Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/643,295

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HAVING A WIRE CABLE WELDED DIRECTLY TO A TERMINAL

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Apr 23, 2024
Examiner
ALHAWAMDEH, NADER J
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Aptiv Technologies AG
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
92%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 92% — above average
92%
Career Allowance Rate
583 granted / 636 resolved
+31.7% vs TC avg
Moderate +10% lift
Without
With
+10.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 11m
Avg Prosecution
18 currently pending
Career history
650
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
54.9%
+14.9% vs TC avg
§102
40.7%
+0.7% vs TC avg
§112
0.6%
-39.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 636 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 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 and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Morello et al. (US. 2023/0010967 A1). In Regards to Claim 1: Morello teaches an electrical connector assembly (Fig. 2A), comprising: a wire cable (100) having an elongate conductor (102) extending along a longitudinal axis, wherein the elongate conductor (102) defines an exposed face arranged substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and wherein the exposed face has a surface area that is substantially equal to a cross sectional area of the elongate conductor (102); and an electrical terminal (208) having a contact face metallurgically welded to the exposed face of the elongate conductor (102). In Regards to Claim 6: Morello teaches the electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the wire cable (100) is a coaxial wire cable, wherein the elongate conductor (102) is a central conductor of the coaxial wire cable (100) and is surrounded by an inner insulator (104), wherein the inner insulator (104) is surrounded by a shield conductor (106), and wherein the central conductor extends beyond the inner insulator (104). In Regards to Claim 7: Morello teaches the electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the wire cable (100) is a coaxial wire cable, wherein the elongate conductor (102) is a central conductor of the coaxial wire cable (100) and is surrounded by an inner insulator (104), wherein the inner insulator (104) is surrounded by a shield conductor (106), and wherein the exposed face of the central conductor is flush with an end of the inner insulator (104). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2-5 and 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 with regard to claim 9 Morello et al. (US. 2023/0010967 A1) teaches “A method of assembling an electrical connector, comprising: providing a wire cable having an elongate conductor extending along a longitudinal axis, wherein the elongate conductor defines an exposed face arranged substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and having a surface area substantially equal to a cross sectional area of the elongate conductor; providing an electrical terminal having a contact face; placing a first welding probe in intimate mechanical and electrical contact with the elongate conductor and placing a second welding probe in intimate mechanical and electrical contact with the electrical terminal.” (Connector fig. 2A, elongate conductor 102, wire cable 100, and electrical terminal 208) Morello et al. (US. 2023/0010967 A1). does not teach “placing the exposed face of the elongate conductor in intimate mechanical and electrical contact with the electrical terminal; and applying electrical power as a voltage across the first and second welding probes, thereby forming a welded metallurgical bond between the elongate conductor and the electrical terminal.” The prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest these limitation as substantially described in claim 9, these limitations, in combination with remaining limitations of claim 9, are neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record, therefore claim 9 is allowable. Claims 10-20 are dependent on claim 9 and are therefore allowable for the same reasons. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NADER J ALHAWAMDEH whose telephone number is (571)270-0571. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9Am - 6Pm EST. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abdullah A Riyami can be reached at (571)270-3119. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /NADER J ALHAWAMDEH/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831 /ABDULLAH A RIYAMI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Apr 23, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 23, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12683331
ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WITH A HOUSING SURROUNDED BY A SHELL WITH SURFACE PROTRUSIONS
3y 3m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12683306
POWER STRIP
2y 8m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12676429
ELECTRICAL CONTACT PIECE HAVING AN INTEGRATED STOP AND ELECTRICAL CONTACT DEVICE FOR AT LEAST ONE ELECTRICAL POLE HAVING AT LEAST ONE SUCH ELECTRICAL CONTACT PIECE
2y 9m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12671204
CONNECTOR
2y 7m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026
Patent 12658633
PASSIVE STRUCTURES FOR REDUCING CORROSION IN A CONNECTOR
2y 8m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
92%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+10.2%)
1y 11m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 636 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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