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 .
Claim Objections
Claims 2-10 are objected to because of the following informalities. Appropriate correction is required.
Regarding claims 2-10: These claims all recite “a motor” in line 1, this should recite “the motor”.
Regarding claim 2: Lines 2, 7, 13, and 16 should all recite “at least a partially circular arc…”.
Regarding claim 8: Lines 3 and 4 should recite “a power cable” and “an encoder cable”.
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 1-11 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.
Regarding claim 1: Line 7 recites “a motor” this has already been introduced in line 1. Therefore, it is unclear if it is the same or a different motor.
Regarding claim 2: Lines 8 and 13 each recite “an axis”, this has already been introduced in claim 1. It is unclear if it is the same or a different component.
Regarding claim 11: Line 4 recites “a positioning structure” and line 13 recites “a first position structure” and “a second position structure”. It is unclear if the first and second positioning structures differ than the one of line 4.
Line 10 recites “a housing” and “a motor”. These components have already been introduced. It is unclear if they are the same or different.
The remaining claims are rejected due to their dependency on a rejected claim.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 10, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Okamoto et al. (“Okamoto”; US 2004/0012276).
Regarding claim 1: Okamoto discloses a terminal box (Fig. 13) for a motor, the terminal box comprising:
a body (50), defining space for a terminal block (55, Fig. 11) for connecting inner cables (80) to outer cables (90);
a first mounting structure (bottom part of 50 in Fig. 12a, up and down arrows in Fig. 12a indicated that 50 is mounted to 3, see paragraph 0049) on the body matching a second mounting structure (3) on a housing of a motor, wherein the body is turnable around an axis within a set angle when mounted on the second mounting structure (paragraph 0049); and
a first positioning structure on the body (mating with 31, paragraphs 0049-0051) matching a second positioning structure (31) on the housing, wherein the first positioning structure cooperates with the second positioning structure to lock the body against turning (paragraphs 0050-0051).
Regarding claim 2: Okamoto discloses the first mounting structure comprises a first hole (mating with 31) with at least partially circular arc edge positioned at the bottom of the body (paragraph 0050);
the second mounting structure comprises a first raised part (31) with at least partially circular arc outer edge (paragraph 0050);
the body can be turned around an axis of the first raised part; and the terminal block is fixed on the housing inside the first raised part (paragraph 0051), or
the first mounting structure comprises a second raised part with at least partially circular arc outer edge and a second hole positioned in the second raised part, and the second mounting structure is a groove with at least partially circular arc inner edge;
the body can be turned around an axis of the second raised part; and
the terminal block is fixed on a boss of the housing inside the groove.
Regarding claim 10: Okamoto discloses the terminal box is round, square, rectangle, hexagon or octagonal (in this case rectangular, Fig. 12a).
Regarding claim 11: Okamoto discloses a motor (paragraph 0002) comprising:
a housing (1) comprising a mounting structure (3);
a positioning structure (31) on the housing;
a terminal block (55, Fig. 11) for connecting inner cables (80) to outer cables (90) within a terminal box (50);
the terminal box having a body (50) defining space for the terminal block (55);
a first mounting structure (bottom part of 50 in Fig. 12a, up and down arrows in Fig. 12a indicated that 50 is mounted to 3, see paragraph 0049) on the body matching a second mounting structure (3) on a housing of a motor, wherein the body is turnable around an axis within a set angle when mounted on the second mounting structure (paragraph 0049); and
a first positioning structure on the body (mating with 31, paragraphs 0049-0051) matching a second positioning structure (31) on the housing, wherein the first positioning structure cooperates with the second positioning structure to lock the body against turning (paragraphs 0050-0051).
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 3, 5, and 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okamoto, in view of Sun (CN 109428435 A, English translation attached).
Regarding claim 3: Okamoto discloses the first and second positioning structure, but does not explicitly disclose the first positioning structure comprises a plurality of first slots arranged around the first hole or the second hole within a set angle at the bottom inside of the terminal box body; the second positioning structure comprises a first positioning protrusion matching with each of the first slots; and when the terminal box body is turned, the first positioning protrusion drops from a first slot into a next first slot under an external force.
However, Sun discloses the first positioning structure (11, Fig. 4) comprises:
a plurality of first slots (112) arranged around the first hole (111) or the second hole within a set angle at the bottom inside of the terminal box body (shown in Fig. 4);
the second positioning structure comprises a first positioning protrusion (1293) matching with each of the first slots; and
when the terminal box body is turned, the first positioning protrusion drops from a first slot into a next first slot under an external force (page 4, 3rd full paragraph).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the positioning structures of Okamoto to include the groove and lock of Sun in order to better secure the rotation of the terminal box.
Regarding claim 5: Okamoto modified by Sun disclose the second positioning structure, Sun further discloses the second positioning structure comprises a plurality of second slots (on each side of 1293, Fig. 4) arranged around the first raised part (1293) or the groove within a set angle (in this case 90 degrees);
the first positioning structure comprises a second positioning protrusion positioned at the bottom outside of the body and matching with each of the second slots (page 5, 1st full paragraph); and
when the terminal box body is turned, the second positioning protrusion drops from a second slot into a next second slot under an external force (page 5, 1st full paragraph).
Regarding claim 7: Okamoto discloses the terminal box, but does not explicitly disclose a group of inlet holes on side wall of the terminal box body.
However, Sun discloses a group of inlet holes (123, Fig. 6) on side wall of the terminal box body (12).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the terminal box of Okamoto to have the holes of Sun in order to allow for the cables to enter at additional angles.
Regarding claim 8: Okamoto discloses cables and Sun discloses the group of inlet holes. Okamoto does not explicitly disclose the one group of inlet holes comprises an inlet hole for power cable and an inlet hole for encoder cable.
However, Sun discloses the one group of inlet holes comprises an inlet hole for power cable and an inlet hole for encoder cable (claim 8).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the cables of Okamoto to have the power and encoder cables of Sun in order to allow for various cable types to be utilized.
Regarding claim 9: Okamoto modified by Sun disclose the group of inlet holes, Sun further discloses a group of protective covers (127, Fig. 6) corresponding to the group of inlet holes.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 6 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter.
The prior art of record, alone or in combination does not explicitly teach, suggest, or render obvious, at least to the skilled artisan the terminal box of claim 4, specifically comprising:
the second positioning structure comprises a U-shaped metal bracket with a bottom bracket and two side brackets, the bottom bracket is sized to be fixed on the housing inside the first raised part or the groove and the first positioning protrusion is positioned on the bottom bracket; and the terminal box further comprises a terminal box cover, to cover the body and press the two side brackets to make the first positioning protrusion be fixed in the slot when being fixed on the body, in the context of the other components in the claim.
The prior art of record, alone or in combination does not explicitly teach, suggest, or render obvious, at least to the skilled artisan the terminal box of claim 6, specifically comprising:
each slot comprises a first slope part on at least one side of the slot, and the positioning protrusion comprises a second slope part on at least one side of the positioning protrusion; and the second slope part corresponds to the first slope part, in the context of the other components in the claim.
Conclusion
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/SEAN GUGGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834