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 under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “a first one of the connector elements comprises the contact members comprising at least one pin-type contact member projecting from the front face, and a second one of the connector elements comprises the contact members which are arranged on the front face of the contact member carrier of the second connector element and are shaped and arranged complementary to the contact members of the first connector element” in claim 12;
must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claim 14 is 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 14, line 3, what “its” refers to?
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 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Honma et al. (5,181,860) in view of Bartholoma et al. (7,537,466).
Regarding claim 1, Honma et al. disclose a connector element for a connector system, the connector element comprising:
at least three contact members (141, Fig. 3a) for making electric contact; and
a contact member carrier (142, Fig. 3a), the contact member carrier having a front face;
wherein the contact members extend through the contact member carrier from the front face to a back face on a back side of the contact member carrier and project from the back side,
wherein each of the contact members has an insulation radius, said insulation radius being, when measured in a view onto the front face, a minimum clearance between outer boundaries of said contact member and a closest neighbouring one of the contact members (Fig. 3b);
Honma et al. disclose the claimed invention as described above except for the insulation radius of at least one of the contact members exceeds the insulation radius of another one of the contact members.
Bartholoma et al., Fig. 3 shows the insulation radius (d1, FIGURE A below or Fig. 3) of at least one of the contact members exceeds the insulation radius (d2, FIGURE A below or Fig. 3) of another one of the contact members.
It would have been obvious to modify Honma et al. to have the insulation radius of at least one of the contact members exceeds the insulation radius of another one of the contact members, as taught by Bartholoma et al. for better connection.
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Regarding claim 2, the FIGURE A above shows the insulation radius of one of the contact members exceeds the insulation radius of all other of the contact members.
Regarding claim 3, Honma et al., Fig. 3a shows the contact member carrier comprises recesses surrounding projecting sections of the contact members.
Regarding claim 4, Honma et al., Fig 3b shows the contact members are arranged in two arrays extending across the front face.
Claims 1, 5-10 and 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Walldorf et al. (10,403,995) in view of Bartholoma et al. (7,537,466).
Regarding claim 1, Walldorf et al. disclose a connector element for a connector system, the connector element comprising:
at least three contact members (132 and 148, Fig. 13) for making electric contact; and
a contact member carrier (138, 140 and 142, Fig. 10), the contact member carrier having a front face (not labeled, Fig. 10);
wherein the contact members extend through the contact member carrier from the front face to a back face on a back side of the contact member carrier and project from the back side,
wherein each of the contact members has an insulation radius, said insulation radius being, when measured in a view onto the front face, a minimum clearance between outer boundaries of said contact member and a closest neighbouring one of the contact members (Fig. 10);
Walldorf et al. disclose the claimed invention as described above except for the insulation radius of at least one of the contact members exceeds the insulation radius of another one of the contact members.
Bartholoma et al., Fig. 3 shows the insulation radius (d1, FIGURE A above or Fig. 3) of at least one of the contact members exceeds the insulation radius (d2, FIGURE A above or Fig. 3) of another one of the contact members.
It would have been obvious to modify Walldorf et al. to have the insulation radius of at least one of the contact members exceeds the insulation radius of another one of the contact members, as taught by Bartholoma et al. for better connection.
Regarding claim 5, Walldorf et al. disclose a printed circuit board (102, Fig. 10) is received between the contact member projecting sections projecting from the back face; wherein at least one of the contact member projecting sections is located on each face of the printed circuit board.
It would have been obvious to modify Wallforf et al. (Fig. 10) to have the at least one of the contact member projecting sections (108, Fig. 22) directly soldered to a conductor path (166, Fig. 23) of the printed circuit board (102) as taught by Wallfort et al. for better engaging.
Regarding claim 6, Wallfort et al. disclose a clear space (a space between 132, Fig. 8) is provided between the projecting sections of the contact members of the first array and the contact members of the second array; and the printed circuit board is arranged inside and extends across the clear space from the projecting sections of the contact members of the first array to the projecting sections of the contact members of the second array (Fig. 10).
Regarding claim 7, Wallfort et al. disclose a recess (a recess between 106, Fig. 11) is provided on the back side of the contact member carrier and is configured to receive the printed circuit board (Fig. 10).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Wallfort et al. and Bartholoma et al. disclose the printed circuit board has at least one contact path intended for transmitting an analog measurement signal to or from at least one circuit component arranged on the printed circuit board; and the at least one of the contact members having the insulation radius which exceeds the insulation radius of another one of the contact members.
