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 Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: line 8 recites "positon" should read "position". Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 7 objected to because of the following informalities: line 5 recites "povitably" should read "pivotably". Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu et al. [US 20220037828 A1] in view of Shen et al. [US 20230411882 A1].
Regarding Claim 1, Hu discloses an electrical connector (1100, Fig 6) comprising: a housing (1300) having a of slot (1301, Fig 8), the slot (1301) configured for receiving a respective mating component (card 1500); and a plurality of latches (1400) pivotably connected to the housing (1300) so as to pivot between a locked position (Fig 7) and an unlocked position (Fig 6), wherein the slot (1301) has a latch (1400) of the plurality of latches (1400) disposed at an end of the slot (1301) and configured for retaining the mating component (1500) in the slot (1301) when the latch (1400) is in the locked position (Fig 7) and releasing the mating component (1500) from the slot (1301) when the latch (1400) is in the unlocked position (Fig 6). Hu does not explicitly disclose a plurality of slots extending in parallel to each other, though it explicitly teaches that in an electronic system, a plurality of the connectors can be arranged side by side (i.e. in parallel) along a transverse direction of the PCB to accommodate multiple electronic cards [0044].
However, Shen discloses arranging multiple parallel DIMM sockets (30) closely together to meet strict space and high-density computing requirements.
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 Hu as suggested by Shen to provide a plurality of slots extending in parallel to each other. Because Hu teaches arranging multiple single-slot housing parallel to one another on a circuit board and Shen teaches the same in order to meet strict space and high density computing requirements, a person of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to integrate the connector of Hu and side-by-side housings of Shen into a single, continuous housing with a plurality of slots to achieve the high-density parallel arrangement.
Regarding Claim 2, Hu and Shen disclose all the limitations of claim 1, Hu further discloses each of the plurality of slots (1301) is configured for receiving a DDR card (1500). Hu and Shen disclose the claimed invention except for adjacent slots of the plurality of slots have a center-to-center distance between 4.2 mm and 5.4 mm.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide a center-to-center distance between 4.2 mm and 5.4 mm to adjacent slots, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the routine experimentation and optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. The spacing between the slots affects design considerations which would have been routine optimization to balance factors like component spacing and mechanical clearance.
Regarding Claim 3, Hu and Shen disclose all the limitations of claim 1, Hu further discloses the housing (1300) comprises a body (1310) extending in a longitudinal direction and a tower (1320) disposed at an end of the body (1310) and extending from the body (1310) in a vertical direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction; the slot (1301) extends from the body (1310) into the tower (1320); and the plurality of latches (1400) are pivotably connected to the tower (1320).
Regarding Claim 4, Hu and Shen disclose all the limitations of claim 3, Hu further discloses a reinforcing member (1200 Fig 8) disposed at an end of the tower (1320), wherein the reinforcing member (1200, Fig 13) comprises a U-shaped body surrounding ends of the of slot (1301).
Regarding Claim 5, Hu and Shen disclose all the limitations of claim 4, Hu further discloses the reinforcing member (1200) comprises an opening (1201); and the slot (1301) extend into the opening (1201) of the reinforcing member (1200).
Regarding Claim 6, Hu and Shen disclose all the limitations of claim 3, Hu further discloses the tower (1320) comprises a plurality of chambers (1380, Fig 9) corresponding to the plurality of latches (1400), respectively, and a plurality of first projections (1381) each extending into a respective chamber (1380) of the plurality of chambers (1380); and each of the plurality of latches (1400) comprises a second projection (1213) configured to engage a respective first projection (1381) when the latch (1400) is in the locked position.
Regarding Claim 7, Hu and Shen disclose all the limitations of claim 1, Hu further discloses the housing (1300) comprises a plurality of sidewalls (see annotated Figure 11) at an end and a plurality of recesses (see Fig 11) between adjacent sidewalls of the plurality of sidewalls; and each of the plurality of latches (1400) is disposed in a recess of the plurality of recesses and pivotably (via pivot hole 1370 and pivot shaft 1410) connected to respective sidewalls (see Fig 9).
Claim(s) 8-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jiang et al. [US 20200014136 A1] in view of Shen et al. [US 20230411882 A1].
Regarding Claim 8, Jiang discloses an electrical connector (100, Fig 1), comprising: a housing (10) having a of slot (11, Fig 8), the slot (11) configured for receiving a respective mating component (card type memory module, not shown; see [0018]); and a plurality of conductive elements (2, Fig 3) held by the housing (10), each of the plurality of conductive elements (2) comprising a mating end (22, Fig 5) having a mating contact portion curving into a slot (11), a mounting end (23) opposite the mating end (22), and an intermediate portion (21) joining the mating end (22) and the mounting end (23), wherein, for each of the plurality of conductive elements (2): the mounting end (23) is narrower than the intermediate portion (21) and disposed such that the intermediate portion (21) extends beyond opposite sides of the mounting end (23); and the mounting end (23) comprises a flat surface (25) configured for a solder ball (3) attached thereto. Jiang does not explicitly disclose a plurality of slots extending in parallel to each other.
