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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 filed on 04/13/2026 has been entered.
Election/Restrictions
Please see section 4 of the office action dated 12/16/2025.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 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. Knight at fig. 1-4 discloses the shielding portion extends substantially an entire length [see element 26] of the main body portion in the axial direction.
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(s) 1-3, 10, 13, 15-17 and 19-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Miyagawa (US 2016/0154024 A1) in view of Knight et al. (US 5399104) hereafter Knight.
Regarding claim 1, Miyagawa at fig. 9B, 11, ¶0062 and ¶0065 discloses a test probe 40A/60 comprising: a hollow outer casing 60 made of an electrically conductive material, a resilient member [44 of 40A] installed within the outer casing in a manner permitting contraction and expansion in an axial direction [vertical direction, because of 42, 43, 44, see fig. 7 for detail], and contact members 42/43 installed within the outer casing in a state of being constantly biased by the resilient member 44 while partially protruding outside of the outer casing, wherein the probe is configured such that the outer casing includes a cylindrical main body portion [61, ¶0045] extending in the axial direction and one of: a shielding portion 63 integrally formed with the main body portion, the shielding portion being provided along the axial direction as a protrusion in a radial direction [as shown] of the main body portion 61 in part of a peripheral surface of the main body portion [63 with 60/61 as shown at fig. 11 and 9B],
Miyagawa is silent about said shielding portion extending along a majority portion of a length of the main body portion in the axial direction. Knight at fig. 1-4 discloses the shielding portion 26 extending along a majority portion of a length [as shown] of the main body portion [body portion of 24] in the axial direction. Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective date to modify the shielding portion of Miyagawa as taught by Knight in order to form a ground plane that suppresses spurious radiation of radio frequency interference from the signal path nearby.
Regarding claim 2, modified Miyagawa at fig. 9B, 11, ¶0062 and ¶0065 discloses the test probe according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the shielding portions 63
Regarding claim 3, modified Miyagawa at fig. 9B, 11, ¶0062 and ¶0065 discloses the test probe according to claim 1, wherein the shielding portions 63
Regarding claim 10, modified Miyagawa at fig. 11, ¶0062 and ¶0065 discloses the test socket 30 comprising a support 50 having opening configured to accommodate the main body portion 61/62/63 of the test probe 40A/60 according to claim 1.
Regarding claim 13, modified Miyagawa at fig. 8-10 discloses the test probe according to claim 1, wherein the shielding portion has a rectangular plate-like 63 configuration extending radially outward from the main body portion 61.
Regarding claim 15, modified Miyagawa at fig. 8-10 discloses the shielding portion extends substantially an entire length [see 26 of Knight] of the main body portion in the axial direction.
Regarding claim 16, modified Miyagawa at fig. 8-10 discloses the test probe according to claim 1, wherein the test probe is configured as a ground probe [¶0002] and the shielding portion is configured to provide electromagnetic shielding [because of metal structure].
Regarding claim 17, modified Miyagawa at fig. 8-10 discloses the test probe according to claim 1, wherein the outer casing 60 includes the shielding portion 63.
Regarding claim 19, modified Miyagawa at fig. 8-10 discloses the test probe according to claim 1, wherein the shielding portion and the main body portion are integrated as a single piece [63 with 60/61 as shown at fig. 11 and 9B].
Regarding claim 20, modified Miyagawa at fig. 8-10 discloses the test probe according to claim 1, wherein an entirety of the shielding portion and an entirety of the main body portion are integrated as a single piece [63 with 60/61 as shown at fig. 11 and 9B].
Regarding claim 21, modified Miyagawa at fig. 8-10, particularly Knight at fig. 3 discloses the test probe according to claim 1, wherein the shielding portion extends continuously along the axial direction from a vicinity of an end of the main body portion to a vicinity of another end of the main body portion.
Regarding claim 22, modified Miyagawa at fig. 8-10, particularly Miyagawa discloses the test probe according to claim 1, wherein an axial length of the shielding portion is greater than a radial extent of the shielding portion [at fig. 2 Knight also discloses this limitation].
Please note: Examiner has cited particular columns, line numbers, and figures in the references as applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teaching of the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. Applicants are reminded that MPEP 2141.02 states: A prior art reference must be considered in its entirety, i.e., as a whole, including portions that would lead away from the claimed invention. W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. V. Garlock, Inc., 721 F.2d 1540, 220 USPQ 303 (Fed. Cir. 1983), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 851 (1984).
Conclusion
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/PARESH PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
May 29, 2026
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