DETAILED ACTION
The following action is in response to application 18/738,181 filed on June 10, 2024.
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 § 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 5-6 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.
With regard to claim 5, on lines 3-4, the limitation of “the plurality of links” lacks antecedent basis. The plurality of links is not claimed until claim 3. This problem occurs in claim 6 as well. Since claim 7 depends on claim 3, this claim has antecedent basis. The claims will be treated as best understood.
Claim Interpretation
“A terminal” has been interpreted as a point of electrical contact.
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) 1-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Uchigata (JP 2007196925A from IDS). Please see annotated Figure 4 below for some of the noted limitations:
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With regard to claim 1, Uchigata teaches a wire harness comprising: a harness body W that electrically connects a first electrical connection target @72 installed in a slide door 4 and a second electrical connection target @30 installed in a vehicle body B, wherein when the slide door is at a fully open position D3 with respect to the vehicle body, the harness body is routed on a side of a slide direction during an opening operation of the slide door with respect to a link mechanism 16/18 that connects the slide door and the vehicle body and reciprocates the slide door in the slide direction with respect to the vehicle body. With regard to claim 2, Uchigata teaches the harness, wherein a terminal (Fig. 4) on a side of the first electrical connection target @72 in the harness body is assembled to a side of the slide door at a position equivalent to a coupling portion 36 on a side of the slide door in the link mechanism in the slide direction (Fig. 2/4) or on a side of the slide direction during the opening operation with respect to the coupling portion on the side of the slide door when the slide door is at a fully closed position with respect to the vehicle body, and a terminal (Fig. 4) on a side of the second electrical connection target @30 in the harness body is assembled to a side of the vehicle body B at a position equivalent to a coupling portion 26r on the side of the vehicle body in the link mechanism in the slide direction or on a side of the slide direction during the opening operation with respect to the coupling portion on the side of the vehicle body when the slide door is at the fully closed position with respect to the vehicle body. With regard to claims 3 and 4, Uchigata teaches the harness,
wherein when the slide door is at the fully open position D3 with respect to the vehicle body, the harness body is routed on the side of the slide direction during the opening operation with respect to the link mechanism 16 arranged on a most front side of the vehicle among a plurality of the link mechanisms 16/18 arranged at intervals in a vehicle vertical direction (Figs. 2 and 4). With regard to claims 5, 6 and 7, Uchigata teaches the harness, wherein the harness body is routed between two adjacent link mechanisms 16/18 in a vehicle vertical direction among the plurality of the link mechanisms arranged at intervals in the vehicle vertical direction (Fig. 2; harness is wired upwards (paragraph 26) and then below link 18/above link 16). With regard to claims 8, 9, and 10, Uchigata teaches the harness, wherein the harness body is routed between an upper link mechanism 18 and a lower link mechanism 16 arranged at an interval in a vehicle vertical direction (Fig. 2; harness is wired upwards (paragraph 26) and then below link 18/above link 16).
Suggestions for Applicant
Based on the cited art, it is suggested applicant focus on the relative locations of the terminals with respect to both link mechanisms. One suggestion would be to include the limitations of claim 2 and 9 into claim 1, and also claim the entire wiring harness is located between the upper and lower link mechanisms, wherein the terminal on the side of the first electrical connection target is located vertically below the coupling portion on the slide door and the terminal on a side of the second electrical connection target is located vertically below the coupling portion on the vehicle body.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Maeda (JP2001151042A) has been cited to show a similar wiring harness comprising: a harness body W/H, link mechanism 300, vehicle body 100, sliding door 200, wherein terminals of the wiring harness are located at equivalent coupling portions between the linkage mechanism and the respective door and vehicle body (Fig. 3).
Gotou (US 7284785)( has been cited to show a similar wiring harness comprising: a harness body 13, vehicle body 1, door 5 and connector portions 9/11.
Sato (US 7905537) has been cited to show a similar wiring harness comprising: a harness body 14, link mechanism 2, vehicle body 4, sliding door 1, wherein terminals of the wiring harness are located at equivalent coupling portions between the linkage mechanism and the respective door and vehicle body (Fig. 1).
Kogure (US 12233791 and US 12275358) have been cited to show similar inventions from the same assignee and inventors that do not have double patenting issues.
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/ROGER L PANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
/ROGER L. PANG/
Examiner
Art Unit 3655B
June 16, 2026
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