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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on June 26, 2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 1 and 2 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.
-In Claim 1, “arranged on either a vehicle body… or a sliding member”: “either/or” creates uncertainty which alternative is claimed. The examiner will interpret the “a vehicle or a sliding member” to be “a sliding member”.
--In Claim 1, “the routing path has a first opening…and a second opening” is unclear. A path is not a structure but a course or direction. The examiner will interpret the claim to read “the protector has a first opening…and a second opening”
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kisu et al. (US 2007/0119610).
In regards to claim 1, Kisu et al. teaches a routing structure (figure 2) comprising: a protector (22) arranged on either a vehicle body (vehicle body (32)) a sliding member (5), and having a routing path (direction in which the wire harness is positioned) in which an electric wire (2, 15) used to connect the vehicle body (vehicle body, abstract) and the sliding member (5) is routed; and a rotary member (6) arranged in the routing path (see figure 2), having a cylindrical portion (rounded portion at reference number (18), figure 2) through which the electric wire (2,15) is inserted, and rotatably (6) supported by the protector (22), wherein the protector (22) has a first opening (see the figure below) through which the electric wire (2,15) is drawn out toward one of the vehicle body (vehicle body (32)) and the sliding member (31), and a second opening (see figure below) through which the electric wire (2, 15) is drawn out toward a counterpart (4) as the other of the vehicle body (32) and the sliding member (5, see figure 6), the rotary member (6) is pivotally rotated between a first rotational position and a second rotational position (see figures 7 and 8 showing one position and a second position), the first rotational position (position in figure 8) is a rotational position in which the cylindrical portion is directed toward the counterpart (see figure 8) in a case where the sliding member (5) is at a first position in a sliding direction (left side of the protector), the second rotational position (see the position in figure 7) is a rotational position in which the cylindrical portion is directed toward the counterpart (see figure 7) in a case where the sliding member (5) is at a second position in the sliding direction (right side of the protector), the electric wire (2, 15) is curved between the first opening (see the figure below) and the rotary member (6) in a case where the rotary member (6) is at the second rotational position (figure 8), and the rotary member (6) is pivotally rotated about a shaft center of a rotating shaft (22), and the shaft center (center of case (22)) is located on a side of the first opening (see the figure 8; side of 22) with respect to a central shaft line (center of case (22)) of the cylindrical portion in the case where the rotary member (6) is at the second rotational position (figure 8).
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In regards to claim 2, Kisu et al. teaches the routing structure according to claim 1, wherein the rotary member (6) has a protrusion (34) protruding in a direction away from the central shaft line with respect to the cylindrical portion (see figure 9), and the shaft center (center of case (22)) is arranged on the protrusion (34).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kogure et al. (US 2007/0158108) teaches a power-supplying apparatus for a sliding vehicle door. Aoki et al. (US 8,153,898) teaches a power feeding device for a slide structure.
Communication
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KRYSTAL ROBINSON whose telephone number is (571)272-9258. The examiner can normally be reached on 9-5 M-F.
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, Timothy Dole can be reached on (571)-272-2229. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/KRYSTAL ROBINSON/Examiner, Art Unit 2848