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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 10/07/2025 and 02/05/2025 have been considered by the Examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Claim(s) 1-8 and 15-21 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Invention II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 05/27/2026.
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention group II (claims 9-14) in the reply is acknowledged.
Claim Objections
Claim 12 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 12 recites a phrase “the array of bushing pockets the plurality of protrusions” in line 2. Examiner suggests amending the phrase to recite “the array of bushing pockets, the plurality of protrusions” to restore clarity.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 9, 11 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lesnikoski et al. (US 20170059611; hereinafter Lesnikoski).
Regarding claim 9, Lesnikoski discloses in figure(s) 1-4 a contactor assembly (110/100/140 figs. 1-3) including a bushed block with dielectric bushings useful for testing a packaged integrated circuit device under test (DUT), the contactor assembly comprising:
a first block (upper half of socket body 110; fig. 3) having a first plurality of probe pin openings enabling a first plurality of contact pins (220,223,225; figs. 1-3) of a plurality of compressible probes (233,235,230) to protrude (figs.2-3); and
a second block (lower half of socket body 110) having a second plurality of probe pin openings enabling a second plurality of contact pins (bottom pins of 205,207,310; figs. 2-3) of the plurality of compressible probes to protrude;
wherein the first block and the second block are configured to be coupled to each other to form a plurality of probe retention cavities for housing a plurality of depressible probes (233,235,230; para. 14 - mechanically compressing the spring-loaded probe inside its barrel to maintaining both good physical and good electrical contact.) configured to repeatedly maintain reliable electrical contact with a corresponding plurality of DUT contact pads when under a compliant force (para. 12 - test socket 140 can provide a physical interface to receive the IC in a manner that facilitates reliable electrical couplings with its interconnects), wherein each of the compressible probes has a probe barrel (spring-loaded barrels 233,235,230) that is contained within its probe retention cavity and oppositely extending first and second contact pins, the oppositely extending contact pins of each of the compressible probes being depressible in the probe barrel (figs. 2-3); and
wherein at least one of the first block or the second block is a bushed block made from a conductive material, wherein the bushed block includes an array of bushing pockets and a corresponding plurality of dielectric bushings (bushing 240, 250; para. 3 :- insulative bushing, which is disposed in a hole of the conductive socket body, thereby forming a full coaxial pin with controlled impedance characteristics) secured inside the array of bushing pockets (figs. 2-3), wherein one of the first plurality of contact pins or the second plurality of contact pins is a corresponding plurality of bushed contact pins (para. 4 - an insulative bushing disposed in the first hole and surrounding the HSS pin in such a way as to form a controlled spacing between an outer surface of the HSS pin and an inner surface of the first hole).
Regarding claim 11, Lesnikoski discloses in figure(s) 1-4 the contactor assembly of Claim 9 wherein plurality of dielectric bushings includes: a plurality of pillars secured inside the array of bushing pockets (240, 250; figs. 2-3).
Regarding claim 13, Lesnikoski discloses in figure(s) 1-4 the contactor assembly of Claim 9 wherein the contactor assembly is also configured to house a plurality of depressible ground probes (205,223; fig. 2A), wherein an upper surface of the bushed block of the contactor assembly includes a plurality of raised annuli protruding vertically from the upper surface, and wherein the plurality of raised annuli include a corresponding plurality of ground pin openings configured to enable contact pins of the plurality of depressible ground probes to protrude from the plurality of raised annuli to make electrical contact with a plurality of ground contact pads of the DUT (para. 22 - these ground pin 205 (and corresponding drilled hole) locations correspond to each of the ground pins in an IC being tested by the IC test socket 140).
Regarding claim 14, Lesnikoski discloses in figure(s) 1-4 the contactor assembly of Claim 13 wherein the plurality of raised annuli comprises a plurality of raised cylinders extending from the upper surface of the bushed block of the contactor assembly insulating anodized layer on the upper surface of the bushed block; wherein the insulating anodized layer (para. 17 - exposed surfaces of the test socket 140 (e.g., those that contact a test board, IC, etc.) can be insulated (e.g., anodized) to prevent undesired electrical coupling) is removed from top surfaces of the plurality of raised cylinders and the plurality of ground pin openings within the plurality of raised cylinders (para. 22 - IC socket body 110 can be drilled to a diameter of a standard spring probe i.e., a ground pin assembly 205 having a ground probe 223 in a ground barrel 233).
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 of this title, 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) 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lesnikoski in view of Kinghorn et al. (US 20070075717).
Regarding claim 10, Lesnikoski teaches in figure(s) 1-4 the contactor assembly of Claim 9
Lesnikoski does not teach explicitly wherein the depressible probes are slanted, and wherein at least one of the first plurality of probe pin openings or the second plurality of probe pin openings are tilted at a corresponding angle relative to a surface of the bushed block to enable the contact pins of the depressible probes to protrude.
However, Kinghorn teaches in figure(s) 1-37 wherein the depressible probes are slanted (110A, 110B; figs. 9-11), and wherein at least one of the first plurality of probe pin openings or the second plurality of probe pin openings are tilted at a corresponding angle relative to a surface of the bushed block (100/1110) to enable the contact pins of the depressible probes to protrude.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Lesnikoski by having wherein the depressible probes are slanted, and wherein at least one of the first plurality of probe pin openings or the second plurality of probe pin openings are tilted at a corresponding angle relative to a surface of the bushed block to enable the contact pins of the depressible probes to protrude as taught by Kinghorn in order to provide "Strips of lateral contacts may be combined in an assembly to form a two dimensional array of lateral contacts" (para. 19).
Claim(s) 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lesnikoski in view of Hall et al. (US 20080309360).
Regarding claim 12, Lesnikoski teaches in figure(s) 1-4 the contactor assembly of Claim 9
Lesnikoski does not teach explicitly wherein a plurality of protrusions that are accommodated inside the array of bushing pockets the plurality of protrusions including a plurality of rods inserted into a plurality of holes.
However, Hall teaches in figure(s) 1-7 wherein a plurality of protrusions that are accommodated inside the array of bushing pockets (118,122; fig. 3 ) the plurality of protrusions including a plurality of rods (152,154; fig. 3) inserted into a plurality of holes.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Lesnikoski by having wherein a plurality of protrusions that are accommodated inside the array of bushing pockets the plurality of protrusions including a plurality of rods inserted into a plurality of holes as taught by Hall in order to provide "an alignment plate having a sufficient array to properly engage the SMC to be tested." (para. 8).
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Alcoe et al. (US 6051982) discloses "Electronic Component Test Apparatus With Rotational Probe And Conductive Spaced Apart Means".
Conclusion
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/AKM ZAKARIA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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