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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of group I, claims 1-11 and 20 in the reply filed on 7/1/26 is acknowledged.
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 1-11 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sommer et al. (US 6,095,854).
Regarding claim 1, Sommer et al. disclose an electrical connection device, comprising:
a panel (14) formed with an opened hole (12);
a connector comprising:
an insulative housing (10) configured to be capable of inserting into the opened hole of the panel and moving in the opened hole to an assembled position; and
a locking member having a protecting frame (34) and a locking arm (28) positioned in the protecting frame, the protecting frame having an inner frame body which is connected to the insulative housing,
an outer frame body, and
two side frame bodies which connect the inner frame body and the outer frame body, the locking arm having two end portions (28a),
an elastic arm portion (28) which is connected between the two the end portions, and a lock protruding portion (32) which is connected to the elastic arm portion, the elastic arm portion being constructed as an elastic zone which is bendable, the two end portions being connected to an inner side of the inner frame body so that the two side frame bodies of the protecting frame being constructed as a deformable zone which is bendable, when the lock protruding portion is squeezed by the panel, the elastic zone and the deformable zone all being capable of bending deformation, when the insulative housing is positioned in the assembled position, the lock protruding portion inserting into the opened hole and being locked to the panel.
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Sommer et al. substantially disclosed the claimed such as the two end portions being connected to an inner side of the inner frame body instead of being arranged to connect to an inner side of the outer frame body.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to rearrange the two ends connect to an inner side of the outer frame body for optimum performance, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Regarding claim 2, in the modified electrical connection device, Sommer et al. substantially disclosed the size of a thickness of the elastic arm portion is less than a thickness of each end portion.
It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to change the thickness of the elastic arm portion to be less than the thickness of each end portion for optimum performance, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955)
Regarding claims 3-4, in the modified electrical connection device, Sommer et al. substantially disclosed the claimed invention except a size of a width of the elastic arm portion is less than a width of each end portion.
It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to change the width of the elastic arm portion to be less than the width of each end portion for optimum performance, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955)
Regarding claim 5, in the modified electrical connection device, Sommer et al. substantially disclosed the claimed invention except a shape of a thickness of each side frame body tapers from the inner frame body toward the outer frame body.
It would have been obvious matter of design choice to change the shape of the thickness of each side frame body to be tapered from the inner frame body toward the outer frame body for optimum performance, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the shape of a component. A change in shape is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding claim 6, in the modified electrical connection, Sommer et al. substantially disclosed the claimed invention except the shape of the elastic arm portion is in form of M-shape and has a pointed convex segment which convexly extends toward the outer frame body, the lock protruding portion protrudes from the pointed convex segment.
It would have been obvious matter of design choice to change the shape of the elastic arm portion in form of M-shape and has a pointed convex segment which convexly extends toward the outer frame body for optimum performance, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the shape of a component. A change in shape is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding claim 7, in the modified electrical connection device, Sommer et al. disclose the insulative housing has a mating portion (20), the connector further comprises a plurality of terminals (not shown) provided to the mating portion.
Regarding claim 8, in the modified electrical connection device, Sommer et al. disclose the insulative housing is configured to be capable of moving relative to the panel along a first direction to an inserting position where the insulative housing inserts into the opened hole, and is capable of moving from the inserting position to the assembled position along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.
Regarding claim 9, in the modified electrical connection device, Sommer et al. disclose the panel comprises a first panel surface and a second panel surface which are opposite to each other, the opened hole extends between the first panel surface and the second panel surface and has an aligning hole portion (38), the insulative housing is capable of inserting into the opened hole from the first panel surface along the first direction, the insulative housing has an alignment protruding block (22) and an abutment protruding block (26) which is spaced apart from the alignment protruding block along the first direction, when the insulative housing is in the inserting position, the alignment protruding block passes through the aligning hole portion and extends out of the second panel surface, the abutment protruding block abuts the first panel surface, when the insulative housing is in the assembled position, the alignment protruding block stops the second panel surface, the abutment protruding block abuts the first panel surface.
Regarding claim 10, in the modified electrical connection device, Sommer et al. disclose the connector is a receptacle connector (as shown in Fig.9).
Regarding claim 11, in the modified electrical connection device, Sommer et al. disclose the connector is a plug connector.
Regarding claim 20, in the modified electrical connection device, Sommer et al. disclose electrical connection device being a receptacle electrical connection device, the connector being a receptacle connector; and a plug electrical connection device which is used to mate with the receptacle connector of the receptacle electrical connection device (Col. 3, L. 1-12).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRUC T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2011. The examiner can normally be reached monday-friday (7-4).
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/TRUC T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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