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.
Claims 1-3, 7-14, 16-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Davidsz (US 11,322,867).
Regarding claim 1: Davidsz teaches a connector (Fig. 4) for receiving a ribbon cable 14 and for connecting to a device node 18 (see Fig. 1 and Col. 6, lines 7-14), the connector comprising: a housing 40 including: a first side, a second side, a first end, and a second end collectively defining an open top 50 therebetween (see Fig. 3), an open bottom 60 opposite the open top 50 (see Fig. 3), the open bottom being sized to receive a node jack of the device node to connect the device node to the connector (see Fig. 1 and Col. 6, lines 7-14), and a guide wall (at 84; Fig. 3) including a track (at 76; Fig. 3); a cable organizer 46 configured to be positioned within an interior of the housing (see Fig. 2) and the open top and to receive the ribbon cable 14 along a surface thereof (see Figs. 4-5); a cover 30 configured to selectively cover the open top 50 of the housing to enclose the cable organizer 46 within the interior of the housing (see Figs. 3-5), the cover 30 including a rib (at 146; Fig. 3) configured to slide along the track so that the cover moves relative to the housing along a linear trajectory (see Figs. 4-5); and a protection cap 42 configured to selectively cover the open bottom of the housing when the device node is disconnected from the connector (see Fig. 3 and Col. 6, lines 32-41).
Regarding claim 2: Davidsz teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the guide wall includes a plurality of guide walls, and the track includes a first track positioned along a first side of the housing and a second track positioned along a second side of the housing (e.g. left and right hand side of guide wall 84; see Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 3: Davidsz teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the rib (at 146; Fig. 3) includes a first internal rib positioned along a first side of the cover and a second internal rib positioned along a second side of the cover (e.g. left and right hand side rib at 146; Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 7: Davidsz teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the cover 30 includes a nonplanar upper surface (see at 140; Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 8: Davidsz teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the cable organizer 46 includes a lower detent 112 that extends downward relative to the surface, the lower detent configured to snap into a slot 136, 138 of the housing (see Figs. 3-5).
Regarding claim 9: Davidsz teaches all the limitations of claim 8 and further teaches wherein the slot of the housing includes an upper slot 136 and a lower slot 138 positioned below the upper slot, wherein the lower detent is configured to snap into the upper slot to lock the cable organizer in a preassembled state, and the lower detent is configured to snap into the lower slot to lock the cable organizer in an assembled state (see Col. 10, lines 20-22).
Regarding claim 10: Davidsz teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the cable organizer 46 includes: a profiled surface between raised ends 114, the profiled surface configured to receive the ribbon cable 14 (see Fig. 4), and angled surfaces that transition from the raised ends to the profiled surface (see Figs. 4-5).
Regarding claim 11: Davidsz teaches a method of installing a ribbon cable 14 on a connector (see Figs. 3-5), the method comprising: linearly sliding a cover 30 of the connector away from a housing 40 of the connector to create a cable access pathway to an open top 50 of the housing 40 while the cover and the housing remain engaged (see Fig. 4), the cable access pathway defined as a space between the cover 30 and a first side wall, a second side wall, and a first end wall of the housing 40 (see Figs. 3-5); aligning the ribbon cable 14 on a cable organizer 46 positioned within the open top of the housing (see Fig. 3); and linearly sliding the cover 30 toward the housing 40 to entrap the ribbon cable 14 within the housing between the cover and the cable organizer (see Figs. 3-5).
Regarding claim 12: Davidsz teaches all the limitations of claim 11 and further teaches wherein linearly sliding the cover 30 toward the housing 40 includes applying force against an upper surface of the cover and a bottom of the housing with a clamping tool, and further comprising contacting a bump along the upper surface with the clamping tool to apply the force against the upper surface of the cover (see Fig. 13 and Col. 20, lines 41-52).
Regarding claim 13: Davidsz teaches all the limitations of claim 11 and further teaches further comprising covering an open bottom 60 of the housing with a protection cap 42, and wherein linearly sliding the cover toward the housing includes applying force against an upper surface of the cover and against the protection cap with a clamping tool (see Fig. 13 and Col. 20, lines 41-52).
Regarding claim 14: Davidsz teaches all the limitations of claim 11 and further teaches wherein linearly sliding the cover 30 away from the housing includes sliding the cover away from the housing so that a rib (at 146; Fig. 3) of the cover slides along a track (at 76; Fig. 3) of the housing until a notch 158 in the rib engages an upper detent of the track (see Figs. 3-5).
Regarding claim 16: Davidsz teaches a method of installing a ribbon cable 14 on a connector (see Figs. 3-5), the method comprising: placing the connector in a preassembled stated (Fig. 3), by linearly sliding a cover 30 of the connector away from a housing 40 of the connector until a notch of the cover engages an upper detent of the housing (see Fig. 4), to create a cable 14 access pathway to an open top 50 of the housing 40 while the cover 30 and the housing remain engaged (Fig. 4); aligning the ribbon cable 14 on a cable organizer 46 positioned within the open top of the housing 40 (see Figs. 3-5); and placing the connector in an assembled state by linearly sliding the cover 30 toward the housing 40 to entrap the ribbon cable 14 within the housing 40 between the cover 30 and the cable organizer 46 (see Figs. 3-5).
Regarding claim 17: Davidsz teaches all the limitations of claim 16 and further teaches wherein linearly sliding the cover toward the housing includes applying force against an upper surface of the cover and a bottom of the housing with a clamping tool (see Fig. 13 and Col. 20, lines 41-52).
Regarding claim 18: Davidsz teaches all the limitations of claim 17 and further teaches further comprising contacting a bump (at 140; Fig. 3) along the upper surface with the clamping tool to apply the force against the upper surface of the cover (see Figs. 3-5 and 13).
Regarding claim 19: Davidsz teaches all the limitations of claim 16 and further teaches further comprising covering an open bottom 60 of the housing with a protection cap 42, and wherein linearly sliding the cover toward the housing includes applying force against an upper surface of the cover and against the protection cap with a clamping tool (see Fig. 9 and 13).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6, 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please see PTO-892 for pertinent prior art, the following references being of closest relevance:
Jaeger (US 2023/0352857) teaches a clamping tool and connector with a housing, cover, cable organizer and cable;
Fleischhacker (US 4,127,312) teaches a multi housing connector for holding cables within;
Whiteman (US 6,142,815) teaches a connector for positioning and connecting a ribbon cable within and comprising multi part housing;
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OSCAR C JIMENEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-0272. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jessica Han can be reached at (571) 272-2078. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/OSCAR C JIMENEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896
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