DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(B) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 11, 12, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 11, the limitation of “at least one third electrical connection member for respectively electrically connecting with at least one third signal terminal” is ambiguous because only first electrical connection is previously claimed and no “second” electrical connection is claimed. Consequently it is ambiguous whether the limitation requires a total of two electrical connection members or three electrical connection members.
The same ambiguity applies to claim 12.
The same ambiguity applies to claim 13 regarding a “fourth” electrical connection member.
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 anticipatory rejections under 35 U.S.C. 102 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.
Claims 1-3, 5, and 11-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ngo et al. US 10050395 (“Ngo”). Regarding claim 1, Ngo discloses a charging seat lead frame 22, comprising:
a frame body (including housing 50 and shroud 48) including a pair of support parts (labeled SPP in annotated figure 5E below, the inward protruding distal end of the shroud arms 48a-b)of ) formed thereon;
and
a first electrical connection member 42, including:
a first elastic clamp having a pair of elastic arms (44, labeled ELA below) exposed from the frame body and adapted to clamp a first signal terminal; and
a first connection part (at lead line 37 in figure 5E, labeled CNP below) fixed in the frame body and connected to the pair of elastic arms of the first elastic clamp,
each support part protrudes towards a respective end part of the elastic arms to limit the deformation amount of the elastic arms.
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Per claim 2 the frame body includes a main body (labeled FRMB above) and a pair of supporting arms (labeled FBSA above) extending from the main body, the pair of elastic arms are arranged between the pair of supporting arms; and
each support part is formed at the end of one of the support arms and protrudes at a
predetermined height towards the end part of the elastic arm.
Per claim 3 the first electrical connection member further comprises a pair of guiding wings (labeled ECGW above) connected to side edges of the pair of elastic arms and splayed outward to guide the first signal terminal to be inserted between the pair of elastic
arms.
Per claim 5 a contact protrusion (labeled COPR above) is formed on an inner side surface of each elastic arm and is adapted to electrically contact the first signal terminal inserted between the pair of elastic arms.
Per claim 11, Ngo discloses at least one third electrical connection member (two connection members in total) for respectively electrically connecting with at least one third signal terminal (see figure 1).
Per claim 12 the third electrical connection member comprises:
third elastic clamp (two in total) exposed from the frame body for clamping the third signal terminal;
a third connection part (two in total) fixed in the frame body and connected to the third elastic clamp; and a third output end (two in total, i.e., the portion connected to cable 24) connected to one end of the third connection part.
Per claim 13, Ngo discloses a fourth electrical connection member (two connection members in total) adapted to electrically connect with a temperature sensor installed on the frame body, comprising:
a fourth terminal part exposed from the frame body for electrical connection with (i.e., capable of connection with) the pin of the temperature sensor;
a fourth connection part (two connection parts in total) fixed in the frame body and connected to the fourth terminal part;
and a fourth output end (the portion connected to cable 24) which is connected to one end of the fourth connection part.
Per claim 14, an elastic locking buckle 55 is formed on the frame body and adapted to engage (i.e., capable of engaging with) with a charging seat housing to lock the charging seat lead frame to the charging seat housing.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 6-10 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. Claims 15-20 are allowable. Regarding claims 15 and 17, the prior art does not disclose the invention as claimed including “a resistor installed on the frame body of the charging seat lead frame . . . .”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROSS GUSHI whose telephone number is (571)272-2005. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday, 8:30 - 5:00.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christopher Koehler can be reached on 571-272-3560. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ROSS N GUSHI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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