DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to the application filed on 1/3/2024.
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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. JAPAN 2023-011652, filed on 01/30/2023.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WITH IMPROVED SIGNAL TRANSMISSION.
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 – 9 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.
Claim 1, line 7, recites “insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector…”. The term “mating connector” lacks antecedent basis because it was not positively claimed as a structure. Although “a mating connector” is mentioned earlier in the claim’s preamble, it is introduced only in the context of a functional capability of the “electrical connector” and does not clearly establish the “mating connector” as a claimed element. It is unclear whether the claim is directed solely to the “electrical connector” or to a combination including both the electrical connector and the mating connector. The Examiner notes that this rejection applies in all the instances where “the mating connector” is recited in the claim set. For examination purposes, the Examiner will interpret as the claims being directed to the electrical connector alone. The “mating connector” will be interpreted as an unclaimed external structure referenced only to define the insertion and extraction directions relative to the electrical connector.
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.
Claim(s) 1 – 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Annequin (US 20200243992) in view of Phatiwuttipat (US 20210098922).
Regarding claim 1, Annequin teaches (figures 6 – 16) an electrical connector (1) which can be coupled with a mating connector (i.e. 1 is capable of being coupled with a mating connector) inserted from a tip side thereof, comprising:
at least one contact pin (8); and
an insulating housing (2) for containing the at least one contact pin therein (8 is contained within 2);
wherein the at least one contact pin (8) includes:
a horizontally extending portion (see figure 15, portion where 8 points to) which is located in the housing (2) and linearly extends in an insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector (i.e. see direction “T” in figure 14).
But Annequin does not explicitly disclose at least one protruding portion which extends from the horizontally extending portion in the housing toward the outside, and wherein the at least one protruding portion includes: a front slope portion which extends in the insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector and in a direction away from the horizontally extending portion, and a rear slope portion which is formed closer to a base side than the front slope portion and extends in the insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector and in a direction approaching to the horizontally extending portion.
Phatiwuttipat teaches (figures 1 – 4, annotation) a connector comprising at least one protruding portion (4P) which extends from the horizontally extending portion (44) in the housing (2) toward the outside (i.e. see figure 4), and
wherein the at least one protruding portion (4P) includes:
a front slope portion (4F) which extends in the insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector (i.e. up-down direction in figure 3) and in a direction away from the horizontally extending portion (44), and
a rear slope portion (4R) which is formed closer to a base side than the front slope portion (4F; see figures 3 and 4) and extends in the insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector (i.e. up-down direction in figure 3) and in a direction approaching to the horizontally extending portion (44).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the connector of Annequin with the connector as disclosed by Phatiwuttipat to provide at least one protruding portion which extends from the horizontally extending portion in the housing toward the outside, and wherein the at least one protruding portion includes: a front slope portion which extends in the insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector and in a direction away from the horizontally extending portion, and a rear slope portion which is formed closer to a base side than the front slope portion and extends in the insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector and in a direction approaching to the horizontally extending portion, as doing so would improve the mechanical stability of the terminals when they are fully inserted.
~ Please see annotation of figure 4 in the Phatiwuttipat reference, where the at least one protruding portion 4P, the front slope portion 4F, and the rear slope portion 4R can be seen.
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Regarding claim 2, Annequin teaches (figures 6 – 16) the electrical connector as claimed in claim 1.
But Annequin does not explicitly disclose wherein the at least one protruding portion further includes a flat portion which linearly extends between the front slope portion and the rear slope portion in the insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector.
Phatiwuttipat teaches (figures 1 – 4, annotation) a connector wherein the at least one protruding portion (4P) further includes a flat portion (see flat portion in annotation of 4P) which linearly extends between the front slope portion (4F) and the rear slope portion (4R) in the insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector (i.e. up-down direction in figure 3).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the connector of Annequin with the connector as disclosed by Phatiwuttipat to provide the at least one protruding portion further including a flat portion which linearly extends between the front slope portion and the rear slope portion in the insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector, as doing so would facilitate smooth insertion and extraction, improving the stability of the electrical contact and reducing the insertion resistance without changing the principle of operation of the connector.
Regarding claim 3, Annequin teaches (figures 6 – 16) the electrical connector as claimed in claim 2.
But Annequin does not explicitly disclose wherein the at least one protruding portion further includes: a front connection portion connecting the front slope portion and the flat portion, and a rear connection portion connecting the rear slope portion and the flat portion.
Phatiwuttipat teaches (figures 1 – 4, annotation) a connector wherein the at least one protruding portion (4P) further includes:
a front connection portion (annotation; see the point where 4P begins to incline towards 4F on the left) connecting the front slope portion (4F) and the flat portion (see flat portion in annotation of 4P), and
a rear connection portion (annotation; see the point where 4P begins to incline towards 4R on the right) connecting the rear slope portion (4R) and the flat portion (see flat portion in annotation of 4P).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the connector of Annequin with the connector as disclosed by Phatiwuttipat to provide the at least one protruding portion further including: a front connection portion connecting the front slope portion and the flat portion, and a rear connection portion connecting the rear slope portion and the flat portion, as doing so would facilitate smooth insertion and extraction, improving the stability of the electrical contact and reducing the insertion resistance without changing the principle of operation of the connector.
