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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.84(l). Every line, number, and letter must be durable, clean, black (except for color drawings), sufficiently dense and dark, and uniformly thick and well- defined. The weight of all lines and letters must be heavy enough to permit adequate reproduction. This requirement applies to all lines however fine, to shading, and to lines representing cut surfaces in sectional views. Lines and strokes of different thicknesses may be used in the same drawing where different thicknesses have a different meaning.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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, 4 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ohfuku (US 10,305,221).
Regarding claim 1, Ohfuku discloses a connector structure comprising: a first connector (15); a second connector (13) configured to be fitted with the first connector; and a fitting position guarantee lock (21) attached to the second connector in a manner of being slidable in a fitting direction (left to right in Fig. 4) of the first connector and the second connector, wherein the first connector includes a first locking portion (33) and a second locking portion (34) that protrude to both sides in a protrusion direction (vertically in Fig. 4) intersecting the fitting direction, wherein the second connector includes: a first arm (53) whose distal end is flexible in the protrusion direction, and a third locking portion (55) provided at the distal end of the first arm and configured to ride over the first locking portion and to be engaged with the first locking portion when the first connector and the second connector are fitted to each other, and wherein the fitting position guarantee lock includes: a second arm (91) whose distal end is flexible in the protrusion direction, a fourth locking portion (93) provided at the distal end of the second arm and configured to ride over the third locking portion and to be engaged with the third locking portion after the third locking portion rides over the first locking portion and is engaged with the first locking portion, a third arm (99) whose distal end is flexible in the protrusion direction, and a fifth locking portion (101) provided at the distal end of the third arm and configured to ride over the second locking portion and to be engaged with the second locking portion at a final locking position where the fourth locking portion rides over the third locking portion and is engaged with the third locking portion.
Regarding claim 4, Ohfuku discloses a fitting position guarantee lock (21) attached to a second connector (13) in a manner of being slidable in a fitting direction of a first connector and the second connector, the fitting position guarantee lock comprising: a second arm (91) whose distal end is flexible in a protrusion direction intersecting the fitting direction; a fourth locking portion (93) provided at the distal end of the second arm, and configured to, after a third locking portion provided at a distal end of a first arm that is flexible in the protrusion direction of the second connector rides over a first locking portion protruding toward one side in the protrusion direction of the first connector and is engaged with the first locking portion, ride over the third locking portion and be engaged with the third locking portion (intended use); a third arm (99) whose distal end is flexible in the protrusion direction; and a fifth locking portion (101) provided at the distal end of the third arm, and configured to ride over a second locking portion protruding toward the other side in the protrusion direction of the first connector and to be engaged with the second locking portion at a final locking position where the fourth locking portion rides over the third locking portion and is engaged with the third locking portion (intended use).
Regarding claim 5, Ohfuku discloses a first connector (15) to be fitted with a second connector to which a fitting position guarantee lock is slidably attached, the first connector comprising a first locking portion (33) and a second locking portion (34) protruding to both sides in a protrusion direction (vertically in Fig. 4) intersecting a fitting direction of the first connector and the second connector, and configured to be engaged with a locking portion that is provided at a distal end of a flexible arm in the protrusion direction of the fitting position guarantee lock slidably attached to the second connector (intended use).
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.
Claims 2 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ohfuku in view of Nishiyama (US 10,862,243).
Regarding claim 2, Ohfuku discloses substantially the claimed invention except for the second locking portion provided with a second inclined surface. Nishiyama teaches a second locking portion (35) provided with a first inclined surface (36) whose protrusion height increases toward a first connector side in the fitting direction, and a second inclined surface (37) that is adjacent to the first connector side of the first inclined surface and whose protrusion height decreases toward the first connector side in the fitting direction, and wherein, when the third locking portion rides over the first locking portion, the fifth locking portion is in contact with the second inclined surface (Fig. 13C). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the invention was effectively filed to use a second inclined surface, as taught by Nishiyama, in order to provide a smoother connection and an easy withdrawal of the third locking portion.
Regarding claim 3, Nishiyama teaches the first connector including a first rib (not labeled, lower rib above 37 in Fig. 1) extending in the fitting direction, wherein the fitting position guarantee lock has a rib insertion groove (not labeled, lower side groove in Figs. 6A-C) into which the first rib is inserted and that guides the first connector in the fitting direction, and wherein a second rib (not labeled, protrusion inside lower side groove in Figs. 6B-C) configured to come into contact with the first rib at the final locking position is provided in the rib insertion groove. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the invention was effectively filed to use a rib and groove arrangement, as taught by Nishiyama, in order to help guide and stabilize insertion of the first connector.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FELIX O FIGUEROA whose telephone number is (571)272-2003. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-6pm.
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, Renee Luebke can be reached at (571)727-2009. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/FELIX O FIGUEROA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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