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
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 1-9 and 21-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tobey (WO 2019/165466 A1).
In Regards to Claim 1:
Tobey teaches a connector (Fig. 23) comprising:
a forward connector body (2302), including a forward portion (See Reproduced Drawing 1) and a rearward portion (See Reproduced Drawing 1); a rear connector body (2308) that interfaces with the forward connector body (2302), the rear connector body (2308) defining a central channel to receive a single pair of conductors (10), each of a first and second side faces of the rear connector body (2308) including an elongate opening extending through a front face of the rear connector body (2308) providing access to an upward channel and a downward channel, respectively, of a contact receiving portion (See Reproduced Drawing 1) of the rear connector body (2308); and a metal frame (2304) positioned having a rearward portion (See Reproduced Drawing 1) and forward portion (See Reproduced Drawing 1), the rearward portion (See Reproduced Drawing 1) of the metal frame (2304) positioned about the rear connector body (2308) and a rearward portion (See Reproduced Drawing 1) of the forward connector body (2302), the forward portion (See Reproduced Drawing 1) of the metal frame (2304) positioned about the forward portion (See Reproduced Drawing 1) of the forward connector body (2302).
In Regards to Claim 2:
Tobey teaches the connector of claim 1, wherein the front face of the rear connector body (2308) presents a flat surface.
In Regards to Claim 3:
Tobey teaches the connector of claim 2, wherein the edges of the front face of the rear connector body (2308) are beveled.
In Regards to Claim 4:
Tobey teaches the connector of claim 1, wherein the metal frame (2304) is a unitary component.
In Regards to Claim 5:
Tobey teaches the connector of claim 1, wherein the forward portion (See Reproduced Drawing 1) of the metal frame (2304) includes first and second cantilevered side arms (2342).
In Regards to Claim 6:
Tobey teaches the connector of claim 5, wherein each of the first and second cantilevered sider arms (2342) includes a cut-out (2344) that interfaces with a corresponding projection located on the forward portion (See Reproduced Drawing 1) of the forward connector body (2302).
In Regards to Claim 7:
Tobey teaches the connector of claim 5, wherein the first cantilevered side arm (2342) is positioned about an upper face, a first side face and a lower face of the forward portion (See Reproduced Drawing 1) of the forward connector body (2302).
In Regards to Claim 8:
Tobey teaches the connector of claim 5, wherein the second cantilevered side arm (2342) includes a recessed (See Reproduced Drawing 1) portion that is conformed to a keying notch (See Reproduced Drawing 1) in a second side face of the forward connector body (2302), the second cantilevered arm (2342) positioned about the second side face and the lower face of the forward portion (See Reproduced Drawing 1) of the forward connector body (2302).
In Regards to Claim 9:
Tobey teaches the connector of claim 1, wherein the metal frame (2304) includes a plurality of forward-facing edges and wherein at least a portion of the plurality of forward-facing edges are beveled.
In Regards to Claim 21:
Tobey teaches the connector of claim 1, wherein the forward connector body (2302) includes a cantilevered latch (2330) supported by a t-mount.
In Regards to Claim 22:
Tobey teaches the connector of claim 1, further comprising exactly two contacts, each having first ends that comprise a tuning fork contact and each have second ends that comprise insulation displacement contacts (IDCs). (Paragraph 7, an electrical contact for a two-conductor-only connector that houses exactly two of the electrical contacts. Each electrical contact comprises a tuning fork receptacle contact at a first end of the electrical contact and an insulation displacement contact (IDC) at a second end of the electrical contact. The IDC is electrically coupled to one of the conductors.)
In Regards to Claim 23:
Tobey teaches the connector of claim 22, wherein the single pair of conductors (10), comprising a first conductor (10) and a second conductor (10), are electrically coupled to first and second contacts of the exactly two contacts with the electrically coupled conductors (10) and contacts transmitting both power and data. (Paragraph 5, A single twisted pair of conductors can be used to transmit data and/or power over a communications network that includes, for example, computers, servers, cameras, televisions, and other electronic devices including those on the internet of things (IoT), etc.)
In Regards to Claim 24:
Tobey teaches a method of assembling a connector (Fig. 23) that includes a metal frame (2304) having a forward portion (See Reproduced Drawing 1) and a rearward portion (See Reproduced Drawing 1), a rearward connector body (2308), and a forward connector body (2302) interfacing with the rearward connector body (2308), the method comprising:
positioning the rearward portion (See Reproduced Drawing 1) of the metal frame (2304) about both the rearward connector body (2308) and a portion of the forward connector body (2302); flexing the first cantilevered arm (2342) to place the first cantilevered arm (2342) in contact with the forward connector body (2302) including contact with an upper face, a first side face and a lower face of the forward connector body (2302) and securing the first cantilevered arm (2342) in position; and flexing the second cantilevered (2342) to place the second cantilevered arm (2342) in contact with the forward connector body (2302) including with contact with a second side face and the lower face of the forward connector body (2302) and securing the second cantilevered arm (2342) in position.
In Regards to Claim 25:
Tobey teaches the method of claim 24, wherein positioning the rearward portion (See Reproduced Drawing 1) of the metal frame (2304) additionally includes positioning a portion of the metal frame (2304) beneath a cantilevered latch (2330) of the connector (10) and immediately proximate a t-shaped mount of the cantilevered latch (2330).
In Regards to Claim 26:
Tobey teaches the method of claim 24, wherein the second cantilevered arm (2342) is additionally placed in contact with a keying notch (See Reproduced Drawing 1) of the forward connector body (2302).
In Regards to Claim 27:
Tobey teaches the method of claim 26, wherein the second cantilevered arm (2342) is conformed to a shape of the keying notch (See Reproduced Drawing 1).
In Regards to Claim 28:
Tobey teaches the method of claim 24, wherein the contact of the first cantilevered arm (2342) with the upper face of the forward connector body (2302) extends from the first side face of the forward connector body (2302) to the second side face of the forward connector body (2302).
In Regards to Claim 29:
Tobey teaches the method of claim 24, further comprising beveling at least a portion of forward facing edges of the metal frame (2304).
In Regards to Claim 30:
Tobey teaches the method of claim 24, further comprising housing (2502) exactly two power- and data-transmitting contacts within the forward connector body (2302).
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Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NADER J ALHAWAMDEH whose telephone number is (571)270-0571. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9Am - 6Pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abdullah A 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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/NADER J ALHAWAMDEH/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831 /ABDULLAH A RIYAMI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831