DETAILED ACTION
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 (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.
Status of the Claims
Claims 1-20 are currently pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 11/16/2025 was considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 09/04/2025.
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) 1-6 and 8-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Muto (US 2005/0285394).
At the outset the applicant is reminded that:
1. While features of an apparatus may be recited either structurally or functionally, claims directed to an apparatus must be distinguished from the prior art in terms of structure rather than function. In re Schreiber, 128 F.3d 1473, 1477-78, 44 USPQ2d 1429, 1431-32 (Fed. Cir. 1997).
2. A claim containing a recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus if the prior art apparatus teaches all the structural limitations of the claim. Ex parte Masham, 2 USPQ2d 1647 (Bd. Pat. App. & Inter. 1987).
Re Clm 1: Muto discloses a connector (see Figs. 1-11) comprising:
a connecting body (the body of 12) having a fluid passage (see the bore of 12) that extends at least part way therethrough;
a seal ring (54) configured to provide a seal with an outer portion of a fluid tube;
a cartridge (60) located adjacent to the connecting body, the cartridge having a hollow portion (see Fig. 11, the lower half) therethrough and a cartridge tube (see Fig. 11, the upper half), wherein the cartridge tube extends through a sleeve (152) opening (the opening at 160, see Fig. 11); and
a sleeve body (the body of (152) having an outer surface that extends from a first end to an opposite (see Fig. 11), second end of the sleeve body (see Fig. 11), the sleeve body covering at least part of the cartridge (see Fig. 11) and the connecting body (see Fig. 11);
wherein at least one latch (154) is positioned within an aperture (see Fig. 11, the aperture that contains 154) on the outer surface of the sleeve body between the first and second ends (see Fig. 11), and at least one mating catch (see Fig. 11, the catch being made up of three catches, that is, the radially inwards bottom of the groove that contains 154, the top of the groove that stops 154, and the longitudinal bottom of the groove that aids in preventing 154 from being extracted) is located on the connecting body for engagement with the at least one latch to connect the sleeve body to the connecting body and assist in restraining movement of the cartridge (see Fig. 11).
Re Clm 2: Muto discloses wherein the at least one latch includes a plurality of latches (see Fig. 11) defined by cutouts on the outer surface of the sleeve and the at least one catch includes a plurality of catches on the connecting body (such as explained in claim 1).
Re Clm 3: Muto discloses wherein the at least one latch is configured to rotate about a sidewall (the sidewall of 12) connected thereto in order to engage with the at least one catch (see Fig. 11).
Re Clm 4: Muto discloses wherein the at least one latch includes one or more protrusions (see Fig. 11) extending from the sidewall (see Fig. 11, extending from the sidewall into the groove that hold 154).
Re Clm 5: Muto discloses wherein the at least one latch is configured to move in a direction away from and towards the at least one catch in order to engage the at least one catch (during installation or disassembly).
Re Clm 6: Muto discloses wherein the at least one latch extends transversely from a sidewall connected thereto (similarly to that of applicant’s, alternatively, the structures thickness).
Re Clm 8: Muto discloses wherein engagement of the at least one catch with the at least one latch assists in preventing rotation of the sleeve relative to the connecting body (via friction).
Re Clm 9: Muto discloses a demount part (66 of 36) having an end proximal to the cartridge (see Fig. 11).
Re Clm 10: Muto discloses wherein a protecting ring (36) is configured to assist in protecting the seal ring (see Fig. 11).
Re Clm 11: Muto discloses wherein the protecting ring includes a stop (68) that assists in ensuring the seal ring is captured in a space where retention of the seal ring is capable of being positioned (see Fig. 11).
Re Clm 12: Muto discloses wherein the protecting ring includes a protrusion (64) that assists in supporting the fluid tube (see Fig. 11).
