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 .
Response to Amendment
The preliminary amendment to claims 1 and 2 filed on September 11, 2024, does not comply with the requirements of 37 CFR 1.121(c) because portions of the added subject matter have not been indicated by underlining the added text.
The Examiner respectfully suggests that the claims be marked as follows:
1. (Currently Amended) A waterproof connector, comprising:
a housing including a housing body formed with a plurality of terminal accommodation chambers;
a plurality of terminal fittings to be individually accommodated into the plurality of terminal accommodation chambers from front of the housing body;
a one-piece rubber plug mounted into a rear end part of the housing body, the one- piece rubber plug including a plurality of sealing holes; and
a plurality of wires to be accommodated into the terminal fittings mounted in the terminal accommodation chambers through the sealing holes from behind the one-piece rubber plug,
the terminal fitting being configured by assembling a first component made of an electrically conductive material and including a flexible connecting portion capable of sandwiching the wire and a second component including a pressing portion and relatively movable in a front-rear direction between an initial position and a connection position with respect to the first component, [[and]]
the terminal fitting being inserted into the terminal accommodation chamber from front with the second component held at the initial position,
the terminal fitting accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber being prevented from moving any further forward by bringing the second component into contact with a movement restricting portion formed in the housing body,
the terminal fitting accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber being restricted from coming out rearward by locking a retaining projection of the second component to a temporary locking projection formed in the terminal accommodation chamber, and
the flexible connecting portion sandwiching the wire by being deformed by the pressing portion in the process of moving the second component from the initial position to the connection position.
2 (Currently Amended) The waterproof connector of claim 1, wherein:
the housing includes terminal accommodation chambers from moving any further forward by being attached to a front end part of the housing body,
the first component is relatively displaceable in the front-rear direction with respect to the housing body with a front end part of the first component projecting forward from the housing body, and
the second component is moved between the initial position and the connection position integrally with the housing body.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hirota (US 2019/0067869) in view of Takeuchi et al. (US 2019/0252803 hereinafter refer as “Takeuchi”).
Regarding claim 1. Hirota discloses a waterproof connector (see Figs. 1, 2, and 5, Para. 0032), comprising: a housing (50, see Fig. 1, Para. 0016) including a housing body (51, see Fig. 1, Para. 0017) formed with a plurality of terminal accommodation chambers (see Fig. 1); a plurality of terminal fittings (90, see Fig. 1, Para. 0025) to be individually accommodated into the plurality of terminal accommodation chambers (see Fig. 1) from front of the housing body; a one-piece rubber plug (10, see Fig. 3, Para. 0016) mounted into a rear end part of the housing body (see Fig. 1), the one-piece rubber plug including a plurality of sealing holes (11, see Fig. 5, Para. 0026); and a plurality of wires (95, see Fig. 1, Para. 0025) to be accommodated into the terminal fittings mounted in the terminal accommodation chambers through the sealing holes from behind the one-piece rubber plug (see Fig. 1, Para. 0039), the terminal fitting (90) being configured by assembling a rectangular tubular connecting portion (91, see Fig. 1, Para. 0025) and an open wire barrel (92, see Fig. 1, Para. 0025) sandwiching the wire (95); wherein the terminal fitting (90) being inserted into the terminal accommodation chamber from front with the rectangular tubular connecting portion (91) held at the initial position, the terminal fitting accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber being prevented from moving any further forward by bringing the rectangular tubular connecting portion (91) into contact with a movement restricting portion formed in the housing body, the terminal fitting accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber being restricted from coming out rearward by locking a retaining projection (94) of the rectangular tubular connecting portion to a temporary locking projection formed in the terminal accommodation chamber (see Fig. 1, Para. 0025).
However, Hirota does not explicitly teaches that the terminal fitting being configured by assembling a first component made of an electrically conductive material and including a flexible connecting portion capable of sandwiching the wire and a second component including a pressing portion and relatively movable in a front-rear direction between an initial position and a connection position with respect to the first component, the terminal fitting being inserted into the terminal accommodation chamber from front with the second component held at the initial position, the terminal fitting accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber being prevented from moving any further forward by bringing the second component into contact with a movement restricting portion formed in the housing body, the terminal fitting accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber being restricted from coming out rearward by locking a retaining projection of the second component to a temporary locking projection formed in the terminal accommodation chamber, and the flexible connecting portion sandwiching the wire by being deformed by the pressing portion in the process of moving the second component from the initial position to the connection position.
Takeuchi teaches a connector (10, see Fig. 1, Para. 0070) that includes a terminal fitting (12, see Fig. 2 and 3) being configured by assembling a first component (15, see Figs. 3 and 8, Para. 0074) made of an electrically conductive material (see Para. 0074) and including a flexible connecting portion (an upper connection piece 18A and a lower connection piece 18B, see Fig. 8, Para. 0075 and 0079) capable of sandwiching the wire (see Fig. 2) and a second component (16, see Figs. 2 and 3, Para. 0087) including a pressing portion and relatively movable in a front-rear direction between an initial position and a connection position with respect to the first component, the terminal fitting being inserted into the terminal accommodation chamber from front with the second component held at the initial position (see Fig. 2), the terminal fitting accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber being prevented from moving any further forward by bringing the second component into contact with a movement restricting portion formed in the housing body, the terminal fitting accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber being restricted from coming out rearward by locking a retaining projection (46, see Figs. 1 and 3, Para. 0098) of the second component to a temporary locking projection formed in the terminal accommodation chamber (see Figs. 2 and 21), and the flexible connecting portion sandwiching the wire by being deformed by the pressing portion in the process of moving the second component from the initial position to the connection position.
