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 .
Examiner's Note
Examiner has cited particular paragraphs and/or columns and line numbers and/or figures in the references as applied to the claims below for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant, in preparing the responses, to fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner. The Examiner notes that it has been held that a recitation that a structural element is "adapted to", “configured to”, “capable of, “arranged to”, “intended to” or “operable to” perform a function does not limit the claim to a particular structure and thus only requires the ability to so perform the function. (See In re Hutchison, 69 USPQ 138. See also, MPEP 2111.04) As such, under the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claims and the prior art, the recitations of "adapted to", “configured to”, “capable of, “arranged to”, “intended to” or “operable to” will be deemed met by an element in the prior art capable of performing the function recited in connection with "adapted to", “configured to”, “capable of, “arranged to”, “intended to” or “operable to”. The examiner is aware of the functional language in the various claims.
Disclaimer
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 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.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Guangzhou Susheng Technology Service Co., LTD.
Regarding claim 1, Guangzhou discloses as building block set (see Figures 1-17), comprising a first block and a second block (see the multiple blocks identified as (1) in the figures), wherein the first block is formed with a first wiring slot disposed on an outer surface of the first block (4), and the first wiring slot is capable of cooperating with the second block to form a first wiring harness channel serving as a passage of a wire harness and restricting a position of a wiring harness (100). The reference teaches that the wiring harness (100) as being retained within the groove (4), embedding groove (5), and routing groove (6) to restrict movement, protect the harness, and guide routing.
Regarding claim 2, wherein the first block (1) is formed with a first through-hole (4), and the wire harness (100) is able to pass through the first through-hole in order to be routed inside the first block (see all Figures).
Regarding claim 3, further comprising a wiring harness steering block detachably connected to the first block, wherein the wiring harness steering block (9) is capable of rotating about a first axis relative to the first block, the wiring harness steering block is formed with a second through-hole (multiple through-holes 4 are disclosed as shown in the Figures) for the wiring harness(100) to pass through, the second through-hole is in communication with at least one of the first through-hole or the first wiring harness channel, the wiring harness steering block is formed with a second wiring slot in communication with the second through-hole, and the second wiring slot extends in a direction not parallel to a direction of the first axis (see the different arrangements of the harness in the through-holes as shown in Figures 1-17).
Regarding claim 4, further comprising a block adapter block, wherein the wiring harness steering block, the block adapter block, and the first block are interconnected, and the block adapter block is formed with a second harness channel through which the second through-hole is connected to the first through-hole (the reference discloses an adaptor block including an embedding groove (5) and routing groove (6) that communicate with the wiring groove (4) to continue the wiring harness channel as recited. See Figures 1-17).
Regarding claim 5, wherein the second through-hole is connected to the first wiring harness channel through the second harness channel (the reference discloses the adapter block including a wiring groove communicating with adjacent grooves to form a continuous wiring path as shown in Figures 1-17).
Regarding claim 6, as shown in Figures 1-17, the wiring harness steering block, the block adapter block, the first block are connected in sequence from top to bottom, the first block has a fourth wiring slot on a top surface, and the fourth wiring slot extends from the first through-hole to the first wiring slot.
Regarding claim 7, further comprising a third block, wherein the first block is detachably mounted to the third block (as shown in Figures 1-17, multiple blocks are used that have all the recited features).
Regarding claim 8, wherein the third block is formed with a third through-hole connected to the first through-hole, the third through-hole and the first through-hole extend in a first direction, and a first wiring port and a second wiring port are formed between the first block and the third block, so that when the first block is mounted to the third block, the wire harness (100) leaves the first wiring harness channel and then can pass through the first wiring port and the second wiring port to reach the third through-hole (for example as shown in Figure 16, multiple blocks with through-holes and multiple wiring ports are used as recited. Grooves (4), embedding grooves (5) and grooves (6) are all configured to receive and retain the wiring harness 100 as recited).
Regarding claim 9, wherein a third projection is formed at a top of the third block, a first splicing groove is formed at a bottom of the first block, and the first block and the third block are spliced together by cooperation of the third projection with the first splicing groove, so that the first through-hole is connected to the first splicing groove (the reference discloses a building block wiring arrangement in which the wiring harness (100) extends continuously through assembled building blocks to electrically connect a power supply (200) and load (300) as shown in Figure 17).
Regarding claim 10, wherein the first wiring slot comprises a first slot, a second slot, and a third slot, the first slot is located in a front sidewall of the first block, the second slot is located in a top wall of the first block, the second slot is located in a rear sidewall of the first block, the first block is recessed upward at a first bottom position corresponding to the first slot to form a first wiring port, the first block is recessed upward at a second bottom position corresponding to the third slot to form a second wiring port, the first block has a first splicing groove formed in a bottom of the first block, and both the first wiring port and the second wiring port are connected to the first splicing groove (the reference discloses a building block wiring arrangement in which the wiring harness (100) extends continuously through assembled building blocks to electrically connect a power supply (200) and load (300) as shown in Figure 17).
