DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to the application filed on December 7, 2023.
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 § 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 1, 13-14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu, et al. (US-20210336386-A1) in view of Fan, et al. (US-11984680-B2).
With respect to Claim 1:
Wu discloses an electrical connector 1, comprising:
a housing 10, the housing 10 comprising a receiving slot 103 (Fig. 2) configured to at least partially receive a mating module 2 along a first direction X (Fig. 10), and a first terminal module installation slot 103b (Fig. 3) communicating with the receiving slot 103 (Fig. 6); and
a first terminal module 11, the first terminal module 11 being received in the first terminal module installation slot 103b (Fig. 6); the first terminal module 11 comprising a plurality of first conductive terminals 1111 (Fig. 6); each first conductive terminal 1111 comprising a first fixing portion 11113 and a first contact arm 11111 connected to the first fixing portion 11113 (Fig. 6); the first fixing portion 11113 being at least partially located in the first terminal module installation slot 103b (Fig. 6); the first conductive terminal 1111 being not in contact with the housing 10; the first contact arm 11111 comprising a first contact portion 11112 protruding into the receiving slot 103 (Fig. 6).
Wu does not explicitly disclose wherein the housing is a conductive housing.
However, Fan teaches an electrical connector, wherein conductors 405 are housing in a conductive housing 240 (Fig. 3).
Thus, Wu and Fan each disclose electrical connectors. A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the conductive housing of Fan could be combined with the housing of Wu because it would provide further shielding. Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to carry out the modification.
With respect to Claim 13:
Wu in view of Fan discloses the electrical connector according to claim 1.
Wu also discloses wherein the conductive housing 10 is an integrally formed component (Figs. 2-3, 6 and 8).
With respect to Claim 14:
Wu in view of Fan discloses the electrical connector according to claim 1.
Fan also discloses wherein the conductive housing 240 is a metal housing (col. 7, lines 38-39).
With respect to Claim 15:
Wu discloses an electrical connector 1, comprising:
a housing 10, the housing 10 comprising a receiving slot 103 (Fig. 2) configured to at least partially receive a mating module 2 along a first direction X (Fig. 10), and a first terminal module installation slot 103b (Fig. 3) communicating with the receiving slot 103 (Fig. 6); and
a first terminal module 11, the first terminal module 11 being received in the first terminal module installation slot 103b (Fig. 6); the first terminal module 11 comprising
a first holding block 1112 and a plurality of first conductive terminals 1111 insert-molded with the first holding block (Figs. 6 and 9); each first conductive terminal 1111 comprising a first fixing portion 11113 and a first contact arm 11111 connected to the first fixing portion 11113 (Fig. 6); the first fixing portion 11113 being at least partially located in the first terminal module installation slot 103b (Fig. 6);
the first contact arm 11111 comprising a first contact portion 11112 protruding into the receiving slot 103 (Fig. 6); the first holding block 1112 being secured in the first terminal module installation slot 103b so that the first conductive terminal 1111 is prevented from being in contact with the housing 10 (Fig. 6).
Wu does not explicitly disclose wherein the housing is a conductive housing.
However, Fan teaches an electrical connector, wherein conductors 405 are housing in a conductive housing 240 (Fig. 3).
Thus, Wu and Fan each disclose electrical connectors. A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the conductive housing of Fan could be combined with the housing of Wu because it would provide further shielding. Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to carry out the modification.
Claims 11 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu, et al. (US-20210336386-A1) in view of Fan, et al. (US-11984680-B2), further in view of Dang (US-20140273585-A1).
With respect to Claim 11:
Wu in view of Fan discloses the electrical connector according to claim 1.
Wu also discloses wherein the first terminal module installation slot 103b is provided in the first conductive housing 10 and extends along the first direction X (Fig. 6).
Wu in view of Fan does not explicitly disclose wherein the conductive housing comprises a first conductive housing and a second conductive housing; and wherein the first conductive housing and the second conductive housing are arranged separately and fixed together.
However, it is well known in the art to manufacture the housing of a connector as two separate housings. For example, Dang teaches an electrical connector comprising a separable clamshell housing 26/36 having an upper housing section 28/38 and a lower housing section 40/50 (Figs. 3-6; [0023]).
Thus, Wu and Dang each disclose electrical connectors. A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the separable housing of Dang could be combined with the housing of Wu because it could improve the ease of assembly of the original invention. Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to carry out the modification.
With respect to Claim 19:
Wu in view of Fan discloses the electrical connector according to claim 15.
Wu also discloses wherein the first terminal module installation slot 103b is provided in the first conductive housing 10 and extends along the first direction X (Fig. 6).
Wu in view of Fan does not explicitly disclose wherein the conductive housing comprises a first conductive housing and a second conductive housing; and wherein the first conductive housing and the second conductive housing are arranged separately and fixed together.
However, it is well known in the art to manufacture the housing of a connector as two separate housings. For example, Dang teaches an electrical connector comprising a separable clamshell housing 26/36 having an upper housing section 28/38 and a lower housing section 40/50 (Figs. 3-6; [0023]).
Thus, Wu and Dang each disclose electrical connectors. A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the separable housing of Dang could be combined with the housing of Wu because it could improve the ease of assembly of the original invention. Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to carry out the modification.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-10, 12, 16-18 and 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding Claims 2 and 16, allowability resides, at least in part, with the prior art, taken alone or in combination not showing or fairly teaching or suggesting “an insulating fixing block fixed to the conductive housing; wherein the insulating fixing block is located adjacent to a plug- in end of the receiving slot; the insulating fixing block comprises at least one slit communicating with the receiving slot; an end of the first contact arm extends at least partially into the at least one slit,” as recited in claims 2 and 16, in conjunction with all the remaining limitations of the base claims. The prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest these limitations as substantially described in claims 2 and 16. These limitations, in combination with remaining limitations of claims 2 and 16, are neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record, before claims 1 and 15 are allowable.
Claims 3-10 are dependent on claim 2 and are therefore allowable.
Claims 17-18 are dependent on claim 16 and are therefore allowable.
Regarding Claims 12 and 20, allowability resides, at least in part, with the prior art, taken alone or in combination not showing or fairly teaching or suggesting “wherein at a position where the first conductive housing and the second conductive housing are engaged, the first conductive housing defines a first welding groove, and the second conductive housing defines a second welding groove communicating with the first welding groove,” as recited in claims 12 and 20, in conjunction with all the remaining limitations of the base claims. The prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest these limitations as substantially described in claims 12 and 20. These limitations, in combination with remaining limitations of claims 12 and 20, are neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record, before claims 1 and 15 are allowable.
Conclusion
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/AMARA ANDERSON/Examiner, Art Unit 2831 /ABDULLAH A RIYAMI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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