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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 03/13/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 9-12, filed 03/13/2026, with respect to claim 1 and 21 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of 01/28/2026 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see page 12-13, filed 03/13/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 9 under USC 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of different interpretation of the previously applied references, see detailed rejection below.
Claim Objections
Claim 10 objected to because of the following informalities: line 2 recites "a coupling groove" should read "the coupling groove". Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 10 objected to because of the following informalities: line 3 recites "a locking protrusion" should read "the locking protrusion". Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 10 objected to because of the following informalities: line 7 recites "a first latch" should read "the first latch". Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 19 objected to because of the following informalities: line 1 recites "a coupling slot" should read "the coupling slot". Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 19 objected to because of the following informalities: line 2 recites "a second locking protrusion" should read "the second locking protrusion". Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 19 objected to because of the following informalities: line 3 recites "a second TPA member" should read "the second TPA member". Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 19 objected to because of the following informalities: line 5 recites "a second latch" should read "the second latch". Appropriate correction is required.
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) 9-14 and 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Upson et al. [US 20160248188 A1] in view of Tsuji et al. [US 6093063 A].
Regarding Claim 9, Upson discloses a connector assembly(Fig 11A-11E) comprising: a Connector (2, Fig 11A-E) having a plurality of first contacts (3), a coupling groove (see annotated Fig 8) formed in the connector (2) to expose some of the plurality of first contacts (3), and a locking protrusion (96, Fig 8) formed to protrude in the coupling groove (see annotated Fig 8); and a mating connector (1) having a plurality of second contacts (161) and adapted to receive the connector (2); and a terminal position assurance (TPA) member (30) hinged with respect to the connector (2), and adapted to identify whether each of a plurality of contacts (3) is sitting at a designated position, a first TPA member (30) provided in the connector (2) comprises a first latch (36), the first latch (36) engages with the locking protrusion (96) in the coupling groove. Upson does not explicitly disclose the second connector defines a coupling slot exposing some of the plurality of second contacts and a second locking protrusion protruding in the coupling slot; and a second hinged TPA member provided in the second connector comprises a second latch, the second latch engages with the second locking protrusion in the coupling slot.
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However, Tsuji discloses a plug (13, Fig 3) having a plurality of first contacts (21), a coupling groove (see annotated Figure 4A) formed in the plug (13) to expose some of the plurality of first contacts (21), and a locking protrusion (engagement protrusion of upper wall 23, see annotated Figure 4A) formed to protrude in the coupling groove; and a terminal position assurance (TPA) member (31) hinged with respect to each of the plug (13), and adapted to identify whether each of a plurality of contacts (21) is sitting at a designated position, a first TPA member (31) provided in the plug (13) comprises a first latch (35), the first latch (35) engages with the locking protrusion (see annotated Figure 4A and Figure 4B) in the coupling groove. Tsuji further discloses in its “Description of the Related Art” section that conventional connector assemblies already utilize a configuration where both the male (plug) and the female (cap) sub-connectors are fixed to their respective frames by “bending engagement pieces having hinges provided on the frames”. These female connectors necessarily contain female terminals (equivalent to “second contacts” to mate with the male terminals (first contacts). This teaching provides a clear disclosure to a person of ordinary skill in the art that hinged retention, female terminals and position assurance features are well known features for both the plug and a cap portions of a mating connector assembly.
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It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Upson as suggested by Tsuji to provide the cap defining a coupling slot exposing some of the plurality of second contacts and a second locking protrusion protruding in the coupling slot; and a second hinged TPA member provided in the cap comprises a second latch, the second latch engages with the second locking protrusion in the coupling slot. Tsuji provides motivation by noting conventional connectors already employed hinged pieces on both male and female frames to ensure terminal security. Moreover, Tsuji teaches that the terminals in related connectors are prone to slipping off, a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that providing a similar structure to the cap like the plug, such as a second coupling slot, second locking protrusion and a second TPA member with a second latch is a predictable application of known connector features to ensure that all electrical contacts (both male and female) are secured.
Regarding Claim 10, Upson and Tsuji disclose all the limitations of claim 9, Upson further discloses a coupling groove (see annotated Fig 8) is formed in the connector (2) to expose some of the plurality of first contacts (3) and a locking protrusion (96) is formed to protrude in the coupling groove (see annotated Fig 8); and a first TPA member (30) provided in the connector (2) comprises: a first hinge portion (32) fixed to and hinged with respect to the connector (2) on one end of the first TPA member (30); and a first latch (36) inserted into the coupling groove (see annotated Fig 8) on a free end of the first TPA member (30), and adapted to press and contact the plurality of first contacts (3) in a direction opposite to a direction in which the plurality of first contacts (3) are disengaged from the connector (2) as the first latch (36) engages with the locking protrusion (96) in the coupling groove (see annotated Fig 8).
Regarding Claim 11, Upson and Tsuji disclose all the limitations of claim 10, Upson further discloses the first latch (36) is formed with the coupling groove (see annotated Fig 8) in a portion opposite to the locking protrusion (96) and includes a chamfer (see Fig 8 and 22) at a position contacting the plurality of first contacts (3).
