Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/647,211

SOCKET AND ELECTROMAGNETIC SHIELDING ASSEMBLY

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Apr 26, 2024
Priority
Jan 29, 2024 — CN 202410117205.1
Examiner
PAUMEN, GARY F
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Delta Electronics Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
89%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
87%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 89% — above average
89%
Career Allowance Rate
1749 granted / 1974 resolved
+28.6% vs TC avg
Minimal -2% lift
Without
With
+-1.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 8m
Avg Prosecution
40 currently pending
Career history
1992
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.9%
-39.1% vs TC avg
§103
69.2%
+29.2% vs TC avg
§102
20.0%
-20.0% vs TC avg
§112
2.0%
-38.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1974 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
6/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 Claims 1-15 are objected to because of the following informalities: throughout the claims “fixed frame” should be – fixing frame --. In claim 4, last line, “corresponding to arrange” is poor wording. In claim 6, last line, “is protruded on” should be – protrudes from --. In claim 10, line 4, “a inclined” should be – an inclined --. Each of the claims should be reviewed for similar instances of poor wording. Appropriate correction is required. 35 USC 103 Rejections 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. Claim(s) 1-9 and 11-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the admitted prior art (APA – instant Background of the Invention and Figures 1 and 2). Regarding claim 1, APA substantially discloses the claimed invention, including a socket 2 for using in a power supply 1, the power supply including a housing 10 and at least one contact plate 11, and the socket comprising: a main body 20 having a first opening and a receptacle, wherein the receptacle is communicated with the first opening; a shielding layer 22 covering at least one side of the main body; and a conductive component (the three conductive prongs) passing through the main body and partially disposed in the receptacle. Kuo (front page) discloses the at least one contact plate 12 being bent and extended inwardly from the housing 1 for contacting with the socket 20 to form an electromagnetic shielding assembly, and having at least one protrusion 212 for contacting the at least one contact plate, and to provide APA with this type of structure thus would have been obvious, for better EMI protection. Regarding claim 2, Kuo discloses the at least one protrusion is a plurality of elongated protruding ribs 212, and is disposed on at least one surface of the shielding layer 21. Regarding claim 3, Kuo discloses the at least one protrusion is at least one elastic piece 212, and is disposed on at least one surface of the shielding layer 21. Regarding claim 4, APA discloses the socket 2 further includes a fixing frame 21 which connects to the main body 20 and is arranged around the first opening, and has an inner surface, and when the main body is correspondingly disposed in the housing of the power supply, the fixed frame corresponds to arrange on an outer surface of the housing. Regarding claim 5, APA discloses the main body 20 includes a first side, a second side, a third side, a fourth side and a fifth side, wherein the first side is opposite to the second side and is connected to the third side and the fourth side, the third side is opposite to the fourth side and is connected to the first side and the second side, wherein one edges of the first side, the second side, the third side and the fourth side are respectively connected to the fixed frame and perpendicular to the inner surface of the fixed frame, and the opposite edges of the first side, the second side, the third side and the fourth side 212 Regarding claim 6, APA discloses the conductive component includes a first terminal and a second terminal (three terminals are shown), wherein the first terminal is arranged in the receptacle, and the second terminal correspondingly penetrates the fifth side of the main body, and is protruded on the fifth side. Regarding claim 7, APA (as modified by Kuo) discloses the shielding layer 22 covers the first side of the main body 20, and the at least one protrusion is correspondingly disposed on the shielding layer. Regarding claim 8, Kuo discloses the shielding layer 21 covers the first side, the second side, the third side and the fourth side of the main body, and the at least one protrusion 212 is correspondingly disposed on the shielding layer covering the first side and the second side. Regarding claim 9, APA discloses the shielding layer 22 is made of a metal material. Regarding claims 11-14, the references are applied as above. Claim(s) 10 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over APA in view of Kuo as applied to claims 9 and 11 above, and further in view of Mellott 2023/0282990. Mellott (Figure 2) discloses the at least one protrusion includes a plurality of triangular ribs 204, and to form the protrusions of APA (as modified by Kuo) as triangular ribs thus would have been obvious, for good electrical contact with the contact plate. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GARY F PAUMEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2013. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th. 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, Christopher Koehler can be reached at 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 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. /GARY F PAUMEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Apr 26, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12677879
ELECTRONIC AEROSOL PROVISION SYSTEM
4y 1m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12683300
SINGLE PAIR ETHERNET CONNECTION SYSTEM
3y 6m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12683310
CONNECTOR SYSTEM
2y 5m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12683317
STRUCTURE
2y 5m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12683320
Connection devices, cable plugs, and cable assemblies
2y 9m to grant Granted Jul 14, 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
89%
Grant Probability
87%
With Interview (-1.5%)
1y 8m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1974 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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