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
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: Paragraph [0005] recites, “Publication No. 10837294,” which should be corrected to, “Publication No. 108372794.”
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-9 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.
Claims 1-3, 5, 6, and 9 recite, “the terminal.” In the instance at least in claim 1, it is unclear which of the rod-shaped terminal or the socket terminal is further referenced. For examination purposes, each instance of, “the terminal,” will be interpreted as, “the rod-shaped terminal.”
Claims 4 and 7-8 rejected for inheriting the deficiencies of the claims from which they depend.
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.
(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, 5, 8, and 9 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being unpatentable over Huang (CN109788713).
Regarding claim 1: Huang (Figures 7 and 9) teaches an electric-wire-equipped connector used for charging an electric vehicle or discharging the electric vehicle, the electric-wire-equipped connector comprising a connector (i.e. see figure 9), an electric wire (i.e. from rear of 11), and a connection part (i.e. 4), wherein the connector includes a rod-shaped terminal (i.e. 11) to be connected to a socket terminal provided in the electric vehicle, the terminal includes a first flow path (i.e. via 115) through which a refrigerant flows inside the terminal, the electric wire includes a conductor (i.e. inserted to rear of 11), and a second flow path (i.e. within 5) through which the refrigerant flows along a longitudinal direction of the conductor, and the connection part connects the terminal and the conductor, and includes a third flow path (i.e. from 116 to 4) that allows the first flow path and the second flow path to communicate with each other.
Regarding claim 5: Huang (Figure 9) teaches the electric-wire-equipped connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector includes a first pipe (i.e. leading to 115) fixed to the terminal, and the first flow path allows an inside of the first pipe and the third flow path to communicate with each other.
Regarding claim 8: Huang teaches the electric-wire-equipped connector according to claim 1, wherein the electric wire includes a second pipe (i.e. 5) that covers the conductor, and forms the second flow path between itself and the conductor, the connection part has an outer circumferential surface (i.e. 41) that faces an inner circumferential surface (i.e. 51) of the second pipe, and the connector includes a fixture (i.e. space of 3 accommodating 4 and 5) that fixes the second pipe to the connection part, with the inner circumferential surface of the second pipe and the outer circumferential surface of the connection part facing each other.
Regarding claim 9: Huang teaches the electric-wire-equipped connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector includes a housing (i.e. 3) that covers the terminal, the housing includes a draw-out hole (i.e. rear of 3) through which the electric wire is drawn out, and the connector includes a second seal member (i.e. 42) disposed between an inner circumferential surface of the draw-out hole and the electric wire.
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 6-7 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang.
Regarding claim 6: Huang (Figures 9, 10) teaches the electric-wire-equipped connector according to claim 5, wherein the connector includes a housing (i.e. 3) that covers the terminal, the housing has a through hole (i.e. 31) in which the first pipe is inserted,
but does not specifically teach the connector includes a first seal member disposed between an inner circumferential surface of the through hole and the first pipe.
However, Huang (Figure 10) teaches a seal member (i.e. 63) disposed between an inner circumferential surface of a through hole (i.e. 62) and a pipe (i.e. leading back to 115).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the connector to have a first seal member disposed between an inner circumferential surface of the through hole and the first pipe so as to prevent leakage of refrigerant at the through hole.
Regarding claim 7: Huang (Figures 9-12) teaches the electric-wire-equipped connector according to claim 6, wherein the first seal member has an extended part (i.e. top of 63) located outside the housing, and the extended part has a tapered shape (i.e. tapered ribs of 63) in which a height on an inner circumferential side is higher than a height on an outer circumferential side.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 2, the prior art of record does fairly teach or suggest an accommodation part in which the connection part is inserted, and an inner circumferential surface of the accommodation part and an outer circumferential surface of the connection part are coupled to each other alone or in obvious combination.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Gregory Mangot whose telephone number is 703-756-5737. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm ET.
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/GREGORY L MANGOT/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/CHRISTOPHER M KOEHLER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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