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.
Claims 1-14 and 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being unpatentable by Goto (US 20060027387 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Goto teaches an electronic device, comprising: a device housing comprising a through hole (opening in center of 120 panel opening member), the through hole comprising a central region (circular opening in center of 120 panel opening member, excluding 132 channels), a first channel region (see annotated Fig 7 below) and a second channel region (see annotated Fig 7 below), the first channel region being communicated with the central region (Fig 7), and the second channel region is communicated with the central region (Fig 7); a cable (43 wire) passing through the device housing (Fig 7); a cable positioning (130 grommet) structure disposed on the cable (Fig 7), wherein the cable positioning structure comprises a first protrusion (148 second locking projection) and a second protrusion (146 first locking protrusion), the cable positioning structure is adapted to be rotated between a first orientation and a second orientation relative to the device housing (¶21, 130 grommet configured to rotate in the 120 panel opening member); and a housing restriction structure (120 panel opening member) disposed on the device housing (22 and 24 first and second panel surfaces), wherein the housing restriction structure comprises a first restrain member (138 locking recess) and a first stopper (134 back stop), in an installed state, the cable positioning structure is in the first orientation (Fig 8), the first protrusion is adapted to pass through the first channel region (Fig 8), the second protrusion is adapted to pass through the second channel region (Fig 8), and in a positioned state (Fig 8), the cable positioning structure is in the second orientation (Fig 8), the first restrain member and the first stopper restrict the cable positioning structure (Fig 8).
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Regarding claim 2, Goto teaches the electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first restrain member (138 locking recess) is adjacent to the first channel region (see annotated Fig 7 below), when the cable positioning structure (130 grommet) is rotated relative to the device housing from the first orientation to the second orientation along a first direction (Fig 8 shows second orientation, Fig 7 shows the alignment of first orientation), the first protrusion crosses the first restrain member (Fig 7).
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Regarding claim 3, Goto teaches the electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the first restrain member (138 locking recess) comprises a first inclined surface (incline showed in annotated fig 7 below),
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when the cable positioning structure is rotated relative to the device housing from the first orientation to the second orientation (Fig 8), the first protrusion is guided by the first inclined surface and crosses the first restrain member (¶21, Fig 8).
Regarding claim 4, Goto teaches the electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the first restrain member (138 locking recess) comprises a first restrain surface (see circled portion in annotated Fig 8 below), when the cable positioning structure (130 grommet) is in the second orientation, the first restrain surface is adapted to restrict the first protrusion to prevent the cable positioning structure from rotating from the second orientation to the first orientation along a second direction (see annotated Fig 8 below, side of 134 back stop which stops the first protrusion from rotating in the second direction) relative to the device housing, and the first direction is opposite to the second direction (Fig 8).
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Regarding claim 5, Goto teaches the electronic device according to claim 4, wherein when the cable positioning structure (130 grommet) is in the second orientation (as seen in Fig 8), the first stopper (other side of 134 back stop, see annotated Fig 8 below) is adapted to restrict the first protrusion to prevent the cable positioning structure from rotating along the first direction (see annotated Fig 8 below).
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Regarding claim 6, Goto teaches the electronic device according to claim 4, wherein when the cable positioning structure (130 grommet) is in the second orientation (Fig 8), the first stopper (see annotated Fig 8 above) is adapted to restrict the second protrusion (146 locking protrusion) to prevent the cable positioning structure from rotating along the first direction (Fig 7 shows first stopper structure along protrusion 146 in same way as Fig 8).
Regarding claim 7, Goto teaches the electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the through hole comprises a third channel region (see annotated Fig 7 below), the third channel region is communicated with the central region (opening in center of 120 panel opening member, Fig 7), the cable positioning structure (130 grommet) further comprises a third protrusion (other 146 locking protrusion), when the cable positioning structure is in the first orientation (Fig 7), the third protrusion is adapted to pass through the third channel region (Fig 7, Fig 8 shows 146 through third channel after a rotation).
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Regarding claim 8, Goto teaches the electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the housing restriction structure (120 panel opening member) comprises a second stopper (see annotated Fig 7 below),
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when the cable positioning structure is in the second orientation (see annotated Fig 8 below), the second stopper is adapted to restrict the second protrusion to prevent the cable positioning structure from rotating along the first direction (see annotated Fig 7 below).
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Regarding claim 9, Goto teaches the electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the housing restriction structure (120 panel opening member) comprises a second restrain member (see annotated Fig 7 below), the second restrain member is adjacent to the third channel region (Fig 7), when the cable positioning structure is rotated from the first orientation to the second orientation (Shown in Fig 8) along the first direction relative to the device housing, the third protrusion crosses the second protrusion (Fig 8).