Therefore, in view of Takeuchi, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hirota’s rectangular tubular connecting portion to include a first component and a second component as claimed in order to provide a technique by which a terminal and a wire can be connected together without using a relatively large jig, as suggested by Takeuchi. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification such that the wire can be inserted easily into the terminal accommodation chamber.
Regarding claim 2. Hirota in view of Takeuchi further disclose the housing (50, see Fig. 1, Para. 0016) includes a front member (70, see Fig. 1, Para. 0016 and 0020) for preventing the terminal fittings (90) mounted in the terminal accommodation chambers from moving any further forward by being attached to a front end part of the housing body, the first component is relatively displaceable in the front-rear direction with respect to the housing body with a front end part of the first component projecting forward from the housing body, and the second component is moved between the initial position and the connection position integrally with the housing body.
Regarding claim 3. The teachings of Hirota have been discussed above.
However, Hirota is silent with respect to the wire is accommodated inside the first component, and the first component is formed with a detection hole for enabling a part accommodated in the first component, out of the wire, to be visually observed from outside of the housing body.
Takeuchi further discloses the wire is accommodated inside the first component (15), and the first component is formed with a detection hole (terminal window 24, see Fig. 3, Para. 0085) for enabling a part accommodated in the first component, out of the wire, to be visually observed from outside of the housing body (see Fig. 2, Para. 0085).
Therefore, in view of Takeuchi, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hirota to include a first component with a detection hole as claimed thereby a worker can visually recognize the front end from outside, as suggested by Takeuchi, since it has been held by the courts that combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results, or choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success, is not sufficient to distinguish over the prior art, as it requires only ordinary skill in the art. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1397 (2007). In this case, providing window to provide visually observation of the wire connection from outside of the housing body would have flown naturally to one of ordinary skill in the art as necessitated by the specific requirements of a given application.
Regarding claim 4. Hirota in view of Takeuchi further disclose a movement restricting portion (55, see Fig. 1, Para. 0025) for restricting a relative rearward movement of the terminal fitting (90) is formed in the terminal accommodation chamber.
Regarding claims 5 and 6. The teachings of Hirota have been discussed above.
However, Hirota is silent with respect to the flexible connecting portion is formed with a biting portion, the wire biting into the biting portion, as recited in claim 5; wherein the flexible connecting portion is formed with a compressing portion for sandwiching the wire in a bent state, as recited in claim 6.
Takeuchi further teaches the flexible connecting portion (an upper connection piece 18A and a lower connection piece 18B, see Fig. 8, Para. 0075 and 0079) is formed with a biting portion (lower holding projection 23B, see Fig. 11, Para. 0078 and 0079), the wire biting into the biting portion and a compressing portion (the upper holding projection 23A and contact surface 21B that come in contact with the core 13 of the wire 11, see Figs. 10 and 11, Para. 0079 and 0134) for sandwiching the wire in a bent state (see Fig. 2).
Therefore, in view of Takeuchi, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hirota to include flexible connecting portion that is formed with a biting portion and a compressing portion as claimed thereby the wire is electrically connected to the terminal body, as suggested by Takeuchi, since it has been held by the courts that combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results, or choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success, is not sufficient to distinguish over the prior art, as it requires only ordinary skill in the art. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1397 (2007). In this case, providing a wire biting portion would have flown naturally to one of ordinary skill in the art as necessitated by the specific requirements of a given application.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Hara (US 2018/0375249) discloses a waterproof connector (a male connector 1 and a female connector 100, see Figs. 1, 8, and 20, Para. 0032), comprising: a housing (e.g., male housing 20, female housing 120, see Figs. 3 and 20, Para. 0033) including a housing body formed with a plurality of terminal accommodation chambers (see Fig. 20); a plurality of terminal fittings (11, see Fig. 3, Para. 0034) to be individually accommodated into the plurality of terminal accommodation chambers (see Fig. 2) from front of the housing body; a one-piece rubber plug (50, see Fig. 8, Para. 0051) mounted into a rear end part of the housing body, the one-piece rubber plug including a plurality of sealing holes (see Fig. 8); and a plurality of wires (110, see Fig. 3, Para. 0051) to be accommodated into the terminal fittings mounted in the terminal accommodation chambers through the sealing holes from behind the one-piece rubber plug; Oka (US 2019/0273338) discloses a terminal fitting (80) includes a projection (92) on an outer surface of a body (81). A housing (10) includes a cavity (11) into which the terminal fitting (80) is to be inserted, a guiding groove (23) into which the projection (92) enters; and BHAGYANATHAN-SATHLANATHAN (US 2018/0212340) discloses an electrical terminal fitting includes a body and a hood. The body is formed from a first material and includes a connection section and a contacting section with the contacting section having a flexible contact beam and stiffening beam for receiving a male pin of a mating terminal.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Tsion Tumebo whose telephone number is 571-270-1668. The examiner can normally be reached on 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, Monday thru Friday.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jong-Suk (James) Lee can be reached on (571)272-7044. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TSION TUMEBO/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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