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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 5 recites the same limitation twice (“the two support structures are offset by a distance from each other in a direction parallel to a primary axis of the columnar body”). Appropriate correction is required.
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)(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 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Savin et al. (US 20250246838 A1, and Savin hereinafter).
Regarding Claim 1, An airbag control apparatus, comprising:
an insulated housing (9, fig. 2; “housing part 9 is made of plastic”, [0051]) that includes two support structures (3, fig. 2) and two support members (23 and 24, fig. 2);
two capacitors (4_1 and 4_2, fig. 2) respectively fixed in one of the two support structures (fig. 2), and each of the two capacitors includes two leads (11-12, fig. 2), wherein the two leads of each capacitor are respectively fixed at one of the two support members so that a lead from each of the two capacitors is fixed in a support member (fig. 2; “Each capacitor 4_1 and 4_2, has a first electric line 11 and a second electric line 12 … To achieve a stable and reliable electric connection of each capacitor 4_1 and 4_2 with the first insulation displacement connector 21 and the second insulation displacement connector 22, both of them are inserted into a first tower 23 and a second tower 24, respectively”, [0051]);
two electrically conductive connectors (21-22, fig. 2), each of which includes an integrated forming bridge (body of 21-22, fig. 4) and a pin (34, fig. 4), and each of which is inserted into one of the two support members (fig. 2) and electrically connected with two leads fixed in the one support (figs. 2-3; “electric connection of each capacitor 4.sub.1 and 4.sub.2 with the first insulation displacement connector 21 and the second insulation displacement connector 22”, [0051]); and
a circuit board positioned on the opposite side of the two capacitors to the housing and electrically connected with the two pins of the two connectors respectively (fig. 4 in view of “Each insulation displacement connector 21 or 22 is provided with a connector 34 to the printed circuit board (not shown)”, [0057]).
Regarding Claim 2, Savin discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bridge comprises:
two slots (31, fig. 4) each extending from a first end of the bridge proximate the support member in a direction toward the circuit board (fig. 4, upward from the bottom end), wherein two leads fixed within the support member extend through one of the two slots and into contact with an interior wall of the slot, respectively (fig. 3).
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.
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.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Savin in view of Schwamberger et al. (US 20220247141 A1, and Schwamberger hereinafter).
Regarding Claim 3, Savin discloses the apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the two slots comprises:
a rabbet (bottom portion of 31, fig. 4) opened at the first end (fig. 4), wherein a width between the inner walls of the rabbet becomes smaller in a direction toward the circuit board (fig. 4, width decreases in the upward direction);
a channel extending from the rabbet in a direction towards the circuit board (rectangular portion of 31 that has constant width, fig. 4) and receiving a lead (fig. 3), wherein a width is consistent between the inner walls of the channel (fig. 4);
Savin does not explicitly disclose a slot bottom proximate an end of the circuit board of the channel, wherein a width between the inner walls of the slot bottom is greater than a width between the inner walls of the channel.
Schwamberger discloses a connector comprising a slot bottom (bottom portion of 7, fig. 1) proximate an end of a circuit board (3, fig. 1) of a channel (7, fig. 1), wherein a width between the inner walls of the slot bottom is greater than a width between the inner walls of the channel (fig. 1).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Savin to incorporate the teachings of Schwamberger so that a slot bottom proximate an end of the circuit board of the channel, wherein a width between the inner walls of the slot bottom is greater than a width between the inner walls of the channel, in order to enhance elastic (cantilever) deformation of the channel legs as the leads are inserted into it (“the legs 11,12 are preferably elastic in order to allow a permanent and stable pressing of the winding wire 6 in the clamping slot 7”, [0018] of Schwamberger)
Claims 4-6 and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Savin in view of Murray et al. (US 20210012972 A1, and Murray hereinafter).
Regarding Claim 4, Savin discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
each of the two capacitors including a columnar body fixed in a support structure (fig. 2), the columnar body having a main axis parallel to the circuit board (fig. 2, axis of capacitors are horizontal; pin connectors 34 shown in fig. 3 to be connected to circuit board ([0057]) are vertical, from which, it is implicitly disclosed that circuit board is oriented horizontally),
the housing is made by an injection molding process (“housing part 9 during the injection moulding process”, [0052]),
the two support structures are arranged side-by-side (fig. 2), and
the columnar bodies of the two capacitors are parallel to each other (fig. 2), and two leads of each of the two capacitors extend from the body in a direction parallel to the primary axis and bend each towards the other capacitor proximate the two capacitors to extend into one of the support member (fig. 2).