Regarding Claim 12, Upson and Tsuji disclose all the limitations of claim 10, Upson further discloses the first TPA member (30) is provided with the first latch (36) having an inclination (Fig 4) with respect to a surface of the connector (2) based on the first hinge portion (32).
Regarding Claim 13, Upson and Tsuji disclose all the limitations of claim 10, Upson further discloses an outside wall (see annotated Fig 22 and Fig 12) exposed to the outside when the connector (2) is coupled to the mating connector (1) is formed in the connector (2), and the hinge portion (32) comprises a movable portion (at hinge 32). Upson and Tsuji do not explicitly disclose the movable portion is formed with a break-away portion defined on the outside wall.
However, Upson further discloses “at the position of the live hinge, there is a thinned or cut portion allowing the rigid members to bend along the hinge line”, see [0049].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Upson and Tsuji to provide the movable portion is formed with a break-away portion defined on the outside wall. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to configure the thinned region as a break-away portion defined on the outside wall because reducing the wall thickness in a localized region (as taught by Upson) is a known technique for controlling where deformation/bend or separation occurs under applied force. A person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that reducing the thickness of the wall along the hinge line inherently decreases the structural strength of that region relative to surrounding portions of the wall, thereby creating a preferential fracture or separation region when subjected to sufficient force. Modifying the hinge line to function as a break-away portion would therefore represent a predictable use of a known-weakened structure to facilitate controlled separation while still permitting bending during normal operation.
Regarding Claim 14, Upson and Tsuji disclose all the limitations of claim 10, Upson further discloses the TPA member (30) defines a slot (40, Fig 14, 17) in a head portion of the latch (36) to reopen the TPA member (30).
Regarding Claim 18-20, Upson and Tsuji disclose all the limitations of claim 9, Upson discloses a first TPA member (30) provided in the connector (2) comprises: a first hinge portion (32) fixed to and hinged with respect to the connector (2) on one end of the first TPA member (30); the hinge portion (32) couples to a lower portion of the TPA member (30); and a first latch (36) inserted into the coupling groove (see annotated Fig 8) on a free end of the first TPA member (30), and adapted to press and contact the plurality of first contacts (3) in a direction opposite to a direction in which the plurality of first contacts (3) are disengaged from the connector (2) as the first latch (36) engages with the locking protrusion (96) in the coupling groove (see annotated Fig 8). Tsuji a similar invention as disclosed above, Tsuji further discloses in its “Description of the Related Art” section that conventional connector assemblies already utilize a configuration where both the male (plug) and the female (cap) sub-connectors are fixed to their respective frames by “bending engagement pieces having hinges provided on the frames”. These female connectors necessarily contain female terminals (equivalent to “second contacts” to mate with the male terminals (first contacts). This teaching provides a clear disclosure to a person of ordinary skill in the art that hinged retention, female terminals and position assurance features are well known features for both the plug and a cap portions of a mating connector assembly.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Upson and Tsuji to provide the second TPA member provided in the cap comprises a second hinge portion fixed to and hinged with respect to the cap on one end of the second TPA member, and the second latch inserted into the coupling slot of the cap on a free end of the second TPA member, and adapted to press and contact the plurality of second contacts in a direction opposite to a direction in which the plurality of second contacts are disengaged from the cap as the second latch engages with the second locking protrusion in the coupling slot, the cap defines a coupling slot exposing some of the plurality of second contacts and a second locking protrusion protrudes on a rear of the cap, and a second TPA member provided in the cap to cover the coupling slot and is formed such that a second hinge portion on one end of the second TPA member is fixed to and hinged with respect to the cap and a second latch extending from a free end of the second TPA member engages with the second locking protrusion. Tsuji provides motivation by noting conventional connectors already employed hinged pieces on both male and female frames to ensure terminal security. Moreover, Tsuji teaches that the terminals in related connectors are prone to slipping off, a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that providing a similar structure to the cap like the plug, such as a second coupling slot, second locking protrusion and a second TPA member with a second latch is a predictable application of known connector features to ensure that all electrical contacts (both male and female) are secured.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-6, 8 and 21 allowed.
Regarding Claim 1, the prior art of record do not explicitly disclose a bridge formed on one side of the coupling groove at an edge opposite to the locking protrusion, the locking protrusion engages with the latch and the bridge connects a head portion of the latch to the body, along with all other limitations of claim 1.
Regarding Claim 21, the prior art of record do not explicitly disclose a movable portion formed with a predetermined rip portion defined by lateral slits formed through the outside wall, along with all other limitations of claim 21.
Claims 15-17 are 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 15, the prior art of record do not explicitly disclose the first TPA member defines a barrier rib that protrudes forward in a head portion of the first latch, along with all other limitations of claim 15, 10 and 9.
Regarding Claim 16, the prior art of record do not explicitly disclose a bridge connects a head portion of the first latch to a plug body, and is formed at an edge opposite to the locking protrusion in the coupling groove, along with all other limitations of claim 16, 10 and 9.
Claim 17 objected to as it is dependent on claim 16.
Conclusion
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/THASLIMUR RAHMAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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