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
The following claims are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 3, line 1: “claim 3” should be corrected to - -claim 1- -, the claim cannot depend upon itself, and the other limitations are found in claim 1;
Appropriate correction is required.
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, 3-12, 15-16, 19-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Daugherty (US 6,547,605).
Regarding claim 1: Daugherty teaches an electrical connector housing (see Fig. 1), comprising: a first housing part 26; and a second housing part 32 independent of the first housing part (see Fig. 4), at least one of the first housing part or the second housing part defines a receiving slot (at 48; Fig. 1) sized to receive a plurality of connection terminals 28 and a circuit board 22 (see Fig. 1), the first housing part 26 and the second housing part 32 are adapted to be slidably assembled together (see Figs. 1-4), wherein one side of the second housing part 32 is formed with a side opening (see Fig. 4), and the first housing part 26 is adapted to slide into the second housing part from the side opening of the second housing part (see Figs. 1-4).
Regarding claim 3: Daugherty teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein: the first housing part 26 is formed with a sliding guide slot 56; and the second housing part 32 is formed with a sliding guide bar 57, the sliding guide bar 57 adapted to slide along the sliding guide slot 56 and guide the sliding of the first housing part into the second housing part (see Figs. 1-5).
Regarding claim 4: Daugherty teaches all the limitations of claim 3 and further teaches wherein the sliding guide bar 57 is further adapted to abut against the connection terminal placed into the receiving slot when the first housing part 26 is received into the second housing part 32 (see Fig. 5 for all components abutting against each other when the two housing parts are slid together).
Regarding claim 5: Daugherty teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the second housing part includes a locking notch 70 adapted to permit the connection terminal 28 placed into the receiving slot to extend thereinto (see Fig. 5), and to abut against the connection terminal when the receiving slot is kept closed by the first housing part and the second housing part being assembled together (see Figs. 5 for all components abutting against each other when the two housing parts are slid together).
Regarding claim 6: Daugherty teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein: the first housing part 26 is provided with a first engagement portion (e.g. right of 60; Fig. 1); the second housing part 32 is provided with a second engagement portion 60; and the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are adapted to engage with each other when the first housing part and the second housing part are assembled together such that the receiving slot is kept closed (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 7: Daugherty teaches all the limitations of claim 6 and further teaches wherein the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion engage in a snap-fit manner (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 8: Daugherty teaches all the limitations of claim 7 and further teaches wherein one of the first engagement portion or the second engagement portion is a protruding block (right of 60; Fig. 1), and the other of the first engagement portion or the second engagement portion is an elastic sheet (at 60; Fig. 1) with an opening adapted to accommodate the protruding block (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 9: Daugherty teaches all the limitations of claim 6 and further teaches wherein the first engagement portion is integrally formed with the first housing part, and the second engagement portion is integrally formed with the second housing part (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 10: Daugherty teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the first housing part 26 further defines a first receiving slot and a second receiving slot adapted to receive the plurality of connection terminals 28 and the circuit board 22 (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 11: Daugherty teaches all the limitations of claim 10 and further teaches wherein the first receiving slot and the second receiving slot are positioned on opposite sides of the first housing part 26, respectively (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 12: Daugherty teaches an electrical connector (Fig. 1), comprising: an electrical connector housing (at 32; Fig. 1), including: a first housing part 26; and a second housing part 32 independent of the first housing part (see Fig. 4) and including a sliding guide bar 57, at least one of the first housing part or the second housing part defines a receiving slot (at 48; Fig. 1) sized to receive a plurality of connection terminals 28 and a circuit board 22 (see Fig. 1), the first housing part 26 and the second housing part 32 are adapted to be slidably assembled together (see Figs. 1-5); a plurality of connection terminals 28 each including a crimping portion, the crimping portion abuts against the sliding guide bar 57 when the first housing part and the second housing part are assembled together (see Fig. 5 for the abutment of multiple portions); and a circuit board 22, the plurality of connection terminals 28 and the circuit board 22 are connected together and placed into the receiving slot of the electrical connector housing (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 15: Daugherty teaches all the limitations of claim 12 and further teaches wherein: each connection terminal includes an elastic sheet portion; and the second housing part 32 of the electrical connector housing includes a locking notch 70 adapted to receive the elastic sheet portion (see Figs. 1-6).