Regarding claim 4, Annequin teaches (figures 6 – 16) the electrical connector as claimed in claim 3.
But Annequin does not explicitly disclose wherein outer surfaces of the front connection portion and the rear connection portion are curved surfaces.
Phatiwuttipat teaches (figures 1 – 4, annotation) a connector wherein outer surfaces of the front connection portion (annotation; see the point where 4P begins to incline towards 4F on the left) and the rear connection portion (annotation; see the point where 4P begins to incline towards 4R on the right) are curved surfaces (i.e. see figure 4).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the connector of Annequin with the connector as disclosed by Phatiwuttipat to provide the outer surfaces of the front connection portion and the rear connection portion being curved surfaces, as doing so would facilitate smooth insertion and extraction, improving the stability of the electrical contact and reducing the insertion resistance without changing the principle of operation of the connector.
Regarding claim 5, Annequin teaches (figures 6 – 16) the electrical connector as claimed in claim 1.
But Annequin does not explicitly disclose wherein the at least one contact pin further includes at least one concave portion formed on the horizontally extending portion at a position adjacent to the front slope portion of the at least one protruding portion, and located on the tip side of the front slope portion.
Phatiwuttipat teaches (figures 1 – 4, annotation) a connector wherein the at least one contact pin (4) further includes at least one concave portion (annotation; 4R also points to a concave portion) formed on the horizontally extending portion (44) at a position adjacent to the front slope portion (4F) of the at least one protruding portion (4P), and located on the tip side of the front slope portion (4R also points to a concave portion; 4R is located at the tip side of the rightmost 4P arrow, which is another front slope portion of the other protrusion).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the connector of Annequin with the connector as disclosed by Phatiwuttipat to provide the at least one contact pin further including at least one concave portion formed on the horizontally extending portion at a position adjacent to the front slope portion of the at least one protruding portion, and located on the tip side of the front slope portion, as doing so would facilitate controlled contact engagement with the mating terminal, improving the stability of the electrical contact during insertion and engagement.
Regarding claim 6, Annequin teaches (figures 6 – 16) the electrical connector as claimed in claim 1.
But Annequin does not explicitly disclose wherein a first inclination of the front slope portion with respect to the horizontally extending portion is greater than a second inclination of the rear slope portion with respect to the horizontally extending portion.
Phatiwuttipat teaches (figures 1 – 4, annotation) a connector wherein a first inclination (see inclination from leftmost 4P arrow to 4F) of the front slope portion (4F) with respect to the horizontally extending portion (44) is greater than a second inclination (see inclination from leftmost 4P arrow to 4R) of the rear slope portion (4R) with respect to the horizontally extending portion (44).
Although Phatiwuttipat discloses a terminal protrusion in which the rear slope portion has a greater inclination than the front slope portion, a person having ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the relative inclinations of the front and rear portions are design parameters that may be adjusted depending on the desired insertion and extraction characteristics. It would have been obvious to configure the first inclination of the front slope portion with a greater inclination than the second inclination of the rear slope portion in order to increase surface engagement during insertion, facilitating smoother removal of the connector. Further, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the connector of Annequin with the connector as disclosed by Phatiwuttipat to provide wherein a first inclination of the front slope portion with respect to the horizontally extending portion is greater than a second inclination of the rear slope portion with respect to the horizontally extending portion, to provide improved connector contact reliability during engagement.
Claim(s) 7 – 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Annequin (US 20200243992) in view of Phatiwuttipat (US 20210098922) and further in view of Blakborn (US 20210408702).
Regarding claim 7, Annequin teaches (figures 6 – 16) the electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical connector (1) further comprises a metallic shell (see figure 10) for holding the at least one contact pin (8) and the housing (2),
wherein the housing (2) includes:
a cylindrical portion (7) which linearly extends in the insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector (i.e. see direction “T” in figure 14) and contains the horizontally extending portion (see figure 15, portion where 8 points to) of the at least one contact pin (8) therein, wherein the shell (see figure 10) includes:
a body portion (body portion of 2, see figure 10), and
an insertion hole (see hole where 7 is inside of in figure 9) which passes through the body portion (body portion of 2, see figure 10) in the insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector (i.e. see direction “T” in figure 14) and into which the cylindrical portion (7) of the housing (2) is inserted (i.e. figure 9).
But Annequin and Phatiwuttipat do not explicitly disclose at least one pressing rib formed on an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion at a position corresponding to a position of the at least one protruding portion of the at least one contact pin wherein when the cylindrical portion of the housing is inserted into the insertion hole of the shell, the at least one pressing rib of the housing is pressed by an inner surface of the insertion hole of the shell, and thereby a portion of the cylindrical portion of the housing where the at least one pressing rib is formed is elastically deformed toward the inner side and is pressed against the at least one protruding portion of the at least one contact pin to lock the at least one contact pin in the housing.
