DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(B) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 3, the limitation of “first wall including a mounting surface which is to be mounted to a mounted object, the first wall being provided so as to extend in a first direction orthogonal to the mounting surface and forming a first wall surface including a single contact point configured to come into contact with a counterpart terminal” is ambiguous given the disclosure. It is unclear what defines a “wall” as used in the claims. It is unclear whether a wall should be considered to be 1) an element extending in a single plane, as seems to be implied in certain aspects of the disclosure, or whether a “wall” is simply any arbitrary portion of a terminal, where a “wall” can have any number of portions extending in various planes and any particular “wall” can comprise multiple “walls” all extending in various planes or directions.
Regarding claims 5 and 6, the limitation that “a thickness of a plated portion on the second wall surface after the insert molding is 0.” is indefinite. A plated portion that has no dimension, i.e., a thickness of 0, is not a plated portion. It is ambiguous and indefinite to claim an element and subsequentially claim that the element has no physical dimension. The limitation is given little weight.
Regarding claim 9, the limitation that 1) (per claim 1) the first wall being provided so as to extend in a first direction orthogonal to the mounting surface and forming a first wall surface including a single contact point configured to come into contact with a counterpart terminal and (per claim 9) “the mounting portion; the first wall; the second wall; and a third wall; the third wall bending in a height direction of the housing from the mounting portion and extending, the second wall bending in the crosswise direction of the housing from a connecting part with the third wall, and the first wall extending in the first height direction from a connecting part with the second wall and being configured to elastically come into contact with a counterpart-side terminal, and the third wall is held by the longitudinal wall of the peripheral wall of the housing” is ambiguous given the disclosure. Note that the identified “walls” do not correspond to what is identified in the disclosure. As noted above, it is ambiguous what defines a “wall” as the term is being used in the claim.
Regarding claim 10, the limitation that 1) (per claim 1) the first wall being provided so as to extend in a first direction orthogonal to the mounting surface and forming a first wall surface including a single contact point configured to come into contact with a counterpart terminal and (per claim 10) the receptacle terminal includes the mounting portion; the first wall; the second wall; and a third wall; the third wall bending in a height direction of the housing from the mounting portion and extending, the second wall bending in the crosswise direction of the housing from a connecting part with the third wall, and the first wall extending in the first height direction from a connecting part with the second wall and being configured to elastically come into contact with a counterpart-side terminal, and the third wall is held by the longitudinal wall of the peripheral wall of the housing” is ambiguous given the disclosure. Note that the identified “walls” do not correspond to what is identified in the disclosure. As noted above, it is ambiguous what defines a “wall” as the term is being used in the claim.
Regarding claims 9 and 10, “the peripheral wall . . .” lacks antecedent basis and is ambiguous as to what it refers to.
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 anticipatory rejections under 35 U.S.C. 102 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.
Claims 1-8 and 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Sugizuru US 2026/0058385.
Regarding claim 1, Sugizuru discloses an electrical connector comprising:
a housing (211 and 311) including a lengthwise direction (X axis in figure 1), a crosswise direction (Y axis), and a height direction (Z axis) which are mutually orthogonal; and
a fitting (261, labeled FR, and 361, labeled FP below) held by the housing,
wherein the fitting is integrally molded with the housing by insert molding (¶ 0118 regarding terminal 261; ¶ 0145 regarding terminal 361),
the fitting is made of a conductive thin plate-shaped base material held by the housing, and the fitting includes a terminal of which surface is to be partially plated (i.e., capable of being plated) after the insert molding,
the terminal includes:
a mounting portion (labeled MP below);
a first wall (labeled W1); and
a second wall (labeled W2);
the mounting portion including a mounting surface which is to be mounted to a mounted object;
the first wall being provided so as to extend in a first direction orthogonal to the
mounting surface and forming a first wall surface including a single contact point
configured to come into contact with a counterpart terminal; and
the second wall being provided at an end on one side of the first wall in the first direction and forming an exposed surface being spaced apart from the mounting surface in the first direction and not coming into contact with the housing,
the terminal being configured to come into contact with the counterpart terminal by the single contact point.
The terminal includes a surface, which surface is to be partially plated, i.e., is capable of being plated, such that a first thickness of a plated portion on the first wall surface is greater than a second thickness of a plated portion on the exposed surface of the second wall.
Note that an action “to be” done is not the same as an action done. In particular, the claimed terminal surface which is “to be partially plated” is not a terminal surface that is partially plated. The claim requires that the terminal surface be capable of being plated, but does not require a surface that is plated.
PNG
media_image1.png
1216
966
media_image1.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image2.png
926
984
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Per claim 2, The terminal includes a surface, which surface is capable of being partially plated, such that a third thickness of a plated portion on the mounting surface is smaller than the first thickness and greater than the second thickness.
