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.
Claim 10 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.
Claim 10 recites, “the mating,” in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for the limitation in the claim. For examination purposes it will be interpreted as, “mating.”
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 3, and 5-11 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1)(a2) as being unpatentable over Kimura (US 2019/0013609 A1).
Regarding claim 1: Kimura (Figure 1) teaches a terminal module comprising: a case (i.e. H) including a ceiling wall (i.e. 83) and a pair of side walls (i.e. connecting 80 and 90) that extend from the ceiling wall toward a first side, the terminal module configured to be mated with and electrically connected to a mating connector that relatively approaches the terminal module from the first side to a second side along a first direction; an elastic portion (i.e. 30) that extends from the ceiling wall toward the first side; a first terminal (i.e. 40) that is supported on the pair of side walls in a state where the first terminal is biased toward the first side by the elastic portion, and is provided so as to be movable along the first direction toward the second side by being pressed by the mating connector; a second terminal (i.e. 50) that extends in the first direction and is positioned so as to be separated from the first terminal in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction; and a flexible conductor (i.e. 60) that electrically connects the first terminal and the second terminal, wherein the first terminal includes: a first portion (i.e. portion under 39) that is provided on of a portion (i.e. 31) of the elastic portion toward the first side and opposes the ceiling wall in the first direction and is capable of contacting the mating connector; and a second portion (i.e. end under 60) that extends toward the first side or the second side (i.e. end under 60 extends towards second side obliquely) from an end portion of the first portion toward the second terminal, the flexible conductor includes: a first joint portion (i.e. 61) that is connected to the second portion; a second joint portion (i.e. 62) that is connected to the second terminal; and an intermediate portion (i.e. between 61 and 62) that is positioned between the first joint portion and the second joint portion and protrudes toward the first side, and when viewed along the first direction, the intermediate portion is positioned between the first terminal and the second terminal.
Regarding claim 3: Kimura (Figure 1) teaches the terminal module according to claim 1,
wherein the first joint portion is connected to a first surface on a second terminal side of the second portion, and the second joint portion is connected to a second surface on a second portion side of the second terminal.
Regarding claim 5: Kimura (Figure 1) teaches the terminal module according to claim 1, wherein the pair of side walls include a guide surface (i.e. right wall of H) that guides the first terminal, which is pressed by the mating connector and moves toward the second side, so as to move in a direction where the first terminal approaches the second terminal, and an amount of movement of the first terminal toward the second side during mating is greater than an amount of movement of the first terminal in a direction approaching the second terminal.
Regarding claim 6: Kimura teaches a connector comprising: the terminal module according to claim 1, and a housing for housing the terminal module.
Regarding claim 7: Kimura teaches the connector according to claim 6, wherein the housing includes an upper wall that is contacted by the ceiling wall and a rear wall that extends from a second terminal side end of the upper wall toward the first side, before mating, a space (i.e. LS) surrounded by the upper wall, the rear wall, and the case is formed on the second side of the second portion and the first joint portion, and during mating, the second portion and the first joint portion advance into the space.
Regarding claim 8: Kimura teaches the connector according to claim 6, wherein the housing includes an inclined wall that acts as a partition between the mating connector and the flexible conductor during mating, and the inclined wall includes an inclined surface that is positioned closer to the first joint portion than a top portion on the first side of the intermediate portion and approaches the first joint portion from the first side toward the second side.
Regarding claim 9: Kimura teaches the connector according to claim 8, wherein when the connector is removed from the mating connector, the inclined surface guides the intermediate portion by contacting the intermediate portion that moves toward the first side.
Regarding claim 10: Kimura teaches the connector according to claim 6, further comprising a guide portion that is positioned in a space (i.e. LS) that is surrounded by the flexible conductor before the mating and is open to the second side, wherein the guide portion contacts the intermediate portion during the mating.
Regarding claim 11: Kimura (Figure 1) teaches the terminal module according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the flexible conductor is movable during mating toward the second side opposite to the first side toward which the intermediate portion protrudes.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments 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.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 12 allowed. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: claim 12 is allowable at least for including the subject matter deemed allowable in the previous action.
Claims 2 and 4 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.
Regarding claim 2, the prior art of record does not fairly teach or suggest the states of the terminal module as claimed before mating and during mating.
Regarding claim 4, the prior art of record does not fairly teach or suggest the first and second surfaces overlapping in the first direction.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 Gregory Mangot whose telephone number is 703-756-5737. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm ET.
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/GREGORY L MANGOT/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/CHRISTOPHER M KOEHLER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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