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 .
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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-7, 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lang (US 5,848,914).
Regarding claim 1: Lang teaches a connector 1 (Fig. 1) to be connected to an end part of a shielded cable 4 including an electrically conductive core wire (e.g. core wire located within cable 4; see Fig. 6), an insulation coating (at 4; Fig. 6) surrounding an outer periphery of the core wire (see Fig. 6) and an electrically conductive electromagnetic shield member 11 surrounding an outer periphery of the insulation coating (see Fig. 2), comprising: an electrically conductive terminal 39 to be connected to an end part of the core wire (see Fig. 6); an electrically conductive shield shell 7 for covering the terminal (see Fig. 7); and a shield bracket 8 for pressing and fixing the shielded cable to the shield shell with the electromagnetic shield member electrically connected to the shield shell (see Fig. 2), the shield shell 7 having a first facing surface (at 9; Fig. 2) facing the electromagnetic shield member 11 (see Fig. 2), the shield bracket 8 having a second facing surface (at 8; Fig. 2) facing the electromagnetic shield member 11 (see Fig. 2), and at least one of the first and second facing surfaces being provided with a protrusion 12, 14 projecting toward the electromagnetic shield member 11 and to be brought into contact with the shielded cable 4 (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 2: Lang teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the protrusions 12, 14 include: one or more first protrusions 12 projecting from the first facing surface toward the electromagnetic shield member 11 and to be brought into contact with the shielded cable 4 (see Fig. 2); and one or more second protrusions 14 projecting from the second facing surface toward the electromagnetic shield member 11 and to be brought into contact with the shielded cable 4 (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 3: Lang teaches all the limitations of claim 2 and further teaches wherein the second protrusion has an embossed shape (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 4: Lang teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the shield bracket 8 presses and fixes the shielded cable 4 to the shield shell 7 in a direction intersecting an axial direction of the shielded cable 4, and the protrusion 12, 14 extends along the axial direction of the shielded cable 4 (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 5: Lang teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the shield bracket 8 is bolted (e.g. via screws 22; see Fig. 1) to the shield shell 7 with the shielded cable 4 pressed against the shield shell 7 (see Figs. 1-2).
Regarding claim 6: Lang teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein: the shield bracket 8 includes a plurality of fixing portions 43, 44 (Fig. 11) having the second facing surfaces and a coupling portion coupling the plurality of fixing portions (e.g. see coupling portion located between 45; Fig. 11), and the coupling portion of the shield bracket is bolted to the shield shell with a plurality of the shielded cables pressed against the shield shell by the plurality of fixing portions (see Figs. 1 and 10-11).
Regarding claim 7: Lang teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches comprising a connector housing (Fig. 1) including the shield shell 7, wherein: the connector housing includes a positioning projection 20 projecting toward the shield bracket 8, and the shield bracket 8 includes a positioning hole 21 to be fit to the positioning projection and engaged with the positioning projection in an axial direction of the shielded cable 4 (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 9: Lang teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches a wiring harness (at 4; Fig. 9), comprising: the connector of claim 1; and the shielded cable to be connected to the terminal (see Fig. 9).
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 8, 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lang (US 5,848,914), in view of Philippson (US 5,059,140).
Regarding claim 8: Lang teaches all the limitations of claim 1.
Lang does not explicitly teach wherein the shield shell is made of aluminum die casting.
Philippson teaches a shell is made of aluminum die casting (Col. 12, lines 55-61).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to be able to modify the invention with the shield shell made of aluminum die casting as taught by Philippson into the connector of Lang in order to achieve the advantage of a lightweight, high-strength solution with superior corrosion resistance and ability to create complex, durable shapes.
Regarding claim 10: Lang teaches all the limitations of claim 9.
Lang does not explicitly teach wherein the shielded cable includes an electrically conductive shell ring to be mounted on an outer periphery of the electromagnetic shield member while being held in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the electromagnetic shield member, and the protrusion is in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the shell ring.
Philippson teaches a shielded cable 12 includes an electrically conductive shell ring 90 to be mounted on an outer periphery of the electromagnetic shield member 86 while being held in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the electromagnetic shield member (see Fig. 1), and a protrusion 146 is in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the shell ring (see Fig. 2).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to be able to modify the invention with the shielded cable includes an electrically conductive shell ring to be mounted on an outer periphery of the electromagnetic shield member while being held in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the electromagnetic shield member, and the protrusion is in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the shell ring as taught by Philippson into the connector of Lang in order to achieve the advantage of positioning and aligning the shielding components relative to each other.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please see PTO-892 for pertinent prior art, the following references being of closest relvance:
Wang (US 2022/0140539) teaches a connector having shielding members with protrusions and configured to attach to a cable;
Blackburn (US 2020/0366017) teaches a connector with a cable having an insulating and shield portions and attached to shielding members within a housing;
Kuo (US 6,162,086) teaches a connector having cables attached within and shielding members with protrusions contacting shielding portions of a cable;
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OSCAR C JIMENEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-0272. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jessica Han can be reached at (571) 272-2078. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/OSCAR C JIMENEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896