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 . 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 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.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because in paragraph [0041], line 2, “macthed” should read --matched--. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In lines 2-3, “the connecting base being fitted to a structural member through the nesting slot” should read --the connecting base is configured to be fitted to a structural member through the nesting slot--.
In line 6, “matched to the adapting slot” should read --configured to be matched to the adapting slot--.
Appropriate correction is required.
The Examiner notes the structural member and adapting slot are not disclosed as part of the connecting member itself, but are instead utilized as part of an intended use of said connecting member, where the connecting member (100) connects the structural member (200) with a first device (300; see claim 1, Figure 1, and paragraph [0032]). As such, “configured to” language should be utilized to avoid confusion as to whether the claim is directed to the subcombination of a connecting member, or the combination of the connecting member and structural member.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 5, and 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN 114198373 (Zhou; the citations of which are taken from the attached translation).
Regarding claim 1, Zhou discloses a connecting member (see Figures 1-4 and annotated Figure 1 below), comprising:
a connecting base (2) defined with a nesting slot (311), the connecting base being fitted to a structural member (6) through the nesting slot (see, e.g., Figure 4; the structural member being defined with an adapting slot (61; see Figure 6), the connecting base being provided with a driving structure (formed by the pressing member, see annotated Figure 1 below, and driving button 1), a reset member (32 or 33), and a clamping member (31), the clamping member being exposed on a sidewall of the nesting slot and matched to the adapting slot (see Figure 4), the driving structure being movably disposed on the connecting base (see paragraphs [n0043] and [n0063]), the driving structure comprising a pressing member (see annotated Figure 1 below) and a driving button (1), the clamping member being disposed on a sliding path of the pressing member (see Figure 4), the pressing member being configured to press or loosen the clamping member, the driving button pressing and driving the pressing member to slide, the reset member being configured to apply a force to the driving button to reset the driving button (see paragraphs [n0043] and [n0063], where the pressing member is called a “positioning rod”);
wherein the connecting member has a locked state and an unlocked state, in the unlocked state, the pressing member loosens the clamping member when the driving button loosens the pressing member, to loosen the clamping member from the adapting slot (see paragraph [n0043]); and in the locked state, the pressing member presses the clamping member when the driving button resets the pressing member, to clamp the clamping member in the adapting slot (see Figure 4 and paragraph [n0063]).
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Figure 1. Annotated Figure 4 of Zhou
Regarding claim 2, Zhou discloses the connecting member according to claim 1, wherein the connecting base (2) is defined with a mounting cavity (see annotated Figure 1 above), the pressing member (see annotated Figure 1 above) is slidably arranged in the mounting cavity, the driving button is slidably penetrated into the mounting cavity and is at least partially exposed outside the connecting base (see Figure 2), slide directions of the driving button (1) and the pressing member are different (the slide direction of the driving button being into and out of the page in Figure 4, while the slide direction of the pressing member is up and down in Figure 4), an end of the reset member (32) resists the driving button (via the pressing member; see paragraph [n0043]), and the other end of the reset member resists a sidewall of the mounting cavity (see annotated Figure 1 above).
Regarding claim 5, Zhou discloses the connecting base (2) comprises a front base and a rear base (see annotated Figure 1 above) fixedly connected to the front base, the mounting cavity (see annotated Figure 1 above) is defined between the front base and the rear base, a sliding direction of the pressing member (see annotated Figure 1 above) is same as an extension direction of the rear base, and the driving button (1) is located on a side of the rear base.
Regarding claim 7, Zhou discloses at least two clamping members (31) are provided, at least two adapting slots (6) are provided, and each clamping member is clamped in one of the adapting slots (see annotated Figure 1 above); and/or
a bottom wall of the mounting cavity is defined with an accommodating slot (see annotated Figure 1 above) to accommodate the clamping member, the connecting base is defined with a through-hole communicating the nesting slot (311) and the accommodating slot, and the clamping member passes through the through-hole and exposed from a sidewall of the nesting slot (see Figures 1-4).
Regarding claim 8, Zhou discloses the connecting member according to claim 2, wherein the driving button (1) comprises a pressing portion disposed on an outer side of the connecting base (formed by the outer surface of the driving button; see any one of Figures 1-3), the connecting member further comprises an anti-false-touch member (33) rotatably connected to the connecting base, and a free end of the anti-false-touch member is capable of rotating to between the pressing portion and the connecting base (2; see paragraph [n0063]).
