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
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 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, 9-16 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a, 1) as being anticipated by Chen (U. S. Patent 10,916,895).
Regarding claim 1, Chen, see figures 1-10, discloses a sub connector 30, see figure 10, comprising: a sub housing 31; a first terminal 320 fixed in the sub housing 31; and a shielding shell (33, 34) fixed to the sub housing 31 and at least partially enclosing the first terminal 320, the sub connector 30 is detachably inserted into a mother housing (10, 20, see figures 1-9) to form a connector with the mother housing 10, 20, the sub connector 30 has a sub connecting end 32 for electrically connecting with an electrical component 11 and a sub mating end 32 for electrically mating with a mating connector.
Regarding claim 9, Chen discloses an elastic contact part is formed on the shielding shell 33, 34, the elastic contact part is used for electrical contact with a mating shielding shell of a mating sub connector in the mating connector.
Regarding claim 10, Chen discloses the shielding shell 33, 34 is an integral piece.
Regarding claim 11, Chen discloses the sub housing 31 has a first positioning post at the sub connecting end 32, the first positioning post mates with an insertion hole formed in the electrical component 11 to fix the sub connector 30 on the electrical component 11.
Regarding claim 12, Chen discloses the first terminal 320 in the sub connector 30 is a differential signal terminal, and the sub connector 30 includes a pair of differential signal terminals.
Regarding claim 13, Chen, see figures 1-10, discloses a connector, comprising: a mother housing 10, 20; and a sub connector including a sub housing 31, a first terminal 320 fixed in the sub housing 31, and a shielding shell 33, 34 fixed to the sub housing 31 and at least partially enclosing the first terminal 320, the sub connector 30 is detachably inserted into the mother housing 10, 20 to form a connector with the mother housing 10, 20, the sub connector 32 has a sub connecting end 32 for electrically connecting with an electrical component 11 and a sub mating end 32 for electrically mating with a mating connector.
Regarding claim 14, Chen discloses further comprising a connecting interface for electrically connecting with the electrical component 11 and a mating interface for electrically mating with the mating connector, the sub connecting end 32 and the sub mating end 32 of the sub connector 30 are respectively arranged in the connecting interface and the mating interface of the connector.
Regarding claim 15, Chen discloses further comprising a second terminal fixed in the mother housing 10, 20, a function of the second terminal is different from a function of the first terminal 320.
Regarding claim 16, Chen discloses the sub connector 30 is one of a plurality of sub connectors, each of the sub connectors is detachably inserted into the mother housing 10, 20, the sub connectors 30 are identical.
Regarding claim 20, Chen, see figures 1-10, discloses a connector assembly, comprising: a connector including a mother housing 10, 20 and a sub connector, the sub connector 30 including a sub housing 31, a first terminal 320 fixed in the sub housing 31, and a shielding shell 33, 34 fixed to the sub housing 31 and at least partially enclosing the first terminal 320, the sub connector 30 is detachably inserted into the mother housing 10, 20, the sub connector 30 has a sub connecting end 32 for electrically connecting with an electrical component 11 and a sub mating end 3; and a mating connector mated with the connector.
Claims 2-8, 17-19 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.
None of the references discloses the sub housing includes a first peripheral wall that defines a first inner cavity and a first holder located in the first inner cavity and connected to the first peripheral wall, the first terminal is located in the first inner cavity and fixed to the first holder, at least a part of the shielding shell is located in the first inner cavity and fixed to the first holder, the mother housing includes a second peripheral wall that defines a second inner cavity and a second holder located in the second inner cavity and connected to the second peripheral wall, a sub connector slot is formed in the second holder, the sub connector is inserted into the sub connector slot, a first positioning post, a first terminal pin, and a shielding pin are respectively formed on the sub housing, the first terminal, and the shielding shell of the sub connector for plugging into a plurality of corresponding holes formed in the electrical component, a second positioning post and a second terminal pin are respectively formed on the mother housing and the second terminal for plugging into the corresponding holes formed in the electrical component, the first positioning post, the second positioning post, the shielding pin, the first terminal pin, and the second terminal pin extend along the axial direction of the connector or are bent 90 degrees relative to the axial direction of the connector.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHUONG K DINH whose telephone number is (571)272-2090. The examiner can normally be reached M-F from 8:30 am - 5:30 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Riyami A Abdullah 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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/PHUONG K DINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831