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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of claims 1-14 with traverse is acknowledged. In light of applicant’s amendments, the restriction requirement is withdrawn.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-6 and 9-20 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being unpatentable over D2 (DE 102008025428), description and figures attached.
Regarding claim 1: D2 (Figure 2 and description) teaches a contact assembly comprising: a contact (i.e. 6) having an upper surface and a lower surface, the contact having a drill hole (i.e. 17) therethrough, the contact having a flashing collar (i.e. see paragraph [0033]) surrounding the drill hole; and a mating interposer (i.e. 12) bonded to the flashing collar to mechanically and electrically connect the mating interposer to the contact, the mating interposer having a mating interface (i.e. 9) configured to be mated to a terminal to electrically connect the terminal to the contact.
Regarding claim 2: D2 (See paragraph [0031]) teaches the contact assembly of claim 1, wherein the mating interposer is metallurgically bonded to the flashing collar in a flowable state.
Regarding claim 3: D2 (See paragraph [0031]) teaches the contact assembly of claim 1, wherein the mating interposer is bonded to the flashing collar when the flashing collar is flowable.
Regarding claim 4: D2 (See paragraph [0031]) teaches the contact assembly of claim 1, wherein a temperature of the flashing collar is elevated during a thermal friction drilling process, the mating interposer being hot bonded to the flashing collar prior to the flashing collar returning to room temperature.
Regarding claim 5: D2 (See paragraph [0031]) teaches the contact assembly of claim 1, wherein the mating interposer is mechanically coupled to the flashing collar of the contact by inter-metallic formations between the mating interposer in the flashing collar.
Regarding claim 6: D2 (See paragraphs [0030]-[0031]) teaches the contact assembly of claim 1, wherein the mating interposer is bonded to the flashing collar during thermal friction drilling of the drill hole.
Regarding claim 9: D2 (Figure 2) teaches the contact assembly of claim 1, wherein the mating interposer includes an opening (i.e. 17) aligned with the drill hole, the opening and the drill hole configured to receive a fastener used to secure the terminal to the mating interposer and the contact.
Regarding claim 10: D2 (Figure 2) teaches the contact assembly of claim 1, wherein the drill hole is threaded (i.e. 19) to receive a threaded fastener used to couple the terminal to the mating interposer in the contact.
Regarding claim 11: D2 teaches the contact assembly of claim 1, wherein the flashing collar is an upper flashing collar at the upper surface, the contact having a lower flashing collar (i.e. see paragraph [0033]) surrounding the drill hole at the lower surface, the contact assembly further comprising a second mating interposer (i.e. 13) bonded to the lower flashing collar to mechanically and electrically connect the second mating interposer to the contact.
Regarding claim 12: D2 (Figure 2 and description) teaches a contact assembly comprising: a contact (i.e. 6) having an upper surface and a lower surface, the contact having a drill hole (i.e. 17) therethrough, the contact having a flashing collar (i.e. see paragraph [0033]) surrounding the drill hole at the upper surface; and a mating interposer (i.e. 12) having a mating surface (i.e. 9) and a connecting surface (i.e. bottom of 12), the connecting surface being connected to the flashing collar by metallurgical bonding to mechanically and electrically connect the mating interposer to the contact, the mating interposer having an opening (i.e. 17) therethrough aligned with the drill hole, the mating interposer having a separable mating interface (i.e. same as 9) at the mating surface configured to be mated to a terminal to electrically connect the terminal to the contact.
Regarding claim 13: D2 (See paragraph [0031]) teaches the contact assembly of claim 12, wherein a temperature of the flashing collar is elevated during a thermal friction drilling process, the mating interposer being hot bonded to the flashing collar prior to the flashing collar returning to room temperature.
Regarding claim 14: D2 teaches the contact assembly of claim 12, wherein the flashing collar is an upper flashing collar at the upper surface, the contact having a lower flashing collar (i.e. see paragraph [0033]) surrounding the drill hole at the lower surface, the contact assembly further comprising a second mating interposer (i.e. 13) bonded to the lower flashing collar to mechanically and electrically connect the second mating interposer to the contact.
Regarding claim 15: D2 (Figure 2 and description) teaches a method of manufacturing a contact assembly comprising: providing a contact (i.e. 6) having an upper surface and a lower surface; drilling a drill hole (i.e. 17) in the contact such that material displaced by the drilling operation forms a flashing collar (i.e. see paragraph [0033]) around the drill hole; and bonding a mating interposer (i.e. 12) to the flashing collar to form a separable mating interface (i.e. 9) configured to be mated to a terminal (i.e. 7) to electrically connect the terminal to the contact.
Regarding claim 16: D2 (See paragraph [0033]) teaches the method of claim 15, wherein said bonding the mating interposer comprises metallurgically bonding the mating interposer to the flashing collar.
Regarding claim 17: D2 (See paragraphs [0031]-[0033]) teaches the method of claim 15, wherein said drilling a drill hole comprises thermal friction drilling the hole by heating the contact to an elevated temperature by friction during the thermal friction drilling process, said bonding the mating interposer comprises hot bonding the mating interposer to the flashing collar prior to the flashing collar returning to room temperature.
Regarding claim 18: D2 (See paragraph [0031]-[0033]) teaches the method of claim 15, wherein said bonding the mating interposer comprises pressing the mating interposer into the flashing collar during thermal friction drilling of the drill hole.
Regarding claim 19: D2 (Figure 2) teaches the method of claim 15, further comprising threading the drill hole (i.e. 19) and threadably coupling a fastener (i.e. 5) to the drill hole to secure the terminal to the contact.
Regarding claim 20: D2 (Figure 2) teaches the method of claim 15, further comprising bonding a second mating interposer (i.e. 13) to the lower surface of the contact at the flashing collar extending from the lower surface.
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 7-8 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D2.
Regarding claim 7: D2 teaches the contact assembly of claim 1, but does not specifically teach wherein the mating interposer is manufactured from a first metallic material, the contact being manufactured from a second metallic material different from the first metallic material.
However, the selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use supported a prima facie obviousness determination in Sinclair & Carroll Co. v. Interchemical Corp., 325 U.S. 327, 65 USPQ 297 (1945).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to select different metals for the contact and the mating interposer taught by D2 to meet the needs of each component. The contact taught by D2 acts as a spring and the mating interposer acts as a busbar receiving the spring force so the selection of known materials based on their suitability for the differing intended purposes would have been obvious. See MPEP 2144.07
Regarding claim 8: D2 teaches the contact assembly of claim 1, wherein the mating interposer is manufactured from a first metallic material, the contact being manufactured from a second metallic material the same as the first metallic material.
However, the selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use supported a prima facie obviousness determination in Sinclair & Carroll Co. v. Interchemical Corp., 325 U.S. 327, 65 USPQ 297 (1945).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to select the same metal for the contact and the mating interposer taught by D2 to meet the conductive and economic requirements associated with each component. The assembly taught by D2 is contemplated for reducing material costs while maintaining conductivity so the selection of one known material based on its suitability for the intended purposes would have been obvious. See MPEP 2144.07
Conclusion
Prior art made of record but not relied on is as follows: D1 (DE 202006018023).
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/GREGORY L MANGOT/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/CHRISTOPHER M KOEHLER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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