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.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Atchley et al. (10,211,610).
Regarding claim 2, Atchley et al. disclose a connector comprising:
a terminal (102, Fig. 2A) including a female threaded portion (an inner wall) at one end side of the terminal;
a ring terminal (104) connected to an end of an electric wire (22), the ring terminal being placed over one end of the terminal (Fig. 2E);
a heat storage material element (106, Fig. 2A) placed over the ring terminal;
a bolt (a screwdriver, not shown, column 5, line 59) which is screwed in the female threaded portion while being inserted through a bolt insertion hole (not labeled, Fig. 2A) in the heat storage material element and a bolt insertion hole (not labeled, Fig. 2A) in the ring terminal to fasten the terminal, the ring terminal and the heat storage material element together;
a housing (12, Figs. 1A and 1B) accommodating the terminal, the ring terminal, the heat storage material element and the bolt;
a second terminal (another terminal in Fig. 1A) including a female threaded portion at one end side of the second terminal;
a second ring terminal (another 104, Fig. 2A) connected to an end of an electric wire (22);
a busbar (another 106, Fig. 2A) connected to the second ring terminal, the busbar being placed over one end of the second terminal;
a second heat storage material element (108, Fig. 2A) placed over the busbar; and a second bolt (another screwdriver, not shown, column 5, line 59) which is screwed in the female threaded portion while being inserted through a bolt insertion hole (not labeled, Fig. 2A) in the second heat storage material element and a bolt insertion hole (not labeled, Fig. 2A) in the busbar to fasten the second terminal, the busbar and the second heat storage material element together.
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over J. K. Schaefer (3,413,593).
Regarding claim 1, J. K. Schaefer, Fig. 2 shows a connector comprising:
a terminal (28) including a female threaded portion at one end side of the terminal;
a ring terminal (42) having a bolt insertion hole (not labeled) for inserting a bolt (1) therethrough, the ring terminal being connected to an end of an electric wire (46), and placed over one end of the terminal;
a heat storage material element (5) having a bolt insertion hole (not labeled) for inserting the bolt therethrough in a direction of insertion, the heat storage material element placed over the ring terminal,
wherein the bolt is screwed in the female threaded portion while being inserted through the bolt insertion hole in the heat storage material element and the bolt insertion hole in the ring terminal to fasten the terminal, the ring terminal and the heat storage material element together; and a housing accommodating the terminal, the ring terminal, the heat storage material element and the bolt.
J. K. Schaefer discloses the claimed invention as described above except for a thickness of the heat storage material element along the direction of insertion is greater than a thickness of the ring terminal along the direction of insertion. It would have been obvious to modify J. K. Schaefer to have a thickness of the heat storage material element along the direction of insertion is greater than a thickness of the ring terminal along the direction of insertion, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955) for better connection.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Atchley et al.
Regarding claim 3, Atchley et al. disclose the claimed invention as described above except the heat storage material element is made of a material having a smaller volume and a higher heat capacity per unit volume than those of a material of the second heat storage material element. It would have been obvious to modify Atchley et al. to have except the heat storage material element is made of a material having a smaller volume and a higher heat capacity per unit volume than those of a material of the second heat storage material element, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416 for better connection.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-3 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.
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 10/07/26
thanh-tam.le@uspto.gov
