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 .
Claims 1-20 are pending.
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.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Atkinson et al. (US 20100081302), hereinafter Atkinson, in view of Zhao et al. (US 6,489,563), hereinafter Zhao.
Regarding claim 1, Atkinson discloses a connector (connector 10, Fig. 3a), comprising: a housing (lead frame 100, Fig. 3a); at least one row of terminals installed in the housing (pins 300, Fig. 3a), each row of the terminals including: at least one pair of signal terminals (signal leads 304, 306, lands 103-136, Fig. 3a); and grounding terminals located on opposite sides of each pair of signal terminals (ground pins 302, 308, lands 144-148, Fig. 3a); at least one row of cables connected to the terminals (cables 20, Fig. 2), each of the cables including: and a pair of signal wires connected to each pair of the signal terminals (signal wires 22, Fig. 2); and at least one grounding element (ground sleeve 200, Fig. 2), each grounding element at least partially covers a portion of each of the signal terminals (termination land regions 130, 132, 134, 136, Fig. 3a) electrically connected to corresponding one of the signal wires (see Fig. 1), and is electrically connected to each of the grounding terminals (Par. 0035, “ground sleeve 200 serves to join or common the separate ground pins 302, 308, and 314 (FIG. 3(a)) by conductive attachment in the regions 144, 146, and 148”).
However, Atkinson fails to teach a pair of grounding wires.
Zhao teaches a pair of grounding wires (drain wires 43, Fig. 5).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of Zhao to modify the invention of Atkinson to provide a pair of grounding wires. One would be motivated to make this modification to further decrease signal interferences from both internal and external electromagnetic waves.
Regarding claim 2, Atkinson discloses the connector according to claim 1, wherein the grounding element contacts each of the grounding terminals at two contact points in a direction in which the grounding terminal extends (see Fig. 1 and 3a, Par. 0044, “When the sleeve 200 is positioned over the cables 20, each of the wings 222 are aligned with the lands 144, 148 to contact, and electrically connect with, the lands 144, 148”).
Regarding claim 3, Atkinson discloses the connector according to claim 1, wherein each of the grounding wires of the cables is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the grounding terminals via the grounding element (Par. 0035, “ground sleeve 200 serves to join or common the separate ground pins 302, 308, and 314 (FIG. 3(a)) by conductive attachment in the regions 144, 146, and 148”).
Regarding claim 4, Atkinson discloses the connector according to claim 1, wherein each grounding element comprises at least one grounding unit including a grounding plate extending along each pair of the signal terminals and each pair of the signal wires connected to each pair of the signal terminals (legs 212, 214, Fig. 4a), the grounding plate at least partially covering a respective one of each pair of the signal terminals and each pair of the signal wires (termination land regions 130, 132, 134, 136, Fig. 3a and Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 16, Atkinson discloses A connector (connector 10, Fig. 3a), comprising: a housing (lead frame 100, Fig. 3a); a row of terminals installed in the housing (pins 300, Fig. 3a), including: a pair of signal terminals (signal leads 304, 306, lands 103-136, Fig. 3a); and grounding terminals located on opposite sides of the pair of signal terminals (ground pins 302, 308, lands 144-148, Fig. 3a); a row of cables connected to the terminals (cables 20, Fig. 2), each cable including: and a pair of signal wires (signal wires 22, Fig. 2) connected to each pair of the signal terminals; and a grounding element (ground sleeve 200, Fig. 2) at least partially covering a portion of each of the signal terminals (termination land regions 130, 132, 134, 136, Fig. 3a) electrically connected to corresponding one of the signal wires (see Fig. 1), and electrically connected to each of the grounding terminals (Par. 0035, “ground sleeve 200 serves to join or common the separate ground pins 302, 308, and 314 (FIG. 3(a)) by conductive attachment in the regions 144, 146, and 148”).
However, Atkinson fails to teach a pair of grounding wires.
Zhao teaches a pair of grounding wires (drain wires 43, Fig. 5).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of Zhao to modify the invention of Atkinson to provide a pair of grounding wires. One would be motivated to make this modification to further decrease signal interferences from both internal and external electromagnetic waves.
Regarding claim 17, Atkinson discloses the connector according to claim 16, wherein the grounding element contacts with each of the grounding terminals at two contact points in a direction in which the grounding terminal extends (see Fig. 1 and 3a, Par. 0044, “When the sleeve 200 is positioned over the cables 20, each of the wings 222 are aligned with the lands 144, 148 to contact, and electrically connect with, the lands 144, 148”).
Regarding claim 18, Atkinson discloses the connector according to claim 16, wherein each of the grounding wires of the cable is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the grounding terminals via the grounding element (Par. 0035, “ground sleeve 200 serves to join or common the separate ground pins 302, 308, and 314 (FIG. 3(a)) by conductive attachment in the regions 144, 146, and 148”).
Claim(s) 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Atkinson et al. (US 20100081302), in view of Zhao et al. (US 6,489,563), and further in view of Liu et al. (US 20220173550), hereinafter Liu.
Regarding claim 5, Atkinson discloses the connector according to claim 4.
However, Atkinson fails to disclose wherein each grounding unit further comprises two first grounding arms.
Liu teaches wherein each grounding unit further comprises two first grounding arms (valley portion 405, Fig. 6).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of Liu to modify the combination of Atkinson and Zhao to provide a grounding unit comprising two first ground arms. One would be motivated to make this modification to further increase the shielding effect of the grounding unit and ensure proper contact between the grounding unit and the grounding terminals.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-15, 19-20 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 6 allowability resides with the prior art of record not fairly showing, suggesting, or teaching the connector according to claim 5, wherein each first grounding arm extends transversely from a first end of the grounding plate to an adjacent one of the grounding terminals and is integrated with a first grounding arm of an adjacent grounding unit, so that each of the first grounding arms is placed against and between the grounding terminal and corresponding one of the grounding wires, as recited in claim 6. These limitations are neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record taken alone or in combination. Claims 7-15 are dependent on claim 6 and are therefore allowable for the same reasons.
Regarding claim 19, allowability resides with the prior art of record not fairly showing, suggesting, or teaching the connector according to claim 16, wherein the grounding element comprises: a grounding plate extending along and at least partially covering the pair of signal terminals and the pair of the signal wires connected to the pair of signal terminals; and two first grounding arms, each of which extends transversely from a first end of the grounding plate to an adjacent one of the grounding terminals, each of the first grounding arms is placed against and between the grounding terminal and corresponding one of the grounding wires, as recited in claim 19. These limitations are neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record taken alone or in combination. Claim 20 is dependent on claim 19 and is therefore allowable for the same reasons.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Buck et al. (US 11,637,400) discloses a cable connector comprising a set of signal and ground terminals with signal wires and a grounding plate.
Yang et al. (US 20200212612) discloses an electrical connector with embedded grounding bar and a plurality of contacts therewithin
Milbrand, Jr. et al. (US 10,381,767) discloses a cable connector having cables terminated to signal and ground contacts comprising a drain wire.
Miskin et al. (US 6,261,127) discloses a high speed shielded cable assembly with a cable having signal wires and a grounding member.
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/JEFFREY MOUNTAIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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