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 Objections
Claims 9 and 10 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 9, “the second arm spring” should be revised as “the second spring arm” to be consistent with other claims.
In claim 10, “the first spring arm in the opposite direction” is suggested to be revised as “the first spring arm slopes away in the opposite direction”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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(s) 1-10 and 12-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)as being anticipated by US 20210178861 A1 to Sovine et al. (Sovine).
In reference to independent claim 1, Sovine discloses:
A clip (168) component for cooperation with a hole (342) of a second element, comprising:
- a base (see Fig. 7C),
- a core portion (420) protruding from the base in a first direction (see Fig. 7C),
- a spring portion (400, 410) protruding from the base in the first direction (see Fig. 7C), parallel to the core portion (420) (see Fig. 7C), the spring portion (400, 410) being adapted to be elastically deformed so as to move between a first position and a second position (see [0047]), the second position being such that the spring portion (400, 410) is positioned closer to the core portion (420) than in the first position (see [0047]), the spring portion being adapted to restrict the movement of the second element with respect to the clip component when the core portion and the spring portion are within the hole (342) and the spring portion is in the first position (see Fig. 7D), wherein the core portion includes two side walls extending in a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction, and a middle wall extending perpendicularly to the two side walls so as to connect them (see Fig. 7C), the spring portion (400, 410) being located at least partially between the two side walls (see Fig. 7C), wherein the base includes a resting surface (see Fig. 7C) for supporting the second element when the core portion and the spring portion are within the hole of the second element and the spring portion is in the first position (see Fig. 7C), wherein the resting surface is distanced from the base in the first direction to be arranged closer to the second element than the base when the clip component is inserted into the hole (see Fig. 7C).
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In reference to dependent claim 2, Sovine further discloses: the resting surface is arranged adjacent to the core portion (420) so that it is adjacent to the hole (342) of the second element when the clip component (168) is connected to the second element (see Fig. 7C).
In reference to dependent claim 3, Sovine further discloses: the spring portion (400, 410) includes a locking portion (410) extending in a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction (see Fig. C).
In reference to dependent claim 4, Sovine further discloses: the locking portion (410) includes a locking surface (see Fig. 7C) extending in the second direction and facing the base.
In reference to dependent claim 5, Sovine further discloses: the locking portion includes a guiding surface sloping towards the core portion (see Fig. 7C) as it extends farther away from the base.
In reference to dependent claim 6, Sovine further discloses: the first position of the spring portion (400, 410) corresponds to a relaxed state in which the spring portion is not elastically deformed (see [0047]).
In reference to dependent claim 7, Sovine further discloses: the spring portion (400, 410) includes a first spring arm and a second spring arm arranged oppositely to each other (see Fig. 7C) so that the core portion (420) is arranged between the first spring arm and the second spring arm (see Fig. 7C).
In reference to dependent claim 8, Sovine further discloses: the clip component (168) having a symmetrical shape with the symmetry plane extending through the core portion (420) between the first spring arm and the second spring arm (400, 410) (see Fig. 7C).
In reference to dependent claim 9, Sovine further discloses: both the first spring arm and the second spring arm slope away from the core portion (420) as they protrude from the base (see Fig. 7C).
In reference to dependent claim 10, Sovine further discloses: the first spring arm slopes away in the opposite direction than the second arm spring as they protrude from the base (see Fig. 7C).
In reference to dependent claim 12, Sovine further discloses: the core portion (420) has an acute portion for facilitating insertion into the hole (342) of the second element (see Fig. 7C).
In reference to dependent claim 13, Sovine further discloses: the core portion includes two side walls extending in the second direction (see Fig. 7C, annotated above), and a middle wall (420) extending perpendicularly to the two side walls so as to connect them, the spring portion being located at least partially between the side walls (see Fig. 7C), wherein the two side walls have acute portions facilitating insertion into the hole (342) of the second element (see Fig. 7C, annotated below).
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In reference to independent claim 14, Sovine further discloses: a connection assembly comprising a first element with a bracket (160) including the hole (342) (see Fig. 5A).
In reference to independent claim 15, Sovine further discloses: a cooling module (100) comprising an air duct with the bracket (160) including the hole (342), and a radiator(110) including the clip component (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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sovine.
In reference to dependent claim 11, Sovine is silent regarding the middle wall connects center portions of the two side walls. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the prior art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have configured the two side walls such that their center portions are connected by the middle wall as a matter of design choice, absent criticality or unexpected results, as doing so only required routine skill.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Ngoc T Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)272-7176. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Helena Kosanovic can be reached at (571) 272-9059. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NGOC T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3799
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