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 .
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 1-11 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 1 recites “the front stop section is staggered form the female main body without overlapping any part of the female main body”, however, the front stop section appears to always be overlapping the female main body, at least in part.
Claim 1 further recites “the front stop section can overlap any part of the female main body”, however, this does not appear to be physically possible according to the drawings.
Claims 2-10 are rejected as depending from a rejected claim.
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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen, TW 1769774.
Regarding Claim 1, insofar as the claim is understood (see 112 rejection above), Chen teaches:
a male buckle member including a male main body (20), a male-side magnet (51) attached to the male-side main body, and a male-side retaining portion formed on the male main body;
a female buckle member including a female main body (30), a female-side magnet (52) attached to the female main body, and a female-side retaining portion formed on the female main body; the male-side magnet is magnetically attracted by the female-side magnet, bringing the male main body to move toward the female main body in a z-axis direction, such that the male-side retaining portion is able to be assembled with the female-side retaining portion (see Figs. 9A, 10); and the female-side retaining portion including a rear removal opening (37) located at a rear side of the female main body in a y-axis direction; and
an anti-separation member (62) including a connection section (61) and a front stop section (621); the connection section being connected to the male main body and movable in the x-axis direction, such that the anti-separation member can be selectively moved in the x-axis direction to one of an unlocking position and a locking position; and the front stop section being located outside a front side of the female main body in the y-axis direction, such that the front stop section and the rear removal opening is located at the front and the rear side (Fig. 9B), respectively, of the female main body; and
wherein when the anti-separation member is located at the unlocking position (Fig. 9A), the front stop section is staggered from the female main body without overlapping any part of the female main body, such that the male main body is movable in the y-axis direction to pass through the rear removal opening and be separated from the female main body; and
wherein when the anti-separation member is being moved in the x-axis direction to the locking position, the anti-separation member can be moved across the male main body to the female main body, and the front stop section can overlap any part of the female main body in the y-axis direction (Fig. 10); and when the male main body is moved rearward in the y-axis direction toward the rear removal opening, the front stop section would get in contact with the front side of the female main body to prevent the male main body from separating from the female main body.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-11 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW J SULLIVAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5218. The examiner can normally be reached IFP, Typically M-Th, 8:00-6:00, regular Fr availability.
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/MATTHEW J SULLIVAN/Examiner, Art Unit 3677
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