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 June 25, 2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements filed May 30, 2024 and September 09, 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.
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.
Claims 1 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) (whichever apply) as being anticipated by Cho et al. (JP2022174920 (cited reference), herein referred to as Cho).
Rejection of claim 1, Cho discloses a collar (see figures 4-7 of Cho) comprising:
a first member (a top collar as a first collar in figures 4-7 of Cho) including:
a first flange portion having a plate-like shape (a plate like shaped first flange portion of the top collar); and
a first cylindrical portion being provided on an inner circumferential side of the first flange portion, protruding from a first protrusion surface being one surface of the first flange portion, and having a cylindrical shape (a first tube shaped portion on an inner circumferential side of the first flange portion); and
a second member (a bottom collar as a second collar in figures 4-7 of Cho) including:
a second flange portion having a plate-like shape (a plate like shaped first flange portion of the bottom collar); and
a second cylindrical portion being provided on an inner circumferential side of the second flange portion, protruding from a second protrusion surface being one surface of the second flange portion, and having a cylindrical shape (a second tube shaped portion on an inner circumferential side of the second flange portion), the second cylindrical portion being coupled to the first cylindrical portion (see figures 4-7 during coupling),
wherein when the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion are inserted into a through hole of a mounting target member (see the first and the second tube shaped portions during coupling or attachment to mounting member in me figures 4-7), outer diameters of the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion are smaller than a hole diameter of the through hole, and
a gap is provided between outer circumferential surfaces of the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion and an inner circumferential surface of the through hole (a gap between the first and the second tube shaped portions and an inner circumferential surface of the through hole during coupling or attachment to mounting member in me figures 4(b), 5(b), 5(c), 6(b), or 7(b)).
Rejection of claim 4, Cho discloses a fastened member (see figures 4-7 of Cho), comprising: the mounting target member having the through hole; and the collar according to claim 1, including the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion that are inserted into the through hole, wherein the gap is provided between the outer circumferential surfaces of the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion and the inner circumferential surface of the through hole (see rejection of claim 1).
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 2-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cho in view of Klassen et al. (US20240077097, herein referred to as Klassen).
Rejection claim 2, Cho discloses the collar according to claim 1, but fails to disclose wherein the first cylindrical portion includes:
a first recess portion being provided to a first end surface opposite to the first flange portion in a first region being one region with a first symmetric plane as a reference, the first symmetric plane passing through a center axis of the first cylindrical portion; and a first projection portion being provided to the first end surface in a second region being a region opposite to the first region with the first symmetric plane as a reference,
the second cylindrical portion includes: a second recess portion being provided to a second end surface opposite to the second flange portion in a third region being one region with a second symmetric plane as a reference, the second symmetric plane passing through a center axis of the second cylindrical portion; and a second projection portion being provided to the second end surface in a fourth region being a region opposite to the third region with the second symmetric plane as a reference,
the first member and the second member have an identical shape, and the first recess portion and the second projection portion are fitted to each other, and the second recess portion and the first projection portion are fitted to each other.
Klassen discloses wherein the first cylindrical portion ( a cylindrical portion of top portion 10 in figure 7 or 15) includes:
a first recess portion being provided to a first end surface opposite to the first flange portion in a first region being one region with a first symmetric plane as a reference, the first symmetric plane passing through a center axis of the first cylindrical portion; and a first projection portion being provided to the first end surface in a second region being a region opposite to the first region with the first symmetric plane as a reference (a first recess portion 40 between two shaft portions on one side of center axis in central opening of the first member 10, see figures 7or 15 in view of figures 6 or 9; and a protruding portion 42 across the first recess portion 40 with reference to the central axis of central opening),
the second cylindrical portion includes (see a cylindrical portion of bottom portion 10 in figures 7 or 15) : a second recess portion being provided to a second end surface opposite to the second flange portion in a third region being one region with a second symmetric plane as a reference, the second symmetric plane passing through a center axis of the second cylindrical portion; and a second projection portion being provided to the second end surface in a fourth region being a region opposite to the third region with the second symmetric plane as a reference (a second recess portion 40 between two shaft portions on one side of a center axis in a central opening of the second member, see figures 7or 15 in view of figure 6 and 9; and a second protruding portion 42 across the second recess portion 40 with reference to the central axis of the central opening),
the first member and the second member have an identical shape (see the figures as well as specification mentions top member 10 and bottom member 1o have similar shape), and the first recess portion and the second projection portion are fitted to each other, and the second recess portion and the first projection portion are fitted to each other (see figures 7or 15 in view of figures 6 or 9 when top member 10 and bottom member 10 are coupled).
It would have been obvious to ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the collar of Cho to have structural arrangement of collar as discloses by Klassen so that the first member and second member securely fix or attached to each other within the though hole as well as rotational movement of the first member can be prevent relative to other member. Additionally Klassen in abstract mentions that The shaft portion comprises a circumferential wall with a plurality of apertures so that the two structurally identical damping elements are fastenable to one another via the shaft portion by means of a form fit and/or friction fit connection wherein the undersides of the head portion are arranged facing each other and with the first component arranged therebetween.
Rejection claim 3, Cho in view of Klassen disclose the collar according to claim 2, wherein the plurality first recess portions and the first projections portion have an arc shape formed continuously along a shape of the first end surface as viewed in a center axis direction of the first cylindrical portion.
Cho in view of Klassen fail to disclose wherein the first recess portion and the first projection portion have a semi-circular arc shape formed continuously along a shape of the first end surface as viewed in a center axis direction of the first cylindrical portion.
It would have been obvious design choice to ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have one first recess portion and one first projection portion have a semi-circular arc shape formed continuously along a shape of the first end surface as viewed in a center axis direction of the first cylindrical portion instead of the plurality first recess portions and the first projections portions and result would have been obvious and predicted for the same reason applied to claim 2 wherein Klassen in abstract mentions that the two structurally identical damping elements are fastenable to one another via the shaft portion by means of a form fit and/or friction fit connection wherein the undersides of the head portion are arranged facing each other and with the first component arranged therebetween. Additionally, the first member and second member securely fix or attached to each other within the though hole as well as rotational movement of the first member can be prevent relative to other member.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Toll et al. (US20190036314, hereinafter Toll) in view of Cho as mentioned in claims 1 and 4.
Rejection of claim 5, Toll discloses a wire harness, comprising: an electric wire; and the fastened member, wherein the fastened member is a protector.
Toll fails to disclose (the structure of collar of) the fastened member according to claim 4.
Cho discloses the structure of collar of the fastened member according to claim 4 (see explanation of rejection of claims 1 and 4 above) .
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 the Toll to have structure of collar of the fastened member as taught by Cho because Cho mentions that the collar is for preventing the bracket and the like from being damaged by the tightening torque of the bolt. And/or the collar that can be attached to various bolt insertion holes having different sizes and shapes, and to provide a bolt insertion hole reinforcement structure in which the collar is attached to the bolt insertion hole.
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 collar structures.
Communication
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/PARESH PAGHADAL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847