Savin does not explicitly disclose the two capacitors are electrolytic capacitors.
Murray discloses an airbag control unit, wherein a capacitor is electrolytic capacitor (52, fig. 11, “The capacitor 52 can be an electrolytic capacitor”, [0028])
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Savin to incorporate the teachings of Murray so that the two capacitors are electrolytic capacitors, in order to provide a large storage capacity (“electrolytic capacitor , which can advantageously exhibit a comparatively large storage capacity”, [0058] of Murray).
Regarding Claim 5, Savin/Murray discloses the apparatus of claim 4, wherein the two support structures are offset by a distance from each other in a direction parallel to a primary axis of the columnar body (instance of 3 corresponding to 4_2 is offset, along the longitudinal axis of 4_2, relative to the instance of 3 corresponding to 4_1, fig. 2 of Savin), and the two support structures are offset by a distance from each other in a direction parallel to the primary axis of the columnar body (instance of 3 corresponding to 4_2 is offset, along the longitudinal axis of 4_2, relative to the instance of 3 corresponding to 4_1, fig. 2 of Savin).
Regarding Claim 6, Savin/Murray discloses the apparatus of claim 4, wherein the two support members are biased or overlapped in a direction perpendicular to a primary axis of the columnar body (23-24 overlap, figs. 2-3 of Savin).
Regarding Claim 9, Savin/Murray discloses an airbag control apparatus according to claim 1 but does not explicitly disclose an airbag system.
However, Savin implicitly discloses an airbag system (“to operate and send deployment signals to pyrotechnic devices embedded in airbag cushions … As safety regulations become more stringent, the number of airbags increases”, [0008-0009]).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Savin and Murray to incorporate the additional teachings of Savin so that it comprises an airbag system, in order to provide a safety mechanism to a vehicle, such that the safety mechanism is controlled by the airbag control apparatus (fig. 1 and [0008-0009] of Savin).
Regarding Claim 10, Savin/Murray discloses a vehicle comprising the airbag system of claim 9 (16, fig. 1 of Savin).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Savin in view of Murray, further in view of Yu (US 20050064744 A1, and Yu hereinafter).
Regarding Claim 7, Savin/Murray discloses the apparatus of claim 6, wherein each of the two support members comprises:
a slot (fig. 3 of Savin, e.g., portion of 24 housing 32) and two lead channels (fig. 3 of Savin, e.g., portions of 23 supporting 11), each of which is in a direction perpendicular to the primary axis of the columnar body through a support member (fig. 3 of Savin, vertical direction is perpendicular to axis of capacitor which is horizontal) and communicates with the slot (fig. 3 of Savin), and each of which receives one lead (fig. 3 of Savin), and the bridge being inserted into the slot (fig. 3 of Savin).
Savin/Murray does not explicitly disclose the connector being formed by metal plate stamping
Yu discloses a connector being formed by metal plate stamping (11, fig. 3; “contact plate 11 is stamped from a metal plate and comprises a body portion 110, a pair of contact beams 115, and a plurality of press-fit solder portions 113”)
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Savin and Murray to incorporate the teachings of Yu so that the connector is formed by metal plate stamping, in order to provide manufacturing means for metallic connectors having diverse shape portions (“contact plate 11 is stamped from a metal plate and comprises a body portion 110, a pair of contact beams 115, and a plurality of press-fit solder portions 113”, [0019] of Yu).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Savin in view of Baur et al. (US 6163460 A, and Baur hereinafter).
Regarding Claim 8, Savin discloses the apparatus of claim 1 but does not explicitly disclose the pin comprises a press-fit structure, the pin being press-fit in electrical connection with the circuit board.
Baur discloses a pin comprises a press-fit structure (6, fig. 2B), the pin being press-fit in electrical connection with the circuit board (20, fig. 2B, “tips 6 and 7 forming the press-in pin ends of the mounting shanks 2 and 3 protrude upwardly out of the webs 19 and are pressed into the copper-lined holes 21 in the circuit board 20”, Col. 4, ln. 39-42).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Savin to incorporate the teachings of Baur so that the pin comprises a press-fit structure, the pin being press-fit in electrical connection with the circuit board, in order to provide a secure electrical connection between the capacitor and the circuit board (“the tips 6 and 7 of the shanks 2 and 3 are pressed into the holes 21 of the circuit board 20 so as to provide the necessary contact between the component 22 and the circuit board 20”, Col. 5, ln. 27-30).
Conclusion
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/MARTIN ANTONIO ASMAT UCEDA/Examiner, Art Unit 2841 /ROCKSHANA D CHOWDHURY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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