Regarding claim 11, wherein the first wiring slot comprises a top wiring slot and a side wiring slot, the top wiring slot is disposed on a top surface of the first block and is "#"-shaped, the side wiring slot is disposed on a side of the first block, a top of the side wiring slot is connected to the top wiring slot, the first block is recessed upward at a third bottom position corresponding to the side wiring slot to form a wiring port, and the first through-hole passes vertically through the first block (the reference discloses the first block (1) including a top wiring groove (4) and a side wiring groove (4), wherein the top groove communicates with the side groove to form a wiring port. The reference further teaches the first through-hole, first projection (2), and associated wiring grooves for routing the wiring harness (100). See all Figures 1-17).
Regarding claim 12, wherein the first block is formed with a first projection (2), the first through-hole penetrates the first projection, and the first block (1) is connected to other blocks through the first projection (3). See all Figures.
Regarding claim 13, wherein the first block (1) is formed with a fourth wiring slot connected to the first through-hole (4), the fourth wiring slot extends in a direction different from a longitudinal direction of the first through-hole, an eighth opening is formed in an outer wall of the first projection (2), and the eighth opening extends from an opening of the first through-hole to the fourth wiring slot (see Figures 1-17 where multiple blocks with the recited features are disclosed).
Regarding claim 14, wherein the first block (1) comprises a first block section and a second block section, the first block section fits on top of the second block section, the first projection is located on a top surface of the first block section, a second splice slot is formed below the second block section for splicing with the other blocks, a plurality of penetrating first threading openings are provided on a front wall of the first block section, a plurality of penetrating third threading openings are provided on both a left side wall and a right side wall of the first block section, and a plurality of penetrating second threading openings are provided on a rear wall of the first block section (the reference discloses stacked building block sections, splice grooves, raised posts, and threaded openings that permit one block section to be coupled to another while allowing passage of the wiring harness (100). See Figures 1-17)..
Regarding claim 15, further comprising a wire harness holding block detachably connected to the first block, wherein the wire harness holding block has a first holding slot for holding the wire harness, a plurality of ninth openings are provided in a side wall of the wire harness holding block, and the wire harness is able to pass through one of the plurality of ninth openings to enter the first holding slot and stretch out of another one of the plurality of ninth openings, so as to exit the first holding slot (as shown in Figures 1-17, the refence discloses a wire harness holding block, including holding slots/openings through which the wiring harness (100) passes into and out of the holding slot for retaining and guiding the wiring harness).
Regarding claim 16, wherein the first wiring slot (4) is located on a top surface of the first block (1) with the first projection (2), and the first wiring slot is recessed downward and extends to a side of the first block.
Regarding claim 17, wherein the first block is provided with a plurality of the first projections, the first block is provided with a through-hole, in the first block, the first wiring slot extends from the through-hole to a side of the first block, an eighth wiring slot is formed in the side of the first block, a top of the eighth wiring slot is connected to the first wiring slot, the first block is recessed upward at a fourth bottom position corresponding to the eighth wiring slot to form a third wiring port, a sixth projection is formed in the first block, the through-hole passes through the sixth projection, the sixth projection is recessed upward at a fifth bottom position to form a fourth wiring port, and the fourth wiring port is at a position corresponding to the third wiring port. (the reference discloses the first block (1) including multiple projections (2), a through-hole, an eighth opening multiple wiring grooves (4), and additional wiring ports for routing the wiring harness (100) through the projections and side surfaces of the block. See Figures 1-17).
Regarding claim 18, wherein a top surface of the first block is provided with a plurality of the first projections disposed side by side, the building block set comprises a plurality of the first blocks, each of the plurality of the first projections is provided with an eighth opening, the top surface of the first block is provided with the first wiring slot, a second wiring slot and a cross-shaped wiring slot, each of the first wiring slot and the second wiring slot is configured to extend from the eighth opening of the plurality of the first projections to a side of the first block, the cross-shaped wiring slot comprises a lateral slot and a longitudinal slot, the lateral slot is connected to the eighth opening of two adjacent first blocks of the plurality of the first blocks, the longitudinal slot intersects the lateral slot perpendicularly and extends from the side of the first block to another side of the first block (the reference discloses adjacent projections (2), corresponding openings, and intersecting wiring grooves (4), including transverse and longitudinal groove portions extending between adjacent building blocks to route the wiring harness (100). See Figures 1-17).
Regarding claim 19, wherein the first block comprises a first part disposed on a left side of the first block and a second part disposed on a right side of the first block, the first part is detachably coupled to the second part, and the first part cooperates with the second part so as to form the first through-hole running vertically through the first block (the reference discloses the first block (1) including separable block portions that cooperate to define the first through-hole extending vertically through the block while permitting detachable assembly. See all Figures 1-17).
Regarding claim 20, comprising a light fixture, a power supply, and the building block set according to claim 1, wherein the wiring harness is connected to the light fixture and the power supply (the reference discloses a toy comprising a building block set (1), power supply (200), light fixture/load (300), and wiring harness (100) electrically connecting the power supply and light fixture through the building block wiring arrangement (see Figures 1-17).
Conclusion
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Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NINI F LEGESSE whose telephone number is (571)272-4412. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Friday 9 AM - 5:30 PM.
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/NINI F LEGESSE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3711
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