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 Objections
Claim 15 objected to for the informality, “wherein the tail portion having a horizontal pad portion,” which should be corrected to, “wherein the tail portion has a horizontal pad portion.”
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 14 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 9 introduces, “an elastic arm… the elastic arm having an upward portion, an inclined portion extending obliquely from the upward portion and a contacting portion bending from the inclined portion.” Therefore, the limitation of claim 14, “the elastic arm has an upward portion and an inclined portion extending obliquely from the upward portion,” appears to be a typo. For examination purposes, it will be interpreted as being omitted from the claim such that only claim 9 introduces this subject matter of the elastic arm.
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.
Claims 1-4, 6-8, and 15-17 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1)(a2) as being unpatentable over Lin (US 10658775).
Regarding claim 1: Lin (Figures 6-8) teaches a chip connector comprising: an insulative housing (i.e. 1) defining an upper face, a lower face, and a plurality of terminal grooves (i.e. 10) extending through the upper face and the lower face; and a plurality of conductive terminals (i.e. 2, 3) received in the terminal grooves respectively, each terminal comprising a fixing portion (i.e. 20), an elastic arm (i.e. 21) extending from the fixing portion, a tail portion (i.e. 201), and an accessory portion (i.e. 3), the elastic arm comprising an upward portion (i.e. 2113), an inclined portion (i.e. main length of 21) extending obliquely from the upward portion, and a contacting portion (i.e. 213) bending from the inclined portion; wherein the accessory portion comprises a slanting portion (i.e. 311) with a resisting portion (i.e. 313) at a free end thereof, the slanting portion faces and extends toward the fixing portion, and the inclined portion abuts against the resisting portion when the elastic arm is moved downwards.
Regarding claim 2: Lin (Figures 6-8) teaches the chip connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tail portion has a slot (i.e. 303), and the accessory portion has an accessory tail portion (i.e. 301) extending downwardly into the slot to connect with the tail portion.
Regarding claim 3: Lin (Figures 6-8) teaches the chip connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the accessory portion has a vertical portion (i.e. 30) facing the fixing portion and an expanding portion (i.e. connecting 30 and 311) extending upwardly and outwardly from the vertical portion, the expanding portion faces the vertical portion and is farther from the fixing portion than the vertical portion, the accessory tail portion extends downwardly from the vertical portion, and the slanting portion extends upwardly and obliquely from the expanding portion.
Regarding claim 4: Lin (Figures 6-8) teaches the chip connector as claimed in claim 3, wherein the accessory portion is connected with the fixing portion by a bridge portion (i.e. solder between second base and first base described in abstract line 8), and the bridge portion is located between the fixing portion and the vertical portion.
Regarding claim 6: Lin (Figures 6-8) teaches the chip connector as claimed in claim 4, wherein the tail portion comprises a solder pad portion (i.e. 202), and the solder pad portion is formed by bending from a lower end of the fixing portion firstly and then extending horizontally.
Regarding claim 7: Lin (Figures 6-8) teaches the chip connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the tail portion and the accessory tail portion are soldered to a circuit board by a solder ball (i.e. 4).
Regarding claim 8: Lin (Figures 6-8) teaches the chip connector as claimed in claim 4, wherein a plurality of barbs (i.e. protrusions formed on sides of 20, delimited by 2111 and 2010) are formed at a side edge (i.e. sides of 20) of the fixing portion away from the bridge portion.
Regarding claim 15: Lin (Figures 6-8) teaches a chip connector comprising: an insulative housing (i.e. 1) defining an upper face, a lower face, and a plurality of terminal grooves (i.e. 10) extending through the upper face and the lower face; and a plurality of conductive terminals (i.e. 2, 3) received in the terminal grooves respectively, each terminal comprising a fixing portion (i.e. 20), an elastic arm (i.e. 21) with a contacting portion (i.e. 213), a tail portion (i.e. 201), and an accessory portion (i.e. 3); wherein the tail portion having a horizontal pad portion (i.e. 202) with a slot (i.e. 303), and the accessory portion is at least partly received in the slot.
