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 .
35 USC 102 Rejections
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) 1-9 and 11-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ju 7214081.
Regarding claim 1, Ju (Figures 8 and 9) discloses a connector, comprising: a housing 1 defining multiple first terminal slots (Figure 8) arranged and spaced in a transverse direction of the housing; multiple first terminals 31 inserted into respective ones of the multiple first terminal slots; and a top cover 20 installed on a top of the housing and rotatably connected to the multiple first terminals, the top cover rotatable between an opened position and a closed position.
Regarding claim 2, Ju discloses multiple second terminals 43 inserted into respective multiple second terminal slots (Figure 9) formed in the housing 1 and spaced in the transverse direction.
Regarding claim 3, Ju discloses the housing 1 defines a circuit board slot adapted to receive a circuit board 5 and extending in the transverse direction and a longitudinal direction of the housing, the circuit board slot in communication with the multiple first terminal slots and the multiple second terminal slots.
Regarding claim 4, Ju discloses a circuit board 5 inserted into the circuit board slot and electrically contacting the multiple first terminals 31 and the multiple second terminals 43.
Regarding claim 5, Ju discloses the circuit board 5 is a flexible printed circuit board.
Regarding claim 6, Ju discloses a top wall of the housing 1 defines multiple openings (unnumbered) in communication with the circuit board slot; multiple protrusions 25 corresponding to the multiple 20openings are formed on the top cover ; and when the top cover is in the closed position, the multiple protrusions are inserted into the multiple openings and are adapted to apply a predetermined pressing force on the circuit board 5 to ensure reliable electrical contact between the circuit board and the second terminals 43.
Regarding claim 7, Ju discloses the multiple first terminal slots and the multiple second terminal slots are arranged in a row along the transverse direction of the housing 1; and the first terminal slots and the second terminal slots extend along a longitudinal direction and a height direction of the housing.
Regarding claim 8, Ju discloses there is at least one second terminal slot between any two adjacent first terminal slots, so that there is at least one second terminal between any two adjacent first terminals.
Regarding claim 9, Ju discloses each of the first terminals 31 includes a connecting part (above 25 in Figure 8) exposed from the top wall of the housing 1 and rotatably connected to one side of the top cover 20.
Regarding claim 11, Ju discloses each of the first terminals 31 further includes: a first fixing part (right end in Figure 8) which is fixed in the first terminal slot; and a cantilever portion (lower resilient beam in Figure 8) which is connected to the first fixing part and suspended in the first terminal slot, a contact protrusion is formed on the end of the cantilever portion and is adapted to electrically contact the circuit board 5.
Regarding claim 12, Ju discloses the first fixing part includes: an upper support arm 31; a lower support arm; and a connecting arm connected between rear ends of the upper support arm and the lower support arm, the connecting part is connected to a front end of the upper support arm.
Regarding claim 13, Ju discloses each of the second terminals 43 includes: a second fixing part (lower left end in Figure 9) fixed in the second terminal slot; and a first cantilever portion (lower beam 4) connected to the second fixing part and suspended in the second terminal slot, a first electrical contact is formed on the first cantilever portion, and is adapted to electrically contact the inserted circuit board 5.
Regarding claim 14, Ju discloses each of the second terminals 43 further includes a second cantilever portion (upper resilient beam) connected to the second fixing part and suspended in the second terminal slot, a second electrical contact is formed on the second cantilever portion and is adapted to electrically contact the inserted circuit board 5.
Regarding claim 15, Ju discloses the first electrical contact 31 and the second electrical contact 43 are spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction of the housing, and the first cantilever portion is located below the second cantilever portion.
35 USC 103 Rejections
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) 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ju as applied to claim 9 above, and further in view of Sasaki et al 8672698.
Sasaki et al (Figure 2B) discloses a C-shaped snap slot 30 is formed on the connecting part, an insertion slot is formed on one side of the top cover 400, and the top cover has a pivot shaft 431 connected between a pair of inner walls of the insertion slot; and the connecting part is inserted into the insertion slot of the top cover, and the pivot shaft is rotatably engaged in the C-shaped snap slot, so that the top cover can rotate around the central axis of the pivot shaft, and to provide Ju with a C-shaped snap slot thus would have been obvious, to facilitate pivoting of the top cover.
Claim(s) 16 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ju as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Sasaki et al 8628343.
Regarding claim 16, Sasaki et al (Figure 2A) discloses the top cover C includes: a cover plate 5; and an elastic buckle 18 formed on the cover plate, a snap slot 19 is formed on the housing and engages with the elastic buckle, so as to lock the top cover in the closed position, and to provide Ju with such structure thus would have been obvious, to prevent inadvertent movement of the top cover.
Regarding claim 17, Sasaki et al discloses the cover plate 5 has a first side and a second side opposite to each other in its width direction, the first side of the cover plate is rotatably connected to the multiple first terminals, and the elastic buckle 15 is formed at the second side of the cover plate.
Claim(s) 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ju as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Okamura 7736164.
Okamura (Figure 2) discloses the multiple first terminals 30 are grounding terminals, and the multiple second terminals 20 are signal terminals, and to use the first and second terminals of Ju as grounding terminals and signal terminals, respectively, thus would have been obvious, to prevent crosstalk.
Claims Defining Over Prior Art
Claims 18 and 19 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: none of the prior art discloses or teaches the first elastic buckle and first snap slot being located in a middle position; in combination with the rest of the subject matter of the independent claim and any intervening claims.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GARY F PAUMEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2013. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th.
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/GARY F PAUMEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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