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 § 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, 2, 4, 6, 10, 14, 18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2021/0307204 (“LU”).
Regarding claims 1 and 14, LU teaches a connector assembly (100), comprising: a cage (2) having at least one inserting passageway (261) and at least one heat sink frame (21; FIGs.
1-5; par. [0027]) positioned above the inserting passageway; at least one heat sink module (3, 4) assembled to the heat sink frame, the heat sink module comprising a movable plate (42), a heat sink (33), a pressure-applying spring (43; par. [0028]), a supporting spring (41) and a movable plate guiding construction (FIGs. 1-5; par. [0028]); the movable plate having a pushed portion which enters into the inserting passageway (FIGs. 1-5), the pressure-applying spring being provided between the movable plate and the heat sink (FIGs. 1-5), the supporting spring upwardly and elastically supporting the heat sink (FIGs. 1-5; pars. [0026]-[0028]); the movable plate being capable of being guided by the movable plate guiding construction to move relative to the heat sink frame between in a first position which is in the front and in the up and a second position which is in the rear and in the down (FIGs. 1-5; par. [0026]), the heat sink being capable of moving relative to the heat sink frame between a release position which is in the up and a contact position which is in the down (FIGs. 1-5; pars. [0026]-[0032]); and a pluggable module (200) being capable of inserting into the inserting passageway of the cage along an inserting direction which is from front to rear to push the pushed portion of the movable plate and make the movable plate rearwardly move from the first position to the second position (FIGs. 1-5), in turn the movable plate bringing the pressure-applying spring to move and actuate the heat sink to move from the release position which is in the up to the contact position which is in the down and make the supporting spring compressed, an elastic acting force of the pressure-applying spring making a bottom portion of the heat sink downwardly contact a surface of the pluggable module with a pressure (FIGs. 1-5; pars. [0026]-[0028]); when the pluggable module withdraws from the inserting passageway, the supporting spring upwardly raising the heat sink to move to the release position where the heat sink does not contact the surface of the pluggable module, the pressure-applying spring actuating the movable plate to forwardly move to the first position (FIGs. 1-5; pars. [0026]-[0032]).
Regarding claim 2, LU teaches that the pressure-applying spring is integrally constructed on the movable plate (FIGs. 1-5); the heat sink frame is constructed with a pressure-applying spring acting construction; when the movable plate rearwardly moves from the first position to the second position, the pressure-applying spring on the movable plate and the pressure-applying spring acting construction of the heat sink frame act to make the movable plate downwardly move and in turn bring the heat sink to move downwardly from the release position and move to the contact position (FIGs. 1-5; pars. [0026]-[0032]).
Regarding claim 4, LU teaches that the pressure-applying spring is assembled on the heat sink (FIGs. 1-5), the movable plate is constructed with a pressure-applying spring acting construction, when the movable plate rearwardly moves from the first position to the second position, the pressure-applying spring acting construction on the movable plate and the pressure-applying spring on the heat sink act, in turn bring the heat sink to move downwardly from the release position and move to the contact position (FIGs. 1-5; pars. [0026]-[0032]).
Regarding claim 6, LU teaches that the pressure-applying spring is integrally constructed on the movable plate (FIGs. 1-5), the heat sink is constructed with a pressure-applying spring acting construction, when the movable plate rearwardly moves from the first position to the second position, the pressure-applying spring on the movable plate and the pressure-applying spring acting construction of the heat sink act, in turn bring the heat sink to move downwardly from the release position and move to the contact position (FIGs. 1-5; pars. [0026]-[0032]).
Regarding claims 10 and 20, LU teaches that the supporting spring comprises at least two supporting spring constructions, the two supporting spring constructions are respectively constructed on the heat sink frame and support a left side and a right side of the heat sink (FIGs. 1-5; pars. [0026]-[0033]).
Regarding claim 18, LU teaches that the supporting spring is constructed on the movable plate, the supporting spring comprises a supporting brace which braces the heat sink from down to up, the supporting brace of the supporting spring upwardly and elastically supports the heat sink (FIGs. 1-5; pars. [0026]-[0032]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 5, 7-9, 11-13, 15-17, 19, and 21-23 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:
Regarding claim 3, the prior art of record, whether taken individually or in combination, when considered in light of the claimed subject matter as a whole as interpreted in light of the Specification as originally filed, fails to disclose or render obvious that the pressure-applying spring comprises a plurality of plate spring portions which are constructed to two sides of the movable plate and are arranged in a front-rear direction, the plurality of plate spring portions of the pressure-applying spring obliquely extend forwardly and upwardly, the heat sink frame has an upper wall, the pressure-applying spring acting construction comprises a plurality of interfering pieces which are constructed to the upper wall of the heat sink frame, when the movable plate is positioned in the first position, the interfering pieces of the pressure-applying spring acting construction are respectively positioned behind the plate spring portions of the pressure-applying spring; when the movable plate is positioned in the second position, the interfering pieces of the pressure-applying spring acting construction downwardly act to the plate spring portions of the pressure-applying spring.
