Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/661,252

CONNECTOR, CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY, RADIO FREQUENCY MODULE, AND COMMUNICATION DEVICE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
May 10, 2024
Priority
Nov 10, 2021 — CN 202111329015.9 +1 more
Examiner
PAUMEN, GARY F
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
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

§102
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 1-11 are objected to because of the following informalities: it is unclear how spring terminals which transmit signals can be soldered to a ground plane, which is recited in each independent claim. Also, the last two lines of each independent claim recite “different chambers”; it is unclear what said chambers are a part of. Appropriate correction is required. 35 USC 102 Rejections 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. Claim(s) 1, 2, 10 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Daikuhara et al 6129555. Regarding claims 1, 10 and 11, Daikuhara et al (Figure 1A) a connector, fastened on a printed circuit board 50, comprising: a first spring terminal module; a second spring terminal module; an isolation member 23; a golden finger contact end 31; and wherein: the golden finger contact end comprises a first golden finger module (leftmost 36-1) and a second golden finger module (rightmost 36-1); the first spring terminal module comprises a plurality of first spring terminals 22-1, the plurality of first spring terminals comprise a signal transmit terminal, first ends of the plurality of first spring terminals are soldered to a ground plane (not shown) of the printed circuit board, and second ends of the plurality of first spring terminals abut against the first golden finger module; the second spring terminal module comprises a plurality of second spring terminals, the plurality of second spring terminals comprise a signal receive terminal 22-2, first ends of the plurality of second spring terminals are soldered to the ground plane of the printed circuit board, and second ends of the plurality of second spring terminals abut against the second golden finger module; and the isolation member is soldered to the ground plane of the printed circuit board, and the isolation member is disposed between the first spring terminal module and the second spring terminal module, to isolate the first spring terminal module and the second spring terminal module in different chambers. Regarding claim 2, Daikuhara et al discloses an accommodation groove 37 is disposed at the golden finger contact end 31, and the accommodation groove is located between the first golden finger module and the second golden finger module; and when the golden finger contact end abuts against the plurality of first spring terminals and the plurality of second spring terminals, at least a part of the isolation member 23 is accommodated in the accommodation groove. Claims Defining Over Prior Art Claims 3-9 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: none of the prior art of record discloses or teaches the specifics of the isolation member; nor the conductive member comprising a first soldering portion, a first bending portion, and a second soldering portion; in combination with the rest of the subject matter of the respective independent claim. 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

May 10, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (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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