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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in present Application filed on May 07, 2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements filed April 06, 2024 and October 03, 2025 have been submitted for consideration by the Office. It has been placed in the application file and the information referred to therein has been considered.
Applicants must continue to submit prior art references throughout the patent application process. A supplemental IDS must be submitted if prior art is discovered through a foreign patent application or an International Patent Search, or a related application before a prosecution closes.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election of Group I and Species B1 encomssing claims 1and 14 with traverse of in the reply filed on February 09, 2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the search required for examination of all claims would not be unduly burdensome on the Examiner. This is not found persuasive because
First, the question as to whether or not inventions overlap in scope is not whether the groups share some limitations. In fact, if such were the case, no restriction between groups with a linking or generic claim would ever be proper. Clearly, such an interpretation would not be consistent with restriction practice or double patenting practice as a whole. Rather, related inventions in the same statutory class are considered mutually exclusive, or not overlapping in scope, if a first invention would not infringe a second invention, and the second invention would not infringe the first invention.
And second, the classification of a particular invention in a class and subclass is not to be construed as a complete field of search. Where it is necessary to search for one of the inventions or species in a manner that is not likely to result in finding art pertinent to the other invention(s) (e.g., searching different classes /subclasses or electronic resources, or employing different search queries), a different field of search is shown, even though the two are classified together. For example, Arrangement or
structure in each species as disclosed above different form other species as
shown description of specie, for example, in figure 1 (species B1) having branch
wires having exterior member attached in round shape requires different search
queries and prior art than figure 12 (species B3) having linear wires having exterior
member attached in tube shape. It requires employing different search queries as well as it is also possible to one or more prior arts applicable to one species is not applicable to other species.
And Third, as restriction requirement mentions that the process of the Invention II as claimed the process as claimed can be used to make another and materially different product than invention I, In the instant case, II having in the one exterior member and the another exterior member between the first mold and a second mold; and a welding process of welding the first end portion sides and the second end portion sides in the one exterior member and the another exterior member along an axial direction of the protection target region as mentioned by invention II using different methods or processes such as they are produced bonded together without using a single flat portion hold at one end and welded that end and remove flat portion and placed under second end joining potion and welded that portion or any other different steps or methods.
Therefore, the requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claims 2-13 and 15-20 are withdrawn from further consideration as being drawn to a nonelected subject matter or species.
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-AlA) 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 102 which forms the basis for all rejections set forth 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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) (whichever apply) as being anticipated by Arai et al. (US20220293297, herein referred to as Arai) or Mizuno et al. (US20210020331, herein referred to as Mizuno).
Rejection of claim 1, Arai (figure 5-7) or Mizuno (figures 1 and 4) discloses a wire harness comprising:
a harness component that includes an electric wire group including a plurality of electric wires, and a pair of sheet-shaped insulating exterior members sandwiching a protection target region of the electric wire group and housing the protection target region inside ( Arai (figure 5-7) discloses a pair of sheet-shaped insulating exterior members 124 (or 224) and 126 (or 226) sandwiching a region of the electric wire group 30 and housing the region inside; Alternatively Mizuno in figures 1 and 4 discloses a pair of sheet-shaped insulating exterior members 32 and 140 sandwiching a region of the electric wire group 20 and housing the region inside and see paragraph 0051),
wherein the harness component includes joint portions in contact with each other between the pair of exterior members, and a weld having two free ends where the joint portions are welded to each other along an axial direction of the protection target region between the joint portions in contact with each other (see in Arai wherein end potions of the pair of sheet-shaped insulating exterior members 124 (or 224) and 126 (or 226) in Arai wherein exterior members 124 (or 224) and 126 (or 226) are welded and contacted each other; Alternatively, see in Mizuno wherein end potions of the pair of sheet-shaped insulating exterior members 32 and 140 in Mizuno wherein exterior members 32 and 140 are welded and contacted each other).
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 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Arai or Mizuno in view of Gotou et al. (US20130292159, herein referred to as Gotou) or Uchida et al. (US5895889, herein referred to as Uchida).
Rejection of claim 14 Arai or Mizuno discloses the wire harness according to claim 1, but fails to disclose further comprising: a clamp that includes a clamp body configured to assemble a predetermined location of the electric wire group to an object to be assembled, and a fixing protrusion protruding from the clamp body, wherein the exterior member has a through-hole through which the clamp body is inserted from a first wall surface side to a second wall surface side, and sandwiches the fixing protrusion between the first wall surface and the electric wire group.
Gotou (figures 1-8) or Uchida (figures 4-5C and 7) discloses a clamp that includes a clamp body configured to assemble a predetermined location of the electric wire group to an object to be assembled, and a fixing protrusion protruding from the clamp body, wherein the exterior member has a through-hole through which the clamp body is inserted from a first wall surface side to a second wall surface side, and sandwiches the fixing protrusion between the first wall surface and the electric wire group ( Gotou in figures 1-8 wherein a fixing protrusion 37 protruding from the clamp body, wherein the exterior member 17 has a through-hole 31; the clamp body is inserted from a first wall surface side to a second wall surface side (opposite side surfaces of exterior member 17), and sandwiches the fixing protrusion 24a between the first wall surface and the electric wire group 19; Alternatively, see Uchida in figures 4-5C wherein a fixing protrusion 24a protruding from the clamp body, wherein the exterior member A has a through-hole through 23; and the clamp body is inserted from a first wall surface side to a second wall surface side (opposite side surfaces of exterior member A), and sandwiches the fixing protrusion 24a between the first wall surface and the electric wire group 12).
It would have been obvious to ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the wire harness of Arai or Mizuno to have clamp structural arrangement as taught by Gotou or Uchida because it is also preferable that the first resin sheet has projecting clamp to be fitted in engagement holes provided in the object. In this case, by fitting the clamp in the engagement holes of the object respectively, it is possible to fix the wire harness to the object quickly. Or a clamp attached to the wire harness is conveniently and detachably attached by being locked to clamp mounting hole bored at the body or the door.
Pertinent Prior Arts
The prior arts made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please refer to the enclosed PTO-892 form for the citation of pertinent arts in the present case, all of which disclose various wire harness assemblies.
Communication
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PARESH PAGHADAL whose telephone number is (571)272-5251. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00AM-4:00PM, Monday - Thursday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Timothy Thompson can be reached on (571)272-2342. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PARESH PAGHADAL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847