the lead block is housed in the lead-block housing space (Figs. 3A-3B).
Regarding claim 15: Ushiyama, in view of Ishikawa, teaches all the limitations of claim 13 and further teaches wherein the lead-block attachment portion 123 includes a third protruding portion (at 124c; Fig. 3A) protruding from the inner inclined surface (see Figs. 3A-3B).
Regarding claim 16: Ushiyama, in view of Ishikawa, teaches all the limitations of claim 12 and further teaches wherein the lead block is attachable to the lead-block attachment portion in only a specific orientation (see Figs. 1-3B).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-19 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Ishikawa teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and specifically teaches the inclined surface (at 8; Fig. 2) being inclined to contact an inner inclined surface (at 8; Fig. 2) of a lead-block attachment portion (at 7; Fig. 1) in an attachment state where the pin holder 6 is attached to the lead-block attachment portion (see Fig. 2).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 OSCAR C JIMENEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-0272. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Renee Luebke can be reached at (571) 272-2009. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/OSCAR C JIMENEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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