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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Komiyama (US Patent Application Publication 20060228932 A1).
As per claim 1, Komiyama teaches a stacked connector (1, shown in figure 1), comprising: at least one first housing 10 that has a flat shape (shown in figure 9); and at least one second housing 11a that has a flat shape (shown in figure 9) and is stacked (shown in figure 1) on the first housing 10, wherein the first housing 10 and the second housing 11a have different shapes (seen in figure 4 and 5) and are alternately stacked (shown in figure 1) in a stacking direction (an up-down direction), the first housing 10 has a first elastic locking piece 25a that is elastically deformable (along 25a or 25b) and extends (seen in figure 1) in a cantilever-like shape (along 25a or 25b) in a direction orthogonal to the stacking direction (an up-down direction) in which the first housing 10 and the second housing 11a are stacked (shown in figure 1), and a first locking portion (23a, 23b, or 23c) that is not elastically deformable (23a, 23b, or 23c, shown in figure 10), the second housing 11a has a second elastic locking piece 25b that is elastically deformable (along 25a or 25b) and extends (seen in figure 1) in a cantilever-like shape (along 25a or 25b) in a direction that intersects the stacking direction (an up-down direction), and a second locking portion 19b that is not elastically deformable (23a, 23b, or 23c, shown in figure 10), the first housing 10 and the second housing 11a are held in a stacked state (shown in figure 1) by the first elastic locking piece 25a and the second locking portion 19b engaging with each other or the second elastic locking piece 25b and the first locking portion (23a, 23b, or 23c) engaging with each other, the second locking portion 19b is locked to the first elastic locking piece 25a of the first housing 10 stacked (shown in figure 1) on one side in the stacking direction (an up-down direction) at a position on one side in a direction that intersects the stacking direction (an up-down direction), the second elastic locking piece 25b is locked to the first locking portion (23a, 23b, or 23c) of the first housing 10 stacked (shown in figure 1) on the other side in the stacking direction (an up-down direction) at a position on the other side in the direction that intersects the stacking direction (an up-down direction), the first locking portion (23a, 23b, or 23c) is locked to the second elastic locking piece 25b of the second housing 11a stacked (shown in figure 1) on one side in the stacking direction (an up-down direction) at a position on one side in a direction that intersects the stacking direction (an up-down direction), and the first elastic locking piece 25a is locked to the second locking portion 19b of the second housing 11a stacked (shown in figure 1) on the other side in the stacking direction (an up-down direction) at a position on the other side in the direction that intersects the stacking direction (an up-down direction).
As per claim 2, Komiyama teaches a stacked connector (1, shown in figure 1), wherein the first elastic locking piece 25a is disposed along an outer surface (along 25a or 25b) that is parallel to the stacking direction (an up-down direction), of the first housing 10, and the second elastic locking piece 25b is disposed along an outer surface (along 25a or 25b) that is parallel to the stacking direction (an up-down direction), of the second housing 12c.
As per claim 3, Komiyama teaches a stacked connector (1, shown in figure 1), wherein a relative movement direction (to 11a, 11b, 11c) in which the first housing 10 and the second housing 11a move relative to each other when the first elastic locking piece 25a engages with the second locking portion 19b or when the second elastic locking piece 25b engages with the first locking portion (23a, 23b, or 23c) is parallel to a direction in which the first elastic locking piece 25a and the second elastic locking piece 25b extend (seen in figure 1).
As per claim 4, Komiyama teaches a stacked connector (1, shown in figure 1), wherein the first housing 10 and the second housing 11a are each provided with a guide portion (21b, 22b) that extends (seen in figure 1) in a direction parallel to the relative movement direction (to 11a, 11b, 11c) of the first housing 10 and the second housing 12c.
As per claim 5, Komiyama teaches a stacked connector (1, shown in figure 1), wherein a guide length (along 21b, 22b) of each guide portion (21b, 22b) is shorter than a total length of the first housing 10 or a total length of the second housing 11a in a lengthwise direction of the guide portion (21b, 22b).
As per claim 6, Komiyama teaches a stacked connector (1, shown in figure 1), wherein the first housing 10 and the second housing 11a are each provided with a terminal housing portion (14a, 14b, or 14c) that houses a terminal fitting (30a, 30b, and 30c) in such a manner that the terminal fitting (30a, 30b, and 30c) is exposed in the stacking direction (an up-down direction).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NELSON R BURGOS-GUNTIN whose telephone number is (571)270-0574. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00am-5:00PM, Monday-Friday.
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, Abdullah A. Riyami can be reached on (571)270-3119. 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.
/Nelson R. Burgos-Guntin/Examiner, Art Unit 2831 /ABDULLAH A RIYAMI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831
Prosecution Insights