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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 7/30/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the examiner has considered the information disclosure statement.
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.
(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 1-2 & 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sato et al. (US Patent Application Publication # 2019/0165491).
Regarding Claim 1, Sato discloses a system comprising:
a bonding site (i.e. terminal 5/109/315) configured to electrically couple a first electronic device to a second electronic device; and
a wire (i.e. conductor 9/113 of electric wire 3/105/307) having a cylindrical portion (i.e. part of conductor 9/113/wire 307 covered by sheath 7/111/303) terminating with a taper (i.e. tapered shape) to an end (i.e. bonded portion 11/103/309 of exposed conductor 113/305),
wherein the end has a smaller diameter (i.e. as shown in Fig. 1, 5, 9, 11, 16B, 16C, & 17) than the cylindrical portion and the end is electrically coupled to the bonding site (Fig. 1, 3, 5, 7-14, 16A-16C, 17; Abstract; Paragraphs 0003-0010, 0068-, 0082-0090, 0100, 0103, 0117-0118, 0126-0165).
Regarding Claim 2, Sato discloses that the bonding site (i.e. terminal 5/109/315) comprises a pad (i.e. terminal) or a pin (Fig. 1, 5, 7-14, 16C, 17).
Regarding Claim 6, Sato discloses a cable (i.e. electric wire 3/105/307) having insulation (i.e. sheath/insulator 7/111/303) and the wire (i.e. conductor 9/113), wherein the insulation encases only the cylindrical portion (i.e. part of conductor 9/113/wire 307 covered by sheath 7/111/303) (Fig. 1, 5, 7-14, 16C, 17; Paragraphs 0004, 0007, 0047, 0049, 0051-0052, 0072, 0123, 0128, 0130, 0132-0137).
Regarding Claim 7, Sato discloses that the wire (i.e. conductor 9/113 of electric wire 3/105/307) has a location between the end and the cylindrical portion and the wire is tapered (i.e. tapered shape) between the end and the location, and wherein the location has a diameter equivalent to the diameter of the cylindrical portion of the wire (Fig. 1, 5, 9, 11, 16B,16C, 17; Paragraph 0082, 0100, 0103, 0117, 0118).
Regarding Claim 8, Sato discloses an information handling system comprising:
a first and second electronic device, each electronic device having a bonding site (i.e. terminal 5/109/315); and
a cable (i.e. electric wire 3/105/307) configured to electrically connect the first and second electronic device, the cable having multiple wires (i.e. strands 13/115/311 of conductor 9/113/305) each with tapered ends (i.e. tapered shape of bonded portion 11/103/309);
wherein each tapered end is electrically coupled to one of the bonding sites of the first or second electronic device (Fig. 1, 3, 5, 7-14, 16A-16C, 17; Abstract; Paragraphs 0003-0010, 0068-, 0082-0090, 0100, 0103, 0117-0118, 0126-0165).
Regarding Claim 9, Sato discloses that each bonding site (i.e. terminal 5/109/315) has a size configured to correspond to the diameter of a coupled end (i.e. at the wire barrel portion 15/107/313) (Fig. 1, 5, 11; Paragraphs 0114-0115, 0166-0173).
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.
Claims 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato et al. (US Patent Application Publication # 2019/0165491).
Regarding Claim 3, Sato does not explicitly disclose that the diameter of the end is less than or equal to 50% of the diameter of the cylindrical portion.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to make the diameter of the end less than or equal to 50% of the diameter of the cylindrical portion, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or working ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. It would have also been an obvious matter of design choice to make the diameter of the end less than or equal to 50% of the diameter of the cylindrical portion, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955).
Regarding Claim 4, Sato discloses that the bonding site (i.e. terminal 5/109/315) has a size corresponding to the diameter of the taper (i.e. at bell mouth portion 43B/125A) (Fig. 1, 5, 11; Paragraphs 0114-0115, 0166-0173).
Regarding Claim 5, Sato discloses that the bonding site (i.e. terminal 5/109/315) has a size smaller (i.e. at the wire barrel portion 15/107/313) than a size corresponding to a diameter of the cylindrical portion (Fig. 1, 5, 11; Paragraphs 0060-0070, 0114-0115, 0140-0148, 0166-0173).
Relevant Cited Art
The cited art in PTO-892 was found during the examiner's search, but was not relied upon for this office action. However, it is still considered pertinent to the applicant's disclosure.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RHADAMES J ALONZO MILLER whose telephone number is (571)270-7829. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10am-6pm PST.
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/RJA/Examiner, Art Unit 2847
/TIMOTHY J THOMPSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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