DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to the amendment filed on 8/12/2026.
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 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.
Claim(s) 1, 3 – 7, 10, 12, 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Röhrig (US 20210140576, cited in the IDS on 8/22/2024).
Regarding claim 1, Röhrig teaches (figures 1 – 7, annotation) a housing part (10a, 10b) for a hybrid connector (54a, 55a) for the transmission of electrical current and at least one fluid (¶0019) to a mating connector (56a) along a connection direction (“X” in annotation), comprising an electrical connection area (55a) and a fluid connection area (54a) which is separate from the electrical connection area (¶0019) and has an external connection (42a) located at a distal end (end where 58 is seen in figure 4) with at least one fluid channel (2030a; ¶0036 – ¶0038) for connecting at least one fluid hose (38a) transversely to the connection direction (¶0049), wherein the housing part (10a, 10b) comprises a grommet attachment portion (22) for attaching a grommet (24; ¶0046).
~ Please see annotation of figure 3 in the Röhrig reference, where the fluid hose 38a, the external connection 42a, the fluid connection area 54a, the electrical connection area 55a, the mating connector 56a, the fluid channel 2030a, and the insertion direction “X” can be seen.
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Regarding claim 3, Röhrig teaches (figures 1 – 7, annotation) the housing part according to claim 1, wherein a collar (46 in figure 4) surrounds a region defined by contact elements of the electrical connection area (¶0019) of the hybrid connector (54a, 55a).
Regarding claim 4, Röhrig teaches (figures 1 – 7, annotation) the housing part according to claim 1, wherein the at least one fluid channel (2030a) comprises two respective segments (18, 28) with cylindrical inner shapes (¶0037 – ¶0038).
Regarding claim 5, Röhrig teaches (figures 1 – 7, annotation) the housing part according to claim 1, wherein the at least one fluid channel (2030a) is configured as a separate part mounted to the hybrid connector (i.e. disclosed fluid channel 2030a is capable of being mounted separately from the disclosed hybrid connector).
Regarding claim 6, Röhrig teaches (figures 1 – 7, annotation) the housing part according to claim 1, wherein an internal connection (see connection in figure 3) of the at least one fluid channel (2030a) located at a proximal end (figure 5) is configured for connection parallel to the connection direction (i.e. see parallel connection in B – B axis between 18 and 36 in figure 5).
Regarding claim 7, Röhrig teaches (figures 1 – 7, annotation) the housing part according to claim 6, wherein the internal connection (see connection in figure 3) has a separate seal (22).
Regarding claim 10, Röhrig teaches (figures 1 – 7, annotation) the housing part according to claim 1, wherein the housing part (10a, 10b) is configured such that, in the intended operating state, the fluid connection area (54a) is located beneath the electrical connection area (55a; ¶0019) when the hybrid connector is positioned in an intended operation orientation (see annotation).
Regarding claim 12, Röhrig teaches (figures 1 – 7, annotation) a hybrid connector (54a, 55a), comprising a housing part (10a, 10b) according to claim 1.
Regarding claim 13, Röhrig teaches (figures 1 – 7, annotation) the hybrid connector according to claim 12, wherein the hybrid connector (54a, 55a) is configured as a plug (¶0056 – ¶0058).
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(s) 2, 8, 11, 14, 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Röhrig (US 20210140576, cited in the IDS on 8/22/2024) in view of Saba (US 20020058436, cited in the IDS on 8/22/2024).
Regarding claim 2, Röhrig teaches (figures 1 – 7, annotation) the housing part according to claim 1.
But Röhrig does not explicitly disclose wherein in the connected state the electrical connection area is sealed in a fluid-tight manner.
Saba teaches (figure 2) a connector wherein in the connected state the electrical connection area (31) is sealed (23) in a fluid-tight manner (¶0041).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Röhrig with the connector as disclosed by Saba to provide wherein in the connected state the electrical connection area is sealed in a fluid-tight manner, improving the connector’s resistance against water, dust, and debris.
Regarding claim 8, Röhrig teaches (figures 1 – 7, annotation) the housing part according to claim 1.
But Röhrig does not explicitly disclose wherein the inner clear cross-section of the at least one fluid channel widens in an end section towards one or the proximal end.
Saba teaches (figure 2) a connector wherein the inner clear cross-section of the at least one fluid channel (cross section of 22) widens in an end section towards one or the proximal end (see figure 2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Röhrig with the connector as disclosed by Saba to provide wherein the inner clear cross-section of the at least one fluid channel widens in an end section towards one or the proximal end, as this would have predictably provided the advantage of facilitating detection of tube disconnection (i.e. ¶0006 in Saba), thereby improving operational reliability.
