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 .
Claims 1-20 are pending.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Eng-Kan (US 20200194921).
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Regarding claim 1, Eng-Kan discloses an electrical connector (Par. 0063, board edge connector 1) comprising: a housing (Par. 0065, insulating housing 2) comprising a body having a mating face (see Fig. 3) and a mounting face (Par. 0067, mating face 20) opposite the mating face, a base portion (Par. 0065, side wall 11) extending from an end of the body (see Fig. 2), a first portion (see Fig. 4 above, first portion 20a) of a slot (Par. 0067, board edge slot 22) extending in the body from the mating face toward the mounting face, and a second portion (see Fig. 4 above, second portion 20b) of the slot extending in the base portion;
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and a cover portion (see Fig. 5 above and Fig. 6, cover portion 11a) disposed on the base portion of the housing, wherein: the slot comprises a third portion (Par. 0070, guiding groove 152) extends in the cover portion, and the second portion of the slot connects the first portion and the second portion (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 2, Eng-Kan discloses the electrical connector of claim 1, comprising: a latch (Par. 0065, latching member 3) pivotably connected (Par. 0078, pivoting shafts 31) to the base portion of the housing between a locked position and an unlocked position (see Fig. 15 and 16 for locked and unlocked positions).
Regarding claim 3, Eng-Kan discloses the electrical connector of claim 2, wherein: the cover portion is at least partially surrounded by the base portion of the housing and the latch when the latch is in the locked position (see Fig. 22).
Regarding claim 8, Eng-Kan discloses The electrical connector of claim 1, comprising: a plurality of conductive elements (Par. 0066, plurality of conductive elements 4), each of the plurality of conductive elements comprising a mating portion (Par. 0068, tail portion 42) curving into the first portion of the slot and a mounting portion (Par. 0080, contact portions 40) extending out of the mounting face of the housing (see Fig. 4).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-20 are allowed.
Claims 4-7 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:
Regarding claim 4, allowability resides, at least in part, with the prior art of record not fairly showing, suggesting, or teaching the electrical connector of claim 2, wherein: the cover portion comprises a restraining feature configured to engage the latch when the latch is in the locked position, as recited in claim 4. These limitations are neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record taken alone or in combination. Claims 5-6 are dependent on claim 4 and are therefore allowable for the same reasons.
Regarding claim 7, allowability resides, at least in part, with the prior art of record not fairly showing, suggesting, or teaching the electrical connector of claim 1, wherein: the base portion of the housing comprises a first hole and a second hole disposed on opposite sides of the second portion of the slot; and the cover portion comprises a first post and a second post extending from opposite sides of the third portion of the slot, the first post extending into the first hole, and the second post extending into the second hole, as recited in claim 7. These limitations are neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record taken alone or in combination.
Regarding claim 9, allowability resides with the prior art of record not fairly showing, suggesting, or teaching an electrical connector comprising: a housing body comprising a mating face and a mounting face opposite the mating face; a slot extending in the housing body; a plurality of conductive elements held by the housing body, each of the plurality of conductive elements comprising a mating portion curving into the slot and a mounting portion extending out of the mounting face; and a tower extending from an end of the housing body, the tower comprising a base portion having a surface and a cover portion engaging the surface of the base portion, as recited in claim 9. These limitations are neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record taken alone or in combination. Claims 10-15 are dependent on claim 9 and are therefore allowable for the same reasons.
Regarding claim 16, allowability resides with the prior art of record not fairly showing, suggesting, or teaching a method of manufacturing an electrical connector comprising: forming a housing comprising a body having a mating face and a mounting face opposite the mating face, a base portion extending from an end of the body, a first portion of a slot extending in the body from the mating face toward the mounting face, and a second portion of the slot extending in the base portion; forming, separately from forming the housing, a cover portion comprising a third portion of the slot; and disposing the cover portion on the base portion of the housing, as recited in claim 16. These limitations are neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record taken alone or in combination. Claims 17-20 are dependent on claim 16 and are therefore allowable for the same reasons.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
See PTO-892 for details
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/JEFFREY MOUNTAIN/ Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TULSIDAS C PATEL/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834