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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment to the claim languages filed on 7/9/26 has been fully considered and made of record. Claims 1-14 are now pending.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-14 are objected to because of the following informalities:
The scope of the claims as the present formats is unclear and undetermined, since the method is directed to fixing pin connector onto a PCB by using a jig. Therefore, the preamble should include “the jig”, for clarity of the claim scope (see suggested new preamble below).
“A method for fixing an electronic component a pin of an electronic component onto a printed circuit board (PCB), comprising:” (claim 1, preamble) should be more specific the following formats is suggested:
-- A method operatively associated with a jig for fixing a pin of an electronic component onto a printed circuit board (PCB), the method comprising subsequential order steps of:” --. Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-14 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.
many terms or phrases is/are unclear vague and indefinite still existed in the amended claims the following are examples:
The phrase:
“performinabout lineseatment to bend the pin and change the pin into an unbent pin portion and a bent pin portion on a pin of an electronic component, wherein the electronic component further includes a body, the body and the pin extend along a body direction of the body before the bending treatment; and after the bending treatment, the unbent pin portion is between and connected to the body and the bent pin portion, the unbent pin portion and the bent pin portion form an angle of approximately 90 degrees, the body and the unbent pin portion extend along the body direction, and the bent pin portion extends along a direction approximately perpendicular to the body direction” (claim 1, about lines 5-12) is unclear and confusing and should be rewritten into two method steps as below:
--providing the electronic component includes body with pin extend along a direction of the body;
"bending the pin of an electronic into an unbent pin portion and a bent pin portion, wherein the bent pin portion has an angle of 90 degrees which extends perpendicular to the body direction, and the unbent pin portion extend parallel along the body direction; “—
“the bending treatment” (lines 13-14 of claim 1) should be changed to: -- “the bending” --, to reflect changes as suggested above.
The phrase: “performing stress relief relieving forming on the pin after being subjected to the bending treatment;” (claim 1, lines 13-14) appear to be:
-- relieving stress on the unbent pin portion and the bent pin portion after the bending the pin;” --
The phrase: “providing a jig, wherein the jig is arranged for fixing the pin onto the PCB and includes a cover plate and a bottom plate, the cover plate includes a recess for holding the body of the electronic component and a plate opening adjacent to the recess for the bent pin portion to extend out of the cover plate, the recess includes a recess opening facing a first direction, and the plate opening faces a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;”(see claim 1, lines 15-19) is awkwardly worded and confusing and should be rewritten as follow:
--"providing the jig, includes a cover plate and a bottom plate, the cover plate includes a recess, and a plate opening adjacent to the recess, wherein the plate opening faces a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;”—
--"holding the body of the electronic component by the jig”--.
The phrase: “placing the body of the electronic component in the recess of the cover plate along the first direction and placing the bent pin portion in the plate opening along the second direction, wherein the body extends in the first direction, and a section of the bent pin portion extends out of the plate opening in the second direction; (claim 1, lines 20-24)is awkwardly worded and confusing and should be rewritten into positively method limitation such as below:
--wherein the holding includes placing the body of the electronic component in the recess of the cover plate along a first direction and placing the bent pin portion in the plate opening along a second direction, wherein the body of the electronic component extends in the first direction, and the section of the bent pin portion extends out from the plate opening of the jig in the second direction;”--.
The phrase: “fixing the bottom plate on the cover plate for fastening the body of the electronic component in the recess; “(see claim 1, lines 26-27) not a positive method assembly should be updated to:
--" fastening the body of the electronic component in the recess by fixing the bottom plate on the cover plate of the jig;”--
The phrase: “mounting jig holding, in which the electronic component on the PCB is placed, in a corresponding position of the electronic component on the circuit board;” (claim 1, line 28-30) should be updated to:
--“wherein the holding further includes placing and mounting the electronic component on the PCB in a corresponding position of the electronic component on the PCB;”--
The phrase: “soldering the section of the bent pin portion the electronic component onto the PCB, wherein the body of the electronic component is fixed at a predetermined height above the PCB through a structure and placement of the jig” (claim 1, lines 31-33) awkwardly worded and confusing should be updated to:
--“wherein the placing and mounting includes soldering the bent pin portion the electronic component onto the PCB to form the fixed pin assembly at a predetermined height above the PCB by the jig;”--, for clarity of the method claim formats.
“wherein the cover plate further includes another recess and another opening for fixing another electronic component onto the PCB” (claim 2, lines 1-4) is not understood since scope of the claim directed to a method not the (outside) jig structure element no positive method step existed thereto appear to be:
--" wherein the holding and placing further includes fixing another electronic component onto the PCB by another recess and another opening proving on the jig cover plate”--
Claims 3-14 should be updated to reflect changes taken place in base claim 1 above.
“the stress relief”(claims 4-6, lines 2) should be :-- “the relieving stress of the pin”--
Claims 8-11 directed to the jig structure which does not further limit the method and should be deleted.
“is performed”(claim 11, line 2); “is fixed”(claim 12, line 4) not positively active method limitation.
“performing a soldering process to further fasten” (claim 13, line 3) appear to be: --"fastening includes soldering ”--, for clarity of the method claim formats.
“includes” (claim 14, line 1) should be: -- “includes one of “—.
Note: Due to the 35 USC 112(b) issues noted above for claims 1-14, the examiner is not able to make a meaningful prior art rejection at this time for pending amended claims above such omission of any prior art rejection is not to be construed as an indication of allowable subject matter, since the patentability determination of these claims cannot be made at this time due to the ambiguity in the claim language. Upon the resolution of the 35 USC 112(b) issues, the examiner may apply prior art
rejections as deemed appropriate.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-14 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection (see new formulate 112 rejections above).
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 MINH N TRINH whose telephone number is (571)272-4569. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH ~5:00-3:30.
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/MINH N TRINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
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