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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because of the following problems.
In Figure 3, it seems that two of the reference numbers “251” pointing at two opposing surfaces of the movable housing 30 are pointing at wrong places because other Figures of the drawings show the reference number “251” is located at the stationary housing 20.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: “10D” shown in Figure 3.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: FLOATING-TYPE CONNECTOR AND CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 13 and 20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, line 3, “the first direction” should be -- a first direction -- because line 3 introduced this first direction for the first time.
Claim 13, line 2, “the first bend” should be -- a first bend -- and line 5, “the second bend” should be -- a second bend --.
Claim 20, lines 4-5, “the first direction” should be -- a first direction -- because line 4-5 introduced this first direction for the first time.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 15 is objected to under 37 CFR 1.75 as being a substantial duplicate of claim 13 and claim 17 is objected to under 37 CFR 1.75 as being a substantial duplicate of claim 12. When two claims in an application are duplicates or else are so close in content that they both cover the same thing, despite a slight difference in wording, it is proper after allowing one claim to object to the other as being a substantial duplicate of the allowed claim. See MPEP § 608.01(m).
All the limitations of claim 15 are already recited in all the limitations of claims 11-13.
Also, all the limitation of claim 17 are already recited in all the limitations of claims 11-12.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 17 recites the limitation "the fixation retention portion" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 1 does not recite, “a fixation retention portion”.
Claim 17 recites the limitation "the movable retention portion" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 1 does not recite, “a movable retention portion”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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, 11 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Suzuki et al (US 10,615,528 B2).
Suzuki discloses a connector 1, comprising: (claim 1) a plurality of contacts 4 arranged along a predetermined first to form a first row and a second row in parallel (see Figs. 1-2 and 6), positioned on a reference surface encompassing a first direction X and a second direction Y orthogonal to the first direction X, and bonded to an object P1 to be bonded; a stationary housing 6 surrounding the plurality of contacts 4 and positioned on the reference surface (see Fig. 6); and a movable housing 7 that sections an interior 8c of the stationary housing 6 into an area closer to the first row and an area closer to the second row, and is displaceable in the first direction X and the second direction Y with respect to the stationary housing 6; (claim 11) wherein each of the contacts 4 includes a fixation retention portion 4b retained by the stationary housing 6, and a movable retention portion 4d retained by the movable housing 7.
Regarding claim 20, Suzuki discloses a connector assembly, comprising: a first connector 1, including: a plurality of contacts 4 arranged along a predetermined first to form a first row and a second row in parallel (see Figs. 1-2 and 6), positioned on a reference surface encompassing a first direction X and a second direction Y orthogonal to the first direction X, and bonded to an object P1 to be bonded; a stationary housing 6 surrounding the plurality of contacts 4 and positioned on the reference surface; and a movable housing 7 that sections an interior 8c of the stationary housing 6 into an area closer to the first row and an area closer to the second row, and is displaceable in the first direction X and the second direction Y with respect to the stationary housing 6; and a second connector 2 mated with the movable housing 7 of the first connector 1.
Claim(s) 1-13, 15, 17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kobayashi (US Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0069493 A1).
(claim 1) Kobayashi discloses a connector 1, comprising: a plurality of contacts 30 arranged along a predetermined first to form a first row and a second row in parallel (see Fig. 1), positioned on a reference surface (not labeled, see Fig. 1) encompassing a first direction X and a second direction Y orthogonal to the first direction X, and bonded to an object 101 to be bonded; a stationary housing 10 surrounding the plurality of contacts 30 and positioned on the reference surface; and a movable housing 20 that sections an interior of the stationary housing 10 into an area closer to the first row and an area closer to the second row, and is displaceable in the first direction X and the second direction Y with respect to the stationary housing 10.
(claim 2) wherein the contacts 30 are retained by the stationary housing 10 and the movable housing 20.
(claim 3) wherein the stationary housing 10 includes facing portions 40 positioned to face the reference surface in the interior of the stationary housing 10 (see Fig. 1).
(claim 4) wherein portions 21d of the movable housing 20 are positioned between the facing portions 40 and the reference surface.
(claim 5) wherein the facing portions 40 are formed each of two sides 11 of the stationary housing 10 in the first direction X (see Fig. 1).
(claim 6) wherein first gaps (not labeled, see Fig. 4 showing the portions 21d in the first gaps) exist between the movable housing 20 and the facing portions 40 in the first direction X;
(claim 7) wherein regions that are positioned on both sides of the stationary housing 10 in the second direction Y, and include second gaps (not labeled, see Fig. 4) between the movable housing 20 and the stationary housing 10 in the second direction Y, are formed in the stationary housing 10.