Re Clm 13: Muto discloses a connector (see Figs. 1-11) comprising:
a connecting body (the body of 12) having a fluid passage (see the bore of 12) that extends at least part way therethrough (see Fig. 11),
the connecting body including at least one mating catch (see Fig. 11, the catch being made up of three catches, that is, the radially inwards bottom of the groove that contains 154, the top of the groove that stops 154, and the longitudinal bottom of the groove that aids in preventing 154 from being extracted);
a seal ring (54) configured to provide a seal with an outer portion of a fluid tube (for example 16);
a cartridge (60) having a cartridge tube, the cartridge being located adjacent to the connecting body (see Fig. 11), the cartridge having a hollow portion therethrough (see Fig. 11); and
a sleeve (152) having a sleeve body (the body of 152) with an outer surface that extends from a distal end (see Fig. 11) to a proximal end (see Fig. 11), the distal end of the sleeve body defining a distal end face and the proximal end of the sleeve body defining a proximal end face, wherein the distal and proximal end faces lie in a single plane (see Fig. 11); wherein the sleeve body covers at least part of the cartridge and the connecting body (see Fig. 11).
Re Clm 14: Muto discloses wherein the sleeve has a sleeve opening (see Fig. 11), the sleeve covering at least part of the cartridge and the connecting body (see Fig. 11), a sidewall of the sleeve having a first portion that defines a first opening at the distal end, a second portion that defines a second opening (see Fig. 11) at the proximal end, and at least one reduced portion between the first and second portions (see Fig. 11 the two reduced portions of the two illustrates 154s), wherein the first portion defines a first diameter (at the lead line 28, see Fig. 11) of the sleeve and the second portion defines a second diameter (at 106) of the sleeve, the second diameter (at 106) being less than the first diameter (at the lead line 28, see Fig. 11), wherein the second opening is sized (at 106) such that at least a portion of the cartridge extends through the second opening (see Fig. 11).
Re Clm 15: Muto discloses wherein the cartridge tube extends through the sleeve opening (at 106) of the sleeve body (see Fig. 11).
Re Clm 16: Muto discloses wherein the sleeve has at least two reduced portions (see Fig. 11 the two reduced portions of the two illustrates 154s) between the first and second ends.
Re Clm 17: Muto discloses wherein a protecting ring (36) is configured to assist in protecting the seal ring.
Re Clm 18: Muto discloses wherein the protecting ring includes a protrusion (66 and 64) that assists in supporting the fluid tube (see Fig. 11).
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.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Muto (US 2005/0285394) as applied to claim(s) 1-6 and 8-18 above.
Re Clm 7: Muto discloses wherein the at least one latch extends in an angular direction transversely to the sidewall (see Fig. 11).
Muto fails to disclose that the disclosed direction of 5 degrees transversely to the disclosed sidewall.
The angle/degree of the at least one latch will affect the fit, form, or function of the mating structure(s), in order to enhance the retention of the mating components or enhance the means and force required to assemble and disassemble the joining members. Alternatively, having the disclosed direction of 5 degrees transversely to the disclosed sidewall would yield the same predictable result of forming a secured joint connection.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to have modified the device of Muto, to have had the disclosed direction of 5 degrees transversely to the disclosed sidewall, with a reasonable expectation of success because Muto appears to illustrate the disclosed direction of 5 degrees transversely to the disclosed sidewall or that the latch is approaching the disclosed direction of 5 degrees transversely to the disclosed sidewall and setting a specific angle transversely to the disclosed sidewall would have easily be obtainable with the structure of Muto, for the purpose of enhancing the fit, form, or function of the mating structure(s), in order to enhance the retention of the mating components or enhance the means and force required to assemble and disassemble the joining members, alternatively, having the disclosed direction of 5 degrees transversely to the disclosed sidewall would yield the same predictable result of forming a secured joint connection.
Note that it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 167 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 19 and 20 allowed.
Reasons for Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The prior art of record does not anticipate all the limitations as recited in independent claim 19.
The prior art does not provide any teaching, suggestion or motivation (TSM) to modify the prior art as such.
There is no cogent reasoning that is unequivocally independent of hindsight that would have led one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the prior art to obtain the applicant’s invention.
Even though, the individual parts are known per se, there is nothing to teach the specific structures and structural combinations as claimed. More specifically, it is the totality of that which is claimed that is not found in the art of record.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The following documents have structural features (tube member held by a ring) which are similar to the applicant’s claimed invention; US-10480699-B2, US-D996581-S, and US-20080136166-A1.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES A LINFORD whose telephone number is (571)270-3066. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Time.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Troutman can be reached on (571) 270-3654. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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JAMES ALBERT LINFORD
Examiner
Art Unit 3679
07/21/2026
/Matthew Troutman/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3679
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