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 1-7, 12-13, 18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Grudzewski (U. S. Patent 9,890,348) in view of Lowden (U. S. Patent 4,179,179).
Regarding claim 1, Grudzewski discloses a header connector 20 comprising: a header housing 20 including a base 22, 24 having a terminal cavity (near to the leadline 22), the header housing 20 including a mounting flange (see figure 6 near to below the leadline 24) extending from the base 24, 22 defining a mounting end configured to be mounted to a first surface of a panel 40, the base 22, 24 being received in an opening in the panel 40, the header housing 20 including a shroud 22 forming a chamber configured to receive a plug housing of a plug connector, the base 22 including a housing latching feature 23a, 23b; a panel seal 30, see figure 6 coupled to the header housing 20, the panel seal 30 configured to be located between the mounting flange (see figure 6) and the panel 40; and a mounting clip 10 having a plate configured to be mounted to a second surface of the panel 40, the mounting clip 10 including a clip latching feature 13a, 13b interacting with the housing latching feature to secure the header housing 20 to the panel 40, wherein the mounting clip 10 is secured to the base 22 of the header housing 20 such that the panel 40 is captured between the plate of the mounting clip 10 and the mounting flange (see figure 6) of the header housing 20. Grudzewski discloses the claimed invention except for a header terminal received in the terminal cavity and held by the base, the header terminal having a mating end configured to mate with a plug terminal of the plug connector. Lowden discloses a terminal at 70. It would have been obvious to ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Grudzewski to provide such features as taught by Lowden so as to provide to receive prong to conduct current.
Regarding claim 2, Grudzewski discloses the mounting clip 10 forms a boltless connection to secure the header housing 20 to the panel 40.
Regarding claim 3, Grudzewski discloses the panel seal 30 is compressed between the mounting flange (see figure 6) and the panel 40 when the clip latching feature 13a, 13b interacts with the housing latching feature 23a, 23b.
Regarding claim 4, Grudzewski discloses the mounting clip 10 secures the header housing 20 to the panel 40 when the plug connector is removed from the chamber.
Regarding claim 5, Grudzewski discloses at least one of the housing latching features 23a, 23b and the clip latching feature 13a, 13b includes a deflectable latch.
Regarding claim 6, Grudzewski discloses the mounting clip 10 includes a pocket (near to the leadline 12, see figures 3, 4) receiving at least a portion of the base 22, the clip latching feature 13a, 13b engaging the housing latching feature 23a, 23b in the pocket.
Regarding claim 7, Grudzewski discloses the mounting clip 10 includes a clip pre-stage latching feature (see column 7, lines 33-45), the header housing 20 including a housing pre-stage latching feature interacting with the clip pre-stage latching feature to secure the mounting clip 10 to the header housing 20 in a pre-stage position.
Regarding claim 12, Grudzewski discloses the mounting flange does not include any openings therethrough.
Regarding claim 13, Grudzewski discloses the base 22, 24 includes a lower portion configured to pass through the opening in the panel 40, the lower portion located below the panel 40, the lower portion including the housing latching feature 23a, 23b.
Regarding claim 18, Grudzewski, see figures 1-8, discloses a power connector system comprising: a header connector 20 including a header housing 20 having a base 22, 24 having a terminal cavity (near to the leadline 22) , the header housing 20 including a mounting flange (see figure 6) extending from the base 24, 22 defining a mounting end configured to be mounted to a first surface of a panel 40, the base 22, 24 being received in an opening in the panel 40, the header housing 20 including a shroud 22 forming a chamber configured to receive a plug housing of a plug connector, the base 22, 24 including a housing latching feature 23a, 23b, the header connector 20 including a panel seal 30 coupled to the header housing 20 and configured to be located between the mounting flange (see figure 6) and the panel 40, and the header connector 20 including a mounting clip 10 having a plate configured to be mounted to a second surface of the panel 40, the mounting clip 10 including a clip latching feature 13a, 13b interacting with the housing latching feature 23a, 23b to secure the header housing 20 to the panel 40, wherein the mounting clip 10 is secured to the base 22, 24 of the header housing 20 such that the panel 40 is captured between the plate of the mounting clip 10 and the mounting flange (see figure 6) of the header housing 20; and a plug connector coupled to the header connector. Grudzewski discloses the claimed invention except for the header connector including a header terminal received in the terminal cavity and held by the base, the plug connector including a plug housing holding plug terminal, the plug housing received in the chamber to mate the plug terminal to the header terminal. Lowden discloses terminal at 70. It would have been obvious to ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Grudzewski to provide such features as taught by Lowden so as to provide to receive prong to conduct current.
Regarding claim 20, Grudzewski discloses the mounting clip 10 forms a boltless connection to secure the header housing 20 to the panel 40.
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Grudzewski (U. S. Patent 9,890,348) in view of Lowden (U. S. Patent 4,179,179) and further in view of Tsuruta (U. S. Patent 7,306,475)
Regarding claim 19, Grudzewski and Lowden disclose the claimed invention except for the plug connector includes a threaded bolt, the mounting clip includes a threaded opening receiving the threaded bolt to secure the plug connector to the mounting clip. Tsuruta discloses a threaded bolt at 60. It would have been obvious to ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Grudzewski and Lowden to provide such features as taught by Tsuruta so as to provide to hold the parts together.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-11 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 plate of the mounting clip is located a first distance from the mounting flange of the header housing in the pre-stage position, the mounting clip moving relative to the header housing from the pre-stage position to a final mounted position in which the clip latching feature interacts with the housing latching feature, the plate of the mounting clip being located a second distance
from the mounting flange of the header housing in the final mounted position, the second distance being less than the first distance, the mounting clip includes a plug connecting element configured to interact with the plug connector to secure the plug connector to the mounting clip, the mounting clip is configured to be loosely coupled to the header housing prior to the clip latching feature engaging the housing latching feature to loosely couple the header housing to the panel, the header housing securely fixed to the panel when the clip latching feature interacts with the header latching feature.
Claims 14-17 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claim 14, the applicant’s invention combination including: “a mounting clip having a plate configured to be mounted to a second surface of the panel, the mounting clip including a clip pre-stage latching feature interacting with the housing pre-stage latching feature to secure the mounting clip to the header housing at a pre-stage position, the mounting clip including a clip latching feature interacting with the housing latching feature to secure the mounting clip to the header housing at a final mounted position, wherein the panel is captured between the plate of the mounting clip and the mounting flange of the header housing when the mounting clip is latchably coupled to the header housing, wherein a distance between the plate and the mounting flange is decreased from the pre-stage position and the final mounted position” is not taught by Grudzewski 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 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