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 § 102
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 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, 2, 5, 10 and 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a0(1) as being anticipated by Fukuchi Kazuki (US 2019 009037) hereafter Fukuchi (as listed in IDS , as (Dai-Ichi Seiko Co., LTD JP 2019-009037).
Regarding, claim 1, Fukuchi, discloses a connector 1A comprising: a plurality of signal contacts 11Aa aligned along an arrangement orientation, each of the plurality of signal contacts 11Aa extending along an extending orientation crossing the arrangement orientation and comprising: a connecting portion configured to be connected to a signal conductor of a coaxial cable 2; and a contacting portion extending from the connecting portion along the extending orientation and configured to contact a mate signal contact of a mate connector; a conductive ground contact 11Ab (combination of the ground bar 13 and second contacts 11Ab) extending along the extending orientation and comprising: a ground connecting portion (of 11Ab and 13) configured to be connected to an outer conductor of the coaxial cable 2; and a ground contacting portion (of 11Aa and 13) extending from the ground connecting portion along the extending orientation and configured to contact a mate ground contact of the mate connector; an insulating housing 10A holding the plurality of signal contacts and the ground contact; and a conductive shell 12A covering at least a portion of the insulating housing around the extending orientation, wherein the shell 12A comprises a projecting portion (plate-like pieces 12Aab of an upper side shell 12Aa constituting shell 12A, each having a bent portion 30 that is bent into a shape projected toward the corresponding second contact 11Ab,) being in contact with the ground contact, and wherein the projecting portion and the ground contact form a wall extending along the extending orientation between two adjacent signal contacts of the plurality of signal contacts (Figs. 7 and 10, it is considered that the second contacts 11Ab and the plate-like pieces 12Aab form a wall portion, which arranged such that a “a wall portion is formed by the ground contact and the shell between two adjacent pairs of signal contacts, and the ground contact and the shell are electrically connected the wall portion).
Regarding, claim 2, Fukuchi, discloses the ground connecting portion is located between connecting portions of the two adjacent signal contacts 11Aa, wherein the ground contacting portion (of) 11Ab and 13) is located between contacting portions of the two adjacent signal contacts 11Aa, and wherein the shell (portion of) 12A is in contact with the ground contact both (11aB, 13) on the ground connecting portion and the ground contacting portion.
Regarding, claim 5, Fukuchi, discloses a length of the ground contact along the extending orientation is equal to the length of the two adjacent signal contacts along the extending orientation.
Regarding, claim 10, Fukuchi, discloses the projecting portion and the shell are in surface contact to form the wall (plate-like pieces 12Aab of an upper side shell 12Aa constituting shell 12A, each having a bent portion 30 that is bent into a shape projected toward the corresponding second contact 11Ab, as discussed in claim 1).
Regarding, claim 13, Fukuchi, discloses the shell 12A comprises a shell surface (of 12A) facing away from the housing 11 and (is capable to be) configured to contact a mate shell of the mate connector.
Regarding, claim 14, Fukuchi, discloses the shell surface is configured to contact the mate shell at least in part on the projecting portion.
Regarding, claim 15, Fukuchi, discloses the ground contact, the shell, and the signal contacts are integrally held by the insulating housing (upon assembly).
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 3-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fukuchi in view of Toda et al. (US 2019/0089095) hereafter Toda.
Regarding, claim 3, Fukuchi, discloses all the claimed limitations except for the ground contacting portion extends further than the contacting portions of the two adjacent signal contacts along the extending orientation.
Toda, discloses, the ground contacting portion 60G extends further than the contacting portions of the two adjacent signal contacts 60S along the extending orientation.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the ground contacting portion extends further than the contacting portions of the two adjacent signal contacts along the extending orientation in order to have suppressing crosstalk and have noise free communication.
Regarding, claim 4, Fukuchi as modified by Toda, discloses the housing extends further than the contacting portions and the ground contacting portion along the extending orientation.
Claims 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fukuchi.
Regarding claim 6, Fukuchi, discloses aal the claimed limitations except for a height of the ground contact along a height orientation orthogonal to the arrangement orientation and the extending orientation is greater than a height of the two adjacent signal contacts along the height orientation.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have a height of the ground contact along a height orientation orthogonal to the arrangement orientation and the extending orientation is greater than a height of the two adjacent signal contacts along the height orientation in order to have suppressing crosstalk and have noise free communication, and since a change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955).
Regarding claim 8, Fukuchi, discloses all the claimed limitations except for each of the two adjacent signal contacts comprises a signal contact surface facing away from the shell, wherein the ground contact comprises a ground contact surface facing away from the shell, and wherein the signal contact surface and the ground contact surface are substantially flush with each other. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have each of the two adjacent signal contacts comprises a signal contact surface facing away from the shell, wherein the ground contact comprises a ground contact surface facing away from the shell, and wherein the signal contact surface and the ground contact surface are substantially flush with each other, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Regarding claim 9, Fukuchi, discloses the connecting portion and the contacting portion are formed on the signal contact surface, wherein the ground connecting portion and the ground contacting portion are formed on the ground contact surface.
Regarding claim 11, Fukuchi, discloses the shell 12A further comprises a base portion extending along the arrangement orientation, and wherein the projecting portion projects from the base portion along the extending orientation.
However, Fukuchi, does not discloses the ground contact is in surface contact with both the projecting portion and the base portion.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have the ground contact is in surface contact with both the projecting portion and the base portion in order to have better electrical and mechanical contact there in between and, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Regarding claim 12, Fukuchi, discloses all the claimed limitations except for a width of the projecting portion along the arrangement orientation is greater than a width of the ground contact along the arrangement orientation. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have a width of the projecting portion along the arrangement orientation is greater than a width of the ground contact along the arrangement orientation, in order to have suppressing crosstalk and have noise free communication, and since a change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7 and 16-20 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.
Regarding claim 7, the prior art of record does not discloses the ground contact penetrates the housing to contact the projecting portion as required in combination with other limitations of this claim.
Regarding claim 16, the prior art of record does not discloses a plurality of ground contacts including the ground contact, wherein the plurality of signal contacts including a plurality of pairs of signal contacts, wherein the ground contacts and the plurality of signal contacts are arranged alternately along the arrangement orientation, wherein the shell comprises a plurality of projecting portions including the projecting portion and respectively corresponding to the plurality of ground contacts, and wherein each of the plurality of projecting portions is in contact with a corresponding ground contact of the plurality of ground contacts, and wherein each of the plurality of projecting portions and the corresponding ground contact form the wall extending along the extending orientation between two adjacent pairs of the plurality of pairs as required in combination with other limitations of this claim.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See attached 892.
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/HARSHAD C PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831