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 § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
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 1, 3-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over applicant cited Burris et al (US2008/0293298) in view of applicant cited Swantner et al (US2005/0059275).
A connector assembly (fig. 2 at 100) comprising:
a housing (fig. 3) for storing components of the connector assembly (figures 2, 5, 8 & 9);
a cable (138) including a cable center conductor (142), wherein the cable center conductor is configured as a signal conductor (¶0004 last sentence);
a first dielectric (“insulator 140”); and
an alignment dielectric (“insulator 166”), wherein each of the first dielectric and the alignment dielectric includes a path to guide the cable center conductor (e.g., fig. 2 unnumbered) through an angle to a printed circuit board as the cable is axially inserted into the housing (fig. 2 proximate 116, 118, 120 & 124; figures 4E to 4H).
Burris discloses connector housing parts that could be dielectric (¶0009 “Typically, a fabricated center conductor is captured within the connector body and insulated with various dielectric configurations.”). Burris does not specify that the first and alignment insulators are a dielectric.
Swantner discloses (fig. 3) an angled or right-angle signal connector (“connector 10”) with dielectric housing and alignment parts (“first dielectric (18)” & “second dielectric (34)”). At the time the invention was made it would have been well known to one of ordinary skill to design the connector housing parts of Burris with dielectric parts as taught and suggested by Swantner. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the electrical connector art to substitute one known element (insulative housing parts) for another known equivalent element (dielectric housing parts) resulting in the predictable result of forming electrical connectivity for the right-angle connector.
Burris also does not specify connection to a printed circuit board.
Swantner teaches a printed circuit board to which a “connector 10” is mounted (¶0021). At the time the invention was made it would have been well within the ordinary skills of an artisan in the electrical connector art to connect the connector of Burris to a printed circuit board as taught by Swantner. This obviousness combination is similar to the example case law KSR rationale A; combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
Claim 3 Burris discloses the connector assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one alignment member (arrows pointing) configured to ensure that the path in the first dielectric remain in proper orientation when the first dielectric is inserted into the housing (see sectional of figure 2 below with arrows).
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Claim 4 Burris discloses the connector assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one alignment member (see bottom arrow in sectional above) configured to maintain alignment of the first dielectric with the path in the alignment dielectric.
Claim 5 Burris in view of Swantner discloses the connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the cable is configured to mount to the printed circuit board and the cable center conductor is connectable to the printed circuit board (Swantner ¶0021).
Claim 6 Burris discloses the connector of claim 1, wherein the connector assembly further comprises an orientation member that orients the first dielectric (arrows in sectional above).
Claim 7 Burris discloses the connector assembly of claim 6, wherein the orientation member is configured to ensure orientation of the first dielectric when the first dielectric is inserted into the housing (arrows above ,especially lower arrow, shows orientation of 140).
Claim 8 Burris discloses the connector assembly of claim 7, wherein the orientation member is further configured to ensure that the first dielectric maintains proper orientation to the path on the alignment dielectric (orientation member ensures 142 can easily enter openings in dielectric members).
Claims 11-12, 14-17 & 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over applicant cited Burris et al (US2008/0293298) in view of applicant cited Weidner et al (US2007/0111596).
A connector assembly (fig. 2 at 100) comprising,
a housing (fig. 3) including multiple ports, wherein the housing is configured to store components of the connector assembly (figures 2, 5, 8 & 9);
a cable (138) including a cable center conductor (142), wherein the cable center conductor is configured as a signal conductor (¶0004 last sentence); and
a first dielectric (“insulator 140”) and an alignment dielectric (“insulator 166”), wherein each of the first dielectric and the alignment dielectric includes a path to guide the cable center conductor (e.g., fig. 2 unnumbered) through an angle to a printed circuit board, as the cable is axially inserted into the housing (fig. 2 proximate 116, 118, 120 & 124; figures 4E to 4H).
Burris discloses connector housing parts that could be dielectric (¶0009 “Typically, a fabricated center conductor is captured within the connector body and insulated with various dielectric configurations.”). Burris does not specify that the first and alignment insulators are a dielectric.
Weidner discloses (figures 5 & 6) an angled or right-angle signal connector (102) with housing and a dielectric alignment part (172, fig. 5). At the time the invention was made it would have been well known to one of ordinary skill to design the connector housing parts of Burris with dielectric parts as taught and suggested by Weidner. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the electrical connector art to substitute one known element (insulative housing parts) for another known equivalent element (dielectric housing parts) resulting in the predictable result of forming electrical connectivity for the right-angle connector.
Burris also does not specify connection to a printed circuit board.
Weidner teaches a printed circuit board (“circuit board 104”) to which a connector 102 is mounted (fig. 1). At the time the invention was made it would have been well within the ordinary skills of an artisan in the electrical connector art to connect the connector of Burris to a printed circuit board as taught by Swantner. This obviousness combination is similar to the example case law KSR rationale A; combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
Burris also does not disclose multiple ports.
Weidner discloses multiple ports (fig. 1). At the time the invention was made it would have been within the skills of one or ordinary skill in the electrical connector art to increase the number of ports of Burris from one to a plurality of ports as taught by Weidner. A motivation for this increase in ports of Burris would be to increase functionality of the invention; increase how much it can be used. Case law has held that that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
Claim 12 Weidner discloses the connector assembly of claim 11, wherein each of the multiple ports includes the first dielectric (figures 4 & 5).
Claim 14 Burris discloses the connector assembly of claim 11, further comprising at least one alignment member (arrows pointing) configured to ensure that the path in the first dielectric remain in each of the ports remain in proper orientation when the first dielectric is inserted into the housing (see sectional of figure 2 below with arrows).
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Claim 15 Burris discloses the connector assembly of claim 11, further comprising at least one alignment member (see bottom arrow in sectional above) configured to maintain alignment of the first dielectric in each of the ports with a path in the alignment dielectric.
Claim 16 Burris discloses the connector assembly of claim 11, wherein the cable is configured to mount to the printed circuit board and the cable center conductor is connectable to the printed circuit board (Weidner fig. 1 at 106).
Claim 17 Burris discloses the connector assembly of claim 11, further comprising a dielectric alignment member in each port (arrows pointing to alignment member in sectional), wherein the dielectric alignment members are configured to ensure orientation of the first dielectric when the first dielectric is inserted into the housing.
Claim 20 Burris discloses the connector assembly of claim 11, wherein the connector assembly further comprises an orientation member that orients the first dielectric (arrows in sectional above).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 9-10, 13, 18-19 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Flaherty, IV et al discloses a right angle connector with ports, a PCB and dielectric insulative housing sections.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Michael C Zarroli whose telephone number is (571)272-2101. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9-5 ET IFP.
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MICHAEL C. ZARROLI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3658B
/MICHAEL C ZARROLI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3658 /M.C.Z/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3658