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 § 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.
Claims 1-15 are 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 1, line 15, recites ‘an absorbing member’; claim 5, line 10, recites ‘an absorbing member’; and claim 9, line 10, recites ‘an absorbing member’. Each of these independent claim do not specifically recite, what the ‘absorbing member’ do, what does it absorb?, or what it is made of, and therefore any member that can absorb (heat, moisture, electromagnetic wave), can satisfy the claim limitation; therefore, the claim is vague and indefinite.
Note that the specification discloses that the absorbing members absorbs ‘electromagnetic waves’. However, the claim limitation is broader than the ‘absorbing material’ disclosed in the specification. The applied reference also discloses absorbing member that absorbs electromagnetic waves.
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(s) 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al. (US 20200287333) in view of Paniagua et al. (US 20200266585).
Regarding Claim 1, Chen et al. discloses an electrical connector comprising:
an outer frame (2, fig. 1); and
an inner connector assembly (1, fig. 1) partially retained in the outer frame and comprising:
a mating frame (11) with a vertical mating slot (1112, 1113);
two vertical terminal modules (12) fixed together and received in the mating frame, each terminal module comprising an insulating housing (121, fig, 6) and a row of terminals (122, 123) retained in the insulating housing, each terminal comprising a contacting portion (1232), a tail portion (1223), and a middle portion (1231) between the contacting portion and the tail portion and embedded in the insulating housing, the contacting portions of the terminals of the two terminal modules protruding into the mating slot and being located at two sides of the mating slot, each row of the terminals comprising plural pairs of signal terminals (123) and plural grounding terminals (122);
a shielding member (124) attached to a side of the insulating housing; and wherein the shielding member comprises plural grounding fingers (1243; fig. 6) pressing against corresponding grounding terminals (1221; 0048), and the absorbing member covers at least a part of the shielding member while has no contact with the grounding terminals.
Chen et al. does not disclose an absorbing member attached to a side of shielding member, and the absorbing member covers at least a part of shielding member while has no contact with the grounding terminals.
Paniagua et al. in paragraph 0083, discloses providing shield housing with lossy (absorbing) material. The paragraph also states that lossy material absorbs electromagnetic energy, the absorbing material has no contact with the grounding terminals.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide absorbing material in Chen et al. as suggested by Paniagua et al., so as to improve high frequency signal transmission and prevent cross talk.
Regarding Claim 2, Chen et al. discloses the electrical connector, wherein the shielding member (124) comprises plural shielding portions facing and shielding corresponding pairs of the signal terminals (122) and a hollow portion (1241a) located between two adjacent shielding portions and facing corresponding grounding terminal (123). See figures 6 and 8 of Chen.
Regarding Claim 3, Chen et al. discloses the electrical connector, wherein two adjacent shielding portions are connected by bridge portions (not numbered, Chen fig. 6, between two 1241a) spanning over the hollow portion, and the grounding fingers (1243) extend from corresponding bridge portions.
Regarding Claim 4, Chen et al. and Paniagua et al. disclose the claimed invention, except for a side of the middle portion of the signal terminals and a side of the absorbing member which face to each other are spaced with a distance that is greater than 0.3 mm.
As to the recitation of a side of the middle portion of the signal terminals and a side of the absorbing member which face to each other are spaced with a distance that is greater than 0.3 mm., it is a matter of design choice to select result effective variable, and in this case, it would have been obvious to select distance of .3 mm or greater to obtain optimum signal quality.
Regarding Claim 5, Chen et al. discloses a terminal module comprising: an insulating housing (121, fig. 6) with two opposite vertical sides; a row of terminals retained in the insulating housing, each terminal comprising a contacting portion (fig. 6) extending out of a front end of the insulating housing, a tail portion (1233, fig. 4) extending out of a lower end of the insulating housing, and a middle portion between the tail portion and the contacting portion, the middle portion being embedded in the insulating housing, the row of terminals comprising at least two grounding terminals (122) and one pair of differential terminals (123) between the at least two grounding terminals; and an absorbing member being attached to one vertical side of the insulating housing to cover at least partially of the middle portions of the terminals; wherein the absorbing member has no contact with the terminals, and a distance between two nearest sides of the absorbing member and the middle portion is greater than 0.3 mm.
Chen et al. discloses the claimed subject matter, but does not disclose an absorbing material and the distance between two nearest sides of the absorbing member and the middle portion to be greater than 0.3 mm.
Paniagua et al. in paragraph 0083, discloses providing shield housing with lossy (absorbing) material. The paragraph also states that lossy material absorbs electromagnetic energy.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide absorbing material in Chen et al. as suggested by Paniagua et al., so as to improve high frequency signal transmission and prevent cross talk. As to the recitation of distance between two nearest sides of the absorbing member and the middle portion to be greater than 0.3 mm., it is a matter of design choice to select result effective variable, and in this case, it would have been obvious to select distance of .3 mm or greater to obtain optimum signal quality.
Regarding Claim 6, Chen and Paniagua et al., discloses the terminal module, wherein the middle portion (Chen fig. 4) comprises a horizontal portion connecting with the contacting portion (left of fig. 4) and an inclined portion (not numbered) extending obliquely from the horizontal portion to the tail portion, and the absorbing member covers the inclined portions of the terminals. Since absorbing material is applied to shield housing of Chen, the modified connector of Chen and Paniagua will have absorbing material cover inclined portions of the terminal.
Regarding Claim 7, Chen and Paniagua et al., discloses the terminal module, further comprising a shielding member made of metal material (Chen 0046), and wherein the shielding member comprises at least one shielding portion attached to the vertical side of the insulating housing (discussed in Claim 5) and shielding the pair of differential terminals and plural grounding fingers mechanically connecting with corresponding grounding terminals (Chen fig. 67, 0048) respectively, and the absorbing member is attached to the shielding member (Chen and Paniagua combination discussed for rejection of claim 5).
