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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of restriction in the reply filed on 6/23/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that specie 6 should cover figure 22-30 instead of figures 27-30 identified by the examiner. Examiner agrees to the identification of figures 22-30 for species 6. Applicant has also stated that claims 1, 2, 4-6, 14 and 15 read on the specie 6. That is not found persuasive.
Claims 14 and 15 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected specie, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Claims 14 and 15, depend from claim 8, which is directed to non-elected specie, hence these claims are withdrawn from consideration.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, because the specification, while being enabling for ‘the resilient member being adapted to bridge the two contact portions, with conductor section connecting the electric circuit, when the CPA member is in the closed state,’ does not reasonably provide enablement for ‘the resilient member being adapted to bridge the two contact portions, with conductor section disconnecting the electric circuit, when the CPA member is in the closed state’. The specification does not enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the invention commensurate in scope with these claims. It is noted that figures 29 and 30, clearly show that in the closed state (figure 30), the resilient member 9 is adapted to bridge the two contact portions (11, 11). See specification page 14, lines 11-30.
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Endo et al. (US 5,417,586).
Regarding Claim ,1, Endo et al. figures 1, 2, 7, 8, discloses a connector arrangement comprising:
a connector (4) and a corresponding mating connector (12) configured to be mated with the connector,
a Connector Position Assurance (CPA) member (3) configured to be movable between an open state (fig. 2, 3) and a closed state (fig. 4),
wherein in the closed state the CPA member is adapted to confirm a proper mating of the connector and the mating connector and prevents the connector and the mating connector from accidental unmating (due to protrusion 11 being engaged with hole 2);
a detection device (6, 161, 162, 43) for detecting the closed state of the CPA member, the detection device comprising an electric circuit (Fig, 7, 8) and a spring contact (46, 47, fig. 8) for connecting and disconnecting the electric circuit, the spring contact comprising a resilient member (43), wherein the resilient member is deflected by at least one of the connector and the mating connector (protrusion 11 of mating connector 12 pressing on tab 3 of connector, thereby closing the circuit) when the CPA member is moved from the open state to the closed state, and wherein the resilient member comprises a conductor section of the electric circuit (fig, 7, 8; col 2, lines 23-32).
Regarding Claim 2, Endo et al. discloses a connector arrangement comprising:
a connector (4) and a corresponding mating connector (12) configured to be mated with the connector, a CPA member configured to be movable between an open state (fig, 2, 3,) and a closed state (fig. 4);
wherein in the closed state the CPA member is adapted to confirm a proper mating of the connector and the mating connector and prevents the connector and the mating connector from accidental unmating (due to protrusion 11 being engaged with hole 2);
a detection device (6, 161, 162, 43) for detecting the closed state of the CPA member, the detection device comprising an electric circuit (fig. 7, 8) and a spring contact (46, 47) for connecting and disconnecting the electric circuit, the spring contact comprising a resilient member (44b) , wherein the resilient member is deflected by at least one of the connector and the mating connector when the CPA member is moved from the open state to the closed state (protrusion 11 of mating connector 12 pressing on tab 3 of connector, thereby closing the circuit), and
wherein the resilient member comprises a conductor section of the electric circuit, wherein the detection device is arranged on the CPA member only (fig. 7), the detection device being either a modular member connected to the CPA member or integrated into the CPA member.
Regarding Claim 4, Endo et al. discloses the connector arrangement, wherein the electric circuit has two contact portions (46, 47) electrically isolated from each other, the resilient member being adapted to bridge the two contact portions, with the conductor section connecting or disconnecting the electric circuit when the CPA member is in the closed state (column 2, lines 22-32).
Regarding Claim 5, Endo et al. discloses the connector arrangement, wherein a spring tension of the deflected resilient member presses the conductor section onto the two contact portions (*47, 46, fig. 8) [or away from the two contact portions] when the CPA member is in the closed state.
Regarding Claim 6, Endo et al. discloses the connector arrangement, wherein the resilient member has two legs (44a, 44b), the conductor section extending from one leg to the other leg, each leg being adapted to contact one of the two contact portions with the conductor section (fig. 9).
Conclusion
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/TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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