Regarding claim 9, Zhou discloses an end face of the connecting base (2) is provided with two oppositely arranged nesting portions (formed adjacent 31 in Figure 2), free ends of the two nesting portions are bent to face each other and the nesting slot (311) is formed among the two nesting portions and the connecting base (see Figure 2); and/or
a pressing direction of the driving button (1) is different from an extension direction of the nesting slot (see Figure 3).
Regarding claim 10, Zhou discloses a mounting and dismounting assembly (see Figures 1-4 and annotated Figure 1 above), wherein the mounting and dismounting assembly comprises a structural member (6) and a connecting member (formed at 2 in Figure 1);
wherein the connecting member comprises:
a connecting base (2) defined with a nesting slot (311), the connecting base being fitted to a structural member (6) through the nesting slot (see, e.g., Figure 4; the structural member being defined with an adapting slot (61; see Figure 6), the connecting base being provided with a driving structure (formed by the pressing member, see annotated Figure 1 above, and driving button 1), a reset member (32 or 33), and a clamping member (31), the clamping member being exposed on a sidewall of the nesting slot and matched to the adapting slot (see Figure 4), the driving structure being movably disposed on the connecting base (see paragraphs [n0043] and [n0063]), the driving structure comprising a pressing member (see annotated Figure 1 above) and a driving button (1), the clamping member being disposed on a sliding path of the pressing member (see Figure 4), the pressing member being configured to press or loosen the clamping member, the driving button pressing and driving the pressing member to slide, the reset member being configured to apply a force to the driving button to reset the driving button (see paragraph [n0063], where the pressing member is called a “positioning rod”);
wherein the connecting member has a locked state and an unlocked state, in the unlocked state, the pressing member loosens the clamping member when the driving button loosens the pressing member, to loosen the clamping member from the adapting slot (see paragraph [n0043]); and in the locked state, the pressing member presses the clamping member when the driving button resets the pressing member, to clamp the clamping member in the adapting slot (see Figure 4 and paragraph [n0063]).
wherein the connecting base is provided with a connecting structure (screws/bolts; shown best in Figure 6) to connect with a first device (5; see paragraph [n0085]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 4, and 6 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.
Regarding claims 3 and 4, Zhou discloses the connecting member according to claim 2, but fails to disclose an arcuate portion is protruded on the pressing member (see annotated Figure 1 above), a pressing surface of the driving button (1) is defined with a groove matched to the arcuate portion, and the groove is configured to accommodate the arcuate portion during sliding of the driving button (1) to loosen the pressing member.
The prior art fails to fairly show or suggest a modification to Zhou such that an arcuate portion is protruded on the pressing member, a pressing surface of the driving button is defined with a groove matched to the arcuate portion, and the groove is configured to accommodate the arcuate portion during sliding of the driving button to loosen the pressing member. Instead, the pressing member itself of Zhou is provided with an arcuate surface which cooperates with the nesting slot during sliding of the driving button. Further, one of ordinary skill in the art would not have been motivated to make such a modification to Zhou, as it would teach away from the intended structure of Zhou, where the pressing member itself of Zhou is provided with an arcuate surface which cooperates with the nesting slot (311) during sliding of the driving button.
Regarding claim 6, Zhou discloses the connecting member according to claim 2, but fails to disclose a pressing surface of the pressing member (see annotated Figure 1 above) is defined with a pressing groove matched to the clamping member (31); in the locked state, an end of the clamping member is limited in the pressing groove.
The prior art fails to fairly show or suggest a modification to Zhou such that a pressing surface of the pressing member is defined with a pressing groove matched to the clamping member; in the locked state, an end of the clamping member is limited in the pressing groove. Further, one of ordinary skill in the art would not have been motivated to make such a modification to Zhou, as it would teach away from the intended structure of Zhou, where the pressing member is located in a nesting slot (311) of the clamping member (31). A modification that to Zhou such that the clamping member is located in a slot of the pressing member would require extensive resizing of the pressing and clamping member which would teach away from the intended compact structure of Zhou (see paragraph [n0056]).
Conclusion
The prior art set forth in the attached Notice of References Cited (PTO-892) made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure in the field of mounting and dismounting assemblies with clamping members.
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/Josh Skroupa/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3678
April 22, 2026
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