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 § 103
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.
Claims 1 – 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Pat. No. 9,843,145 (“Beideman”) in view of DE 102013106286 A1 (“Krautter”).
Regarding claim 1, Beideman discloses a connector with protection mechanism comprising a first connector;
wherein the first connector (200) has a first terminal (101), a second terminal (102), and a protector (201);
the first terminal and the second terminal respectively serve as positive and negative electrodes (col. 5, lns. 4 – 10), and the protector is electrically connected to the first terminal (see Figs. 2A and 3A) or the second terminal,
a connector socket (332) is sleeved outside of the first terminal and the second terminal (see portions 332 formed as socket structures over the terminals), and the first terminal, the second terminal, the protector, and the connector socket are further covered by a connector sleeve (604) to insulate and conceal the wiring, ensuring the protector is securely enclosed within the connector sleeve (see Fig. 6);
the first connector is adapted to be connected to a mating connector, and the mating connector has two mating portions which are respectively and electrically connected to the first terminal and the second terminal (the connector mates with another connector, i.e. a wall connector 120 as discussed in col. 2, ln. 46, and connects to terminals corresponding to 101/102);
the protector (201) is a self-resettable fuse (201 is a temperature sensitive member which opens and closes due to temperature within the connector), and the protector is in a conductive state under a default state (col. 5, lns. 13 – 19);
when the first connector is electrically connected to the mating connector and an overload is occurs, the protector is configured to interrupt the electric current, thereby achieving overload protection, and protector is adapted to automatically reset to a conductive state when not overloaded (col. 5, lns. 20 – 31).
Beideman does not disclose the connector having an indicator light electrically connected between the first terminal and the second terminal, and when the first connector is in a conductive state, the indicator light lights up.
However, Krautter teaches a connector with a fuse circuit within the housing 12 of the connector, and the housing is a molded body with indicator light (20/22) electrically connected between the first terminal and the second terminal (see Fig. 2) which indicates the current interrupting state of the connector (see the fourth paragraph of page 2 and the second paragraph of page 3 of the translation). It would have been obvious to provide lights as taught by Krautter because this enables a user to quickly ascertain the operating status of the connector.
Regarding claim 2, Beideman discloses the first connector is a male connector (fig. 1B).
Regarding claim 3, Beideman discloses the protector is enclosed in a shell, and the shell is covered within the connector sleeve (portions of 201 are within a shell 212, see Fig. 2B).
Regarding claim 4, Beideman discloses the protector is directly enclosed within the connector sleeve (the sleeve is molded directly on 201).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Hutter, Ahearne, and Bu each a connector with a self-resetting fuse. Benoit and Frost-Gaskin each disclose a connector with a fuse and indicator light. Beideman ‘535 discloses a plug with a fuse and indicator light.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL D BAILLARGEON whose telephone number is (571)272-0676. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Renee Luebke can be reached at (571) 272-2009.
The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/PAUL D BAILLARGEON/Examiner, Art Unit 2833
/renee s luebke/Supervisory Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2833