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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nishikawa et al. (US 20110182694 A1, “Nishikawa”).
Regarding claim 1, Nishikawa discloses (Fig. 1, 2) a connector comprising: a casing (11) including a cylindrical section that holds, on an inside, a terminal (10A) provided at an end of an electric wire (10) and is fitted with a mating connector (12) of a connection target in a fitting direction; a packing (8) that seals an annular space between an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical section and the mating connector (para [0045] – [0046]); a fastening member (6) that is attached to penetrate the inside of the cylindrical section in the fitting direction from a through-hole (5) formed in one end face in the fitting direction of the casing (11), and is fixed to a fixed wall surface of the connection target in a state in which the cylindrical section and the mating connector (12) are fitted with each other; and a seal member (7) that seals an annular gap between an outer peripheral surface of the fastening member and an inner surface of the through-hole (para [0031]).
Regarding claim 5, Nishikawa discloses (Fig. 1, 2) a wire harness comprising: an electric wire (10) having conductivity; and a connector (12) provided at an end of the electric wire, wherein the connector includes: a casing (11) including a cylindrical section that holds, on an inside, a terminal (10A and 19A) provided at the end of the electric wire and is fitted with a mating connector (12) of a connection target in a fitting direction; a packing (8) that seals an annular space between an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical section and the mating connector (para [0045] – [0046]); a fastening member (6) that is attached to penetrate the inside of the cylindrical section in the fitting direction from a through-hole (5) formed in one end face in the fitting direction of the casing (11), and is fixed to a fixed wall surface of the connection target in a state in which the cylindrical section and the mating connector (12) are fitted with each other; and a seal member (7) that seals an annular gap between an outer peripheral surface of the fastening member and an inner surface of the through-hole (para [0031]).
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) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nishikawa et al. (US 20110182694 A1, “Nishikawa”) in view of Kondo (US 20210367377 A1, “Kondo”).
Regarding claim 2, Nishikawa discloses the connector according to claim 1, wherein the fastening member includes: a bolt (para [0037] – [0039]) inserted through the through-hole (5); and a waterproof washer (7) including an annular washer main body interposed between a head of the bolt and a peripheral edge portion of the through-hole (para [0044], [0071] – [0073]), and
Nishikawa is silent on an annular water cutoff rubber interposed between an inner surface of the washer main body and a shaft section of the bolt and adjacent to the seal member in the fitting direction.
However, Kondo discloses (Fig. 11, 12, 14) an annular water cutoff rubber (642) interposed between an inner surface of the washer main body and a shaft section of the bolt and adjacent to the seal member in the fitting direction (See para [0107] – [108).
Nishikawa and Kondo are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of Connector Device. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nishikawa to incorporate the teachings of Kondo and provide an annular water cutoff rubber (642) interposed between an inner surface of the washer main body and a shaft section of the bolt and adjacent to the seal member in the fitting direction (See para [0107] – [108). Doing so would create a waterproof or oil-proof barrier (See para [0107] and [0113]).
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nishikawa et al. (US 20110182694 A1, “Nishikawa”) in view of MIYAMOTO (US 20210104829 A1, “MIYAMOTO”).
Regarding claim 3, Nishikawa discloses the connector according to claim 1,
Nishikawa is silent on wherein the electric wire is drawn out in a height direction intersecting the fitting direction with respect to the casing.
However, MIYAMOTO discloses (Fig. 2) wherein the electric wire (22) is drawn out in a height direction intersecting the fitting direction with respect to the casing (24) (See Fig. 2).
Since having the electric wire drawn out in a height direction intersecting the fitting direction with respect to the casing is a design choice, therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nishikawa to incorporate the teachings of MIYAMOTO and provide wherein the electric wire (22) is drawn out in a height direction intersecting the fitting direction with respect to the casing (24) (See Fig. 2).
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nishikawa et al. (US 20110182694 A1, “Nishikawa”) in view of Kondo (US 20210367377 A1, “Kondo”) as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of MIYAMOTO (US 20210104829 A1, “MIYAMOTO”).
Regarding claim 4, Nishikawa in view of Kondo discloses the connector according to claim 2,
Nishikawa in view of Kondo is silent on wherein the electric wire is drawn out in a height direction intersecting the fitting direction with respect to the casing.
However, MIYAMOTO discloses (Fig. 2) wherein the electric wire (22) is drawn out in a height direction intersecting the fitting direction with respect to the casing (24) (See Fig. 2).
Since having the electric wire drawn out in a height direction intersecting the fitting direction with respect to the casing is a design choice, therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nishikawa in view of Kondo to incorporate the teachings of MIYAMOTO and provide wherein the electric wire (22) is drawn out in a height direction intersecting the fitting direction with respect to the casing (24) (See Fig. 2).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SIDI MOHAMED MAIGA whose telephone number is (703)756-1870. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am 5 pm.
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/SIDI M MAIGA/Examiner, Art Unit 2847
/TIMOTHY J THOMPSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2847