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 .
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Objections
Claim 15 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 15 cites “an electronic housing”, “a printed circuit board”, “connection element”. Appropriate correction is required to address lack of antecedent basis.
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 1-2, 4-5, 7-10, 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yasuma (JPH09270277A; “Yasuma” hereinafter).
Regarding claim 1, Yasuma discloses an electronics housing (1, fig. 1) for receiving a printed circuit board (9, fig. 1) comprising:
a first housing part (5, fig. 1); and
a second housing part (3 and 31, fig. 1), wherein the first and second housing parts are joinable together along a joint edge (35, fig. 1) in a form-fitting and separable manner (via screws 43, fig. 1), and the first and second housing parts have lateral walls (see fig. 1) that adjoin one another at edges and form a housing shell (1, fig. 1),
wherein
a first lateral wall (see ‘2LW’ in annotated fig. 1 below) of the first housing part is lower than a second lateral wall (5a) of the first housing part in at least one region, the second lateral wall lying opposite the first lateral wall (fig. 1), in order to insert the printed circuit board into the first housing part via the first lateral wall (fig. 1 teaches this limitation), and
wherein the second lateral wall has at least one opening (7, fig. 1) for introducing a connection element (11, fig. 1) connected to the printed circuit board into the at least one opening (¶[0009]).
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Regarding claim 2, Yasuma discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses:
wherein the first housing part(27) configured to fasten the printed circuit board in the first housing part (¶[0010).
Regarding claim 4, Yasuma discloses the limitations of claim 2, and further discloses:
Wherein the fastening means is configured to hold the printed circuit board in a clamping manner (screws 27 met this limitation by clamping circuit board 9 with the first housing part).
Regarding claim 5, Yasuma discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses:
further comprising: a third lateral wall and a fourth lateral wall (see ‘5AC’ and ‘5AD’ in annotated fig. 1 below) which are arranged transversely to the first lateral wall and the second lateral wall, the third and fourth lateral walls being configured to guide the printed circuit board when displacing the printed circuit board between the first lateral wall(as disclosed upon examination of fig. 1 and ¶[0008], [0011]).
Regarding claim 7, Yasuma discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses:
wherein the second housing part has lateral walls corresponding to the first housing part so as to form a substantially cuboid shaped electronics housing (fig. 1, ¶[0007]) with base surfaces (5b and horizontal surface of 3, fig. 1) where arranged parallel to one another (fig. 1 discloses this limitation).
Regarding claim 8, Yasuma discloses the limitations of claim 5, and further discloses:
wherein the a joint edge between the third lateral wall and/or fourth lateral wall extends at least in some regions at least one of obliquely (fig. 1 discloses this limitation), arcuately, jaggedly, step-like, or stair-like with respect to a base surface (5b, fig. 1) of the electronics housing.
Regarding claim 9, Yasuma discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses:
further comprising: a sealing element (33) arrangeable along the joint edge between the first housing part and the second housing part (¶[0007]).
Regarding claim 10, Yasuma discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses:
Wherein the first housing part and/or second housing part comprises an insulating material comprising a plastics material or a metal comprising at least one of a stainless steel, a zinc die-cast material, or an aluminum material (¶[0007]).
Regarding claim 15, Yasuma discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses:
a system (assembly of figure 1) having an electronics housing of claim 1, and a printed circuit board (9, fig. 1) which is received in the electronics housing (fig. 1) and which has at least one connection element (11, fig. 1).
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.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yasuma, in view of Kim et al (US 20140273632; “Kim” hereinafter).
Regarding claim 3, Yasuma discloses the limitations of claim 2, and further discloses:
a screw connection (25 and 27, fig. 1) configured to hold the connection element and the printed circuit board connected thereto in the opening (¶[0010]).
Yasuma does not explicitly teach:
wherein the fastening means comprise at least one screw dome, latching means configured to form a latching connection for fastening the printed circuit board in the first housing part.
However, Kim teaches:
a fastening means comprise at least one screw dome (300, figs. 6F and 7A) comprising a screw hole (320), latching means (310, figs. 6F and 7A) configured to form a latching connection for fastening a bracket (100, i.e. printed circuit board, fig. 1) in a lower end of a front mechanism (500, i.e. first housing part, fig. 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Yasuma’s screw connection to include Kim’s screw dome latching means, such that the fastening means comprise at least one screw dome, latching means configured to form a latching connection for fastening the printed circuit board in the first housing part, in order to firmly support the printed circuit board to the first housing part, even if the screw malfunctions (¶[0061]). Therefore, the claimed subject matter would have been no more than a predictable combination of known techniques according to their respective purposes within routine skill and creativity (§MPEP 2143).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yasuma, in view of Sahara et al (US 6275385; “Sahara” hereinafter).
