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.
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) 1, 2, 6, 7, 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Guo et al. (US 9847604 B2) in view of CN 106936003 A.
In regard to claims 1, 7, Guo et al. discloses an electronic connector assembly comprising:
a female connector 100 comprising
a first housing 5;
a terminal base mounted in the first housing 5 and comprising an insulation base 20 and at least one terminal assembly 31 mounted on a tongue 212 formed on the insulation base 20; and
a hard wall 4 embedded in two opposite sides and a front side of the tongue 212, being harder than the tongue 212, and comprising
two sidewalls 42 partially embedded respective in the two opposite sides of the tongue 212, and each sidewall 42 having a notch 47 defined in at least one position corresponding to the two opposite sides of the tongue and exposed from the tongue; and
a front wall 41 embedded in the front side of the tongue 212 and located between the two sidewalls 42 of the hard wall 4;
wherein each sidewall of the hard wall 4 has two notches 47 defined respectively at two positions corresponding respectively to the two opposite sides of the tongue and exposed from the tongue.
However, Guo does not disclose
a male connector selectively inserted into the female connector and comprising
a casing;
a resilient terminal mount mounted in the casing and comprising an insulation socket and at least one resilient terminal assembly mounted in the insulation socket, wherein when the male connector is inserted into the female connector, the at least one resilient terminal assembly contacts the at least one metal terminal assembly of the female connector; and
a locking element mounted in the insulation socket, being adjacent to one of two inner sidewalls of the insulation socket, wherein when the male connector is inserted into the female connector, the locking element is engaged with the notch defined in a corresponding one of the sidewalls of the hard wall; and
a notch 47 of Guo et al. does not define in at least one position corresponding to a top surface or a bottom surface of the tongue.
CN 106936003 A discloses
a male connector 100 selectively inserted into a female connector and comprising
a casing 4;
a resilient terminal 2 mount mounted in the casing 4 and comprising an insulation socket 1 and at least one resilient terminal assembly mounted in the insulation socket 1, wherein when the male connector 100 is inserted into the female connector, the at least one resilient terminal assembly contacts the at least one metal terminal assembly of the female connector; and
a locking element 3 mounted in the insulation socket 1, being adjacent to one of two inner sidewalls of the insulation socket 1, wherein when the male connector is inserted into the female connector, the locking element 3 is engaged with the notch defined in a corresponding one of the female connector;
the locking element 3 defined in at least one position corresponding to a top surface or a bottom surface of the tongue 13;
and the male connector 100 is implemented as two locking elements 3, and each locking element 3 of the male connection 100 has two engagement portions (at the front end of 3) engagement respectively the notches in a corresponding one of the female connector.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the invention of Guo et al. by constructing the notch 47 of Guo et al. facing in at least one position corresponding to a top surface or a bottom surface of the tongue so that it can engage an engagement portion of a male connector as disclosed by CN 106936003 A for the intended use.
In regard to claims 2 and 6, Guo does not disclose the hard wall 4 is composed of two metal plates, and a connection of the two metal plates is located at one of the two sidewalls or the front wall of the hard wall.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the invention of Guo et al. by making the one-piece hard wall 4 of Guo et al. into plural pieces since applicant has not disclosed that having two metal plates instead of one-piece hard wall 4 as disclosed by Guo et al. solves any stated problem or is for any particular purpose and it appears that the female connector would perform equally well with the one-piece hard wall and further, it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to make singular part as plural parts as a matter of obvious engineering choice. Nerwin v. Erlichman, 168 USPQ 177, 179 (PTO Bd. Of Int. 1969).
In regard to claim 17 discloses the hard wall 4 is electrically connected with a positive potential, a negative potential, or a signal source.
Claim(s) 18, 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Guo et al..
In regard to claim 18, Guo et al. discloses an electronic connector assembly comprising:
a female connector 100 comprising
a first housing 5;
a terminal base mounted in the first housing 5 and comprising an insulation base 20 and at least one terminal assembly 31 mounted on a tongue 212 formed on the insulation base 20; and
a hard wall 4 embedded in two opposite sides and a front side of the tongue 212, being harder than the tongue 212, and comprising
two sidewalls 42 partially embedded respective in the two opposite sides of the tongue 212, and each sidewall 42 having a notch 47 defined in at least one position corresponding to the two opposite sides of the tongue and exposed from the tongue; and
a front wall 41 embedded in the front side of the tongue 212 and located between the two sidewalls 42 of the hard wall 4;
However, a notch 47 of Guo et al. does not define in at least one position corresponding to a top surface or a bottom surface of the tongue.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the invention of Guo et al. by having the notch 47 of Guo et al. facing in at least one position corresponding to a top surface or a bottom surface of the tongue since applicants have presented no explanation that this particular location of the notch is significant or is anything more than one of numerous locations a person of ordinary skill in the art would find obvious for the purpose of engaging an engagement portion of a mating connector. A shifting in location is generally recognizing as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art when the operation of the device would not thereby be modified. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950).
In regard to claim 19, Guo does not disclose the hard wall 4 is composed of two metal plates, and a connection of the two metal plates is located at one of the two sidewalls or the front wall of the hard wall.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the invention of Guo et al. by making the one-piece hard wall 4 of Guo et al. into plural pieces since applicant has not disclosed that having two metal plates instead of one-piece hard wall 4 as disclosed by Guo et al. solves any stated problem or is for any particular purpose and it appears that the female connector would perform equally well with the one-piece hard wall and further, it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to make singular part as plural parts as a matter of obvious engineering choice. Nerwin v. Erlichman, 168 USPQ 177, 179 (PTO Bd. Of Int. 1969).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5, 8-16 and 20 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 prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892 form.
Conclusion
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Tdt
7/14/2026
/THO D TA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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