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Regarding claim 10, Goto teaches the electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the first restrain member and the second restrain member are located at two sides of the first channel region (see annotated Fig 7 below), the first stopper and the second restrain member are located at two sides of the third channel region (see annotated Fig 7 below).
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Regarding claim 11, Goto teaches the electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the first protrusion (148 second locking projection), the second protrusion (146 first locking protrusion), and the third protrusion (146 first locking protrusion) are extended along the radius direction of the cable (Fig 7).
Regarding claim 12, Goto teaches the electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the size of the first protrusion (148 second locking projection) is different from the size of the second protrusion (146 first locking protrusion Fig 7), the size of the first channel region (see annotated Fig 7 above) matches the size of the first protrusion (Fig 8), the size of the second channel region (see annotated Fig 7 above) matches the size of the second protrusion (Fig 8).
Regarding claim 13, Goto teaches the electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the cable positioning structure further comprises an abutting member (see annotated Fig 7 below),
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in the positioned state, part of the device housing (22 and 24 first and second panel surfaces ) is clamped between the abutting member and the first protrusion (Fig 2), and part of the device housing is clamped between the abutting member and the second protrusion (Fig 2).
Regarding claim 14, Goto teaches an electronic device, comprising: a device housing comprising a through hole (opening in center of 120 panel opening member), the through hole comprising a central region (circular opening in center of 120 panel opening member, excluding 132 channels), a first channel region (see annotated Fig 7 below), a second channel region (see annotated Fig 7 below), and a third channel region (see annotated Fig 7 below), the first channel region being communicated with the central region (Fig 7), and the second channel region is communicated with the central region (Fig 7), and the third channel region being communicated with the central region (Fig 7); and a housing restriction structure (120 panel opening member) disposed on the device housing (22 and 24 first and second panel surfaces), wherein the housing restriction structure comprises a first restrain member (138 locking recess) and a first stopper (134 back stop), and the first inclined surface is adjacent to the first channel region (Fig 8).
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Regarding claim 16, Goto teaches the electronic device according to claim 15, wherein the first restrain member and the first stopper are located between the first channel region (see annotated Fig 7 below)and the third channel region (see annotated Fig 7 below).
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Regarding claim 17, Goto teaches the electronic device according to claim 15, wherein the first channel region is located between the first restrain member and the first stopper (see annotated Fig 7 above).
Regarding claim 18, Goto teaches a power cord, comprising: a cable (43 wire); and a cable positioning structure (43 wire) disposed on the cable Fig 7), wherein the cable positioning structure comprises a first protrusion (148 second locking projection), a second protrusion (one of the 146 first locking protrusion), and a third protrusion (one of the 146 first locking protrusion), wherein the first protrusion, the second protrusion, and the third protrusion are extended along the radius direction of the cable (Fig 7), and the size of the first protrusion is different from the size of the second protrusion (Fig 8).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 15 is 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: Goto, Chen (US-9929552-B2), Miller (US-7479027-B1), Simon (US-4169572-A), Caveney (US-3638169-A), Huang (CN-201438568-U), and Guo (CN-102025078-A) teach Regarding claim 1, Goto teaches an electronic device, comprising: a device housing comprising a through hole (opening in center of 120 panel opening member), the through hole comprising a central region (circular opening in center of 120 panel opening member, excluding 132 channels), a first channel region (see annotated Fig 7 above) and a second channel region (see annotated Fig 7 above), the first channel region being communicated with the central region (Fig 7), and the second channel region is communicated with the central region (Fig 7); a cable (43 wire) passing through the device housing (Fig 7); a cable positioning (130 grommet) structure disposed on the cable (Fig 7), wherein the cable positioning structure comprises a first protrusion (148 second locking projection) and a second protrusion (146 first locking protrusion), the cable positioning structure is adapted to be rotated between a first orientation and a second orientation relative to the device housing (¶21, 130 grommet configured to rotate in the 120 panel opening member); and a housing restriction structure (120 panel opening member) disposed on the device housing (22 and 24 first and second panel surfaces), wherein the housing restriction structure comprises a first restrain member (138 locking recess) and a first stopper (134 back stop), in an installed state, the cable positioning structure is in the first orientation (Fig 8), the first protrusion is adapted to pass through the first channel region (Fig 8), the second protrusion is adapted to pass through the second channel region (Fig 8), and in a positioned state (Fig 8), the cable positioning structure is in the second orientation (Fig 8), the first restrain member and the first stopper restrict the cable positioning structure (Fig 8) However, Goto fails to teach the size of the first channel region is different from the size of the second channel region as set forth in the claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Chen (US 9929552 B2) teaches a similar cable fixing assembly with two channels and a rotating body to lock into place.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ELISA SASSERATH whose telephone number is (703)756-5847. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Allen Parker can be reached at (303) 297-4722. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ALLEN L PARKER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841
/E.S./ Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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