CTNF 18/616,974 CTNF 61100 Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-15 AIA Claim (s) 1 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102( a)(1 ) as being anticipated by Kobler 4643506 . Regarding claim 1, Kobler (front page) discloses a connector comprising: a housing 12 having a cavity 26 extending in a front-rear direction; a terminal fitting 24A that is housed in the cavity and connects to a front end portion of an electric wire 22A; and a rubber plug that fits onto the electric wire and is coupled to the terminal fitting, wherein the rubber plug includes: a body portion 76A that has a seal lip (unnumbered portion of larger diameter flush with the right end of the housing) that comes into close contact with an inner circumferential surface of the cavity; an extended portion (the necked-down portion to the left of 100A) that extends rearward from the body portion and is disposed outside the housing; and a bulging portion 100A that bulges outward in a radial direction of the extended portion, and inherently comes into contact with a rear surface of the housing in a state where the electric wire disposed inside the extended portion is bent sufficiently in a direction that intersects the front-rear direction. Regarding claim 5, Kobler discloses an outer diameter of the bulging portion is greater than an opening diameter of the cavity 26 in the housing . 12-151-08 AIA 07-43 12-51-08 Claim s 2-4 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. 13-03-01 AIA The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: none of the prior art discloses or teaches the plurality of flange portions; nor the combination of the elastic portion and the extended portion as recited; in combination with the rest of the subject matter of the independent claim . Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GARY F PAUMEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2013. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christopher Koehler can be reached at 571-272-3560. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /GARY F PAUMEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/616,974 Page 2 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/616,974 Page 3 Art Unit: 2834
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