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 .
Claims 1-8 are pending.
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.
(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) 1-2 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Guo (US 20210194183).
Regarding claim 1, Guo discloses an electric connector (electric connector assembly 100, Fig. 1) comprising: a plurality of first electric wires (cables 20, Fig. 2) each extending along a first direction and arranged side by side along a second direction intersecting the first direction (see Fig. 2); and a housing (insulated body 10, Fig. 2) including a plurality of first holding holes (through holes 11, Fig. 2) each extending and penetrating along the first direction and arranged side by side along the second direction (Fig. 2), wherein a conductor of a tip portion (fisheye 31, 41, Fig. 3) of each of the plurality of first electric wires is housed in each of the plurality of first holding holes (Fig. 2, Par. 0038), the plurality of first holding holes hold the plurality of first electric wires such that tips of the plurality of first electric wires are exposed on a front surface of the housing (Par. 0038, “The cables 20 pass through the through holes 11 from one of two ends 12 of the insulated body 10, and the signal terminals 30 and the grounding terminals 40 pass out of the insulated body 10 from the other end of the two ends 13 of the insulated body 10”), and the housing is provided with a first guide portion (see Fig. 2, end face 12 guides cables 20 into through holes 11) configured to, while supporting the plurality of first electric wires, introduce each of the plurality of first electric wires into each of the plurality of first holding holes toward the front surface of the housing (Fig. 1-2 and Par. 0038).
Regarding claim 2, Guo discloses the electric connector according to claim 1, wherein the housing is configured such that a region of the first guide portion where the plurality of first electric wires are supported is visually recognizable (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 7, Guo discloses the electric connector according to claim 1, further comprising a first coating member (insulation layer 22, Fig. 4) coating at least portions excluding tip portions of the plurality of first electric wires (Fig. 3), wherein the plurality of first electric wires are integrated by the first coating member (Par. 0042, “The insulation layer 22 respectively encloses the two of the signal terminals 30”).
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.
Claim(s) 3-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Guo (US 20210194183) in view of Kobayashi et al. (US 20180342831), hereinafter Kobayashi.
Regarding claim 3, Guo discloses the electric connector according to claim 1.
However, Guo fails to disclose wherein the first guide portion is provided with a groove leading to each of the plurality of first holding holes.
Kobayashi teaches wherein the first guide portion (guide portion 25a, Fig. 7) is provided with a groove (groove 29, Fig. 10B) leading to each of the plurality of first holding holes (Fig. 7).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of Kobayashi to modify the invention of the Guo to provide the first guide member with a groove leading to each of the first holding holes. One would be motivated to make this modification in order to guide each wire smoother and securely into its corresponding holding hole.
Regarding claim 4, Guo discloses the electric connector according to claim 3.
However, Guo fails to disclose wherein an end portion adjacent to the groove of each of the plurality of first holding holes is provided with a taper.
Kobayashi teaches wherein an end portion adjacent to the groove of each of the plurality of first holding holes is provided with a taper (Par. 0039, “tapered guide portions 25a and 25b which face to the center in the axial direction of the insertion hole 25 and are tapered are formed”, Fig. 10B).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of Kobayashi to modify the invention of the Guo to provide an end portion adjacent to the groove of each of the holding holes with a taper. One would be motivated to make this modification in order to guide each wire smoother and securely into its corresponding holding hole.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-6 and 8 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 5, allowability resides, at least in part, with the prior art not fairly showing, suggesting, or teaching the electric connector according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of second electric wires each extending along the first direction and arranged side by side along the second direction, wherein the housing further includes a plurality of second holding holes each extending and penetrating along the first direction and arranged side by side along the second direction, and the plurality of second holding holes are located in a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction with respect to the plurality of first holding holes, a conductor of a tip portion of each of the plurality of second electric wires is housed in each of the plurality of second holding holes, the plurality of second holding holes hold the plurality of second electric wires such that tips of the plurality of second electric wires are exposed on the front surface of the housing, a second guide portion configured to, while supporting the plurality of second electric wires, introduce each of the plurality of second electric wires into each of the plurality of second holding holes toward the front surface of the housing is formed in the housing, and the first guide portion and the second guide portion are formed in a staircase-like shape such that the second guide portion is located farther from the front surface of the housing in the first direction than the first guide portion is, as recited in claim 5. These limitations are neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record taken alone or in combination.
Regarding claim 6, allowability resides, at least in part, with the prior art not fairly showing, suggesting, or teaching the electric connector according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of third electric wires each extending along the first direction and arranged side by side along the second direction, wherein the housing further includes a plurality of third holding holes each extending and penetrating along the first direction and arranged side by side along the second direction, and the plurality of third holding holes are located in a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction with respect to the plurality of first holding holes, a conductor of a tip portion of each of the plurality of third electric wires is housed in each of the plurality of third holding holes, the plurality of third holding holes hold the plurality of third electric wires such that tips of the plurality of third electric wires are exposed on the front surface of the housing, a third guide portion configured to, while supporting the plurality of third electric wires, introduce each of the plurality of third electric wires into each of the plurality of third holding holes toward the front surface of the housing is formed in the housing, and the third guide portion faces an opposite side to a side that the first guide portion faces, as recited in claim 6. These limitations are neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record taken alone or in combination. Claim 8 is dependent on claim 6 and is therefore allowable for the same reasons.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Mongold et al. (US 20210305740) discloses a cable connector system including a stacked set of cables consisting of cables and end portions terminating at a board.
Peloza et al. (US 20200083627) discloses a connector assembly comprising cables guiding into tapered holes to be soldered.
O’Sullivan (US 6,217,374) discloses an electrical connector including an insulated housing and a guide member having grooves for terminals to be disposed for soldering onto wires.
Chiang (US 5,816,829) discloses an electrical connector having arrays of terminal for a multi-conductor cable including a dielectric housing and a dielectric terminal seat.
Tsuzaki (US 20140023323) discloses an optical connector including a cable passing through a housing wherein a tapered guided portion is present to guide the cable into the through hole.
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/JEFFREY MOUNTAIN/ Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TULSIDAS C PATEL/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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