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 .
DETAILED ACTION
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.
Claims 1-3, 5, 7, 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Grundfest 3831133.
In reference to claim 1, Grundfest teaches a cable connector comprising: a male connector (fig. 2) having a plurality of contacts disposed along or in parallel with a major axis of the male connecter, each of said contacts disposed about a peripheral surface of the male connector; and a female connector (fig. 3) configured to matingly receive the male connector therein, said female connector having a plurality of contacts disposed along or in parallel with a major axis of the female connector and configured to complementarily engage against the plurality of contacts disposed upon the male connector; wherein interconnection of the plurality of contacts enables transmission of data across a plurality of channels.
Regarding the limitation “enables transmission of data across a plurality of channels”, it has been held that 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 satisfying the claimed structural limitations.
In reference to claim 2, Grundfest teaches wherein the plurality of contacts of the male connector is disposed upon the peripheral surface along or in parallel with the major axis of the male connector (see fig. 2) and wherein the plurality of complementary contacts of the female connector is disposed upon an interior surface along or in parallel with a major axis of the female connector (see fig. 3).
In reference to claim 3, Grundfest teaches a plurality of everted tiers disposed upon the male connector (see fig. 2), said plurality of everted tiers having a decreasing transverse dimension from a maximum transverse dimension to a minimum transverse dimension (see fig. 2); and a plurality of inverse tiers disposed upon the female connector (see fig. 3) configured to matingly receive each of the everted tiers of the male connecter; wherein the plurality of contacts of the male connector is disposed about the peripheral surface of each everted tier (see fig. 2) and wherein the plurality of contacts of the female connector is disposed in complementary positions about the peripheral surface of each inverted tier (see fig. 3) to enable constant contact between the plurality of contacts of the male and female connectors when the male connector is inserted into the female connector.
In reference to claim 5, Grundfest teaches wherein the plurality of everted tiers and the plurality of inverted tiers are arranged concentrically (see fig. 2, 3).
In reference to claim 7, Grundfest teaches a concentric cable connector comprising: a male connector (fig. 2) comprising at least one nonconducting everted tiers (see fig. 2), said male connector having a plurality of contacts arranged around the perimeter or peripheral surface of the at least one everted tier (see fig. 2); and a female connector (fig. 3) configured to matingly receive the male connector, said female connector comprising at least one nonconductive inverted tier (see fig. 3) configured complementarily to the at least one everted tier, said female connector having a plurality of contacts arranged around the interior perimeter or interior peripheral surface of the at least one inverted tier (see fig. 3) in corresponding positions to engage against each contact of the male connector when the male connector is inserted into the female connector; wherein the concentric cable connector enables interconnection of a plurality of contacts for transmission of data across a plurality of channels.
Regarding the limitation “for transmission of data across a plurality of channels”, it has been held that 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 satisfying the claimed structural limitations.
In reference to claim 8, Grundfest teaches wherein the plurality of everted tiers and the plurality of inverted tiers are arranged concentrically (see fig. 2, 3).
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Falossi et al. 5409403.
In reference to claim 11, Falossi teaches a cable connector comprising: a male connector (shown in fig. 6) having a peripheral surface, said male connector comprising: a plurality of conductors (i.e. cables connected to 82; fig. 6) disposed interior to the male connector between an innermost position (A; shown in the first illustration below) and an outermost position (B; shown in the first illustration below);a plurality of first bridge contacts (shown in figure 4), each of said plurality of first bridge contacts having: a contact surface (70;fig. 6) disposed at or proximal to the peripheral surface; a connection surface (82; fig. 6) disposed connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of conductors; a span (76; fig. 4, 6) configured between a minimum span (i.e. the length of 76 of ‘B’ from the first illustration below) and a maximum span (i.e. the length of 76 of ‘A’ from the first illustration below), said span configured to connect the corresponding one of the plurality of conductors to the peripheral surface; a female connector (shown in figure 5) having an interior peripheral surface disposed around a lumen (i.e. the surface of chamber 12) to a depth (i.e. the depth of chamber 12. see fig. 5), said female connector comprising: a plurality of conductors (i.e. the cables connected to 32; fig. 5) disposed interior to the female connector around the lumen between an innermost position (Z; shown in the second illustration below) and an outermost position (Y; shown in the second illustration below); a plurality of second bridge contacts (i.e. the contacts shown in figure 3) disposed complementarily with respect to the plurality of first bridge contacts disposed upon the male connector, each of said plurality of second bridge contacts having: a spring contact (24; fig. 3) disposed at or proximal to the peripheral surface; a connection surface (32; fig. 3, 5) disposed connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of conductors; and a span (26; fig. 3, 5) configured between a minimum span (i.e. the length of 26 of ‘Z’ from the second illustration below) and a maximum span (i.e. the length of 26 of ‘Y’ from the second illustration below), said span configured to connect the corresponding one of the plurality of conductors to the peripheral surface; wherein the male connector slidingly engages into the lumen of the female connector over the depth and the plurality of conductors interior to the male connector is connected to the plurality of conductors interior to the female connector via the plurality of first and second bridge contacts connecting in circumferential or perimetric configurations along parallel longitudinal axes.
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 6 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art of record does not teach or suggest the combination of elements including:
(Claim 9) female connector having a plurality of spring contacts arranged around the perimeter or peripheral surface of the at least one nonconductive inverted tier in corresponding positions whereby each of the plurality of spring contacts slidingly engages through a corresponding one of the apertures interior to a corresponding one of the plurality of channels to connect with a corresponding one of the plurality of contacts of male connector when the male connector is inserted into the receiving member;
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 2, lines 1-5 and page 2, lines 15- 19 through page 3, 1-6, filed in the Remarks dated 09/28/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-11 under 102(a)(1) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Grundfest 3831133.
Conclusion
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/TRAVIS S CHAMBERS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831 01/06/2026