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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on 05/09/2024 is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 recites the limitations "a conductive member” in line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Weeber et al. (US 2012/0300405 A1) in view of Takayuki (JP H10144334 A).
Pertaining to claim 1, Weeber et al. discloses A circuit board device (10, see fig. 1) comprising: a conductive component (150, 160, 162, 164, 192 and 194), see fig. 1) on an electronic board (110, see fig. 1) in a first direction, the conductive component (150, 160, 162, 164, 192 and 194) having a board face (see fig. 1); a metal frame (180, see fig. 1) having a frame face intersecting the board face (the board face of 110, see fig. 1) of the electronic board (110); a conductive member (176, see fig. 1) over the conductive component (164) in the first direction, the conductive member (176) electrically connected (see paragraph [0013]) to each of the conductive component (150, 160, 162, 164, 192 and 194) and the metal frame (180); and
But, Weeber does not explicitly teach a pressing member to press the conductive member against the conductive component in the first direction.
However, Takayuki teaches a pressing member to press the conductive member against the conductive component in the first direction, (claim 1 of Takayuki).
Therefore, At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide a pressing member to press the conductive member against the conductive component in the first direction in the device of Weeber based on the teachings of Takayuki create a highly reliable, solderless electrical and mechanical connection that is resistant to environmental factors like vibration and thermal stress.
Pertaining to claim 10, Weeber et al. discloses, further comprising multiple openings including the opening, wherein the multiple conductive members respectively (see fig. 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-9 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. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: regarding claim 2, the specific limitations of "wherein the conductive member has an elasticity and is adhered to the conductive component via a conductive double-sided adhesive tape, and the pressing member has an L-shape having: a first face over the conductive member; and a second face over the metal frame," in combination with the remaining elements, are not taught or adequately suggested by the prior art of record. Claims 3-9 depend from claim 2 and is therefore allowed for at the same reasons.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Han (US 20150207250 A1) and Serizawa (US 20150216036 A1).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDARGIE M AYCHILLHUM whose telephone number is (571)270-1607. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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/ANDARGIE M AYCHILLHUM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2848