Regarding claim 6, Yasuma discloses the limitations of claim 1, but does not explicitly disclose:
wherein, between the first lateral wall and the second lateral wall, at least one guide element is arranged at least in some regions so as to displace the printed circuit board between the first lateral wall and the second lateral wall on a guide track of the guide element.
However, Sahara teaches:
wherein, between a first lateral wall (closed end of housing 11 opposite an open end, fig. 1) and an open end of a housing (11), at least one guide element (13a, 13b, fig. 1) is arranged at least in some regions so as to displace a printed circuit board (16) between the first lateral wall and the second lateral wall on a guide track (length of grooves in 13a, 13b) of the guide element (col. 3, lines 29-38).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the third and fourth lateral walls of Yasuma, and include the guide elements of Sahara, such that between the first lateral wall and the second lateral wall, at least one guide element is arranged at least in some regions so as to displace the printed circuit board between the first lateral wall and the second lateral wall on a guide track of the guide element, in order to provide a guiding structure to insert the printed circuit board into the first housing part for the advantage of aligning the connection element with the opening (col. 3, lines 35-38).
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yasuma, in view of Kuwahara et al (US 6344612; “Kuwahara” hereinafter).
Regarding claim 11, Yasuma discloses the limitations of claim 1, but does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the housing parts are double-walled at least in some regions and have an overlap region at least in some portions in a region of the joint edge.
However, Kuwahara teaches:
wherein the housing parts (101, 201, figs. 2 and 4) are double-walled (107, 108, 205) at least in some regions (see fig. 5C ) and have an overlap region at least in some portions in a region of the joint edge (107 overlaps a bottom portion of 206, fig. 5B, see annotated fig. 5C below).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the housing parts and sealing element 33 of Yasuma with Kuwahara’s teaching, such that the housing parts are double-walled at least in some regions and have an overlap region at least in some portions in a region of the joint edge, in order to provide a structure capable of preventing water from penetrating into the electronic housing (col. 6, lines 40-43).
Claims 12 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yasuma, in view of Manzula (US 20200137897; “Manzula” hereinafter).
Regarding claim 12, Yasuma discloses the limitations of claim 1, but does not explicitly disclose:
Wherein the first housing part and the second housing part each have at least one elongated hole, and
wherein at least one connecting element comprising a screw dome configured to connect the first housing part and second housing part is arranged in the at least one elongated hole of the first housing part or second housing part.
However, Manzula teaches:
a first housing part (6, fig. 3) and a second housing part (12, fig. 3) each have at least one elongated hole (see annotated fig. 3 below), and
wherein at least one connecting element (see ‘screw dome’ in annotated fig. 3 below, and, 26, 28) comprising a screw dome (see annotated fig. 3 below) configured to connect the first housing part and second housing part (figs. 4-5) is arranged in the at least one elongated hole of the first housing part or second housing part(see annotated fig. 3 below).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the corners of Yasuma’s first and second housing parts, with Manzula’s teaching, such that the first housing part and the second housing part each have at least one elongated hole, and
wherein at least one connecting element comprising a screw dome configured to connect the first housing part and second housing part is arranged in the at least one elongated hole of the first housing part or second housing part, for the advantage of no preferred direction for the screws, in which they are inserted into the mutually corresponding connecting regions of the housing parts (¶[0021]), and the effort for aligning the housing parts arranged relative to one another to form the housing body can thus be reduced, resulting in handling and assembly/disassembly advantages (¶[0028]).
Regarding claim 16, Yasuma in view of Manzula teaches the limitations of claim 12, and Manzula further teaches:
wherein the at least one elongated hole comprises four elongated holes in corner regions of the housing parts (figs. 1-2 teaches this limitation).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13-14, 17 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.
Regarding claim 13, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest,
in combination with other limitations recited in claim 12, a combination of limitations that teaches: further comprising: a mounting adapter configured to be connectable to the first housing part, wherein the mounting adapter has on a side thereof facing the first housing part at least one locking element corresponding to the at least one elongated hole. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Claims 14 and 17 are objected to by virtue of dependency to claim 13.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is:
US 5361925 A Terminal Box. This invention relates generally to a base and a cover detachably securable to the base. The cover is provided with a stepped bore in each corner area thereof, with a spring-loaded locking bolt being insertable therein and slideable in axial direction in opposition to the spring action for securing the cover to the base.
US 20160358704 A1 Housing for an Electronic Device in Vehicles. This invention generally relates to a housing for an electronic control device in vehicles, comprising a bottom part that has a metallic baseplate, and a cover part made of plastic.
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/P.K./Examiner, Art Unit 2841
/ALLEN L PARKER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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