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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, joining an insulation displacement contact compliant pin to a housing and a printed circuit board in a single processing step; as required by claim 20, must be shown or the feature canceled from the claim. No new matter should be entered.
The drawings are objected to because they have elements shown in cross section which are not properly crosshatched. Insulating members shown in cross section should be properly crosshatched. See Figures 4, 8A-10D. It is brought to applicant’s attention that the conventional crosshatch for insulating members shown in cross section consist of lines of two different thicknesses alternatively disposed.
PNG
media_image1.png
35
156
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure. The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length.
The specification is objected to as failing to provide proper antecedent basis for the claimed subject matter. See 37 CFR 1.75(d)(1) and MPEP § 608.01(o). Correction of the following is required: The specification as originally filed does not describe joining an insulation displacement contact compliant pin to a housing and a printed circuit board in a single processing step.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. The specification as originally filed does not provide basis for joining an insulation displacement contact compliant pin to a housing and a printed circuit board in a single processing step.
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 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Torii et al. (US 6,007,366) in view of Su et al. (KR 20110070196).
.
Regarding claim 20, Torii discloses a method for joining an insulation displacement contact compliant pin (30) to a housing (20) and a printed circuit board (10) in a single processing step (Fig. 1 to Fig. 2), the method comprising the step of: applying an insertion force to a surface on an end of the insulation displacement contact compliant (IDCC) pin (insertion force necessary to overcome retention tabs on walls 22a), wherein a lower section of the IDCC pin is aligned with a negative space on the housing, a hole in a bottom surface of the housing, and a hole in the printed circuit board, wherein the negative space of the housing has an upper side wall and a lower side wall, wherein the housing has a strain relief with an overhang disposed above the upper side wall, wherein the housing has angled edges forming a housing lead-in chamfer below the upper side wall, wherein the housing has a stop portion at which point a forward stop of the IDCC pin stops and becomes seated in the housing, wherein the stop portion is at a boundary between the upper side wall and the lower side wall, wherein the housing lead-in chamfer is in direct contact with the stop portion, wherein a barb section of the IDCC pin engages the lower side wall, and wherein a lower portion of the IDCC pin enters the hole in the printed circuit board (structure on a method claim). Please note that to be entitled to weight in method claims, recited structure limitations therein must affect the method in a manipulative senses, and not amount to the mere claiming of a use of a particular structure. Ex Parte Pfeiffer, 1962 C.D. 408 (1961). The structural limitation is of no patentable moment unless it affects the process in a manipulative sense. Ex Parte Kangas 125 USPQ 419 (PTO Bd. App 1960).
Torii does not specify where the insertion force is applied. Su teaches (in Fig. 1) applying an insertion force (by 18) to a surface on an end of a contact compliant pin (10). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the invention was effectively filed to apply the insertion force to a flat surface, as taught by Su, in order to provide a more stable force and ensure a straight insertion.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FELIX O FIGUEROA whose telephone number is (571)272-2003. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-6pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Renee Luebke can be reached at (571)727-2009. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/FELIX O FIGUEROA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
Prosecution Insights