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
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 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by Hussaini (US 5,888,095).
Regarding claim 10, Hussaini discloses a plug assembly for use with a cable with a cable plug, the plug assembly comprising:
a clamping part (7) configured to receive and position the cable plug (9) in a predetermined position at a front portion of the clamping part, a rear portion of the clamping part, which is opposite the front portion of the clamping part, configured to engage around the cable when the cable plug is received and positioned by the clamping part in the predetermined position, the rear portion having a radially compressible tapered section (7a) having an outer shape that tapers towards a rear distal end of the clamping part,
a clamping sleeve (8) configured to approach the clamping part with a front end of the clamping sleeve and to be connected to the rear portion of the clamping part by a threaded connection (8a), such that tightening of the threaded connection results in an inner contacting section of the clamping sleeve being advanced over the tapered section of the clamping part towards the front portion of the clamping part while being in contact with the tapered section, resulting in increasing radial compression of the rear portion of the clamping part;
a housing (1) for being plugged into a socket of a complementary plug assembly (see Fig. 1) by approaching the socket with a front end of the housing, the housing being configured to receive and position the clamping part in a front portion of the housing such that, when the cable plug is received and positioned in the clamping part and the clamping part is received and positioned in the housing, at least a front portion (at 4a, or 4b) of the cable plug extending in a direction of the front end of the housing is surrounded by the front portion of the housing at a distance;
the tapered section of the clamping part comprises a tapered external thread area (7a) with an external thread that extends over the tapered external thread area; and
the inner contacting section of the clamping sleeve comprises a tapered internal thread area (8a) with an internal thread that extends over the tapered internal thread area;
wherein the internal thread area has a tapered shape that matches a tapered shape of the external thread area and the external thread and the internal thread are configured to engage with each other to provide the threaded connection.
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.
Claim 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hussaini (US 5,888,095).
Hussani substantially disclosed the claim invention except a range of the thread turns is ten turn or less.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was to made to provide the thread turn in a range of ten or less turns, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim a are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hussaini (US 5,888,095) in view of Zeng et al. (US 8,483,537).
Hussaini substantially disclosed the claimed invention except the rear portion of the clamping part comprises two radially compressible, spaced-apart extensions.
Zeng et al. teach a rear portion of the clamping part comprises two spaced-apart radially compressible extensions (233).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to provide spaced-apart extensions into Hussaini’s clamping part, as taught by Zeng et al. for flexibly clamping the cable.
Claims 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dobler (US 6,648,674).
Regarding claim 14, Dobler discloses a clamping part for a plug assembly, the clamping part comprising:
two half-shells (15, 15’) that are divided from one another in a longitudinal direction, the two half-shells are configured to clamp a cable plug (1) between them and thereby position the cable plug in a predetermined position at a front portion (at 16) of the clamping part;
a radially compressible rear portion (at 17), which is opposite the front portion, is configured to engage around a cable connected to the cable plug when the cable plug is positioned by the two half shells in the predetermined position; one of the two half-shells is configured for nesting against a top side, a backside, and two lateral sides of the cable plug, and the other of the two half-shells is configured for nesting against a bottom side, the backside, and the two lateral sites of the cable plug, the top side comprises a latch element (7) configured to latch the cable plug to a conventional socket, the bottom side is opposite the top side, the backside connects the top side with the bottom site on the cable side, and each of the lateral sides is adjacent the backside and connects the top side with the bottom side, such that the clamping part is configured to individually clamp and position the cable plug,
the two half-shells each comprise an alignment structure to position the cable plug in the predetermined position, wherein each said alignment structure comprises two pockets arranged in a rear area of the respective alignment structure, wherein each of the two pockets is configured to receive one extension of the cable plug such that each of the two pockets of one of the two half-shells provides a boundary (interior surface) for the top side and the two lateral sides of the cable plug, and a boundary structure arranged in an area in front of the two pockets, wherein one of the boundary structures provides a boundary for the two lateral sides and the top side of the cable plug of the stepped type and the other of the boundary structures provides a boundary for the two lateral sides and the bottom side of the cable plug of the stepped type, respectively, and the boundary for the bottom side of the cable plug.
Dobler substantially disclosed the claimed invention except the clamping part is shaped for clamping a stepped or stepless type RJ45 cable plug.
It would have been obvious matter of design choice to modify the shape of clamping part for clamping a stepped or stepless type RJ45 cable plug, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the shape of a component. A change in shape is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. Merely changing the form factor or dimensions of a known mechanical component to fit a different environment is often considered a routine engineering task, not a patentable invention. The problem solved is still "clamping a plug," and adapting the shape to the specific plug (RJ45) be seen as an obvious solution.
Dobler provides the basic, functional blueprint for the “two half shells” clamping mechanism, which serves the same purpose.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9 are allowed.
The prior art of record failed to teach a latching arrangement that provides the latched position by a stop element such that movement of the clamping part along a longitudinal axis of the housing toward the front end of the housing causes the engagement element to abut against the stop element.
The prior art also failed to teach the housing comprises on an inner side thereof opposite the stop element a clamping part support area and is configured such that the engagement element is bringable out of engagement with the stop element by a tilting movement of the clamping part about a tilting axis through contact points of the clamping part with the clamping part support area, with the tilting axis being arranged transverse to the longitudinal axis and the tilting movement causes the engagement element to disengage from the stop element.
Claims 13, 15-20 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRUC T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2011. The examiner can normally be reached monday-friday (7-4).
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/TRUC T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834