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 § 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.
Claims 1, 3-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yuen (U. S. Patent 9,461,422).
For claim 1, Yuen, see figures 1-4, includes a connector assembly, comprising: a board connector 100 configured to be fixed on a circuit board (column 3, lines 1-5), wherein the board connector 100 includes: at least one first connecting seat 150 disposed on the circuit board, wherein the at least one first connecting seat 150 includes a first connecting slot 170 and metal shell 185; the metal shell 185 includes at least one first guide structure 190 ; and at least one wire connector 200 configured in being inserted into the board connector 100, wherein the at least one wire connector 200 includes at least one second guide structure 280; wherein, when the at least one wire connector 200 is inserted into or removed from the board connector 100, the first guide structure 190 and the second guide structure 280 is capable of cooperating with each other, so as to guide the at least one wire connector 200 in being inserted into or removed from the board connector 100. Yuen discloses the claimed invention except for at least one second connecting seat disposed on the circuit board, wherein the at least one second connecting seat includes a second connecting slot that is different from the first connecting slot; and a metal shell, wherein the at least one first connecting seat and the at least one second connecting seat are surrounded by the metal shell. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Yuen to provide at least one second connecting seat 530 (see figure 5 of Yuen ) includes a second connecting slot that is different from the first connecting slot so as to provide addition circuitry.
For claim 3, Yuen discloses the first guiding structure 190 is formed by bending a segment 190 of the metal shell 185.
For claim 4, Yuen discloses the claimed invention except for a gap is between the metal shell and each of two long side walls of the at least one second connecting seat. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Yuen to provide such features so as to provide a room for air flow and since such gap is shown for the first seat.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yuen (U. S. Patent 9,461,422) in view of Dague (U. S. Patent 5,865,651).
For claim 2, Yuen discloses the claimed invention except for the at least one first connecting seat is configured to transmit power, the at least one second connecting seat is configured to transmit signals, and the at least one first connecting seat and the at least one second connecting seat are arranged in a row. Dague discloses a power contact group at 2154 and signal contact group at 2138. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Yuen to provide such features as taught by Dague so as to provide circuit to operate devices.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-10 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.
Claims 11-20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
For claim 11, the applicant’s invention combination including: “a wire connector for connecting with a board connector having a metal shell, comprising: an insulating body; a first connecting plate disposed on an end surface of the insulating body and being perpendicular to the end surface, wherein a surface of the first connecting plate has a plurality of first gold fingers; a first ribbon wire electrically connected to the first gold fingers of the first connecting plate, wherein the first ribbon wire protrudes from a side surface that is adjacent to the end surface; and at least one limiting structure protruding vertically from the end surface and being parallel to the first connecting plate, wherein the at least one limiting structure has a second guide structure to match a first guide structure on the metal shell, so as to guide the wire connector in being inserted into or removed out of the board connector” is not taught by Yuen or suggested other prior art of record.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Neil Abrams whose telephone number is 571-272-2089. 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, TC Patel can be reached at 571-272-2098. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NEIL ABRAMS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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