Regarding claim 5, the prior art of record, whether taken individually or in combination, when considered in light of the claimed subject matter as a whole as interpreted in light of the Specification as originally filed, fails to disclose or render obvious that the pressure-applying spring comprises a plurality of plate spring portions which are assembled to two sides of the heat sink and are arranged in a front-rear direction, the plurality of plate spring portions of the pressure-applying spring obliquely extend rearwardly and upwardly, the pressure-applying spring acting construction comprises a plurality of interfering pieces which are constructed to two sides of the movable plate, when the movable plate is positioned in the first position, the interfering pieces of the pressure-applying spring acting construction are respectively positioned in front of the plate spring portions of the pressure-applying spring, when the movable plate is positioned in the second position, the interfering pieces of the pressure-applying spring acting construction downwardly act to the plate spring portions of the pressure-applying spring.
Regarding claim 7, the prior art of record, whether taken individually or in combination, when considered in light of the claimed subject matter as a whole as interpreted in light of the Specification as originally filed, fails to disclose or render obvious that the pressure-applying spring comprises a plurality of plate spring portions which are constructed to two sides of the movable plate and are arranged in a front-rear direction, the plurality of plate spring portions of the pressure-applying spring obliquely extend forwardly and downwardly, the pressure-applying spring acting construction comprises a plurality of interfering oblique surfaces which are constructed to two sides of the heat sink and obliquely extend rearwardly and upwardly, when the movable plate is positioned in the first position, the interfering oblique surfaces of the pressure-applying spring acting construction are respectively positioned behind the plate spring portions of the pressure-applying spring, when the movable plate is positioned in the second position, the plate spring portions of the pressure-applying spring downwardly act to the interfering oblique surfaces of the pressure-applying spring acting construction.
Regarding claims 8 and 9, the prior art of record, whether taken individually or in combination, when considered in light of the claimed subject matter as a whole as interpreted in light of the Specification as originally filed, fails to disclose or render obvious that the heat sink module further comprises a position-restoring spring which is provided between the heat sink frame and the movable plate, the position-restoring spring is used to provide an elastic acting force that the movable plate moves to the first position.
Regarding claims 11 and 21, the prior art of record, whether taken individually or in combination, when considered in light of the claimed subject matter as a whole as interpreted in light of the Specification as originally filed, fails to disclose or render obvious that the supporting spring construction comprises two elastic supporting portions which upwardly support the heat sink and are plate-shaped, the two elastic supporting portions upwardly and respectively forwardly and rearwardly extend obliquely.
Regarding claims 12, 13, 22, and 23, the prior art of record, whether taken individually or in combination, when considered in light of the claimed subject matter as a whole as interpreted in light of the Specification as originally filed, fails to disclose or render obvious that the heat sink frame and the heat sink are provided therebetween with a heat sink guiding construction, the heat sink guiding construction limits movement of the heat sink in a front-rear direction and guides movement of the heat sink in an up-down direction.
Regarding claims 15-17, the prior art of record, whether taken individually or in combination, when considered in light of the claimed subject matter as a whole as interpreted in light of the Specification as originally filed, fails to disclose or render obvious that the heat sink frame has side walls, the movable plate guiding construction comprises guiding members and guiding grooves which cooperate with each other, the guiding grooves are constructed on the side walls of the heat sink frame and obliquely extend rearwardly and downwardly, the guiding members are constructed on side edges of the movable plate and are assembled into the guiding grooves, the guiding members are capable of moving along the guiding grooves.
Regarding claim 19, the prior art of record, whether taken individually or in combination, when considered in light of the claimed subject matter as a whole as interpreted in light of the Specification as originally filed, fails to disclose or render obvious that the heat sink frame has a lower wall, the supporting spring comprises a plurality of the supporting braces which are constructed to two sides of the movable plate and a plurality of elastic abutting portions which are constructed to the two sides of the movable plate and downwardly elastically abut against the lower wall of the heat sink frame, the supporting brace has a supporting hook which extends downwardly and inwardly and is used to hook a side edge of the heat sink, the plurality of elastic abutting portion downwardly and respectively forwardly and rearwardly extend obliquely.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JERRY M BLEVINS whose telephone number is (571)272-8581. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday.
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/JERRY M BLEVINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874