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 14 and 19-20 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 14 recites the limitation "the spring" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 14 should probably depend from claim 5.
Claim 19, it is unclear how the spring is disposed in the housing, when from the drawings the spring appears to be outside of the housing 102. Clarification is needed.
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) 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lin et al. 12,338,926.
In regard to claim 17, Lin et al. discloses a coupling assembly for a blind mate fluid coupling, comprising:
a housing unit 1;
a slide plate 3 disposed within the housing unit (portion 311 is in 122) and configured to move in a first radial direction, the slide plate including a recessed portion 32 and an opening 33;
a slide base 2 including a slide portion 4 and a guide portion 23, the slide portion disposed in the recessed portion 32 of the slide plate and configured to move in a second radial direction perpendicular to the first radial direction, wherein the guide portion 23 is configured to engage with a guide pin 82 of a mating connector 8; and
a valve 21 having a first end 21 and a second end 211, the valve extending through the opening 33 of the slide plate and the slide base (at 41), wherein the valve includes a fluid channel extending from the first end to the second end.
In regard to claim 18, wherein the recessed portion 32 of the slide plate is configured to restrict movement of the slide base (at 4) in the first radial direction.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-13 and 15-16 are allowed.
Claims 14 and 19-20 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Rapien, Yang, Hsu and Lee disclose similar couplings that are common and well known in the art.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID E. BOCHNA whose telephone number is (571)272-7078. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-5:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Troutman can be reached at (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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/DAVID BOCHNA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3679
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