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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 7, the limitation “the one of the pair of opposite side edges of the first flat body that is not provided with the first grounding arms of the each of the another pair of first grounding members abuts against a side of each of the second holding portions.” is unclear.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1-5, 7-8, 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by Chen (US 2017/0179651).
Regarding claims 1 and 20, Chen discloses a device, comprising:
a connector housing (10);
a row of terminals disposed in the housing, the row of terminals has a pair of signal terminals (202’) and a pair of grounding terminals (202”) located on opposite sides of the pair of the signal terminals; and
a grounding member (30) having a flat body (31) extending across the row of terminals to at least partially cover the pair of signal terminals, the grounding member has a plurality of grounding arms (32) extending from a plane of the flat body, each of the grounding arms abuts against one of the grounding terminals.
Regarding claim 2, Chen discloses a holding member (23) disposed in the housing, the row of terminals is disposed on the holding member, the holding member has:
a first holding portion through which the pair of the signal terminals extend; and
a pair of second holding portions disposed on opposite sides of the first holding portion and protruding beyond the first holding portion, each of the grounding terminals extends through one of the second holding portions.
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Regarding claim 3, Chen discloses the row of terminals includes a row of first terminals (202) and a row of second terminals (203) located below, aligned with, and separated from the row of first terminals, each first terminal of the row of the first terminals has:
a first section (2023) extending in a horizontal direction;
a second section extending in a vertical direction upwards from the first section;
a third section extending in the horizontal direction away from the first section;
a fourth section extending obliquely from the third section towards the row of second terminals; and
a connecting section obliquely connected between the second section and the third section.
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Regarding claim 4, Chen discloses each second terminal of the row of second terminals has:
a first portion extending in the horizontal direction away from the first section and coplanar with the first section;
a second portion extending in the vertical direction upwards from the first portion;
a third portion extending in the horizontal direction from the second portion away from the first section; and
a fourth portion extending obliquely from the third portion towards the row of first terminals.
Regarding claim 5, Chen discloses the grounding member has a first grounding member (30) with a flat first body (31) and a plurality of separate first grounding arms (32) provided on and along one of a pair of opposite side edges of the flat first body.
Regarding claim 7, Chen discloses the grounding member has another pair (30, 40) of first grounding members respectively provided on opposite sides of each of the second holding portions of each of the holding members, the one of the pair of opposite side edges of the first flat body that is not provided with the first grounding arms of the each of the another pair of first grounding members abuts against a side of each of the second holding portions.
Regarding claim 8, Chen discloses the first grounding arms of one of the another pair of first grounding members that is disposed on the row of the second terminals respectively abut against each corresponding one of the grounding terminals in a vicinity of a connecting point between the second portion and the third portion.
Regarding claim 19, Chen discloses the holding member is one of a pair of holding members (21, 22, Fig. 9) that are assembled together with a protrusion disposed on one of the holding members and a recess disposed on the other of the holding members.
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Claims 1-2, 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by Liong et al. (US 2020/0212632).
Regarding claims 1, Liong et al. disclose a connector (Figs. 13-18), comprising:
a housing (37);
a row of terminals disposed in the housing, the row of terminals has a pair of signal terminals (S1) and a pair of grounding terminals (G1) located on opposite sides of the pair of the signal terminals; and
a grounding member (36) having a flat body (366) extending across the row of terminals to at least partially cover the pair of signal terminals, the grounding member has a plurality of grounding arms (360) extending from a plane of the flat body, each of the grounding arms abuts against one of the grounding terminals.
Regarding claim 2, Liong et al. discloses a holding member (a part of the housing where holes 31 are formed) disposed in the housing, the row of terminals is disposed on the holding member, the holding member has:
a first holding portion (at 31) through which the pair of the signal terminals extend; and
a pair of second holding portions (32) disposed on opposite sides of the first holding portion and protruding beyond the first holding portion, each of the grounding terminals extends through one of the second holding portions.
Regarding claim 16, Liong et al. disclose the row of terminals includes two rows of third terminals (34) that are in mirror symmetry (see Fig. 18), aligned with and separated from each other, each third terminal of the rows of the third terminals includes:
a first segment (386) extending in a horizontal direction;
a second segment (384) extending in a vertical direction upwards from the first segment; and
a third segment (un-numbered, at G1 in Fig. 18) extending obliquely from the second segment away from the first segment.
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.
Claims 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liong et al. (US 2020/0212632) in view of Chen (US 2017/0179651).
Liong et al. substantially disclosed the claimed invention except through holes are in the flat body of the third grounding member for receiving a protrusion on the holding member.
Chen teaches a grounding member has a through hole (33) for receiving a protrusion (206) of the holding member (20).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to provide a through hole and protrusion structure into Liong’s connector, as taught by Chen for properly positioning the grounding member onto the holding member.
Claims 6 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (US 2017/0179651) in view of Liong et al. (US 2020/0212632).
Regarding claims 6 and 9, Chen substantially disclosed the claimed invention except the grounding member is positioned in a vicinity of the terminal’s vertical portion.
Liong et al. teach a grounding member (36) is positioned in a vicinity of the terminal’s vertical portion (384, see Fig. 16).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to arrange the grounding member by the terminal’s vertical portion of Chen’s connector, as taught by Liong et al. grounding.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-15 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRUC T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2011. The examiner can normally be reached monday-friday (7-4).
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/TRUC T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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