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 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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Homme (US 20130171854 A1).
In regard to claim 1, Homme discloses a wiring structure of an electrical appliance 1, comprising:
a connector 20 which is fixed to a housing 4 and has a connector housing made up of an outer connector housing 24 and an inner connector housing 23; a busbar 22 in which one side is arranged in the outer connector housing 24 of the connector 20 and the other side is extended to the outside of the inner connector housing 23 of the connector 20;
and a control board 2 which is retained by the housing 4 and through which the other side of the busbar 22 passes, wherein the wiring structure of the electrical appliance 1 includes a gasket 35
which is attached by insertion between an outer peripheral portion of the connector 20 and an inner peripheral portion of the housing 4 which faces the outer peripheral portion of the connector 20, and seals a gap between the connector 20 and the housing 4 (see fig. 6B).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Homme.
In regard to claim 3, Homme does not disclose a contact surface with the gasket 35 of the housing 4 is formed in a tapered shape.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify Homme’s invention by constructing the contact surface with the gasket of the housing with different type of configuration since applicants have presented no explanation that this particular configuration of the contact surface is significant or is anything more than one of numerous configurations a person of ordinary skill in the art would find obvious for the purpose of providing mating surfaces between two members. A change in shape is generally recognizing as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Dailey, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1976).
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Homme in view of Vanslambrouck et al. (US 9413099 B2).
In regard to claim 4, Vanslambrouck et al. does not disclose an elastic engagement body is provided on the connector, and an engagement portion in which an engagement piece of the elastic engagement body engages with an outer peripheral portion of the housing is provided.
Vanslambrouck et al. discloses an elastic engagement body 54 is provided on the connector 10, and an engagement portion BS in which an engagement piece 58 of the elastic engagement body 54 engages with an outer peripheral portion of the housing P is provided.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify Homme’s invention by constructing the locking mechanism as disclosed by Vanslambrouck et al. in order to resist counter-rotation and unlocking of connector 10 once the locking member has properly engaged the housing P.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 5-11 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.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892 form.
Conclusion
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christopher M Koehler can be reached at (571) 272-3560. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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Tdt
7/6/2026
/THO D TA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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