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 .
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper content of an abstract of the disclosure.
A patent abstract is a concise statement of the technical disclosure of the patent and should include that which is new in the art to which the invention pertains. The abstract should not refer to purported merits or speculative applications of the invention and should not compare the invention with the prior art.
If the patent is of a basic nature, the entire technical disclosure may be new in the art, and the abstract should be directed to the entire disclosure. If the patent is in the nature of an improvement in an old apparatus, process, product, or composition, the abstract should include the technical disclosure of the improvement. The abstract should also mention by way of example any preferred modifications or alternatives.
Where applicable, the abstract should include the following: (1) if a machine or apparatus, its organization and operation; (2) if an article, its method of making; (3) if a chemical compound, its identity and use; (4) if a mixture, its ingredients; (5) if a process, the steps.
Extensive mechanical and design details of an apparatus should not be included in the abstract. The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph within the range of 50 to 150 words in length.
See MPEP § 608.01(b) for guidelines for the preparation of patent abstracts.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because the Abstract does not mention that the invention an electrical connector. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: --ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HAVING A COVER WITH A WATERPROOF SEAL BETWEEN THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR AND COVER--.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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-AIA ) 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.
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) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kosaka et al. (2020/0274288) in view of ‘6673 (JP3126673U).
With regard to claim 1, Kosaka teaches, as shown in figures 1-8 and taught in paragraphs 2, 4, 23, and 42: “A connector 19 comprising: a housing 10 including an accommodating portion 17 that accommodates a connection terminal 16 and a tubular portion 32 having an opening (opening described in paragraph 2) into which a mating connector (taught in paragraph 4) is to be inserted; a cover 12 configured to cover the opening in an openable (shown in figure 2) and closable (shown in figure 3) manner; and an annular packing 13 configured to be attached to one of the cover 12 and the housing and to seal a gap between the tubular portion 15 and the cover 12 at a closed position where the cover 12 closes the opening, wherein: the packing 13 has a first recess 59 formed in a surface on one side in a central axis direction (left-right direction in figure 1) of an annular shape, and a second recess 59 formed in a surface on the other side in the central axis direction; the one of the cover 12 and the housing to which the packing 13 is to be attached includes a first member 53 and a second member 53 that are separately provided… hold the packing therebetween; the first member includes a first protrusion (claw taught in paragraph 42) to be inserted into… the first recess 59; the second member 53 includes a second protrusion (claw taught in paragraph 42) to be inserted into and held by the second recess 59; the packing 13 has a contact surface (right surface of 13 in figure 8), namely one of an inner surface and an outer surface; which comes into contact with the other of the cover and the housing 10 at the closed position; and gaps (shown below) are formed between the packing 13 and side surfaces of the first protrusion and the second protrusion on a contact surface side at an open position where the cover 13 is open”.
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Kosaka does not teach the first and second members provided to sandwich the packing therebetween or the first and second protrusions held by the first recess.
In the same field of endeavor before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, ‘6673 teaches, as shown in figures 1-4, the first 223 and second 224 members provided to sandwich the packing 23 therebetween and the first 226 and second 227 protrusions held by the first recess (where 226 and 227 are received by 23 in figure 1). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the features of ‘6673 with the invention of Kosaka in order to mount the seal (‘6673, page 4 lines 8-10).
With regard to claim 2, Kosaka as modified by ‘6673 teaches: “The connector according to claim 1”, as shown above.
Kosaka also teaches, as shown in figures 1-8: “wherein the packing 13 is attached to the cover 12”.
With regard to claim 4, Kosaka as modified by ‘6673 teaches: “The connector according to claim 1”, as shown above.
‘6673 also teaches, as shown in figures 1-4: “wherein: the packing 23 includes a first lip portion 232 and a second lip portion 233 arranged side by side in the central axis direction (left-right direction in figure 1); and each of tip ends of the first lip portion 232 and the second lip portion 233 serves as the contact surface”. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the features of ‘6673 with the invention of Kosaka in order to form a seal.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 5 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN M KRATT whose telephone number is (571)270-0277. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-6pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abdullah A Riyami can be reached at (571)270-3119. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JUSTIN M KRATT/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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