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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in China on 05/11/2024. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the 202410585601.7 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because Figure 22 shows two of the same reference number “11a” pointing at two different places. While it seems that “11a” on the right side is pointing at “a first welding groove”, which is the right element, “11a” on the left side is pointing at “a second lower surface”, which is a wrong element,
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.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
The independent claims 1 and 11 recite the claimed invention as “An electrical connector”. A person having an ordinary skill in the art knows that many different types of electrical connectors exist in the world. Therefore, when the applicant identified the claimed invention as “An electrical connector” in a preamble of an independent claim, the applicant is trying to claim all the existing electrical connectors to be his/her invention. Thus, the examiner suggests the applicant to more clearly define the claimed invention in the preamble.
Claims 1 and recite, “a first conductive housing”, “a first terminal module”, “a first conductive terminal comprising a first fixing portion and a first contact portion”, “a first grounding sheet” and “a first grounding elastic arm”. While claim 1 recites all these first elements, claims 2-10 and 12-20 do not recite second or third elements corresponding to these first elements. Therefore, the examiner suggests the applicant to delete the word “first” from all these elements because what is the point of calling all these elements the first elements when there is no corresponding second or third elements.
The examiner also advises to make similar corrections in claims 2-20 regarding the word “first”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 11-20 are objected to under 37 CFR 1.75 as being a substantial duplicate of claims 1-10. When two claims in an application are duplicates or else are so close in content that they both cover the same thing, despite a slight difference in wording, it is proper after allowing one claim to object to the other as being a substantial duplicate of the allowed claim. See MPEP § 608.01(m).
Claim 11-20 cover the same elements performing the same functions and the elements recited in claims 1-10 except for one difference. While claim 1, line 7 recites, “the first conductive terminal comprising a first fixing portion and a first contact portion” claim 11, line 7 recites, “each first conductive terminal comprising a first contact portion”.
First, although claim 1 recites, “the first conductive terminal” and claim 11 recites, “each first conductive terminal”, both claims 1 and 11 are referring to just one first conductive terminal. Second, while claim 11 does not recite, “a first fixing portion”, the first conductive terminal of claim 11 must have the first fixing portion because how can the first conductive terminal be fixed in the first conductive housing without the first fixing portion.
In conclusion, both claims 1 and 11 covering the electrical connector comprising the same elements having the same structures and functions.
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 1-20 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.
Claims 1-20 mostly recite first elements but not second elements. Therefore, it seems that claims 1-20 are only reciting one half of total elements making up the electrical connector. Therefore, it is not clear and indefinite whether the electrical connector has the second elements structurally related and working together with the first elements.
Claims 1, line 3-4 recite, “the conductive housing comprising a first conductive housing”. It is not clear and indefinite what the difference between the conductive housing and the first conductive housing is. Since claims 1-10 do not recite structural and functional difference between the conductive housing and the first conductive housing, the examiner will treat these two housings as the same housing.
Claim 1, line 6 recites, “the first terminal module comprising a plurality of first conductive terminals”. Then, claim 1, line 7 recites, “the first conductive terminal comprising a fixing portion and a first contact portion”. It is not clear and indefinite which one first conductive terminal among the plurality of first conductive terminals is the first conductive terminal to have the fixing portion and the first contact portion.
Claim 1, lines 9-10 recite, “the first conductive terminal being not in contact with the first conductive housing”. It is not clear and indefinite how the first conductive terminal is prevented from contacting with the first conductive housing because nothing is holding the first conductive terminal from spaced apart with the first conductive housing.
Claim 2, line 3 recites, “a second lower surface” and “a second upper surface”. However, claims 1-10 do not recite, “a first lower surface” and “a first upper surface”. Therefore, it is not clear and indefinite how the second upper and lower surfaces can exist without the first upper and lower surfaces.
Claim 4, lines 1-2 recite, “one end of the first grounding elastic arm is fixed”. It is not clear and indefinite where the one end of the first grounding elastic arm is fixed to since claim 4 does not recite the fixed place.
Claims 11-12, and 14 recite the limitations having the same problems as the limitations recited in claim 1, 2 and 4. Therefore, the same rejections applied to claims 1, 2 and 4 also apply to claims 11-12 and 14.
The claims have not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible indefiniteness errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claim(s) 1, 3-4, 11 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Letourneau et al (US 6,464,537 B1).
Regarding claims 1 and 11, Letourneau discloses an electrical connector 20, (claims 1 and 11) comprising: a conductive housing 36, the conductive housing defining a receiving slot 70 configured to at least partially receive a mating module 28 along a first direction (see Fig. 1 showing an arrow line pointing down from a bottom of the mating module 28); the conductive housing 36 comprising a first conductive housing 36; a first terminal module 40, the first terminal module 40 being at least partially disposed in the first conductive housing 36; the first terminal module comprising a plurality of first conductive terminals 62; the first conductive terminal 62 or (each conductive terminal) comprising a first fixing portion (not shown, see Fig. 6) and a first contact portion 72; the first contact portion 72 protruding into the receiving slot 70 (see Fig. 3) and being configured to be electrically connected to the mating module 28; the first conductive terminal 62 being not in contact with the first conductive housing; and a first ground sheet 78, the first ground sheet comprising a first mounting plate 110 and a second mounting plate 108 opposite to the first mounting plate 110; the first mounting plate 110 being mounted to the first conductive housing 36 (see Fig. 1); the second mounting plate 108 being provided with a first grounding elastic arm 88 protruding into the receiving slot 70 (see Fig. 1);
(claims 3 and 13) wherein the first ground sheet 78 comprises a first connecting plate 112 connecting one side of the first mounting plate 110 and one side of the second mounting plate 108; the electrical connector 20 comprises a first insulating fixing block 54 fixed to the first conductive housing 36; the first insulating fixing block 54 comprises a first front surface located adjacent to a front end (see Fig. 1) of the receiving slot 70; the first connecting plate 112 abuts against and at least partially covers the first front surface of the first insulating fixing block 54 (see Figs. 1 and 5);
(claims 4 and 14) wherein one end of the first grounding elastic arm 8 is fixed (see Fig. 9 showing one end fixed to the second mounting plate 108), and another end of the first grounding elastic arm 88 is movable along the first direction after the mating module 28 is inserted into the receiving slot 70.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 and 5-10, 12 and 15-20 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HAE MOON HYEON whose telephone number is (571) 272-2093. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9:30 am - 6:00 pm.
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, Abdullah A Riyami can be reached at 571-270-3119. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/hmh/
/Hae Moon Hyeon/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
