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 Objections
Claim 12 is objected to because of the following informalities: lines 7 and 9 recite "the pin" should read "the electrical pin". Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 19 is objected to because of the following informalities: lines 1-2 recite "the pin" should read "the electrical pin". Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 20 is objected to because of the following informalities: lines 3 and 4 recite "the pin" should read "the electrical pin". Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 21 is objected to because of the following informalities: lines 8, recites "of pin" should read " of the electrical pin", lines 10, 15 and 17 recite "the pin" should read "the electrical pin". Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 12-14, and 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ma et al. [CN 205264436 U].
Regarding Claim 12, Ma discloses a field device (100, see Fig 3), comprising: an electrical pin (120) having a cable connection (connected to conductive cable 020) and an end pin (140) opposite the cable connection; a device housing (base flange 010 of casing 001) having a bushing (hole 011 with boss 190) into which the electrical pin (120) can be inserted along an insertion axis; a cup (110) made of an electrically conductive material (such as stainless steel as suggested by Ma, see Paragraph 54 of the PE2E Translated document) that can be arranged in the housing (010) and having a receiving region (150) that is aligned with the bushing (hole 011 with boss 190) with respect to the insertion axis such that the end pin (140) of the electrical pin (120) terminates in the receiving region (150); and an electrically conductive spring (contact cage 141 comprising metal spring/elastic sheet 142) configured to resiliently enclose the end pin (140) in the receiving region (150) radially with respect to the insertion axis such that the electrical pin (120) is electrically contacted with the cup (110).
Regarding Claim 13, Ma discloses all the limitations of claim 12, Ma further discloses the spring (141) is configured as a sleeve (circumferentially covers end of end pin 140) corresponding to the end pin (140) and has at least three inner lamellae (142) that are arranged axially with respect to the insertion axis.
Regarding Claim 14, Ma discloses all the limitations of claim 13, Ma further discloses the sleeve (cage 141) is made of copper [see Paragraph 56 of the PE2E Translated document].
Regarding Claim 21, as best understood, Ma discloses a method for manufacturing a field device (100, Fig 3), the field device (100), including: an electrical pin (120), having a cable connection (connected to conductive cable 020) and an end pin (140) opposite the cable connection; a device housing (base flange 010 of casing 001) having a bushing (hole 011 with boss 190) into which the electrical pin (120) can be inserted along an insertion axis; a cup (110) made of an electrically conductive material (such as stainless steel as suggested by Ma, see Paragraph 54 of the PE2E Translated document) that can be arranged in the housing (010) and having a receiving region (150) that is aligned with the bushing (hole 011 with boss 190) with respect to the insertion axis such that the end pin (140) of the electrical pin terminates in the receiving region (150), and an electrically conductive spring (contact cage 141 comprising metal spring/elastic sheet 142) configured to resiliently enclose the end pin (140) in the receiving region (150) radially with respect to the insertion axis such that the electrical pin (120) is electrically contacted with the cup (110), the method comprising: inserting the spring element (141) into the receiving region (150) of the cup (110); inserting the cup (110) into the housing (base flange 010 of casing 001) such that the receiving region (150) or the spring element (141) is aligned with the bushing (hole 011 with boss 190) with respect to the insertion axis; and inserting the electrical pin (120) into the bushing (hole 011 with boss 190) from an outer side of the housing (base flange 010 of casing 001) remote from the cup (110) such that the end pin (140) is radially resiliently enclosed (the spring cage 141 circumferentially covers end of end pin 140 and through the spring is tightly connected in the receiving region 150 of the cup 110) by the spring element (141) with respect to the insertion axis and such that the electrical pin (120) is electrically contacted with the cup (110).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ma et al. [CN 205264436 U] in view of Neumann et al. [US 4752253 A].
Regarding Claim 16, Ma discloses all the limitations of claim 12, Ma does not explicitly disclose the spring includes a gold coating.
However, Neumann et al. discloses an electrically conductive spring (18, see Fig 10) configured to resiliently enclose a pin (17) which includes a gold coating (see Claims 11-12).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Ma as suggested by Neumann to provide the spring includes a gold coating. Doing so yields easy contact behavior with minimal contact resistance while at the same time requiring relatively low plug in force as gold is known to have stable, low-resistance connections as well as long-term reliability due to its corrosion resistance characteristics, as recognized by Neumann.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15, 17-20 and 22 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.
Regarding Claim 15, Ma discloses all the limitations of claim 12, Ma further discloses the spring (141) can be configured as a inclined spring (147, Fig 6) corresponding to the end pin (140). Ma and the prior art of record do not explicitly disclose the spring is configured as an annular spring or wave spring corresponding to the end pin, along with all other limitations of claim 15 and 12.
Regarding Claim 17, the prior art of record do not explicitly disclose the housing is made of an electrically insulating material, along with all other limitations of claim 17 and 12.
Regarding Claim 18, the prior art of record do not explicitly disclose the cup is designed as a Faraday cage for electronic components, along with all other limitations of claim 18 and 12.
Regarding Claim 19, the prior art of record do not explicitly disclose the housing forms an end stop for the pin with respect to the insertion axis, along with all other limitations of claim 19 and 12.
Regarding Claim 20, the prior art of record do not explicitly disclose a bushing in the pin corresponding to the securing element and extending orthogonally to the insertion axis such that the securing element axially secures the pin against pulling out, along with all other limitations of claim 20 and 12.
Regarding Claim 22, the prior art of record do not explicitly disclose axially securing the pin against pulling out by inserting a cotter pin into a cotter pin bushing, along with all other limitations of claim 22 and 21.
Conclusion
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/T.R./Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834