DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 03 September 2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
Claims 1, 3, and 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Roman (USP 5,072,971).
In regards to claim 1, Roman discloses a pass through assembly confirmation quick
connector (see figs. 13-19), comprising:
a pass through tube (1) having a cylindrical outer surface;
a tubular locking ring (9) disposable on the outer surface of the pass through tube;
a twist-lock mount (5, 13) releasably connecting the pass through tube and the
locking ring, wherein twisting the locking ring relative to the pass through tube moves the
locking ring between an unlocked position and a locked position; and
a confirmation ring (8) releasably connected to the locking ring, the confirmation ring
securing the locking ring in the locked position (see column 4, lines 1-8).
the twist-lock mount includes at least one locking member (5) projecting from the outer surface of the pass through tube, and at least one female receptor (13) disposed on an inner surface of the locking ring, each female receptor corresponding to one of the at least one locking member, and each locking member being received in its corresponding female receptor (shown in fig. 16).
In regards to claim 3, Roamn further discloses each female receptor includes an inlet
slot (13) and a ramp (11,12) adjacent the slot.
In regards to claim 13, Roman further discloses the confirmation ring is disk-shaped (shown in fig. 13).
In regards to claim 14, Roman further discloses the pass through tube includes an
annular flange (shown in fig. 14) extending radially from the cylindrical outer surface, and a sealing ring (shown in fig. 14) is adjacent the annular flange.
In regards to claim 15, Roman further discloses a cooperative indication surface (see protrusion and groove in fig. 16) partly formed on the locking ring and partly formed on the confirmation ring, wherein the part of the indication surface on the locking ring is adjacent to and aligned with the part of the indication surface on the confirmation ring when the confirmation ring is connected to the locking ring (shown in fig. 34).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claims 4 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Roman as
applied to claim 1 above.
In regards to claims 4 and 5, Roman discloses the connector of claim 2 and further
disclose two pairs of said locking members and two pairs of said female receptors (see fig. 16); Roman does not disclose one pair of locking members is circumferentially offset 90 degrees from the other pair of locking members, and the one pair of locking members is spaced from the other pair of locking members in an axial direction of the pass through tube; wherein one pair of female receptors is circumferentially offset 90 degrees from the other pair of female receptors.
While Roman does not expressly disclose the claimed spacing of the locking members; the orientation of the locking members may be determined through the use of routine experimentation during the engineering design process to optimize the functionality of the device, suited to the intended use and desired parameters.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date to one having ordinary skill in the art to modify Roman to have one pair of locking members circumferentially offset 90 degrees from the other pair of locking members, and the one pair of locking members is spaced from the other pair of locking members in an axial direction of the pass through tube; wherein one pair of female receptors is circumferentially offset 90 degrees from the other pair of female receptors, as the orientation of the locking members may be optimized to the desired operational parameters through the use of routine experimentation. A person of ordinary skill in the art undertaking such experimentation would have had a reasonable expectation of success and the results would have been predictable.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 17-20 are allowed.
Claims 6-12 and 16 are 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZACHARY T DRAGICEVICH whose telephone number is (571)270-0505. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00 - 4:30 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew D. Troutman can be reached at (571) 270-3654. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ZACHARY T DRAGICEVICH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3679 09/23/2026
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