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
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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 9, 10, 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen (US 7241159).
Regarding claim 1, Chen discloses a fixed structure, suitable for fixing an electronic module (electronic card 50, Fig. 4) to a mainboard (a circuit board 60), wherein the mainboard is provided with an insertion slot (terminal connector 40), the electronic module has a first end (the end connected to the terminal connector 40) and a second end (the end connected to the fixing unit having the base 10) opposite to the first end, the first end is connected to the insertion slot, an interval space (the gap between 40 and 50) is present between the electronic module and the mainboard, and the fixed structure comprises:
a supporting base (the base10, Fig 1) comprising a top (top side of the base 10), wherein the top is at least predefined with a first region (a region to mount the chucking member 20) and a second region (the region away from the mounting are for the chucking member 20); and
a movable base (the chucking member 20 or 30) comprising a positioning body (portion 211 or 212; or the flat region of 72, Fig. 7) and an elastic clamping portion (the resilient pressing projecting section 23; or the elastic portion 721a, Fig. 7),
wherein the elastic clamping portion is connected to the positioning body (Fig. 1), the positioning body is disposed in the first region or the second region of the supporting base (Fig. 2), the supporting base is suitable for being disposed opposite to the insertion slot (40),
part of the supporting base and part of the positioning body disposed on the part of the supporting base are accommodated in the interval space to support part of the electronic module (Fig. 5), and the elastic clamping portion is suitable for clamping the second end of the electronic module (Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 2, Chen discloses the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1. Chen further suggests the top of the supporting base is provided with at least one fixed hole (the fixing holes on the top surface of the base 11, Fig 2), the fixed structure further comprises at least one fastener (the screws are understood to be used on the fixing holes to fix the base 11 to the circuit board 60), and the at least one fastener passes through the at least one fixed hole to fix the supporting base on the mainboard (the fixing everything together, Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 9, Chen discloses the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1. Chen further suggests part of the first region overlaps part of the second region (depend upon where to divide the base into region, the regions may overlap each other).
Regarding claim 10, Chen discloses the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1. Chen further suggests the mainboard comprises a first block (the portion under the terminal connector 40) and a second block (the region under the base 10) apart from the first block, the insertion slot is disposed in the first block, and the fixed structure is disposed in the second block (Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 11, Chen discloses an electronic apparatus, comprising:
a mainboard (the circuit board 60) provided with an insertion slot (the connector 40);
an electronic module (the electronic card 50) having a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, the first end is connected to the insertion slot, and an interval space (the space between the electronic card 50 and the circuit board 60) is present between the electronic module and the mainboard; and
a fixed structure (the fixing structure having the base 10) configured to fix the electronic module to the mainboard, wherein the fixed structure comprises:
a supporting base (base 10) comprising a top (top side of the base 10), wherein the top is at least predefined with a first region (a region to mount the chucking member 20) and a second region (the region away from the mounting are for the chucking member 20); and
a movable base (the chucking member 20 or 30) comprising a positioning body (portion 211 or 212; or the flat region of 72, Fig. 7) and an elastic clamping portion (the resilient pressing projecting section 23; or the elastic portion 721a, Fig. 7), wherein the elastic clamping portion is connected to the positioning body (Fig. 1), the positioning body is disposed in the first region or the second region of the supporting base (Fig. 2),
the supporting base (10) is suitable for being disposed opposite to the insertion slot (40, Fig. 5), part of the supporting base and part of the positioning body disposed on the part of the supporting base are accommodated in the interval space to support part of the electronic module (Fig. 5), and the elastic clamping portion is suitable for clamping the second end of the electronic module (Fig. 5).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 – 8 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.
Reasons for Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 3, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 1 and 2, a combination of limitations that the at least one fixed hole is of a countersunk hole structure, and the at least one fastener is a countersunk screw. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Regarding claim 4, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 1, a combination of limitations that the positioning body of the movable base comprises a main body, two side portions, and a plurality of clamped portions, the main body has a front edge, a rear edge, and two side edges opposite to each other, the front edge is opposite to the rear edge, the two side portions are respectively disposed on the two side edges, and each of the two side portions is connected to two of the plurality of clamped portions. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Wu (US 20200244008) discloses a circuit board (5, Fig. 7), a card (6), a connector (7), and a fixing structure (3).
Choy (US 7182618) discloses a circuit board (2, Fig. 1), a card (3), a connector (10), a fixing structure (4).
Chen (US 7134896) discloses a circuit board (Fig. 7), a card, (4), a connector (1) and a fixing structure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BINH B TRAN whose telephone number is (571)272-9289. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Timothy J Dole can be reached at 571-272-2229. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BINH B TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2848