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 narrow portion in the perpendicular plane must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered. It is noted that narrow portion 34 is not located in the perpendicular plane.
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 § 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 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by 7,540,774 (“Hung”).
Regarding claim 1, Hung discloses a contact (3) configured to be connected to a front end portion of a cable (4) in a front-rear direction, the cable having an outer conductor (42) provided on an outer circumference thereof, wherein:
the contact has a crimp portion (314) and a receiving portion (32);
the crimp portion is crimped on the outer conductor so that it surrounds the outer conductor under a connected state where the contact is connected to the cable (see Fig. 6);
the receiving portion is located forward of the crimp portion and partially receives the outer conductor under the connected state (see Fig. 6);
the receiving portion has two or more pressed portions (323/324, see Fig. 4); and
each of the pressed portions is located outward of the outer conductor in a perpendicular plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction and is pressed against the outer conductor under the connected state (see Fig. 4 and col. 2, ln. 62 – col. 3, ln. 5).
Regarding claim 2, Hung discloses at least one of the pressed portions is a spring piece (32 is a slender metallic piece and, as in the present application, is a resilient spring piece); and
the spring piece extends along the front-rear direction (see Fig. 2) and is resiliently deformable with a rear end which is a free end (32, being a slender metallic piece, is resiliently deformable, with the end near 324 being a rear end).
Regarding claim 3, Hung discloses wherein the spring piece extends along the front-rear direction while being inclined inward in the perpendicular plane (at least portion 324 is within the perpendicular plane and is inclined in that plane, inward toward empty space 3121 see Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 4, Hung discloses at least one of the pressed portions is a projecting portion (see portion 324); and
the projecting portion projects inward from an inner surface of the receiving portion in the perpendicular plane (at least portion 324 is within the perpendicular plane and is inclined in that plane, inward from an inner surface of receiving portion 323 and toward empty space 3121 see Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 5, Hung discloses wherein:
the contact has a narrow portion (323);
the narrow portion is located forward of the receiving portion (323 is forward of portion 324); and
the narrow portion has a size in the perpendicular plane which is smaller than another size of the receiving portion in the perpendicular plane (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 7, Hung discloses a cable assembly comprising the contact as recited in claim 1 (see above) and a cable (4), wherein:
the cable has an outer conductor (42) provided on an outer circumference thereof (see Fig. 4); and
the contact is connected to a front end portion of the cable (see Figs. 4 – 6).
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.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hung in view of U.S. Pat. No. 11,316,289 (“Schrettlinger”).
Regarding claim 6, Hung discloses a connector comprising the contact as recited in claim 1 (see above) but does not disclose a conductive member, wherein:
the conductive member has a received portion;
the received portion is located at a front end of the conductive member;
the received portion is narrowed forward; and
under the connected state, the outer conductor is formed with a folded portion which is folded rearward, the conductive member is located inward of the folded portion in the perpendicular plane, the folded portion is sandwiched between the crimp portion and the conductive member, and the received portion of the conductive member is received in the receiving portion of the contact together with the folded portion.
However, Schrettlinger teaches a connector for a cable with an outer conductor (see Fig. 8), where the connector has a conductive member (1), wherein:
the conductive member has a received portion (the left side of 1);
the received portion is located at a front end of the conductive member (the left end is a front end);
the received portion is narrowed forward (see portion 11, which presents a narrow portion at the forward end, see Figs. 3 and 5); and
under the connected state, the outer conductor (57) is formed with a folded portion which is folded rearward, the conductive member is located inward of the folded portion in the perpendicular plane, the folded portion is sandwiched between the crimp portion and the conductive member, and the received portion of the conductive member is received in a receiving portion of a contact together with the folded portion (see Fig. 8).
It would have been obvious to provide the connector of Hung with a conductive member as taught by Schrettlinger, because the conductive member serves to support the end of the cable and the shield member folded around it, helping ensure that the cable and shield are mechanically stable once crimped by the outer conductor.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. WO 2021065743 discloses a contact with a receiving portion forward of a crimp portion.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL D BAILLARGEON whose telephone number is (571)272-0676. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Renee Luebke can be reached at (571) 272-2009.
The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PAUL D BAILLARGEON/ Examiner, Art Unit 2831
/renee s luebke/ Supervisory Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2831
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