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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 4-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 4 recites the limitation "the bottom plate" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Applicant should amend this claim to depend from Claim 3 to fix this issue.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the bottom” in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Applicant should amend the claim to properly introduce this limitation.
Claim 10 recites the limitation "the bottom plate" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Amending Claim 4 to depend from Claim 3 will automatically fix this issue.
Claim 15 recites the limitation "the upper end" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Applicant should amend the claim to properly introduce this limitation.
The remaining dependent claims are rejected by virtue of their dependencies.
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chinese Patent No. 214450746 (CN 746).
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Regarding Claim 1: CN 746 discloses a wire harness fixing device, comprising: a bracket (See Annotated Fig. A) adapted to accommodate a wire harness and including a locking part (See Annotated Fig. A); and a locking component (See Annotated Fig. A) installed in the bracket and engaged with the locking part, a wire pressing portion (See Annotated Fig. A) is formed on the locking component and adapted to press and hold the wire harness in the bracket.
Regarding Claim 2: CN 746 discloses a wire harness fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the wire pressing portion defines a hollow inner cavity (See Annotated Fig. A).
Regarding Claim 3: CN 746 discloses a wire harness fixing device according to claim 2, wherein the hollow inner cavity is at least partially defined by a bottom plate (See Annotated Fig. A) adapted to press against the wire harness.
Regarding Claim 4: CN 746 discloses a wire harness fixing device according to claim 2, wherein the bottom plate (See Annotated Fig. A) is adapted to elastically deform when pressing the wire harness. (See translation, p. 5, lines 33-34)
Regarding Claim 18: CN 746 discloses a wire harness fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the bracket (See Annotated Fig. A) is an integral molded piece. (See generally Annotated Fig. A)
Claim(s) 1-15, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chinese Patent No. 214479187 (CN 187).
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Regarding Claim 1: CN 187 discloses a wire harness fixing device, comprising: a bracket (See Annotated Fig. B) adapted to accommodate a wire harness and including a locking part (See Annotated Fig. B); and a locking component (See Annotated Fig. B) installed in the bracket and engaged with the locking part, a wire pressing portion (See Annotated Fig. B) is formed on the locking component and adapted to press and hold the wire harness in the bracket.
Regarding Claim 2: CN 187 discloses a wire harness fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the wire pressing portion defines a hollow inner cavity (See Annotated Fig. B).
Regarding Claim 3: CN 187 discloses a wire harness fixing device according to claim 2, wherein the hollow inner cavity is at least partially defined by a bottom plate (See Annotated Fig. B) adapted to press against the wire harness.
Regarding Claim 4: CN 187 discloses a wire harness fixing device according to claim 2, wherein the bottom plate (See Annotated Fig. B) is adapted to elastically deform when pressing the wire harness. (See Translation, p. 6, last three lines from bottom)
Regarding Claim 5: CN 187 discloses a wire harness fixing device according to claim 4, wherein the locking component includes: a main body (See Annotated Fig. B) formed with two insertion holes (See Annotated Fig. B); and a pair of side plates (See Annotated Fig. B) which are respectively connected to both ends of the main body and respectively adjacent to the two insertion holes.
Regarding Claim 6: CN 187 discloses a wire harness fixing device according to claim 5, wherein two locking parts (See Annotated Fig. B) corresponding to the two insertion holes (See Annotated Fig. B) are formed in the bracket, and the two locking parts pass through the two insertion holes respectively.
Regarding Claim 7: CN 187 discloses a wire harness fixing device according to claim 6, wherein a first strip-shaped tooth (See Annotated Fig. B) is formed on a side of the locking part (See Annotated Fig. B), and a second strip-shaped tooth (321) suitable for engaging with the first strip-shaped tooth is formed on a side of the side plate (See Annotated Fig. B).