Regarding claim 16: Lin (Figures 3-8) teaches the chip connector as claimed in claim 15, wherein the elastic arm has an inclined portion (i.e. 212) with the contacting portion at a distal end thereof, the accessory portion has a resisting portion (i.e. 3130) arced downwards and located below the inclined portion, and the inclined portion resists against the resisting portion when the elastic arm is moved downwards.
Regarding claim 17: Lin (Figures 3-8) teaches the chip connector as claimed in claim 16, wherein the accessory portion has a vertical portion (i.e. 30), a tail portion (i.e. 301), an expanding portion (i.e. 311) extending upwardly and outwardly from the vertical portion, and a slanting portion (i.e. 313) with the resisting portion, the slanting portion extends upwardly and obliquely from the expanding portion, and the accessory tail portion extends downwardly from the vertical portion.
Claims 9-14 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1)(a2) as being unpatentable over D1 (CN 114256667).
Regarding claim 9: D1 (Figures 3-8) teaches a chip connector comprising: an insulative housing (i.e. 10) defining an upper face, a lower face, and a plurality of terminal grooves (i.e. 13) extending through the upper face and the lower face; and a plurality of conductive terminals (i.e. 20) received in the receiving grooves respectively, each terminal comprising a fixing portion (i.e. 21), an elastic arm (i.e. 25) extending from the fixing portion, a tail portion (i.e. 22), and an accessory portion (i.e. 3), the elastic arm having an upward portion (i.e. 253), an inclined portion (i.e. 252) extending obliquely from the upward portion and a contacting portion (i.e. 251) bending from the inclined portion; wherein the accessory portion is located perpendicular to the fixing portion and comprises a slanting portion (i.e. base of 35) with a resisting portion (i.e. 351) under the inclined portion, the inclined portion resists against the resisting portion when the elastic arm is moved downwards.
Regarding claim 10: D1 (Figures 3-8) teaches the chip connector as claimed in claim 9, wherein the fixing portion has a narrow portion (i.e. lower end of 21) near a lower end thereof and a wide portion (i.e. main portion of 21), and the accessory portion is connected with the narrow portion by a bridge portion (i.e. 32).
Regarding claim 11: D1 (Figures 3-8) teaches the chip connector as claimed in claim 10, wherein the accessory portion has a vertical portion (i.e. 31) and an expanding portion (i.e. 33) extending upwardly and outwardly from the vertical portion, and the expanding portion is in front of the wide portion.
Regarding claim 12: D1 (Figures 3-8) teaches the chip connector as claimed in claim 10, wherein a side edge of the narrow portion away from the bridge portion and a side edge of the wide portion over the bridge portion have one or more barbs (i.e. protrusions at the top of the narrow portion, and protrusions at middle of 31).
Regarding claim 13: D1 (Figures 3-8) teaches the chip connector as claimed in claim 10, wherein a strip connecting portion (i.e. 24) is linked to a side edge of the wide portion and is located over the barb of the narrow portion.
Regarding claim 14 (as understood): D1 (Figures 3-8) teaches the chip connector as claimed in claim 10, wherein the elastic arm has an upward portion and an inclined portion extending obliquely from the upward portion, the contacting portion is at a free end of the inclined portion, and the resisting portion is able to resist against the inclined portion when the elastic arm is moved downwards.
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 5 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin and D1.
Regarding claim 5: Lin teaches the chip connector as claimed in claim 4, but does not specifically teach wherein a strip connecting portion is linked to a side edge of the fixing portion by an upper end thereof spacing apart from the side edge of the fixing portion, and the strip connecting portion is located above the bridge portion.
However, D1 (Figures 3-8) teaches wherein a strip connecting portion (i.e. 24) is linked to a side edge of the fixing portion (i.e. 21) by an upper end thereof spacing apart from the side edge of the fixing portion, and the strip connecting portion is located above the bridge portion (i.e. 22).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the chip connector taught by Lin to have the strip connecting portion as taught by D1 so as to assist placing the terminals in the terminal slots.
Conclusion
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/GREGORY L MANGOT/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/CHRISTOPHER M KOEHLER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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