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
2. 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 1-10 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.
The preamble of claim 1 introduces “a first side” and “a second side” in the context of a terminal module and mating connector. However, the first side and the second side of the connector do not provide sufficient antecedent basis for, “the first side of the elastic member,” and, “on the second terminal side of the first part,” as recited in claim 1. For examination purposes, they will be interpreted as, “the elastic member toward the first side,” and, “of the first part toward the second side.”
Similarly, claim 2 recites, “on the first side of the intermediate part,” and, “the second joint portion side of the imaginary line,” which will be interpreted as, “of the intermediate part toward the first side,” and, “a second joint portion side of the imaginary line.”
Claim 5 recites “…greater than an amount of movement in a direction…” but it is unclear what amount of movement is being referred to by this limitation. In contrast, the previous limitation, “an amount of movement of the first terminal,” clearly describes the movement in the context of the first terminal. For examination purposes, the limitation will be interpreted as “…greater than an amount of movement of the first terminal in a direction…”
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. 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 1-7 and 10 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being unpatentable over Nishijima (JP 2018-101556 A).
Regarding claim 1: Nishijima (Figure 6) teaches a terminal module for mating to a mating connector that relatively approaches the terminal module from a first side to a second side along a first direction and for electrically connecting to the mating connector, the terminal module comprising:
a case (i.e. 27) including a ceiling wall (i.e. 21) and a pair of side walls (i.e. left and right walls of 27) that extend from the ceiling wall toward the first side;
an elastic member (i.e. 40) that extends from the ceiling wall toward the first side;
a first terminal (i.e. 61) that is supported on the pair of side walls in a state (i.e. state of figure 6) where the first terminal is biased toward the first side by the elastic member, and is provided so as to be movable toward the second side by being pressed by the mating connector (i.e. as 61 is provided so as to be);
a second terminal (i.e. 70) 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 (i.e. as in figure 6); and
a flexible conductor (i.e. 45) that electrically connects the first terminal and the second terminal,
wherein the first terminal includes:
a first part (i.e. 51) that is provided on the first side of the elastic member and opposes the ceiling wall in the first direction and is capable of contacting the mating connector (i.e. as 51 is capable of); and
a second part (i.e. 63) that extends toward the first side or the second side from an end portion (i.e. end of 51) on the second terminal side of the first part,
and the flexible conductor includes:
a first joint portion (i.e. part of 45 connected to 63) that is connected to the second part;
a second joint portion (i.e. part of 45 connected to 71) that is connected to the second terminal; and
an intermediate part (i.e. between 63 and 71) that is positioned between the first joint portion and the second joint portion and protrudes toward the first side.
Regarding claim 2: Nishijima (Marked version of figure 6 below) teaches the terminal module according to claim 1, wherein before mating, the intermediate part flexes so that one portion (i.e. one portion in the figure below) of the intermediate part is positioned closer to the second joint portion than an imaginary line (i.e. I) that connects the first joint portion and a top portion on the first side of the intermediate part (i.e. as in the figure below), and
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during mating, the one portion extends so that the one portion moves from the second joint portion side of the imaginary line to a side opposite to the second joint portion (i.e. bending of the flexible conductor moves the one portion from left of I to right of I).
Regarding claim 3: Nishijima (Figure 6) 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 part (i.e. as in figure 6), and
the second joint portion is connected to a second surface on a second part side of the second terminal (i.e. as in figure 6).
Regarding claim 4: Nishijima (Figure 6) teaches the terminal module according to claim 3,
wherein at least part of the first surface is at a position that overlaps the second surface in the first direction (i.e. as in figure 6).
Regarding claim 5: Nishijima (Figure 6) teaches the terminal module according to claim 1,
wherein the pair of side walls include a guide surface (i.e. groove supporting 51 in figure 6) 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 (i.e. movement of 61) toward the second side during mating is greater than an amount of movement (i.e. movement of 61) in a direction (i.e. from right to left in figure 6) approaching the second terminal (i.e. 61 does not move from right to left during mating).
Regarding claim 6: Nishijima (Figure 6) teaches a connector comprising:
the terminal module according to claim 1, and a housing (i.e. 80) for housing the terminal module.
Regarding claim 7: Nishijima (Figure 6) teaches the connector according to claim 6,
wherein the housing includes an upper wall (i.e. top wall contacting 21) that is contacted by the ceiling wall and a rear wall (i.e. wall behind 40 in figure 6) that extends from a second terminal side end of the upper wall toward the first side,
before mating, a space (i.e. under 51) surrounded by the upper wall, the rear wall, and the case is formed on the second side of the second part and the first joint portion, and
during mating, the second part and the first joint portion advance into the space (i.e. as understood from figure 6).
Regarding claim 10: Nishijima (Figure 6) teaches the connector according to claim 6, further comprising a guide portion (i.e. inner wall of 81) that is positioned in a space (i.e. space of 80 right of 40) that is surrounded by the flexible conductor before the mating and is open to the second side (i.e. as in figure 6),
wherein the guide portion contacts the intermediate part during the mating (i.e. as understood from figure 60).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. 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 8 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nishijima and Kimura (US 2018/0323528 A1).
Regarding claim 8: Nishijima teaches the connector according to claim 6, but does not specifically teach 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 part and approaches the first joint portion from the first side toward the second side,
however, Kimura (Figure 7) teaches
wherein the housing (i.e. 70) includes an inclined wall (i.e. 77) that acts as a partition between the mating connector and the flexible conductor during mating, and
the inclined wall includes an inclined surface (i.e. surface of 77) that is positioned closer (i.e. surface of 77 closer to the connection of 45 and 60 than it is to midpoint of 45) to the first joint portion than a top portion (i.e. midpoint of 45) on the first side of the intermediate part and approaches the first joint portion from the first side toward the second side,
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the housing taught by Nishijima to have the inclined wall as taught by Kimura to protect the first joint from the mating connector during mating.
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claim 9 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.
Nishijima and Kimura teach the connector according to claim 8, but the prior art of record does not further teach wherein when the connector is removed from the mating connector, the inclined surface guides the intermediate part by contacting the intermediate part that moves toward the first side, alone or in obvious combination.
Conclusion
6. 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