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 title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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) 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP 2002025677 A.
In regard to claim 1, JP 2002025677 A discloses a connector 10, comprising a housing 11,
the housing 11 including:
a receptable (see annotated drawing below) open forward;
a flat first surface (see annotated drawing below) formed on an outer peripheral surface of the housing 11;
a pair of wall surface portions 14 rising from both end parts in a width direction of the first surface;
a pair of projecting portions 15 projecting inward in the width direction from rising end parts of the pair of wall surface portions 14;
second surfaces (see annotated drawing below) formed on the outer peripheral surface, the second surfaces extending toward sides opposite to the projecting portions 15 from the pair of wall surface portions 14; and
a linking portion 17 coupling rising end parts of the pair of wall surface portions 14,
a front end (see annotated drawing below) of the linking portion 17 being connected to a rear end (see annotated drawing below) of the receptacle, and the second surface being arranged at a position higher than the first surface.
In regard to claim 2, JP 2002025677 A discloses the second surface is arranged at a position lower than a rising end edge of the wall surface portion.
In regard to claim 3, JP 2002025677 A discloses the projecting portion 15 has a facing surface facing the first surface, and the second surface is arranged at a position higher than the facing surface (see fig. 1 below).
In regard to claim 4, JP 2002025677 A discloses a width W (see annotated drawing below) between an inner side surface and an outer side surface in the width direction of the wall surface portion is larger than a difference between the height position of the rising end edge of the wall surface portion and that of the second surface (see drawing below).
[AltContent: textbox (front end of linking portion)][AltContent: connector][AltContent: textbox (rear end of receptacle)][AltContent: connector][AltContent: textbox (front end of receptacle)][AltContent: connector]
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[AltContent: textbox (W)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: connector][AltContent: connector][AltContent: connector][AltContent: textbox (2nd surface)][AltContent: connector][AltContent: textbox (flat 1st surface)][AltContent: connector][AltContent: textbox (receptacle)][AltContent: arrow]
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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) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 2002025677 A.
In regard to claim 5, JP 2002025677 A does not disclose an outer side surface in the width direction of the wall surface portion is connected to the second surface via a curved surface.
However, 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 the invention of JP 2002025677 A by having the connecting portion between the outer side surface in the width direction of the wall surface portion and the second surface with different type of configuration since applicants have presented no explanation that this particular configuration of the connecting portion are significant or are anything more than one of numerous configurations a person of ordinary skill in the art would find obvious for the purpose of providing connecting portion between two edges. 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).
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892 form.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THO D. TA whose telephone number is (571)272-2014. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8AM-4:30PM EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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
7/21/2026
/THO D TA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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