DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to the application filed on May 6, 2024.
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
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 and 3-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wang, et al. (CN-106374282-A).
With respect to Claim 1:
Wang discloses a charging connector, comprising:
a charging socket body 3 (Fig. 3: the leftmost section of housing 3);
multiple terminals 4 disposed in the charging socket body 3 (Fig. 3);
a hollow housing (Fig. 3: the rightmost section of housing 3) connected to the charging socket body 3 (Fig. 3); and
multiple cables 14 running in the housing (Figs. 3-4), an end portion of each of the cables 14 is detachably connected to a corresponding terminal 4 by a terminal connector 15 (Fig. 3).
With respect to Claim 3:
Wang discloses the charging connector according to claim 1.
Wang also discloses wherein the charging socket body 3 is perpendicular to the housing (Fig. 3), and the terminal 4 is perpendicular to a front end of the cable 14 (Fig. 3).
With respect to Claim 4:
Wang discloses the charging connector according to claim 1.
Wang also discloses wherein the charging connector further comprises a shield shell 6 disposed in the housing (Fig. 3), and at least one of the cables 14 runs through the shield shell 6 (Figs. 3-4).
With respect to Claim 5:
Wang discloses the charging connector according to claim 4.
Wang also discloses wherein the shield shell 6 comprises a first port and a second port (Fig. 3: there are two shield shells 6), the at least one of the cables 14 runs through the shield shell 6 through the first port and the second port (Figs. 3-4), the first port is sealingly joined with the charging socket body 3, and the second port is sealingly joined with the cable 14 running through the shield shell 6 (Fig. 4).
With respect to Claim 6:
Wang discloses the charging connector according to claim 5.
Wang also discloses wherein the cables 14 are provided with a shield mesh 12 (Fig. 3), and the shield mesh 12 is electrically connected to the shield shell 6 (Figs. 3-4).
With respect to Claim 7:
Wang discloses the charging connector according to claim 5.
Wang also discloses wherein the multiple cables 14 comprise a charging wire and a data wire, the charging wire and the data wire run through the shield shell 6 (Fig. 3), and the charging wire and the data wire are sealingly joined with the second port by an insulator 8 (Figs. 3-4).
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 2 and 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang, et al. (CN-106374282-A) in view of Zeng, et al. (CN-207490169-U).
With respect to Claim 2:
Wang discloses the charging connector according to claim 1.
Wang does not explicitly disclose wherein the terminal connector comprises a connecting head and a connecting rod that are connected to each other, the connecting rod is welded or crimped to a conductor of the cable, and the connecting head is threadedly connected to the terminal.
Zeng teaches a charging connector comprising cables 1, the cables comprise terminal connectors 8, the terminal connector comprises an equivalent connecting head (Figs. 1-2: the part of 8 which wraps around 1) and connecting rod (Fig. 2: the leftmost end of 8) that are connected to each other (Figs. 1-2), the connecting rod is crimped to a conductor of the cable 1 (Figs. 1-2), and the connecting head is threadedly connected to the terminal 4 (Figs. 1-2: threadedly connected via screws 9).
Thus, Wang and Zeng each disclose charging connectors. A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the crimped terminal connectors and screws of Zeng could be combined with the cables of Wang because it would ensure a more mechanically secure electrical connection. Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to carry out the modification.
With respect to Claim 10:
Wang discloses the charging connector according to claim 1.
Wang does not explicitly disclose wherein the charging socket body is detachably connected to the housing.
However, Zeng teaches a charging connector comprising a socket body 6 and a housing 3, wherein the socket body 6 is detachably connected to the housing 3 (Fig. 2).
Thus, Wang and Zeng each disclose charging connectors. A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the detachable housing of Zeng could be combined with the housing and socket body of Wang because it would allow for the parts to be manufactured separately. Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to carry out the modification.
With respect to Claim 11:
Wang in view of Zeng discloses the charging connector according to claim 10.
Wang also discloses wherein the charging connector further comprises a snap ring 11, the snap ring 11 has two opposite ends (Fig. 3), the two ends of the snap ring 11 are both rotatably connected to the charging socket body (Fig. 3: 11 rotates by pivoting about 305), an outer wall of the housing is provided with a snap block 306, and the snap ring 11 is rotated to be tightly snap-fitted with or separated from the snap block 306 (Fig. 5: 11 is provided with a hanging part 1102 which snap-fits to hanging point 306).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-9 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 8, allowability resides, at least in part, with the prior art, taken alone or in combination not showing or fairly teaching or suggesting “wherein the multiple cables comprise a ground wire, and the ground wire is located outside the shield shell,” as recited in claim 8, in conjunction with all the remaining limitations of the base claims. The prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest these limitations as substantially described in claim 8. These limitations, in combination with remaining limitations of claim 8, are neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record, before claim 1 is allowable.
Claim 9 is dependent on claim 8 and therefore would be allowable.
Conclusion
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/AMARA ANDERSON/Examiner, Art Unit 2831 /ABDULLAH A RIYAMI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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