Regarding Claim 8, Chen and Paniagua et al., discloses the terminal module. However, Chen and Paniagua do not disclose the grounding fingers (of shielding member) and corresponding grounding terminals are fixed by laser spot welding. As to the recitation of laser spot welding of the grounding fingers to the grounding terminal, this is a process step in product claim and even though product-by-process claims are limited by and defined by the process, determination of patentability is based on the product itself. The patentability of a product does not depend on its method of production. If the product in the product-by-process claim is the same as or obvious from a product of the prior art, the claim is unpatentable even though the prior product was made by a different process." In re Thorpe, 777 F.2d 695, 698, 227 USPQ 964, 966 (Fed. Cir. 1985). It would have been obvious to use laser spot welding of the grounding fingers to the grounding terminal, so as to properly mechanically and electrically connect the grounding fingers to the grounding terminal.
Regarding Claim 9, Chen et al. discloses a terminal wafer (12) comprising:
an insulative housing (121);
a row of terminals (122, 123) retained in the insulative housing,
each terminal comprising a contacting portion (1232) extending out from a front end of the insulative housing, a tail portion (1223) extending out from a bottom end of the insulative housing, and a middle portion between the contacting portion and the tail portion (fig. 4, 6) and embedded in the insulative housing, the row of the terminals comprising plural pairs of differential terminals and plural grounding terminals alternately arranged; and
a shielding member (124);
wherein the shielding member comprises plural shielding portions (fig. 6) located at a vertical side of the insulating housing to align with and shield the plural pairs of differential terminals and plural grounding fingers (1243) contacting with corresponding grounding terminals (1221, [0048]).
Chen et al. does not disclose an absorbing member attached to a side of shielding member, and the absorbing member covers at least a part of shielding member.
Paniagua et al. in paragraph 0083, discloses providing shield housing with lossy (absorbing) material. The paragraph also states that lossy material absorbs electromagnetic energy, absorbing member attached to a side of shielding member, and the absorbing member covers at least a part of shielding member.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide absorbing material in Chen et al. as suggested by Paniagua et al., so that absorbing member attached to a side of shielding member, and the absorbing member covers at least a part of shielding member, so as to improve high frequency signal transmission and prevent cross talk.
Regarding Claim 10, Chen as modified by Paniagua et al. will have the terminal wafer, wherein the absorbing member is separated from the grounding terminals by the shielding member.
Regarding Claim 11, Chen and Paniagua et al. discloses the terminal wafer, wherein two adjacent shielding portions (Chen, 1242, 1241, fig. 6) are spaced apart from each other by a hollow portion (1241a) and connected by plural bridge portions (between two 1241a), and the grounding terminals are exposed to corresponding hollow portions, the shielding portions do not cover the grounding terminals, the plural grounding fingers (1243) extend from the bridge portions, and the grounding fingers between two adjacent pairs of signal terminals contact the grounding terminal at different positions, figure 8 of Chen shows the fingers of shield (124) contacting ground terminal (123).
Regarding Claim 12, Chen and Paniagua et al. discloses the terminal wafer, wherein the middle portion (part of 121, Chen fig. 4) comprises a horizontal portion (Chen, fig. 4, left portion, say 125) connecting with the contacting portion (front) and an inclined portion (right of 125) forming an angle with respect to the horizontal portion, and the shielding portion (124) covers both the horizontal portion, Since absorbing material is applied to shield housing of Chen, the modified connector of Chen and Paniagua will have absorbing material only covers inclined portions of the terminal.
Regarding Claims 13 and 14, Chen and Paniagua et al. discloses the terminal wafer. As to the recitation of the shielding member and the absorbing member are fixed together as a shielding and absorbing assembly firstly, and then two shielding and absorbing assemblies are fitly stacked to the two corresponding vertical sides side by side respectively recited in claim 13, and spot welding for connecting grounding fingers with the grounding terminal recited in claim 14. These are process steps in product claim and even though product-by-process claims are limited by and defined by the process, determination of patentability is based on the product itself. The patentability of a product does not depend on its method of production. If the product in the product-by-process claim is the same as or obvious from a product of the prior art, the claim is unpatentable even though the prior product was made by a different process." In re Thorpe, 777 F.2d 695, 698, 227 USPQ 964, 966 (Fed. Cir. 1985). It would have been obvious to assemble the shielding member and the absorbing member by fixing together as a shielding and absorbing assembly firstly, and then two shielding and absorbing assemblies are fitly stacked to the two corresponding vertical sides side by side respectively, and also use spot welding for connecting grounding fingers with the grounding terminal making the product. These steps will make assembly easy.
Regarding Claim 15, Chen et al. and Paniagua et al. disclose the claimed invention, except for the middle portion of the differential terminals and the absorbing member which face to each other are spaced with a distance that is greater than 0.3 mm.
As to the recitation of the middle portion of the differential terminals and the absorbing member which face to each other are spaced with a distance that is greater than 0.3 mm. it is a matter of design choice to select result effective variable, and in this case, it would have been obvious to select the middle portion of the differential terminals and the absorbing member which face to each other are spaced with a distance that is greater than 0.3 mm. to obtain optimum signal quality.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 8,616,919 to Stoner discloses connector with signal and ground plate, which can absorb electromagnetic energy (column 8, lines 54-62).
US 9,425,556 to Pickel discloses connector with signal and ground shield, with wafers.
US 20220173537 to Fan et al. discloses connector with signal and ground shield, with lossy material.
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/TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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