Regarding Claim 8: CN 187 discloses a wire harness fixing device according to claim 7, wherein multiple second strip-shaped teeth (321) are formed on the side of the side plate (See Annotated Fig. B) of the locking component (See Annotated Fig. B), the multiple second strip-shaped teeth (321) are arranged in a row along the height direction of the bracket, such that the locking component (See Annotated Fig. B) can be locked at different height positions by the first strip-shaped teeth on the locking part, to enable the holding of different numbers or diameters of wire harnesses.
Regarding Claim 9: CN 187 discloses a wire harness fixing device according to claim 7, wherein the wire pressing portion (See Annotated Fig. B) protrudes from the bottom of the main body of the locking component, and the inner cavity (See Annotated Fig. B) runs through the wire pressing portion along the longitudinal direction of the bracket.
Regarding Claim 10: CN 187 discloses a wire harness fixing device according to claim 9, wherein the bottom plate (See Annotated Fig. B) is arched upwards in an arc shape (See Annotated Fig. B).
Regarding Claim 11: CN 187 discloses a wire harness fixing device according to claim 7, wherein the bracket comprises a pair of side walls (See Annotated Fig. B) opposite to each other in its transverse direction and a bottom wall (See Annotated Fig. B) connected between the bottom of the pair of side walls, wherein the pair of side walls and the bottom wall enclose a slot (See Annotated Fig. B) for accommodating the wire harness.
Regarding Claim 12: CN 187 discloses a wire harness fixing device according to claim 11, wherein the wire harness is clamped and fixed between the bottom plate (See Annotated Fig. B) of the locking component and the bottom wall (See Annotated Fig. B) of the bracket.
Regarding Claim 13: CN 187 discloses a wire harness fixing device according to claim 12, wherein a wall recess (See Annotated Fig. B) is formed on the side wall (See Annotated Fig. B) of the bracket, and the locking part (See Annotated Fig. B) is located in the wall recess and extends along the height direction of the bracket.
Regarding Claim 14: CN 187 discloses a wire harness fixing device according to claim 13, wherein the two ends of the locking component (See Annotated Fig. B) are respectively accommodated in the two wall recesses (See Annotated Fig. B) of the bracket, and the locking part passes through the insertion hole in the locking component.
Regarding Claim 15: CN 187 discloses a wire harness fixing device according to claim 14, wherein an inclined guide slope (See Annotated Fig. B) is formed on the upper end of the locking part (See Annotated Fig. B) to guide the locking part into the insertion hole in the locking component.
Regarding Claim 19: CN 187 discloses a wiring harness assembly, comprising: a wire harness fixing device, comprising: a bracket (See Annotated Fig. B) adapted to accommodate a wire harness (1) and including a locking part (See Annotated Fig. B); and a locking component (See Annotated Fig. B) installed in the bracket and engaged with the locking part, a wire pressing portion (See Annotated Fig. B) is formed on the locking component and adapted to press and hold the wire harness (1) in the bracket (See Annotated Fig. B); and a wire harness (1) arranged between the wire pressing portion (See Annotated Fig. B) and the locking part (See Annotated Fig. B).
Regarding Claim 20: CN 187 discloses a wiring harness assembly of claim 19, wherein a hollow inner cavity (See Annotated Fig. B) is formed in the wire pressing portion, and a bottom plate (See Annotated Fig. B) of the inner cavity is elastically deformable by the wire harness with the wire harness arranged in the wire harness fixing device. (See Translation, p. 6, last three lines from bottom)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 16 and 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.
Reasons for Allowable Subject Matter
None of the cited prior art, considered alone or in combination, discloses or teaches the wire harness fixing device according to claim 7, wherein multiple pairs of locking parts are formed in the bracket, and the multiple pairs of locking parts are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the bracket.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. In addition to the references used in this rejection and those cited in the PTO-892, the following references are very relevant to the claimed invention: US 4881705, 5820048.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERET C MCNICHOLS whose telephone number is (571)270-7363. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday: 9:00 - 5:00 (Eastern).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Terrell McKinnon can be reached at 571-272-4797. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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ERET C. MCNICHOLS
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3632
/ERET C MCNICHOLS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3632
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