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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission been entered.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. The latch of claims 4 and 14 are positively claimed as parts of the terminal and the circuit assembly, respectively. Therefore, the latch of claims 4 and 14 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they fail to show a latch to secure the connecting end 808 to the midsection 810, or one or more locking latches or locking tangs to firmly fix the terminal 204 to the housing 206 as described in the specification. Any structural detail that is essential for a proper understanding of the disclosed invention should be shown in the drawing. MPEP § 608.02(d). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-14 and 16-20 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being unpatentable over Meixner (US 2020/0373698 A1).
Regarding claim 1: Meixner (See marked version of figure 8 below) teaches a terminal for electrical connection to a device and a substrate, wherein the terminal comprises:
a connecting end (i.e. CO) configured to be received in a housing and to be electrically coupled with the device; a midsection (i.e. M) extending from the connecting end; and a crimping end (i.e. C) extending from the midsection opposite the connecting end, wherein the crimping end is configured to at least one of crimp or pinch the substrate (i.e. C is configured to pinch a substrate), wherein at least two of the connecting end, the midsection, and the crimping end are conductive and formed together as a single, unitary component (i.e. as in the figure below).
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Regarding claim 2: Meixner (Figure above) teaches the terminal of claim 1, wherein the connecting end, the midsection, and the crimping end are devoid of a stranded wire to provide a conductive pathway between the housing and the substrate (i.e. CO, M, and C do not comprise a stranded wire).
Regarding claim 3: Meixner (Figure above) teaches the terminal of claim 1, wherein the connecting end, the midsection, and the crimping end are conductive and formed together as the single, unitary component (i.e. as in the figure above).
Regarding claim 4: Meixner (Figure above) teaches the terminal of claim 1, wherein the terminal further comprising a latch (i.e. 7) for preventing inadvertent removal (i.e. as 7 is configured to prevent) of the terminal from the housing.
Regarding claim 5: Meixner (Figure above) teaches the terminal of claim 1, wherein the connecting end of the terminal comprises a plurality of connecting ends (i.e. 7) configured to be received in a plurality of corresponding channels (i.e. as 7 is configured to be received in) of the housing.
Regarding claim 6: Meixner (Figure above) teaches the terminal of claim 1, wherein the midsection of the terminal is a rigid electrical conductor (i.e. as in the figure above).
Regarding claim 7: Meixner (Figure above) teaches the terminal of claim 1, wherein the midsection of the terminal is firmly fixed to the connecting end and the crimping end (i.e. as in the figure above).
Regarding claim 8: Meixner (Figure above) teaches the terminal of claim 1, wherein the midsection of the terminal is substantially a half-cylindrical shape (i.e. as in the figure above).
Regarding claim 9: Meixner (Figure above) teaches the terminal of claim 1, wherein the crimping end comprises one or more piercing tines (i.e. 7) to secure the terminal to the substrate.
Regarding claim 10: Meixner (Figure above) teaches the terminal of claim 1, wherein the connecting end comprises a male end or a female end (i.e. CO configured to be received in a female end of a housing) configured to be connected to a female end or a male end of the housing, respectively.
Regarding claim 11: Meixner (Figure above) teaches a circuit assembly (i.e. assembly of figure 1), comprising: a terminal (i.e. 30) comprising a connecting end (i.e. CO), a midsection (i.e. M), and a crimping end (i.e. C), wherein the crimping end is disposed opposite the connecting end relative to the midsection, wherein the midsection is adapted to prevent damage to the terminal (i.e. as M is adapted), wherein the connecting end is configured to be received in a housing (i.e. as CO is configured), and wherein the crimping end is configured to at least one of crimp or pinch (i.e. as C is configured) a substrate, wherein at least two of the connecting end, the midsection, and the crimping end are conductive and formed together as a single, unitary component (i.e. as in the figure above).
Regarding claim 12: Meixner (Figure above) teaches the circuit assembly of claim 11, wherein the connecting end, the midsection, and the crimping end are devoid of a stranded wire (i.e. CO, M, and C do not comprise a stranded wire) to provide a conductive pathway between the housing and the substrate.
Regarding claim 13: Meixner (Figure above) teaches the circuit assembly of claim 11, wherein the connecting end, the midsection, and the crimping end are conductive and formed together as the single, unitary component (i.e. as in the figure above).
Regarding claim 14: Meixner (Figure above) teaches the circuit assembly of claim 11, wherein the terminal further comprises a latch (i.e. 7) for preventing inadvertent removal of the terminal from the housing (i.e. as 7 is configured to prevent).
Regarding claim 16: Meixner (Figure above) teaches the circuit assembly of claim 11, wherein the midsection of the terminal is a rigid electrical conductor (i.e. as in the figure above).
Regarding claim 17: Meixner (Figure above) teaches the circuit assembly of claim 11, wherein the midsection of the terminal is firmly fixed to the connecting end and the crimping end (i.e. as in the figure above).
Regarding claim 18: Meixner (Figure above) teaches the circuit assembly of claim 11, wherein the midsection of the terminal is substantially a half-cylindrical shape (i.e. as in the figure above).
Regarding claim 19: Meixner (Figure above) teaches the circuit assembly of claim 11, wherein the crimping end comprises one or more piercing tines (i.e. 7) to secure the terminal to the substrate.
Regarding claim 20: Meixner (Figure above) teaches the circuit assembly of claim 11, wherein the connecting end comprises a male end or a female end (i.e. CO configured to be received in a female end of a housing) configured to be connected to a female and or a male end of the housing, respectively.
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 15 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Meixner in view of Zhixiong (CN2615891Y).
Regarding claim 15: Meixner teaches the circuit assembly of claim 11, but does not specifically teach wherein the connecting end of the terminal comprises a plurality of connecting ends configured to be received in a plurality of corresponding channels of the housing.
However, Zhixiong (Figure 3) teaches wherein the connecting end of the terminal comprises a plurality of connecting ends (i.e. plurality of 3) configured to be received in a plurality of corresponding channels of the housing (i.e. as 3 are configured).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the connecting end taught by Meixner to comprise a plurality of connecting ends as taught by Zhixiong so as to configure the terminal to be able to connect to the desired number of housing channels.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Gregory Mangot whose telephone number is 703-756-5737. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm ET.
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/GREGORY L MANGOT/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/CHRISTOPHER M KOEHLER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834