(claim 8) wherein the facing portions 40 extend in the first direction X and the second direction Y have a plate shape (see Figs. 1 and 4).
(claim 9) wherein recesses (not labeled, see Fig. 5 showing an opened space above the surface 213) that are dented at positions of the facing portions 40 in the first direction X and can receive the facing portions 40 are formed in the movable housing 20.
(claim 10) wherein the regions extend in the first direction X and a mating direction Z in which the movable housing 20 is mated with a mating connector 100, in an area closer to the reference surface than the facing portions 40, and on both the sides of the stationary housing 10 in the first direction X.
(claim 11) wherein each of the contacts 30 includes a fixation retention portion 32 retained by the stationary housing 10, and a movable retention portion 34 retained by the movable housing 20.
(claim 12) wherein a first bend 33b and a second bend 33d are formed between the fixation retention portion 32 and the movable retention portion 34.
(claim 13) wherein each of the contacts 30 comprises: a first section 33a extending from the fixation retention portion 32 to the first bend 33b toward a side opposite to the reference surface; a second section 33c extending from the first bend 33b toward the reference surface, and is contiguous to the movable retention portion 34 via the second bend 33d; and a third section 35 extending from the movable retention portion 34 to a terminating end 35b that is connected to a contact 130 of a mating connector 100 with which the movable housing 20 is mated, toward the side opposite to the reference surface;
(claim 15) wherein: each of the contacts comprises a fixation retention portion 32 that is retained by the stationary housing 10, and a movable retention portion 34 that is retained by the movable housing 20; a first bend 33b and a second bend 33d are formed between the fixation retention portion 32 and the movable retention portion 34; and each of the contacts 30 comprises: a first section 33e that extends from the fixation retention portion 32 to the first bend 33b toward a side opposite to the reference surface; a second section 33c that extends from the first bend 33b toward the reference surface, and is contiguous to the movable retention portion 34 via the second bend 33d; and a third section 35 that extends from the movable retention portion 34 to a terminating end 35b that is connected to a contact 130 of a mating connector 100 with which the movable housing 20 is mated, toward the side opposite to the reference surface.
(claim 17) wherein: each of the contacts comprises the fixation retention portion 32 that is retained by the stationary housing 10, and the movable retention portion 34 that is retained by the movable housing 20; and a first bend 33b and a second bend 33d are formed between the fixation retention portion 32 and the movable retention portion 34.
Regarding claim 20, Kobayashi discloses a connector assembly 1, 100, comprising: a first connector 1, including: a plurality of contacts 30 arranged along a predetermined first to form a first row and a second row in parallel (see Figs. 1 and 3), positioned on a reference surface encompassing a first direction X and a second direction Y orthogonal to the first direction X, and bonded to an object 101 to be bonded; a stationary housing 10 surrounding the plurality of contacts 30 and positioned on the reference surface; and a movable housing 20 that sections an interior of the stationary housing 10 into an area closer to the first row and an area closer to the second row, and is displaceable in the first direction X and the second direction Y with respect to the stationary housing 10; and a second connector 100 mated with the movable housing 20 of the first connector 1.
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) 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kobayashi (US Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0069493 A1) in view of Suzuki et al (US 10,615,528 B2).
Regarding claim 16, Kobayashi does not disclose a chamfer separated in the second direction Y with respect to the first section with approaching from the fixation retention portion toward the first bend is formed on an inner wall of the stationary housing.
On the other hand, Suzuki discloses an inner wall of the stationary housing 6 having a chamfer 8a2 separated in the second direction Y with respect to the first section 4c1 with approaching from the fixation retention portion 4b toward the first bend 4c2 such that the first section 4c1 does not come in contact with the inner wall of the stationary housing 6 event when the movable housing y is elastically deformed outward in the second direction Y (see column 12, lines 66-67 to column 13, lines 1-4).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the connector taught by Kobayashi such that the inner wall of the stationary housing to have a chamfer as taught by Suzuki because the chamfer prevents the first section of the contact from come in contact with the inner wall of the stationary housing event when the movable housing y is elastically deformed outward in the second direction.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14, 18 and 19 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 HAE MOON HYEON whose telephone number is (571) 272-2093. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9:30 am - 6:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abdullah A Riyami can be reached at 571-270-3119. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/hmh/
/Hae Moon Hyeon/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831