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 domestic priority under 35 U.S.C. 120. The PCT Application Number PCT/JP2022/043725, being filed on November 28, 2022.
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 No. 18/711,234, filed on May 17, 2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements filed August 13, 2024 and July 17, 2025 have been submitted for consideration by the Office. They have been placed in the application file and the information referred to therein has been considered.
Drawings
The drawings were received on May 17, 2024. These drawings are approved.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipation by Osada et al (JP Pat Num 61/218007, herein referred to as Osada). Osada discloses a wiring member (Figs 1-7) for usage for wiring between devices, while also having excellent cross talk characteristics and good flexibility (Paragraph 1, Under Technical Field of The Invention header). Specifically, with respect to claim 1, Osada discloses a wiring member (Figs 1 & 4) comprising a twisted wire (top C) in which a first wire-like transmission member (1st left C, Fig 6) and a second wire-like transmission member (2nd left C, Fig 6) are stranded (as shown in Fig 5) and a base member (S) to which the twisted wire (top C) is fused and fixed (Fig 6), wherein when parts of the twisted wire (top C) in which the first wire-like transmission member (1st left C, Fig 6) and the second wire-like transmission member (2nd left C, Fig 6) are arranged side by side (Fig 6) on the base member (S) are side-by side parts (Fig 6), and parts of the twisted wire (top C) in which the first wire-like transmission member (1st left C, Fig 6) and the second wire-like transmission member (2nd left C, Fig 6) are vertically arranged are vertical parts (i.e. the conductors will be placed one on top of the other during the twisting before the conductors switch side by side positions), wherein the side-by-side parts (Fig 6) and the vertical parts (shown below) alternately extend along an extension direction of the twisted wire (top C, Fig 5), wherein a section between two of the vertical parts (i.e. the conductors will be placed one on top of the other during the twisting before the conductors switch side by side positions) continuously formed is a half cycle section of a strand in the twisted wire (top C, Fig 5),
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[AltContent: oval][AltContent: oval]wherein the first wire-like transmission member (1st left C, Fig 1) and the second wire-like transmission member (2nd left C, Fig 1) are not fused to the base member (S) in the vertical parts (in Area T2, see Embodiments of the Invention, Page 1), wherein each of the first wire-like transmission member (1st left C, Fig 6) and the second wire-like transmission member (2nd left C, Fig 6) is fused to the base member (S) in each of the side-by-side parts to form a side-by-side fusion part (in Area T1, see Embodiments of the Invention, Page 1), and a length of a first half cycle section including the side-by-side fusion part is larger than a length of a second half cycle section located adjacent to the first half cycle section (see Fig 5, which shown the left side by side cycle being half the size of the second side by side cycle showing the full cycle). With respect to claim 2, Osada discloses that the first wire-like transmission member (1st left C, Fig 6) and the second wire-like transmission member (2nd left C, Fig 6) are away from each other in a parallel direction in the side-by-side fusion part (Fig 6). With respect to claim 3, Osada discloses that the first wire-like transmission member (1st left C, Fig 6) and the second wire-like transmission member (2nd left C, Fig 6) extends straight in parallel to each other in the side-by-side fusion part (see F of Fig 5). With respect to claim 4, Osada discloses that the first wire-like transmission member (1st left C, Fig 6) and the second wire-like transmission member (2nd left C, Fig 6) are not fused to the base member (S) while being disposed on the base member (S) in the second half cycle section (in Area T2, see Embodiments of the Invention, Page 1). With respect to claim 5, Osada discloses that a length dimension of a fusion part (i.e. Fig 6 shown the S being fused to the entire width of the cable) of the first wire-like transmission member (1st left C, Fig 6) in the side-by-side fusion part is larger than a width dimension of the first wire-like transmission member (1st left C, Fig 6), and a length dimension of a fusion part (i.e. Fig 6 shown the S being fused to the entire width of the cable) of the second wire-like transmission member (2nd left C, Fig 6) in the side-by-side fusion part is larger than a width dimension of the second wire-like transmission member (2nd left C, Fig 6).
Conclusion
The prior art 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 art in the present case, all of which discloses a wiring member (i.e. flat cable) having fused and unfused areas.
Communication
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM H MAYO III whose telephone number is (571)272-1978. The examiner can normally be reached on M-Thurs (5:30a-3:00p) Fri 5:30a-2p (w/alternating Fridays off).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Imani Hayman can be reached on (571) 270-5528. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/William H. Mayo III/
William H. Mayo III
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2847
WHM III
February 5, 2026
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