However, Shen discloses arranging multiple parallel DIMM sockets (30) closely together to meet strict space and high-density computing requirements.
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 Jiang as suggested by Shen to provide a plurality of slots extending in parallel to each other. Shen discloses the industry demand for high-density computing requirements by teaching the arrangement of multiple DIMMs connectors in closely-spaced parallel sockets. A person of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to take the side-by-side connector arrangement taught by Shen and integrate them into a single multi-slot housing to achieve the compact, high-density computing requirements. Doing so could serve to reduce manufacturing part count or simplify assembly.
Regarding Claim 9, Jiang and Shen disclose all the limitations of claim 8, Jiang further discloses a plurality of solder balls (3) attached to respective mounting ends (23) of the plurality of conductive elements (2).
Regarding Claim 10, Jiang and Shen disclose all the limitations of claim 9, Jiang further discloses for each of the plurality of conductive elements (2): the flat surface (25) could narrower than a diameter of the solder ball (3) (see 25’ in Figure 7).
Regarding Claim 11, Jiang and Shen disclose all the limitations of claim 8, Jiang further discloses each of the plurality of conductive elements (2) comprises a pair of cuts (see annotated Figure 6) disposed on opposite sides of the mounting end (23).
Regarding Claim 12, Jiang and Shen disclose all the limitations of claim 8, Jiang further discloses each of the slots (11) is configured for receiving a DDR card (card type memory module); and Jiang and Shen disclose the claimed invention except for adjacent slots of the plurality of slots have a center-to-center distance between 4.2 mm and 5.4 mm.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide a center-to-center distance between 4.2 mm and 5.4 mm to adjacent slots, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the routine experimentation and optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. The spacing between the slots affects design considerations which would have been routine optimization to balance factors like component spacing and mechanical clearance.
Regarding Claim 13, Jiang and Shen disclose all the limitations of claim 8, Jiang further discloses the housing (10) comprises a second wall (see annotated Figure 3) disposed on an outermost side of the slot (11); and Jiang does not explicitly disclose a first wall between adjacent slots of the plurality of slots.
However, 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 Jiang to include multiple slots within a single housing in view of Shen to accommodate multiple cards. Providing a wall between the slots would have been obvious and a necessary structural feature to separate the slots and maintain proper alignment and spacing for the insertion of the cards. Such wall represents a predictable design element that would inherently result from forming multiple slots within a single connector housing. Jiang and Shen disclose the claimed invention except for the first wall has a thickness between 2.5 mm and 3 mm in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the plurality of slots extend; and the outer wall has a thickness between 1.7 mm and 1.75 mm.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide the first wall has a thickness between 2.5 mm and 3 mm in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the plurality of slots extend; and the outer wall has a thickness between 1.7 mm and 1.75 mm., since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the routine experimentation and optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. The spacing between the slots and the thickness of the walls affects design considerations which would have been routine optimization to balance factors like component spacing and mechanical clearance.
Regarding Claim 14, Jiang and Shen disclose all the limitations of claim 8, Jiang further discloses at least one latch (4) pivotably (via pivot shaft 41 and recess on housing, see [0021]) connected to the housing (10) so as to pivot between a locked position and an unlocked position.
Claim(s) 15-17 and 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jiang et al. [US 20200014136 A1] in view of Shen et al. [US 20230411882 A1] .
Regarding Claim 15, Jiang discloses an electronic system comprising: a first printed circuit board (not shown, see abstract) having a plurality of contact pads (the conductive elements (2) comprise soldier balls (3) which are surface mounted to a PCB); and a electrical connector (100) mounted on the first printed circuit board, the electrical connectors (100) comprising: a plurality of conductive elements (2) electrically connected with respective contact pads (via solder ball (3)) of the plurality of contact pads of the first printed circuit, and a slot (11), configured for receiving a second printed circuit board (card type memory module (not shown); see [0018]. Jiang does not explicitly disclose a plurality of electrical connectors mounted on the first printed circuit board and a plurality of slots extending in parallel to each other.
However, Shen discloses an electronic system (800) including a plurality of electrical connectors (30, Fig 4A) mounted on the first printed circuit board (28) and a plurality of slots (sockets to which memory modules 26 are mated, not shown) extending in parallel to each other.
