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 1-5, 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kato (US 2025/0087917).
Regarding claim 1: Kato teaches a harness connector 1A, comprising: a shell 102, 103 comprising an upper shell body 102 and a lower shell body 103 (see Fig. 3), wherein the upper shell body and the lower shell body are detachably connected (see Figs. 1-2); and a wiring assembly (at C; Fig. 2A) comprising an insulating plate (at 101; Fig. 4; cable-side insulator 103 is formed of an insulating material; see Para. 0113), a first copper bar 108 and a second copper bar 109 (see Para. 0113 for bars made of copper material), wherein the first copper bar 108, the insulating plate and the second copper bar 109 are sequentially mounted between the upper shell body 102 and the lower shell body 103 in a vertical direction (see Figs. 1-5B), the first copper bar 108 is connected with a plurality of first cables C1 (see Figs. 5A-5B), the plurality of first cables C1 are arranged at intervals in a width direction of the first copper bar 108 (see Figs. 5A-5B), the second copper bar 109 is connected with a plurality of second cables C2 (see Figs. 5A-5B), the plurality of second cables C2 are arranged at intervals in a width direction of the second copper bar 109 (see Figs. 5A-5B), the first cables C1 and the second cables C2 are located on the same side of the shell 102 (see Fig. 2B), the first copper bar and the second copper bar are respectively connected with a contact member 104, 105, and the contact member is configured for being connected with an external terminal 124, 125 (see Fig. 1 and Para. 0107).
Regarding claim 2: Kato teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein each of the first cables C1 is provided with a first connecting portion 18, the first connecting portion is fixed with the first copper bar 108 by ultrasonic welding (see Para. 0136 and Fig. 10A), each of the second cables C2 is provided with a second connecting portion 12, and the second connecting portion is fixed with the second copper bar by ultrasonic welding (see Para. 0136 and Fig. 10A).
Regarding claim 3: Kato teaches all the limitations of claim 2 and further teaches wherein the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are respectively located on two sides of the first copper bar 108 and the second copper bar 109 facing each other (see Fig. 10A).
Regarding claim 4: Kato teaches all the limitations of claim 2 and further teaches wherein a first accommodating cavity is formed between the insulating plate and the upper shell body, one end of the first cable close to the first connecting portion is accommodated in the first accommodating cavity, a second accommodating cavity is formed between the insulating plate and the lower shell body, and one end of the second cable close to the second connecting portion is accommodated in the second accommodating cavity (see Fig. 10A for accommodating cavities located in an upper and lower portion of shell 102 and located above and below the insulating plate seen in Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 5: Kato teaches all the limitations of claim 4 and further teaches wherein the insulating plate (at 101; Fig. 4; cable-side insulator 103 is formed of an insulating material; see Para. 0113) is provided with a supporting portion, and two ends of the supporting portion are respectively abutted with the first copper bar and the second copper bar (see Figs. 5A-5B).
Regarding claim 8: Kato teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the shell 102, 103 is provided with a limiting assembly (at 103; Fig. 4), and the limiting assembly is connected with the insulating plate (at 101; Fig. 4) to limit the insulating plate in three directions of X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis (see Fig. 4).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-7, 9-10 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:
Ho (US 2025/0253562) teaches a cable end connector comprising an upper and lower shell, a wiring assembly, and an insulating member located between the upper and lower wiring assembly;
Hung (US 2023/0198204) teaches a cable connector comprising at least two wiring assemblies and an upper and lower shell;
Henry (US 10,535,956) teaches an electrical connector comprising an upper and lower wiring assembly and an insulative member located between;
Lloyd (US 10,424,878) teaches an electrical connector comprising an upper and lower wiring assembly and an insulative member located between;
Soubh (US 6,575,772) teaches a cable assembly comprising cables located above and below an insulative member and a conductive bar located above and below the insulative member;
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.
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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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