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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bentrim et al. (U.S. 2001/0031190).
As for Claim 1, Bentrim discloses a fixing structure comprising:
a shaft portion (25) provided on a first member;
an anchor portion having a locking claw portion (10) at a tip portion of the shaft portion, the locking claw portion being elastically expandable and contractible (see para [0026]); and
a frame portion (body of 4) that is provided on a second member and has an anchor hole (4) into which the shaft portion is to be inserted, the second member being configured to be assembled to the first member such that the shaft portion is inserted into the anchor hole (see Fig. 1A), and a locking portion (locking portion of 10) of the locking claw portion that has passed through the anchor hole engages with an end portion of the frame portion, wherein:
a ridge portion (6) extending in an insertion direction toward the anchor hole is formed at a location of the shaft portion that is to face a predetermined location on an inner surface of the anchor hole (see Figs. 1-1a);
a groove portion (upper groove portion of 4) into which the ridge portion can be inserted in the insertion direction is formed at the predetermined location on the inner surface of the anchor hole;
a thickness of a portion of the shaft portion at the ridge portion is larger than an opening width at a location outside the groove portion of the anchor hole (width of defined by ends 1b is larger than the opening 4); and
a length from a tip portion of the ridge portion to the locking portion of the locking claw portion that is to engage with the frame portion is smaller than a length in the insertion direction of the anchor (length from the distal end of 6 to the distal end of 10 is smaller than the thickness of the frame portion of 2 and 3 defined by the opening 4 and ).
Re: Claim 2. The fixing structure according to claim 1, wherein the locking claw portion has an arrowhead shape that is bilaterally symmetrical and gradually narrows on a tip side of the shaft portion (see arrow-shaped distal end portion of 10 disclosed in Figs. 4 and 5), and has the locking portion formed at a rear end portion of a portion having the arrowhead shape (see Figs. 4 and 5).
Re: Claim 3. The fixing structure according to claim 1, wherein the locking portion has a surface (rear shoulder surface of 10) that is to engage with a lower surface of the frame portion, and a surface (angled surface of 10) that extends from the surface to a rear end side and is to engage with an inner surface of the frame portion.
Re: Claim 4. The fixing structure according to claim 1, wherein:
the shaft portion (1a) has a rectangular sectional shape (see Fig. 5);
the ridge portion (6) has a rectangular sectional shape (see Fig. 3); and
an opening (4 and 5) of the anchor hole is formed in a rectangular shape (see Figs. 1-1A).
Re: Claim 5. The fixing structure according to claim 3, wherein: the shaft portion has a rectangular sectional shape (see Fig. 1-1A);
the ridge portion (6) has a rectangular sectional shape (see Figs. 1-1A); and an opening of the anchor hole (4 and 5) is formed in a rectangular shape (see Figs. 1-1A).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Steimer (U.S. 11,530,717) and
Sano (U.S. 8,043,038).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID M UPCHURCH whose telephone number is (571)270-7957. The examiner can normally be reached 6AM-3PM EST M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jason San can be reached at (571)272-6531. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DAVID M UPCHURCH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3677
