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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 18-19 recites: “wherein the circuit board is powered via current received”; and “wherein the circuit board is configured to measure a voltage”. It is ambiguous that Applicant just simply recited the functionalities of the circuit board as recited in claims 18 and 19. However, the circuit board itself can’t just generate or simply function as recited above without other components beside the circuit board itself. Overall, how is the circuit board can powered via current received or configured to measure a voltage by itself. Therefore, further clarification is required.
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.
Claim(s) 15, 18 as best understood and is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Phillips et al. (US 10027046).
As per claim 15: Phillips et al. discloses an electrical connector 104 comprising: a connector housing 106 having a front end opening and a back end opening (not label, see fig. 2, wherein the front end where the contact array 138 is located, and the back end opens), wherein: the connector housing 106 is configured to retain at least one electrical contact 116, the connector housing 106 further comprises a first chamber (see fig. 2, wherein is the contact array 138 located) and a second chamber (see fig. 2, wherein is the spring beam 134 located), and the first chamber is located between the front end opening and the back end opening (as shown in fig. 2); a circuit board 102 attached to the connector housing 106 and located in the second chamber (as shown in fig. 2, wherein the housing 106 includes a bottom side 117 (shown in FIG. 2) that is mounted to the top surface 115 of the circuit board); and at least one electrical lead electrically connected to the circuit board 102 that extends from the first chamber to the second chamber (see fig. 2, wherein contacts 116 extend continuously from the spring beams 134 to respective terminating ends 136. The terminating ends 136 are configured to be terminated to corresponding contact elements (not shown) of the circuit board 102 via thru-hole mounting to conductive vias, surface-mounting to conductive pads, and/or the like. For example, the terminating ends 136 of the contacts 116 in the illustrated embodiment are tails configured to be surface-mounted to pads on the circuit board 102 via soldering, fasteners, or the like).
As per claim 18: Phillips et al. discloses the electrical connector, wherein components on the circuit board 102 are powered via current received through the electrical lead from an electrical contact 116 inserted into the electrical connector (see fig. 1, wherein the receptacle connector 104 is configured to electrically connect to a plug connector 105 in order to provide an electrically conductive signal path between the circuit board 102 and the plug connector 105).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 16-17 as best understood and is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Phillips et al. (US 10027046) in view of Parks (US 2019/0027875).
As per claim 17: Phillips et al. discloses the electrical connector 104. However, Phillips et al. does not explicitly disclose wherein a first radio- frequency identification (RFID) tag or reader fixed to the connector housing, wherein the first RFID tag or reader is configured to communicate with a second RFID tag or reader of a second electrical connector configured to mate with the electrical connector; and at least one temperature sensor in communication with the circuit board and configured to measure a temperature of at least one of the first chamber.
Parks discloses a power connector 102 comprising an RFID tag (see Para. [0027]) fixed to the connector housing 104; and at least a temperature sensor (as a functional unit 112) (see Para. [0008; 0025] in the housing 104. However, a person having ordinary skill in the art would know that having a second RFID tag or reader of a second electrical connector can only deal with duplication in parts because such modification still would not change the function of the electrical connector but to further enhance the RFID technology to identify, track and manage objects by using radio waves to transfer data between an RFID tag and a reader. Since, it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to further modify the electrical connector of Phillips et al. by having a first radio- frequency identification (RFID) tag or reader fixed to the connector housing, wherein the first RFID tag or reader is configured to communicate with a second RFID tag or reader of a second electrical connector configured to mate with the electrical connector; and at least one temperature sensor in communication with the circuit board and configured to measure a temperature of at least one of the first chamber as taught by Parks and instant invention to further enhance the RFID technology to identify, track and manage objects by using radio waves to transfer data between an RFID tag and a reader, as well as to monitor the temperature within the connector.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 6-14 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: with regards to claim 1, Endo et al. (JP2020064724) is the closest prior art of record regards to the instant invention of claim 1. However, Endo et al. does not teach: “at least one electrical lead is configured to electrically connect the circuit board to the at least one electrical contact and a first chamber is configured to receive the at least one electrical contact and a second chamber contains the circuit board, and a passthrough connects the first chamber and the second chamber”. The above noted structure in combination with other recitations within the claims is not shown by a single prior art document and the examiner knows of no reasonable rational to combine the prior art of record such that the claimed invention would have been obvious at prior to the filing of this application.
Claims 6-14 are dependent on claim 1 and are therefore allowable.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/10/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to Applicant’s argument that claim 15 is not anticipated by Endo. Examiner respectfully disagreed. Since, claim 15 has been rejected regards to the reference prior art record of Phillips et al. (US 10027046) but not by the reference of Endo et al. (JP2020064724). Therefore, Applicant’s argument is invalid regards to claim 15 and Examiner has remained the rejection of claim 15 as above.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THANG H NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-0288. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abdullah Riyami can be reached at 571-270-3119. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/T.H.N/Examiner, Art Unit 2831 /ABDULLAH A RIYAMI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831