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 § 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.
Claims 6 and 14-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Horino et al. (US 10,862,234) in view of Nishimura et al. (US 8,888,506), J.S.T.MFG (JP S62-173188), and Miyazaki et al. (US 2019/0148855, previously cited on IDS).
Regarding claim 6, Horino discloses an electrical connector (20), comprising: a housing (30); and a contact (50) that is attached to the housing and is connected to a wiring substrate (CB1), wherein the contact includes: a connection part (51) that is connected to the wiring substrate; a holding part (52, vertical leg between 51 and 53 in Fig. 12) that is joined to the connection part and extends in a vertical direction away from the wiring substrate (CB1); a joining part (54) including a first arm part (vertical leg between 53 and 54 in Fig. 12) that is joined to the holding part through a folding part (53) and extends in the vertical direction towards the wiring substrate, a second arm part (horizontal part, where 54 touches in Fig. 12) that extends so as to be provided along a principal surface of the wiring substrate, and a third arm (between 54 and 55 in Fig. 12) that extends away from the wiring substrate, an upper end of the third arm part being closer to the first arm part (left to right in Fig. 12) than a lower end of the third am part (is to the first arm part, Fig. 12); and a contact part (55) that is joined to the third arm part of the joining part and contacts a counterpart contact of a counterpart connector, the contact part being folded into an inverted U-shape relative to the third arm part (at 55), a first end of the contact part being joined to a tip of the third arm part and a second end of the contact part being inclined in an obliquely downward direction (Fig. 12); the housing including a central wall part (33) that faces the third arm part of the joining part, the folding part (53) is formed into an inverted U-shape with a first end joined to an upper end of the holding part and a second end joined to the first arm part of the joining part and including a proximal end contact part (56, Fig. 11) protruding towards the contact part (55), the proximal end contact part together with the contact part, contacting the counterpart contact of the counterpart connector (Fig. 24B); and the third arm part (leg between 54 and 55) of the joining part is elastically deformed from a state where the third arm part is separated from the central wall part (Fig. 23A), to contact the central wall part (33), in a case where the counterpart connector is mated therewith (Fig. 23B).
Nishimura teaches a second arm part (at 26, Fig. 4) of the joining part that is elastically deformed from a state where the second arm part is separated from the bottom (Fig. 4), to contact the wiring bottom (64, Fig. 9), in a case where the counterpart connector is mated therewith. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the invention was effectively filed to be vertically deformable, as taught by Nishimura, in order to provide a smooth connection and increased contact between the contacts/terminals.
J.S.T.MFG teaches (in Fig. 6) a surface of the first arm part (vertical portion of 5 contacting 4 in Fig. 6) of the joining part (5) to be in direct physical contact with a surface of the holding part (4). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the invention was effectively filed to form the joining and holding parts, as taught by J.S.T.MFG, in order to provide additional support and control flexing of the joining part.
Miyazaki teaches a contact part (31) being folded into an inverted U-shape relative to the third arm part, a first end of the contact part being joined to a tip of the third arm part of the joining part and a second end of the contact part being inclined in an obliquely downward direction and facing the joining part (Fig. 7). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the invention was effectively filed to form the second end of the contact part facing the joining part, as taught by Miyizaki, in order to provide the desired spring characteristics for the contact part.
Regarding claim 14, Horino discloses the holding part contacting a side wall part (at 33, Figs. 23A and 23B) of the housing and is held by the side wall part.
Regarding claim 15, Horino discloses the contact part folded into an inverted U-shape and is joined to a tip of the joining part (Fig. 11).
Regarding claim 16, Horino discloses a proximal end contact part (56) that protrudes toward the contact part, on a part of the folding part, wherein the proximal end contact part, together with the contact part, contacts a counterpart contact of the counterpart connector.
Regarding claim 17, Horino discloses a shell (60, Fig. 12) that provided on an outer periphery of the housing, wherein a gap (S1) that is capable of viewing a tip of the connection part is formed between the housing and the shell.
Regarding claim 18, Horino discloses an electrical connector device, comprising: the electrical connector according to claim 5; and the counterpart connector (70), wherein a recess part (92) that engages with the contact part is formed on the counterpart contact.
Regarding claim 19, Horino discloses the holding part includes an extension part (rightmost 52 in Fig. 11) having a greater width in a transverse direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than a width of the terminal part (at 55) in the transverse direction.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claims have been considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection, as applied.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FELIX O FIGUEROA whose telephone number is (571)272-2003. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-6pm.
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/FELIX O FIGUEROA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2833
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