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 .
35 USC 102 Rejections
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wollitzer et al 9590345.
Regarding claim 1, Wollitzer et al (Figure 7) discloses a board-to-board interface contactor, comprising: a contactor base body, the contactor body base comprising a peripheral seat 3 and an aperture (which receives pin 4); an elastic and conductive lid 10 positioned over the peripheral seat of the contactor base body; and a conductive pin 4 extending through the aperture in the contactor base body.
Regarding claim 5, Wollitzer et al discloses the contactor base body further comprises a body pedestal 3 having an outer cylindrical surface; and the aperture extends through the body pedestal.
Regarding claim 6, Wollitzer et al discloses the elastic and conductive lid 10 comprises a bottom surface, a central opening, and an inner cylindrical surface within the central opening; the bottom surface of the elastic and conductive lid contacts an upper seat surface of the peripheral seat; and the inner cylindrical surface of the elastic and conductive lid contacts the outer cylindrical surface of the body pedestal.
Regarding claim 7, Wollitzer et al discloses the conductive pin 4,5 comprises a compressible plunger pin.
35 USC 103 Rejections
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) 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Scyoc et al 6776668.
Scyoc et al (Figure 15) substantially discloses the claimed invention, including a board-to-board interface contactor, comprising: a shield body housing 232; an insulating interposer 180 positioned within the shield body housing; a spring (unnumbered) positioned over the insulating interposer; a shield lid 222 positioned over the shield body housing and the spring; and a conductive pin 120 extending through an aperture in the insulating interposer. To form the spring as a wave spring is deemed to have been an obvious substitution of equivalents not substantially affecting the function thereof.
Claims Defining Over Prior Art
Claims 8-18 are allowed.
Claims 2-4, 20 and 21 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: none of the prior art discloses or teaches the outer surfaces of the peripheral seat and the mouting leg being plated and conductive; nor the combination of the contactor base housing, conductive lid, insulating interposer and conductive pin; nor the combination of the contactor base housing, spring, contactor shield, insulating interposer and conductive pin; nor the combination of the interlock extension and interlock aperture; nor the combination of the interlock arm and the extension channel; in combination with the rest of the subject matter of the respective independent claim.
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/GARY F PAUMEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834