Regarding claims 9 and 15, Wallfort et al. disclose a pluggable connector (104, Fig. 1) is attached to the printed circuit board opposite the connector element of the assembly; and a housing (116, Fig. 1) extending between the connector element and the pluggable connector and encapsulating the printed circuit board.
Regarding claim 10, Wallfort et al. disclose a sensor (124, Fig. 2) and a signal
line (conductors of 124) of the sensor through which an analog measurement signal is provided is in electrical connection with one of the at least one of the contact members having the insulation radius which exceeds the insulation radius of another of the contact members or the one contact members which has the insulation radius exceeding the insulation radius of any other of contact members.
Regarding claim 16, Walldorf et al. each of the contact member projecting sections is directly soldered to a respective conductor path located on a single one of the faces of the printed circuit board, such that each signal conveyed between the contact members and the printed circuit board is conveyed via a single one of the contact member projecting sections.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Walldorf et al. and Bartholoma et al. as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Tsukashima et al. (9,005,131).
Regarding claim 11, Walldorf et al. and Bartholoma et al. disclose the claimed invention as described above except for the sensor is a pH-sensor comprising a pH measurement electrode for providing a signal caused by a measured solution, a pH reference electrode for providing a signal caused by a reference electrolyte, and a thermocouple; and the pH measurement electrode is connected to the one contact member which has the insulation radius exceeding the insulation radius of any other of the contact members, and other of the contact members are in connection with the reference electrode, a grounding connection, and the thermocouple.
Tsukashima et al., Fig. 6 shows the sensor is a pH-sensor (34) comprising a pH measurement electrode for providing a signal caused by a measured solution, a pH reference electrode for providing a signal caused by a reference electrolyte, and a thermocouple (column 9, line 50).
It would have been obvious to modify Walldorf et al. and Bartholoma et al. tohave the sensor is a pH-sensor comprising a pH measurement electrode for providing a signal caused by a measured solution, a pH reference electrode for providing a signal caused by a reference electrolyte, and a thermocouple, as taught by Tsukashima et al. for better connection.
Claims 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wallfort et al. and Bartholoma et al. as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Rotenberg et al. (7,955,085).
Regarding claim 12, Wallfort et al. and Bartholoma et al. disclose the claimed invention as described above except for a first one of the connector elements comprises the contact members comprising at least one pin-type contact member projecting from the front face, and a second one of the connector elements comprises the contact members which are arranged on the front face of the contact member carrier of the second connector element and are shaped and arranged complementary to the contact members of the first connector element.
Rotenberg et al., Fig. 15 shows a first one (14) of the connector elements (14 and 66) comprises the contact members comprising at least one pin-type contact member (not labeled) projecting from the front face, and a second one (66) of the connector elements (14 and 66) comprises the contact members (not labeled) which are arranged on the front face of the contact member carrier of the second connector element and are shaped and arranged complementary to the contact members of the first connector element.
It would have been obvious to modify Wallfort et al. and Bartholoma et al. to have a first one of the connector elements comprises the contact members comprising at least one pin-type contact member projecting from the front face, and a second one of the connector elements comprises the contact members which are arranged on the front face of the contact member carrier of the second connector element and are shaped and arranged complementary to the contact members of the first connector element, as taught by Rotenberg et al. for better connection.
Regarding claim 13, it is noted that Rotenberg et al., Figs. 15 and 16 shows the contact member carrier of a first one of the connector elements comprises a plug structure; the front face is provided on the plug structure; the contact member carrier of a second one of the connector elements comprises a socket; the front face is recessed within the socket; the plug structure and the socket have complementary cross sections such that the plug structure is receivable inside the socket; the plug structure and the socket are configured to provide a sealing arrangement with each other when the plug structure is received inside the socket; and contact between the contact members of the first connector element and the contact members of the second connector element is established when the plug structure is received within the socket.
Regarding claim 14, it is noted that Rotenberg et al., Figs. 15 and 16 shows the plug structure comprises at least one coding structure on its outer circumference and the socket comprises at least one coding structure on its inner circumference; and said coding structures of the socket and the plug are configured such that a projecting coding structure on one of the plug structure and the socket is receivable within a recessed coding structure in the other one of the plug structure and the socket when the plug structure is receivable within the socket in an orientation in which the complementary contact members of the first and second connector elements match each other.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-16 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THANH TAM T LE whose telephone number is (571)272-2094. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-6PM.
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/THANH TAM T LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831 07/23/26
thanh-tam.le@uspto.gov
Prosecution Insights