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 .
35 USC 102 Rejections
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) 1-3 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cobaugh et al 4186982.
Regarding claim 1, Cobaugh et al (front page and Figure 13) discloses a press-fit terminal, comprising: a tapered tip portion (unnumbered, left end in Figure 13) located on a tip in an axial direction; and a press-fit portion located behind the tip portion in the axial direction, the press-fit portion being resiliently deformable in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction, the press-fit portion including: a first part 85,87 located further away from an axial center of the press-fit portion than other parts of an outer periphery of a first cross-section on a part of the outer periphery of the first cross-section along the direction orthogonal to the axial direction; and a second part 86,88 located further away from the axial center of the press-fit portion than other parts of an outer periphery of a second cross-section closer to the tip portion than the first cross-section on a part of the outer periphery of the second cross-section along the direction orthogonal to the axial direction, and the first part and the second part being shifted and arranged at positions different in a circumferential direction when the press-fit portion is viewed from the axial direction.
Regarding claim 2, Cobaugh et al discloses a plurality of the first parts 85,87 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the first cross-section, and a plurality of the second parts 86,88 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the second cross-section.
Regarding claim 3, Cobaugh et al discloses the first parts 85,87 are formed on two first corner portions having a curved surface shape (see front page), out of a plurality of corner portions of the outer periphery of the first cross-section, and the second parts 86,88 are formed on two second corner portions having a curved surface shape, out of a plurality of corner portions of the outer periphery of the second cross-section.
Regarding claim 6, Cobaugh et al discloses an outer periphery of the press-fit portion includes a gradually changing portion 90 for changing a shape in the axial direction between the first part 85,87 and the second part 86,88 in the axial direction.
Claims Defining Over Prior Art
Claims 4 and 5 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: none of the prior art discloses or teaches the two first corner portions are arranged at diagonal positions, out of four corner portions of the outer periphery of the first cross-section, and the two second corner portions are arranged at diagonal positions, out of four corner portions of the outer periphery of the second cross-section; in combination with the rest of the subject matter of the independent claim and any intervening claims.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GARY F PAUMEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2013. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th.
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/GARY F PAUMEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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