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 1,3-8, 10-25 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 1 recites “wherein the conductive element is electrically connected to the connector” its unclear what the scope of this is in claim 1. Does this require the conductive element to be a conductor between the connector and the electrical contact itself? Or does this just require that that the element is the counterpart to the electrical contact for forming a electrical connection? If it’s the later based on the claim its unclear how the conductive element is connected to the connector. For the above reasons the claim does not clearly define the metes and bounds and the claim is indefinite. The claims depending from this claim and claim 26 share this issue, with the exception of claim 2 which clarifies the issue.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "the second conductive filler" in 6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. This causes confusion because there is not conductive filler recited earlier in claim 6 nor in the claim from which claim 6 depends. As such the claim does not clearly define the metes and bounds of the claim and the claim is indefinite.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 20200261734 – [0039], [0066]-[0067], [0072], Figs. 2-5, 7. The reference discloses an inner and outer electrode each with a conductor and each with an electrode; both conductors are ultimately attached to connectors. With regards to the electrical contact and conductive element the most relevant figure is Fig. 7 but the specification doesn’t disclose the level of specificity to apply the rejection additionally, the leads are in reverse. In Fig. 7 it’s the a more detailed explanation of 166 in Fig. 6. Where it is the joining of two leads.
US 20100298761 see Figs. 2-4 and 10
US 20090306754 see Figs. 5a-c, 9a-b
US 20030023295 see Figs. 2-7
US 20060247748 see fig. 10
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/James Moss/Examiner, Art Unit 3792
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