DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to the application filed on July 3, 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 Objections
Claims 2-4, 6-7, 9 and 11-13 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 2, line 3: "a state" should be --the state-- due to the introduction of said state in claim 1;
Claim 3, line 3: "a rotational axis" should be --the rotational axis-- due to the introduction of said rotational axis in claim 1;
Claim 4, line 3: "a state" should be --the state-- due to the introduction of said state in claim 1;
Claim 6, line 3: "an axial direction" should be --the axial direction-- due to the introduction of said axial direction in claim 4;
Claim 7, line 2: "the outer surface of the cable holder" should be --the outer surface of the rotator-side connector-- or --an outer surface of the cable holder-- as the outer surface introduced in claim 6 refers to an outer surface of the rotator-side connector, not the cable holder (paragraph [0033] should also be amended to match the claim's amendment);
Claim 9, line 3: "a state" should be --the state-- due to the introduction of said state in claim 8;
Claim 11, line 2: "a state" should be --the state-- due to the introduction of said state in claim 8;
Claim 12, line 2: "a state" should be --the state-- due to the introduction of said state in claim 8; and
Claim 13, line 4: "and inserted" should be --and is inserted--.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bannai, et al. (US-4936782-A).
With respect to Claim 1:
Bannai discloses a rotary connector device comprising:
a stator 20;
a rotator 17 including a rotator-side connector 28 (Figs. 2-3) detachably connectable (col. 4, lines 26-28 and 36-42; Fig. 3) to a harness connector 29 provided to an end portion of a cable 27 of a wire harness 18 (Fig. 3), the rotator 17 being provided rotatably relative to the stator 20 about a rotational axis (Fig. 1: the rotational axis extends through the center between 33, 36 and 37; col. 4, lines 55-57); and
a cable holder 19 provided to the rotator 17 to hold the cable 27 in a state where the harness connector 29 is connected to the rotator-side connector 28 (Fig. 2).
With respect to Claim 2:
Bannai discloses the rotary connector device according to claim 1.
Bannai also discloses wherein the cable holder 19 is provided to the rotator 17 to hold the cable 27 in a position separate from the harness connector 29 in the state where the harness connector 19 is connected to the rotator-side connector 28 (col. 4, lines 26-28 and 36-42; Fig. 2).
With respect to Claim 3:
Bannai discloses the rotary connector device according to claim 1.
Bannai also discloses wherein the rotator 17 includes a rotator body provided rotatably relative to the stator 20 about the rotational axis, and the rotator-side connector 28 protruding along the rotational axis from the rotator body, and the cable holder 19 is provided to at least one of the rotator-side connector 28 and the rotator body (Figs. 2-3).
With respect to Claim 4:
Bannai discloses the rotary connector device according to claim 1.
Bannai also discloses wherein the rotator-side connector 28 includes a connector housing space housing the harness connector 29 in the state where the harness connector 29 is connected to the rotator-side connector 28 (Fig. 3: the outer housing of 28 which holds 29 and connects to 27), and the cable holder 19 is arranged outside of the connector housing space when viewed from an axial direction defined along the rotational axis (Fig. 2: 19 is arranged on the outside of the connector housing space which houses 28/29).
With respect to Claim 5:
Bannai discloses the rotary connector device according to claim 4.
Bannai also discloses wherein the rotator-side connector 28 includes a connector case (Fig. 3: the case which holds 27 and 29, and which encompasses the connector housing space) including the connector housing space, and the cable holder 19 is provided to the connector case (Figs. 2-3).
With respect to Claim 6:
Bannai discloses the rotary connector device according to claim 4.
Bannai also discloses wherein the rotator-side connector 28 includes an outer surface forming an outline of the rotator-side connector 28 when viewed from the axial direction defined along the rotational axis, and the cable holder 19 is provided to the outer surface (Figs. 2-3).
With respect to Claim 7:
Bannai discloses the rotary connector device according to claim 6.
Bannai also discloses wherein the outer surface of the rotator-side connector 28 includes a first outer surface (Fig. 2: the rightmost side of 28 in this figure which contacts 19) arranged in a position farther from the rotational axis than the connector housing space (Figs. 2-3), a second outer surface (Fig. 2: the leftmost side of 28 in this figure) provided on an opposite side of the first outer surface across the connector housing space (Figs. 2-3), a third outer surface (Fig. 2: the side furthest back of 28 which connects the left and right sides as viewed in this figure) extending from the first outer surface to the second outer surface (Figs. 2-3), and a fourth outer surface (Fig. 2: the side of 28 in the foreground of this figure) extending from the first outer surface to the second outer surface and provided on an opposite side of the third outer surface across the connector housing space (Figs. 2-3), and the cable holder 19 is provided to at least one of the first outer surface, the second outer surface, the third outer surface, and the fourth outer surface (Fig. 3: the cable holder 19 is provided to the aforementioned first, third and fourth outer surfaces).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-14 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding Claim 8, allowability resides, at least in part, with the prior art, taken alone or in combination not showing or fairly teaching or suggesting “wherein the cable holder includes a contact surface contacting the cable in a state where the cable holder holds the cable, and the contact surface is provided in a position separate from the rotator-side connector,” as recited in claim 8, in conjunction with all the remaining limitations of the base claims. The prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest these limitations as substantially described in claim 8. These limitations, in combination with remaining limitations of claim 8, are neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record, before claim 1 is allowable.
Claims 9-14 are dependent on claim 8 and therefore would be allowable.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Amara Anderson whose telephone number is (703)756-1470. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 09:00 - 17:00 EST..
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/AMARA ANDERSON/Examiner, Art Unit 2831 /ABDULLAH A RIYAMI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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