Blakborn teaches (figures 1 – 5, annotation) a connector comprising at least one pressing rib (17R) formed on an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion (surface where 17R is protruding from) at a position corresponding to a position of the at least one protruding portion (14) of the at least one contact pin (see figure 4)
wherein when the cylindrical portion (see cylindrical portion in figure 3) of the housing (housing of 17) is inserted into the insertion hole (hole of 6 where 17 is inserted to) of the shell (6), the at least one pressing rib (17R) of the housing (housing of 17) is pressed by an inner surface of the insertion hole (¶0079; “…in order to electrically insulate the at least one inner-conductor contact element with respect to the outer-conductor assembly and mechanically fix said at least one inner-conductor contact element within the outer-conductor assembly…” if it is fixed to the outer conductor assembly, it is pressed by a surface inside of 6 so it stays fixed to the outer conductor assembly) of the shell (6), and thereby a portion of the cylindrical portion (see cylindrical portion in figure 3) of the housing (housing of 17) where the at least one pressing rib (17R) is formed is elastically deformed (i.e. 17R presses housing where 6 is pointing to in figure 2 so it stays fixed within) toward the inner side and is pressed against the at least one protruding portion (14) of the at least one contact pin (see figure 4) to lock the at least one contact pin (see figure 4) in the housing (housing of 17; ¶0137).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the connector of Annequin and Phatiwuttipat with the connector as disclosed by Blakborn to provide at least one pressing rib formed on an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion at a position corresponding to a position of the at least one protruding portion of the at least one contact pin wherein when the cylindrical portion of the housing is inserted into the insertion hole of the shell, the at least one pressing rib of the housing is pressed by an inner surface of the insertion hole of the shell, and thereby a portion of the cylindrical portion of the housing where the at least one pressing rib is formed is elastically deformed toward the inner side and is pressed against the at least one protruding portion of the at least one contact pin to lock the at least one contact pin in the housing, to provide a high shielding action against environmental factors, and a low transition resistance.
~ Please see annotation of figure 3 in the Blakborn reference, where the at least one pressing rib 17R can be seen.
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Regarding claim 8, Annequin teaches (figures 6 – 16) the electrical connector as claimed in claim 7.
But Annequin and Phatiwuttipat do not explicitly disclose wherein an inner surface of the portion of the cylindrical portion of the housing where the at least one pressing rib is formed contacts with a base end surface of the rear slope portion of the at least one protruding portion of the at least one contact pin from the base side to lock the at least one contact pin in the housing.
Blakborn teaches (figures 1 – 5, annotation) a connector wherein an inner surface of the portion of the cylindrical portion (inner surface of cylindrical portion in figure 3) of the housing (housing of 17) where the at least one pressing rib (17R) is formed contacts with a base end surface (base end surface of one of the contact elements 14) of the rear slope portion (i.e. rear slope portion of one of the contact elements 14) of the at least one protruding portion (14) of the at least one contact pin (see figure 4) from the base side (i.e. see figure 5) to lock the at least one contact pin (see figure 4) in the housing (housing of 17).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the connector of Annequin and Phatiwuttipat with the connector as disclosed by Blakborn to provide wherein an inner surface of the portion of the cylindrical portion of the housing where the at least one pressing rib is formed contacts with a base end surface of the rear slope portion of the at least one protruding portion of the at least one contact pin from the base side to lock the at least one contact pin in the housing, to provide improved mechanical stability, high shielding action against environmental factors, and a low transition resistance.
Regarding claim 9, Annequin teaches (figures 6 – 16) the electrical connector as claimed in claim 8.
But Annequin does not explicitly disclose wherein the at least one protruding portion further includes a flat portion which linearly extends between the front slope portion and the rear slope portion in the insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector, and wherein an outer surface of the flat portion of the at least one protruding portion contacts with an inner surface of at least one insertion hole passing through the cylindrical portion of the housing in the insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector.
Phatiwuttipat teaches (figures 1 – 4, annotation) a connector wherein the at least one protruding portion (4P) further includes a flat portion (see flat portion in annotation of 4P) which linearly extends between the front slope portion (4F) and the rear slope portion (4R) in the insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector (i.e. up-down direction in figure 3), and wherein an outer surface of the flat portion (see flat portion in annotation of 4P) of the at least one protruding portion (4P) contacts with an inner surface of at least one insertion hole (14) passing through the cylindrical portion (passes through 12) of the housing (2) in the insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector (i.e. up-down direction in figure 3).
Although the portion of the housing in Phatiwuttipat is not expressly cylindrical, a person having ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that external shape of the housing is a matter of routine design choice. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the connector of Annequin with the connector as disclosed by Phatiwuttipat to provide the at least one protruding portion further including a flat portion which linearly extends between the front slope portion and the rear slope portion in the insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector, and wherein an outer surface of the flat portion of the at least one protruding portion contacts with an inner surface of at least one insertion hole passing through the cylindrical portion of the housing in the insertion and extraction direction of the mating connector, as doing so would facilitate smooth insertion and extraction, improving the stability of the electrical contact and reducing the insertion resistance without changing the principle of operation of the connector.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Carlos E. Lopez-Pagan whose telephone number is (703)756-5734. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30a - 5:00p.
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/CARLOS E LOPEZ-PAGAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834