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 Jiang as suggested by Shen to provide a plurality of electrical connectors mounted on the first printed circuit board and a plurality of slots extending in parallel to each other. Shen discloses the industry demand for high-density computing requirements by teaching the arrangement of multiple DIMMs connectors in closely-spaced parallel sockets. A person of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to take the side-by-side connector arrangement taught by Shen and integrate them into a single multi-slot housing to achieve the compact, high-density computing requirements. Doing so could serve to reduce manufacturing part count or simplify assembly.
Regarding Claim 16, Jiang and Shen disclose all the limitations of claim 15, Jiang and Shen disclose the claimed invention except for a center-to-center distance between two adjacent slots of adjacent electrical connectors is larger than a center-to-center distance between two adjacent slots of the same connectors, such that pitch of the second printed boards is not uniform.
The particular dimensions of the center-to-center distance between two adjacent slots of adjacent electrical connectors and two adjacent slots of the same connectors to the extent that Jiang and Shen does not specify exact dimensions, at the time of the invention, workable dimensions of the center-to-center distance between two adjacent slots of adjacent electrical connectors and two adjacent slots of the same connectors would have been a matter of routine experimentation. In re Antonie, 559 F.2d 618 (CCPA 1977). Variations in the distance would have been obvious minor adjustments without patentable significance. See In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233 (CCPA 1955) (Where general conditions of the claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover optimal or workable ranges by routine experimentation).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to construct the connector having the as-claimed dimensions, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the routine experimentation and optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. The spacing between the slots affects design considerations which would have been routine optimization to balance factors like component spacing and mechanical clearance.
Regarding Claim 17, Jiang and Shen disclose all the limitations of claim 15, Jiang and Shen disclose the claimed invention except for the center-to-center distance between the two adjacent slots of the same connectors is between 4.2 mm and 5.4 mm; and the center-to-center distance between the two adjacent slots of adjacent electrical connectors is between 5 mm and 6 mm.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide the center-to-center distance between the two adjacent slots of the same connectors is between 4.2 mm and 5.4 mm, the center-to-center distance between the two adjacent slots of adjacent electrical connectors is between 5 mm and 6 mm, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the routine experimentation and optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. The spacing between the slots affects design considerations which would have been routine optimization to balance factors like component spacing and mechanical clearance.
Regarding Claim 19, Jiang and Shen disclose all the limitations of claim 15, Jiang and Shen disclose the claimed invention except for each of the plurality of electrical connectors, contact pads in two adjacent rows have a center-to-center distance between 0.9 mm and 1.0 mm.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide each of the plurality of electrical connectors, contact pads in two adjacent rows have a center-to-center distance between 0.9 mm and 1.0 mm, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the routine experimentation and optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. The spacing between the contact pads affects design considerations which would have been routine optimization to balance factors like component spacing and mechanical clearance.
Regarding Claim 20, Jiang and Shen disclose all the limitations of claim 15, Shen further discloses the first printed circuit board (28) has a length in a transverse direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction in which the plurality of slots (sockets to which memory modules 26 are mated, not shown) extend; the electronic system (800, Fig 8) further comprises two processors (802, may be implemented as a plurality of processors, see [0061]) disposed within the footprint of the first printed circuit board (28). Shen and Jiang do not explicitly disclose the plurality of electrical connectors comprises at least twenty-four electrical connectors disposed within the footprint of the first printed circuit board; the length of the first printed circuit board is between 480 mm and 490 mm.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide the plurality of electrical connectors with at least twenty-four electrical connectors disposed within the footprint of the first printed circuit board; the length of the first printed circuit board is between 480 mm and 490 mm., since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the routine experimentation and optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. The specific number of connectors and the length of the circuit board are design parameters that depend on application requirements such as available space or system configurations and such. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to select an appropriate number of connectors, such as 24, and a corresponding circuit board length, such as between 480 mm and 490mm, as a matter of routine design choice and optimization of these known variables which would have yielded predictable results.
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jiang et al. [US 20200014136 A1] in view of Shen et al. [US 20230411882 A1] in further view of Faith et al. [US 20210305752 A1].
Regarding Claim 18, Jiang and Shen disclose all the limitations of claim 15, Jiang and Shen disclose the claimed invention except for the plurality of contact pads are circular contact pads.
However, Faith discloses a plurality of contact pads (416, 418) can be circular in shape (see Fig 2 and 2A; [0119]). Jiang discloses conductive elements (2) having solder balls (3) surface mounted to a circuit board but does not specify the shape of the corresponding conductive pads and neither does Shen.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide the plurality of contact pads as circular contact pads because pad geometry affects solder joint formation and alignment. Circular pads are a known and commonly used geometry for solder ball connections disclosed by Jiang and selecting the shape represents choosing from among a finite number of predictable design options. The modification would have yielded predictable results without altering the intended function of the connector.
Conclusion
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/T.R./Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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