Per claim 3, Sugizuru discloses an electrical connector comprising (see discussion regarding claim 1 for identification of claimed elements) a housing including a lengthwise direction, a crosswise direction, and a height direction which are mutually orthogonal; and a fitting held by the housing;
wherein the fitting is integrally molded with the housing by insert molding, the fitting is made of a conductive thin plate-shaped base material held by the housing, and the fitting includes a terminal of which surface is to be partially plated after the insert
molding,
the terminal includes: a mounting portion; a first wall; and a second wall;
the first wall including a mounting surface which is to be mounted to a mounted object, the first wall being provided as to extend in a first direction orthogonal to the mounting
surface and forming a first wall surface including a single contact point configured to
come into contact with a counterpart terminal, and the second wall being provided at an
end on one side of the first wall in the first direction and forming an exposed surface
being spaced apart from the mounting surface in the first direction and not coming into
contact with the housing, the terminal being configured to come into contact with the
counterpart terminal by the single contact point.
The terminal includes a surface, which surface is to be partially plated, i.e., is capable of being plated, such that a first thickness of a plated portion on the mounting surface is greater than a second thickness of a plated portion on the exposed surface.
Note that an action “to be” done is not the same as an action done. In particular, the claimed terminal surface which is “to be partially plated” is not a terminal surface that is partially plated. The claim requires that the terminal surface be capable of being plated, but does not require a surface that is plated.
Per claim 4, The terminal includes a surface, which surface is capable of being partially plated, such that a third thickness of a plated portion on the first wall surface is greater than the first thickness.
Per claim 5, the first wall further includes a second wall surface which is provided on an opposite side to the first wall surface in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and which includes a contact surface that comes into contact with a part of the housing.
Per claim 6 the first wall further includes a second wall surface which is provided on an opposite side to the first wall surface in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and which includes a contact surface that comes into contact with a part of the housing.
Per claim 7, the terminal has a surface capable of being plated by being performed
by gold plating.
Per claim 8, the terminal has a surface capable of being plated by being performed
by gold plating.
Per claim 11, the electrical connector comprises a plug connector, the plug connector includes the housing and the fitting held by the housing,
the housing includes: a bottom wall; and a protruding wall; the bottom wall being
arranged on a mounted portion of the mounted object and the protruding wall protruding in a height direction of the housing from the bottom wall, and
the terminal of the fitting is a plug terminal, the plug terminal includes the mounting portion; a first wall; a second wall; and a third wall; the first wall bending in a
first height direction of the housing from the mounting portion and extending,
the second wall bending in the crosswise direction of the housing from a connecting part with the first wall and extending, and the third wall (labeled W3 above) extending in a second height direction on an opposite side to the first height direction from a connecting part with the second wall, and the fitting is held by the housing since a part of the protruding wall of the housing is surrounded by the first wall, the second wall, and the third wall of the plug terminal.
Per claim 2, the electrical connector comprises a plug connector, the plug connector includes the housing and the fitting held by the housing, the housing includes: a bottom wall; and a protruding wall; the bottom wall being arranged on a mounted portion of the mounted object and a protruding wall protruding in a height direction of the housing from the bottom wall, and the terminal of the fitting is a plug terminal, the plug terminal includes the mounting portion; a first wall; a second wall; and a third wall; the first wall bending in a
first height direction of the housing from the mounting portion and extending, the second wall bending in the crosswise direction of the housing from a connecting part with the first wall and extending, and the third wall extending in a second height direction on an opposite side to the first height direction from a connecting part with the second wall, and the fitting is held by the housing since a part of the protruding wall of the housing is surrounded by the first wall, the second wall, and the third wall of the plug terminal.
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 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sugizuru.
Per claim 9, the electrical connector comprises a receptacle connector, the receptacle connector includes the housing and the fitting held by the housing,
the housing includes: a bottom wall (labeled BW above);
a protruding wall (labeled PRW); and a fitting depression;
the bottom wall being arranged on a mounted portion of the mounted object,
the protruding wall protruding in a height direction of the housing from the bottom wall,
the peripheral wall including a longitudinal wall and a short-side wall which are provided at an interval on an outer periphery of the protruding wall, and
the fitting depression being provided on an inner side of the peripheral wall, and
the terminal of the fitting is a receptacle terminal, the receptacle terminal
includes various walls. As best understood, given that it is unclear what defines as “wall” as set out the 35 USC rejections above, the claimed various walls are disclosed or are obvious variations of the walls as disclosed in Sugizuru.
Per claim 10, the electrical connector comprises a receptacle connector, the receptacle connector includes the housing and the fitting held by the housing,
the housing includes: a bottom wall; a protruding wall; and a fitting depression;
the bottom wall being arranged on a mounted portion of the mounted object, the protruding wall protruding in a height direction of the housing from the bottom wall,
the peripheral wall including a longitudinal wall and a short-side wall which are provided at an interval on an outer periphery of the protruding wall, and the fitting depression being provided on an inner side of the peripheral wall, and the terminal of the fitting is a receptacle terminal, the receptacle terminal includes the mounting portion and various walls.
As best understood, given that it is unclear what defines as “wall” as set out the 35 USC rejections above, the claimed various walls are disclosed or are obvious variations of the walls as disclosed in Sugizuru.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROSS GUSHI whose telephone number is (571)272-2005. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday, 8:30 - 5:00.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christopher Koehler can be reached on 571-272-3560. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/ROSS N GUSHI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
Prosecution Insights