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 .
35 USC 102 Rejections
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 8, 9 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wu 10,490,960.
Regarding claim 1, Wu (Figure 3) discloses a plug, in particular a single-pair ethernet plug, having a plug unit 10 for plugging into a corresponding plug socket unit (Figure 7) along a plug-in direction and having a wiring block 40 for receiving two conductor cores 91 of a cable 90, wherein the wiring block is in an assembled state connected to the plug unit along an assembly direction, which is perpendicular to the plug-in direction.
Regarding claim 2, Wu discloses the plug unit has a receiving space 30 for receiving the wiring block 40 which is open contrary to the assembly direction and contrary to the plug-in direction.
Regarding claim 3, Wu discloses the wiring block 40 is in the assembled state situated at least to a large extent inside the plug unit.
Regarding claim 4, Wu discloses a plug shielding unit 21,50, which in the assembled state surrounds the plug unit at least section-wise.
Regarding claim 8, Wu (Figure 5) discloses a cable kink protection 70, which is at least substantially closed in a circumferential direction with respect to the plug-in direction and which ensures a connection of the wiring block 40 to the plug unit and in particular a connection of the plug shielding unit 21,50 to the plug unit.
Regarding claim 9, Wu discloses the cable kink protection 70 comprises at least one connection element (very broadly recited) for a connection to a coding element.
Regarding claim 13, Wu discloses having at least one plug socket, which comprises the corresponding plug socket unit (Figure 7).
35 USC 103 Rejection
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) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu as applied to claim 4 above, and further in view of Gutter et al 2011/0104934.
Gutter et al (Figure 1) discloses the plug shielding unit comprises two contacting tabs 44a, which are provided for engaging around the cable and for crimping, and to provide Wu with same thus would have been obvious, for strain relief.
Claims Defining Over Prior Art
Claims 5, 6, 10-12, 14 and 15 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.
Claim 16 is allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: none of the prior art discloses or teaches a plug shielding flap pivotably connected to the plug shielding element and which is pivotable relative to the plug shielding element around a pivot axis running parallel to the plug-in direction; nor a plug shielding unit which comprises a latch element for locking the plug unit with the plug socket unit and comprises an actuating element for unlocking the latch element, the actuating element comprises an actuating tab and the latch element comprises a latching tab which interact at least for an unlocking; in combination with the rest of the subject matter of the respective independent claim.
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/GARY F PAUMEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834