Regarding claim 11, Röhrig teaches (figures 1 – 7, annotation) the housing part according to claim 1.
But Röhrig does not explicitly disclose wherein the fluid connection area lies completely in a first half-space defined by a plane and the electrical connection area lies completely in a second half-space complementary to the first half-space.
Saba teaches (figure 2) a connector wherein the fluid connection area (55W) lies completely in a first half-space (see figure 2) defined by a plane and the electrical connection area (31) lies completely in a second half-space (see figure 2) complementary to the first half-space.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Röhrig with the connector as disclosed by Saba to provide wherein the fluid connection area lies completely in a first half-space defined by a plane and the electrical connection area lies completely in a second half-space complementary to the first half-space, as this would have predictably provided the advantage of facilitating detection of tube disconnection (i.e. ¶0006 in Saba), thereby improving operational reliability.
Regarding claim 14, Röhrig teaches (figures 1 – 7, annotation) the hybrid connector according to claim 12.
But Röhrig does not explicitly disclose wherein the hybrid connector is configured such that the connection of the internal connection to a mating element is sealed off from the electrical connection area in the connected state by at least two independent seals.
Saba teaches (figure 2) a connector wherein the hybrid connector (15) is configured such that the connection of the internal connection to a mating element (30) is sealed off from the electrical connection area (31) in the connected state by at least two independent seals (23, 24, 71).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Röhrig with the connector as disclosed by Saba to provide wherein the hybrid connector is configured such that the connection of the internal connection to a mating element is sealed off from the electrical connection area in the connected state by at least two independent seals, improving the connector’s resistance against water, dust, and debris.
Regarding claim 15, Röhrig teaches (figures 1 – 7, annotation) the hybrid connector according to claim 12.
But Röhrig does not explicitly disclose wherein the hybrid connector is configured to be connected to a mating connector attached to a surface.
Saba teaches (figure 2) a connector wherein the hybrid connector (15) is configured to be connected to a mating connector (30) attached to a surface (11).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Röhrig with the connector as disclosed by Saba to provide wherein the hybrid connector is configured to be connected to a mating connector attached to a surface, as this would have predictably provided the advantage of facilitating detection of tube disconnection (i.e. ¶0006 in Saba), thereby improving operational reliability.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 5 – 8, filed on 8/12/2026, with respect to the objection to the specification, and the 35 U.S.C. §112(b) rejections have been fully considered and are persuasive. The objection of the specification has been withdrawn. The 35 U.S.C. §112(b) rejections of claims 3 and 10 have been withdrawn.
Applicant's arguments filed on 8/12/2026 regarding the 35 U.S.C. §102 (a)(1) and §103 rejections have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding the remarks for claim 1, Applicant argues that “There is no teaching or suggestion in Rohrig of the use or the need for a grommet attachment or a grommet, as recited in claim 1 of the present invention. The housing part of the present invention includes a grommet attachment portion 29 to which a grommet 90 can be attached. The grommet 90 can be understood to be a hose- or tube-shaped element made of a flexible material, which serves to protect the electrical cables and the at least one fluid hose 50. The grommet attachment portion 29 is configured to attach the grommet 90 so that, at its end, it extends along the attachment direction A of the at least one fluid hose 50. The grommet 90 can have at least one bellows 91, which enables a slight bending deformation. This is neither taught nor suggested by Rohrig.”. This argument is not persuasive because the argued hose or tube-shaped configuration is not recited in the claim. The claim merely recites “the housing part comprising a grommet attachment portion for attaching a grommet”, and does not require the grommet to be a hose or tube-shaped element made of a flexible material, nor does it require that the grommet has bellows that enable a slight bending deformation. Although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are not read into the claims (See MPEP §2145(VI); In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d 1181, 26 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1993)). Under the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claimed “grommet attachment portion for attaching a grommet” the sealing area 22 and sealing groove 26 of Röhrig correspond to the claimed grommet attachment portion, and the circumferential sealing means 24, particularly the disclosed O-ring, corresponds to the claimed grommet. Röhrig discloses that the sealing means 24 is received in the sealing groove 26 in the sealing area 22, thus, the reference discloses a portion for receiving and retaining the disclosed annular sealing member.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Carlos E. Lopez-Pagan whose telephone number is (703)756-5734. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30a - 5:00p.
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/CARLOS E LOPEZ-PAGAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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