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The amendment of claim 5 traverses the 112 rejection which is withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-5 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over “Yamanaka” (JP 2015220790) in view of “Makoto” (JP2009284692. Examiner’s note: The citations for Yamanaka and Makoto refer to their respective English translations.).
Regarding claim 1, Yamanaka discloses 1. A wire movable path regulating component for regulating a movable path of at least one first wire and at least one second wire that extend between a first component and a second component movable relative to the first component, the wire movable path regulating component comprising (Figs. 1-7, page 4, middle, page 8, middle; the structures 20 are stacked to regulate a movable path of at least one first cable and at least one second cable that extend between a first component and a second component movable relative to the first component):
a main body configured to be coupled in a rotationally movable manner to another wire movable path regulating component (Figs. 1-7, page 4, middle, page 8, middle; each of the structures 20 on the lower stack have a main body configured to be coupled in a rotationally movable manner);
and a cover that is a separate component from the main body and is attached to the main body (Figs. 1-7, page 4, middle, page 8, middle; each of the structures 20 on the lower stack have a cover that is a separate component from the main body and is attached to the main body),
wherein: the main body has a housing opening through which the at least one first wire is to be housed and a first wire housing space configured to house the at least one first wire in a state of passing therethrough inside the housing opening (Figs. 1-7, page 4, middle, page 8, middle; each of the main bodies on the structures 20 on the lower stack have a housing opening through which the at least one first cable is to be housed and a first wire housing space configured to house the at least one first cable in a state of passing therethrough inside the housing opening),
the cover has a cover main body that blocks the housing opening and an additional enclosing part forming a second wire housing space configured to house the at least one second wire in a state of passing therethrough (Figs. 1-7, page 4, middle, page 8, middle; the cover has a cover main body that blocks the housing opening and the upper structures 20 form an additional enclosing part forming a second cable housing space configured to house the at least one second cable in a state of passing therethrough),
and the second wire housing space is partitioned from the first wire housing space by the cover main body (Figs. 1-7, page 4, middle, page 8, middle; the second cable housing space is partitioned from the first cable housing space by the cover main body).
Yamanaka does not disclose the cover main body and the additional enclosing part are molded as a single component.
Makoto discloses the cover main body and the additional enclosing part are molded as a single component (Figs. 7-8, page 3, middle; the bottom part 201, two side parts 202 and two ceiling parts 203 are integrally formed of an elastic synthetic resin or the like).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have constructed Yamanaka’s wire movable path with Makoto’s integrally formed cover main body and additional enclosing part in order to provide for an easy way to put a cable from the outside to the inside of the housing, as suggested by Makoto at page 3, middle.
Regarding claim 2, Yamanaka in view of Makoto discloses the claimed invention as applied to claim 1, above.
Yamanaka at page 4, middle teaches that various cables are guided by the cable guide.
However, Yamanaka does not disclose that the upper cable guide in Fig. 7 has fewer cables than the lower cable guide. Therefore, Yamanaka does not explicitly disclose the first wire housing space and the second wire housing space are configured such that the at least one second wire housed within the second wire housing space is fewer in number than the at least one first wire housed within the first wire housing space.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have constructed Yamanaka’s lower cable guides to have more wires than in the upper cable guides, since Yamanaka teaches that the cable guides can have various cables, page 4, middle. Such modification would have merely required ordinary experimentation by a person having ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding claim 3, Yamanaka in view of Makoto discloses the claimed invention as applied to claim 1, above.
Yamanaka discloses 3. The wire movable path regulating component according to claim 1, wherein: the main body has a locking part located on both side portions of the housing opening (Figs. 1-7, page 4, middle, page 8, middle; the main body has a recesses 29 located on both side portions of the housing opening),
the cover main body has a lock-receiving part to which the locking part is latched (Figs. 1-7, page 4, middle, page 8, middle; the cover main body has a convex portion 19 to which the recess 29 is latched),
and the additional enclosing part is located inward of the lock-receiving part (Figs. 1-7, page 4, middle, page 8, middle; the upper structures 20 is located inward of the convex portion 19).
Regarding claim 4, Yamanaka in view of Makoto discloses the claimed invention as applied to claim 1, above.
Yamanaka discloses 4. The wire movable path regulating component according to claim 1, wherein the cover has regulating shape plane symmetry with respect to both a surface orthogonal to a width direction and a surface orthogonal to a through direction of the second wire housing space (Figs. 1-7, page 4, middle, page 8, middle; the cover has regulating shape plane symmetry with respect to both a surface orthogonal to a width direction and a surface orthogonal to a through direction of the second wire housing space).
Regarding claim 5, Yamanaka in view of Makoto discloses the claimed invention as applied to claim 1, above.
Yamanaka discloses 5. The wire movable path regulating component according to claim 1, wherein a length of the additional enclosing part in a through direction of the second wire housing space decreases proceeding away from the main body (Figs. 1-7, page 4, middle, page 8, middle; a length of the upper structures 20 in a through direction of the second cable housing space decreases proceeding away from the main body of the lower structures 20).
Regarding claim 7, Yamanaka in view of Makoto discloses the claimed invention as applied to claim 1, above.
Yamanaka discloses 7. A path regulating wire harness comprising: a plurality of the wire movable path regulating component according to claim 1 (Figs. 1-7, page 4, middle, page 8, middle; a plurality of the structures 20 are according to claim 1);
the at least one first wire (Figs. 1-7, page 4, middle, page 8, middle; the structures 20 on the lower stack have at least one first cable);
and the at least one second wire (Figs. 1-7, page 4, middle, page 8, middle; the structures 20 on the upper stack have at least one second cable),
wherein: the plurality of wire movable path regulating components are coupled together in a row in such a manner as to be rotationally movable relative to each other (Figs. 1-7, page 4, middle, page 8, middle; the plurality of the structures 20 are coupled together in a row in such a manner as to be rotationally movable relative to each other),
the at least one first wire is housed in the plurality of wire movable path regulating components in a state of passing through the first wire housing space (Figs. 1-7, page 4, middle, page 8, middle; the at least one first cable is housed in the plurality of the structures 20 on the lower stack in a state of passing through the first cable housing space),
and the at least one second wire is housed in the plurality of wire movable path regulating components in a state of passing through the second wire housing space (Figs. 1-7, page 4, middle, page 8, middle; the at least one second cable is housed in the plurality of the structures 20 on the upper stack in a state of passing through the second cable housing space).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamanaka in view of Makoto and “Hayashi” (US 2015/0107894).
Regarding claim 6, Yamanaka in view of Makoto discloses the claimed invention as applied to claim 1, above.
Yamanaka does not disclose the limitations of claim 6.
Hayashi discloses 6. The wire movable path regulating component according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the additional enclosing part on an opposite side to the main body is formed in an arc shape as viewed in a through direction of the second wire housing space (Fig. 3, [0032]; the divided body portion 6A is formed in an arc shape as viewed in a through direction of the wire housing space).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have constructed Yamanaka’s component, as modified by Makoto, with Hayashi’s arc shape in order to provide an attaching portion that can be fixed to an installation surface on which it is installed, as suggested by Hayashi at [0005].
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STANLEY TSO whose telephone number is (571)270-0723. The examiner can normally be reached Tu-Thurs 6am-6pm, alt M 6am-2pm.
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/STANLEY TSO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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