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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “through hole” (claim 9) and “second distance” (claim 11) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-4, 7, 9, 11-15, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by Zhang et al. (WO 2016/042523).
Regarding claims 1 and 11, Zhang et al. disclose a wire end connector, comprising:
a base (100) having an upper surface and a bridge structure (400) disposed on the upper surface, the bridge structure and the upper surface defining a tab channel (130) 9therebetween;
an elastic fastener (200) comprising two latches (220) and a connecting rod (210) connected between the latches, the latches being connected with the upper surface and spaced apart from each other by a first distance and the connecting rod having a tab hole portion (211);
and a pulling tab (300) wrapping around the tab hole portion of the connecting rod and extending outwards through the tab channel, wherein a first width of the pulling tab at the tab hole portion is larger than a second width of the pulling tab at the tab channel, a portion of the pulling tab wrapping around the connecting rod being at least partially located between the latches and spaced apart from each of the latches by a second distance, wherein the second distance is equal to 0%-25% of the first distance.
[AltContent: connector][AltContent: ][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (4th width)][AltContent: ][AltContent: textbox (2nd width)][AltContent: ][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: ][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: connector]
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Regarding claim 2, Zhang et al. disclose the latches are symmetrical to each other and spaced apart from each other by a distance, the first width of the pulling tab at the tab hole portion is equal to 50%-100% of the distance.
Regarding claim 3, Zhang et al. disclose the first width of the pulling tab at the tab hole portion is a horizontal distance between two farthest lateral edges of the pulling tab.
Regarding claim 4, Zhang et al. disclose the tab channel has a third width, the third width is larger than the second width and less than the first width (fig. 6).
Regarding claim 7, Zhang et al. disclose the pulling tab further comprises: a first portion having the first width; a second portion having the second width; and a third portion, the second portion is connected between the first portion and the third portion, the third portion has a fourth width, the fourth width is larger than the second width.
Regarding claim 9, Zhang et al. disclose the first portion surrounds and defines a through hole therein, the connecting rod at least partially penetrates through the through hole.
regarding claim 12, Zhang et al. disclose the portion of the pulling tab wrapping around the connecting rod has a first width, a sum of the first width and two of the second distances is equal to the first distance.
Regarding claim 13, Zhang et al. disclose a portion of the pulling tab penetrating through the tab channel has a second width, the second width is less than the first width.
Regarding claim 14, Zhang et al. disclose the tab channel has a third width, the third width is larger than the second width and less than the first width.
Regarding claim 15, Zhang et al. disclose the pulling tab further comprises: a first portion having the first width; a second portion having the second width; and a third portion, the second portion is connected between the first portion and the third portion, the third portion has a fourth width, the fourth width is larger than the second width.
Regarding claim 19, Zhang et al. disclose the connecting rod having a tab hole portion, the pulling tab at least partially penetrates through the tab hole portion to wrap around the connecting rod.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-6, 8, 10, 16-18 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRUC T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2011. The examiner can normally be reached monday-friday (7-4).
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 5712723560. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TRUC T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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