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 . 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.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.84(h) and 37 CFR 1.84(u) because Figure 6 includes multiple views under a single label, and therefore the views are not “clearly separated from one another”. Further, “[t]he different views must be numbered in consecutive Arabic numerals”.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because multiple reference characters have been used to designate the same structure in the following figures:
“44, 50” in Figures 2, 4, and 5
“44*, 50*” in Figure 6
“44**, 50**” in Figure 6
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: 10 (see paragraph []), 30 (see paragraph [0015]).
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 1-5 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 1 first recites “a second fastening portion to be bonded and fastened to the first fastening portion” [emphasis added] in lines 3-4. The Examiner notes this recitation reads as an intended use recitation, and not as a positive recitation of the second fastening portion actually being bonded and fastened to the first fastening portion. However, claim 2 goes on to recite the limitation “even if fastening and bonding between the first fastening portion and the second fastening portion are released” in lines 4-5. This limitation reads as if the first and second fastening portions have positively been claimed as bonded and fastened. As such, it is unclear from the claims whether the first and second fastening portions are bonded and fastened to one another, or they are configured to be bonded and fastened to one another. For the purpose of this action, the Examiner has interpreted the limitation in claim 1, lines 3-4, as reading --a second fastening portion
Claim 3 recites the limitation "the assembly direction" in lines 4-5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim; an assembly direction is not previously recited in the claim(s).
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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP 11-236070 (Iwasaki).
Iwasaki discloses a component fastening structure (see Figure 3 and annotated Figure 1 below) comprising:
a first component (20) including a first fastening portion (21); and
a second component (10) including a second fastening portion (11) to be bonded (via 30) and fastened (via 40) to the first fastening portion (see Figure 3), wherein:
the first fastening portion has a first fastening surface (see annotated Figure 1 below);
the second fastening portion has a second fastening surface (see annotated Figure 1 below) facing the first fastening surface (see Figure 3);
the second fastening surface includes
a parallel area (see annotated Figure 1 below) parallel to the first fastening surface and in contact (via adhesive 30) with the first fastening surface (see Figure 3), and
an inclined area (see annotated Figure 1 below) inclined with respect to the first fastening surface (see Figure 3); and
the second fastening portion is fastened to the first fastening portion in the parallel area (see Figure 3).
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Figure 1. Annotated Figure 3 of Iwasaki
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Iwasaki discloses the component fastening structure according to claim 1, but fails to disclose the first component (20) and the second component (10) are assembled in a state in which the first component and the second component are not relatively movable in a direction orthogonal to the first fastening surface even if fastening (at 40) and bonding (at 30) between the first fastening portion and the second fastening portion are released.
One of ordinary skill in the art would not have been motivated to modify Iwasaki such that the first component and the second component are not relatively movable in a direction orthogonal to the first fastening surface even if fastening and bonding between the first fastening portion and the second fastening portion are released, as Iwasaki is purposefully designed to have a clearance formed between the first and second components which is to be filled with adhesive (30) in order to prevent stress concentration while maintaining watertightness (see paragraphs [0004]-[0012]). As such, a modification which would prevent relative movement would teach away from this intended structure and destroy the component fastening structure of Iwasaki.
Conclusion
The prior art set forth in the attached Notice of References Cited (PTO-892) made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure in the field of component fastening structures.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Josh Skroupa whose telephone number is (571)270-3220. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM ET.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amber Anderson can be reached on (571)270-5281. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Josh Skroupa/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3678
August 17, 2026
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