Regarding claim 16: Daugherty teaches all the limitations of claim 15 and further teaches wherein at least a section of the elastic sheet portion extends into the locking notch 70, and an end of the elastic sheet portion abuts against the locking notch, when the first housing part is assembled with the second housing part (see Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 19: Daugherty teaches an electrical connector housing (Fig. 1), comprising: a first housing part 26; and a second housing part 32 slidably receiving the first housing part therein (see Figs. 1-4), at least one of the first housing part or the second housing part defines a receiving slot (at 48; Fig. 1) receiving a plurality of connection terminals 28 and a circuit board 22 (see Fig. 1), the second housing part is slidably received within the first housing part in a first direction transverse to a longitudinal extension direction of the plurality of connection terminals 28, wherein the first direction is parallel to a direction along which the plurality of connection terminals are arranged side by side (see Figs. 1-5).
Regarding claim 20: Daugherty teaches all the limitations of claim 19 and further teaches wherein the first direction is parallel to a width direction of the circuit board 22 (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 21: Daugherty teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the side opening is open on a lateral side of the second housing part 32 (see Fig. 4), and the first housing part 26 is slid into the second housing part 32 laterally through the side opening (see Figs. 1-4).
Regarding claim 22: Daugherty teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the first housing part 26 is received within the second housing part 32 in a direction parallel to a major surface of the circuit board 22 (see Figs. 1-4).
Regarding claim 23: Daugherty teaches an electrical connector housing (see Fig. 1), comprising: a first housing part 26; and a second housing part 32 independent of the first housing part (see Fig. 4) and having a locking notch 70, at least one of the first housing part or the second housing part defines a receiving slot (at 48; Fig. 1) sized to receive a plurality of connection terminals 28 and a circuit board 22 (see Fig. 1), the first housing part 26 and the second housing part 32 are adapted to be slidably assembled together (see Figs. 1-4); and a plurality of connection terminals 28 each including an elastic sheet portion (see Fig. 5), the locking notch of the first housing part 26 adapted to receive the elastic sheet portion (see Figs. 1-6).
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.
Claims 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Daugherty (US 6,547,605), in view of Ebata (US 11,245,220).
Regarding claim 17: Daugherty teaches all the limitations of claim 12.
Daugherty does not explicitly teach wherein the plurality of connection terminals are fitted with the circuit board via crimping.
Ebata teaches a plurality of connection terminals are fitted with a circuit board via crimping (see Fig. 2).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to be able to modify the invention with the plurality of connection terminals fitted with the circuit board via crimping as taught by Ebata into the electrical connector of Daugherty in order to achieve the advantage of providing terminals capable of crimping to wire ends of a flexible board.
Regarding claim 18: Daugherty, in view of Ebata, teaches all the limitations of claim 12 and Daugherty further teaches wherein the circuit board 22 is a flexible printed circuit board (see Figs. 1-3).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 12, 19, 23 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Reference Daugherty (US 6,547,605) teaches an electrical connector housing (see Fig. 1), comprising: a first housing part 26; and a second housing part 32 independent of the first housing part (see Fig. 4), at least one of the first housing part or the second housing part defines a receiving slot (at 48; Fig. 1) sized to receive a plurality of connection terminals 28 and a circuit board 22 (see Fig. 1), the first housing part 26 and the second housing part 32 are adapted to be slidably assembled together (see Figs. 1-4), wherein one side of the second housing part 32 is formed with a side opening (see Fig. 4), and the first housing part 26 is adapted to slide into the second housing part from the side opening of the second housing part (see Figs. 1-4).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please see PTO-892 for pertinent prior art, the following references being of closest relevance:
Kubo (US 6,540,546) teaches a two part connector housing capable of assembling to each other via an opening in the side;
Myer (US 5,695,358) teaches a two part connector housing capable of assembling to each other via an opening in the side and having a locking mechanism comprised of a flexible plate and locking notch;
Wrede (US 6,832,937) teaches a two part connector housing capable of assembling to each other via an opening in the side;
Martin (US 7,780,484) teaches a two part connector housing capable of assembling to each other via an opening in the side;
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OSCAR C JIMENEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-0272. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
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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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/OSCAR C JIMENEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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