DETAILED ACTION
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 following must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Per claim 5, “the first conductor and first insulator each bend at least 45 degrees proximate the PCB first cable pad.”
Per claim 7, the second conductor bends at least 45 degrees proximate the PCB second cable pad.
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.
Correction is required in response to this Office action and corrections may not be held in abeyance. Applicant is required to submit acceptable corrected drawings within the time period set in the Office action. See 37 CFR 1.185(a). Failure to take corrective action within the set (or extended) period will result in ABANDONMENT of the application.
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.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 20, “the bent portions of the first insulator and second insulator are disposed within a housing” lacks antecedent basis and is ambiguous as to what “the bent portions” refers to. What “bent portions?” The limitation is given little weight.
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 anticipatory rejections under 35 U.S.C. 102 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.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Qiao et al. US 2020/0161781 (“Qiao”).
Regarding claim 1, Qiao discloses a cable assembly, comprising:
a first cable (e.g., 83) including a first conductor (85) and a first insulator (88, see figure 13);
a second cable 84 including a second conductor and a second insulator;
a printed circuit board (50);
a PCB first cable pad (pads 70, figure 6) disposed on the PCB, the first conductor being in electrical communication with the PCB first cable pad; and
a PCB second cable pad (74, figure 7) disposed on the PCB, the second conductor being in electrical communication with the PCB second cable pad;
wherein the first conductor and first insulator each bend at least 30 degrees proximate the PCB first cable pad (¶ 0023-0025, see angle Beta),
the second conductor bends at least 30 degrees proximate the PCB (see figures 5, 8, and 12, see angle alpha in figure 12 and ¶ 0024) second cable pad, and the second insulator bends proximate the PCB second cable pad less than the second conductor does proximate the PCB second cable pad.
Per claim 2, the PCB first cable pad and the PCB second cable pad are disposed on opposite sides of the PCB.
Per claim 3, the second insulator does not bend proximate the PCB second cable pad.
Per claim 4, the bent portions of the first insulator and second insulator are disposed within a housing (20, 30)
Per claim 5, the first conductor and first insulator each bend at least 45 degrees proximate the PCB first cable pad.
Per claim 6, the first conductor and first insulator each bend at least 90 degrees proximate the PCB first cable pad (¶ 0023-0025)
Per claim 7 the second conductor bends at least 45 degrees proximate the PCB second cable pad (see figures 5, 8, and 12, see angle alpha in figure 12 and ¶ 0024).
Per claim 8, the second conductor bends at least 90 degrees proximate the PCB second cable pad (¶ 0023-0025).
Claims 9, 12, 13, 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wu et al. US 10741941 (“Wu”).
Regarding claim 1, Wu discloses a cable assembly, comprising:
a first cable (e.g., one cable of group 211) including a first conductor 22 and
a first insulator 25;
a second cable (e.g., one cable of group 212) including a second conductor 22 and a second insulator 25;
a printed circuit board (11);
a PCB first cable pad 120 disposed on the PCB, the first conductor being in electrical communication with the PCB first cable pad; and
a PCB second cable pad 130 disposed on the PCB, the second conductor being in electrical communication with the PCB second cable pad;
an electrical insulation layer 61 disposed between the first cable and the second cable; and an electrically conductive shield 71 disposed between the first cable and the second cable.
Per claim 12 a portion of the first conductor (at lead line 22 in figure 10) is not surrounded by the first insulator, and the electrical insulation layer 61 is disposed between the second cable and the portion of the first conductor not surrounded by the first insulator (see figure 9).
Per claim 13 a portion of the first conductor is not surrounded by the first insulator 25 (see figure 10), and the electrically conductive shield is disposed between the second cable and the portion of the first conductor not surrounded by the first insulator (see figure 9).
Per claim 17, the electrically conductive shield is in physical contact with the first cable.
Per claim 18 the electrical insulation layer is in physical contact with the second cable.
Per claim 19 the electrically conductive shield is in physical contact with the electrical insulation layer (see figure 9).
Per claim 20, portions of the first insulator and second insulator are disposed within a housing 3.
Claims 9 and 14-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Pao et al. US 10103453 (“Pao”).
Regarding claim 9, Pao discloses a cable assembly, comprising:
a first cable (labeled C1 in annotated figure 7 below) including a first conductor 31 and a first insulator 32;
a second cable (labeled C2 below) including a second conductor and a second insulator;
a printed circuit board (1);
a PCB first cable pad 142 disposed on the PCB, the first conductor being in electrical communication with the PCB first cable pad; and
a PCB second cable 152 pad disposed on the PCB, the second conductor being in electrical communication with the PCB second cable pad;
an electrical insulation layer 12 disposed between the first cable and the second cable; and an electrically conductive shield 2 disposed between the first cable and the second cable.
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Per claim 14 the electrical insulation layer is disposed below the electrically conductive shield, as measured along a Z axis.
Per claim 15, the electrically conductive shield is disposed closer to the first cable than is the electrical insulation layer.
Per claim 16, the electrical insulation layer is disposed closer to the second cable than is the electrically conductive shield.
Claim Rejections - and 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Wu.
Regarding claim 11, Wu does not specify that the electrically conductive shield includes copper. The examiner takes Official notice that it was well known in the art to make shields such as taught at Wu 71 out of metals including copper. It would have been obvious to do so. The selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended purpose would have been obvious. Sinclair & Carroll Col. V. Interchemical Corp., 65 USPQ 297 (1945); In re Leshin, 227 F.2d 197 (CCPA 1960).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 10 is 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 ROSS GUSHI whose telephone number is (571)272-2005. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday, 8:30 - 5:00.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christopher Koehler can be reached on 571-272-3560. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ROSS N GUSHI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834