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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 30, 31, 36 and 43 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 30 recites the limitation "the first pivot axle".
Claim 31 recites the limitation “the first axis” and “the second axis”.
Claim 36 recites the limitation “the second axis.”
There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Further, claim 30 and 43 recite the term and/or. The term “and/or” is confusing and unclear. It is unclear whether “and” or “or” is intended and it is noted that the two terms (“and” and “or”) have different meanings making it imperative to know which term is intended in order to understand the metes and bounds of the claim. Applicant is advised to select EITHER “and” or “or”, but not both. The claim will be examined as best understood wherein “and/or” is taken to mean “or”.
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The combination of the claimed stucutre and function is not found nor suggested by the prior art.
Regarding claim 20 Hengel in the same field teaches An actuation device for a connector comprising
a guide structure with at least one guide rail extending along a rail axis (see Fig. 3), and
a carriage device with a support element, at least one sliding structure that is mounted to the support element (see Fig. 1 ), a pivot unit that is mounted to the support element and an arm that is mounted to the pivot unit such that the arm is supported pivotable relative to the support element by means of the pivot unit (see Fig. 5),
However, does not disclose wherein the carriage device is beared on the at least one guide rail by said at least one sliding structure, wherein the carrier device is moveable between an initial position and a connection position, wherein the at least one guide rail has an upper guide surface, a lower guide surface and a lateral guide surface, and wherein the at least one sliding structure comprises at least three sliding portions or exactly three sliding portions, wherein an upper sliding portion of said sliding portions is in contact with the upper guide surface, a lower sliding portion of said sliding portions is in contact with the lower guide surface and a lateral sliding portion of said sliding portion is in contact with the lateral guide surface, and main reason for allowance.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
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/ELIM ORTIZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
