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 .
Claims 1-12 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4, and 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Quiter et al. (EP 3944427A1), hereinafter Quiter.
Regarding claim 1, Quiter discloses a coaxial connector device (plug connector 10, Fig. 1) comprising a contact unit (connector 20, Fig. 1), the contact unit comprising: a contact (inner contact 42, Fig. 3); and a housing (first and second dielectric insulation element 48, 50, Fig. 3) that encloses a part of the contact, wherein the contact unit is formed by insert molding (Par. 0072, “The first dielectric insulation element 48 and the second dielectric insulation element 50 can be connected to the inner contact 42 or arranged on it, in particular using an injection molding process”).
Regarding claim 2, Quiter discloses the coaxial connector device according to claim 1, further comprising: a die-cast member (housing body 12, Fig. 1), wherein the contact (electrically conductive inner contact 42, Fig. 3) and the die-cast member each contain a conductor (Par. 0043, “the housing body, which is made of zinc die-cast material, is particularly stable”), the housing contains an insulator (first and second dielectric insulation element 48, 50, Fig. 3), and a part of the housing extending in an axial direction is disposed between a part of the contact extending in the axial direction and the die-cast member (see Fig. 3).
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Regarding claim 4, Quiter discloses the coaxial connector device according to claim 1, wherein the contact includes: a distal end part (end section 110 in Fig. 3 and mislabeled as 100 in Fig. 7) projecting from the housing; and a middle-root part (second contact section 44, Fig. 6-7) connected to the distal end part, wherein the housing has at least one hole where a part of the middle-root part is exposed (see opening in Fig. 7 above).
Regarding claim 9, Quiter discloses a method of manufacturing a coaxial connector device (plug connector 10, Fig. 1) for forming a contact unit (connector 20, Fig. 1) including a contact (inner contact 42, Fig. 3) and a housing (first and second dielectric insulation element 48, 50, Fig. 3) that encloses a part of the contact by insert molding , the method comprising: a step of preparing the contact; a step of enclosing a part of the contact (42) with an encapsulant (48, 50); and a step of curing the encapsulant and thereby forming the contact unit by insert molding (Par. 0072, “The first dielectric insulation element 48 and the second dielectric insulation element 50 can be connected to the inner contact 42 or arranged on it, in particular using an injection molding process”).
Regarding claim 10, Quiter discloses the method of manufacturing a coaxial connector device according to claim 9, wherein the step of preparing the contact includes forming the contact by bending a bar-shaped member containing a conductor (see Figs. 3 and 6-7 and Par. 0067, “the first contact section 44 is angled at approximately 90° relative to the second contact section 46”).
Regarding claim 11, Quiter discloses the method of manufacturing a coaxial connector device according to claim 9, wherein the step of preparing the contact includes forming the contact by cutting the contact out of a plate-shaped member containing a conductor (see inner contact 42 in Fig. 6).
Examiner's Note: regarding method claims 9-11, since there are no specific method steps being claimed, just a general process of assembling the device (i.e., providing each element, forming, joining, inserting, connecting, etc.), the fact that the structure of the device of the present invention is anticipated by Quiter, means that the general method for providing such a structure is also anticipated in view of the same reference. The method steps recited in the claims are inherently necessitated by the structure of the device of Quiter.
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) 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Quiter et al. (EP 3944427A1), hereinafter Quiter, in view of Suzuki et al. (JP 2023008100A), hereinafter Suzuki.
Regarding claim 3, Quiter discloses the coaxial connector device according to claim 2, further comprising: an external housing (connection housing 14, Fig. 2) containing the insulator; wherein the external housing includes: a first body part (section 24, Fig. 1) having a first penetrating hole (see Fig. 1, hole at front of connection housing 14); and a first mating part (section 22, Fig. 1), the die-cast member includes: a second body part (housing body element 36, Fig. 3) having a second penetrating hole (through-openings 40, Fig. 3) configured to communicate with the first penetrating hole; and a second mating part (receiving base 18, Fig. 3) configured to mate with the first mating part.
However, Quiter fails to disclose wherein a shielding shell containing the conductor, and the shielding shell includes: a third body part; a spring member having a spring shape; a cover part configured to cover the first mating part; and a fitting part formed at an end of the cover part and configured to be fit into a recess of the first mating part.
Suzuki teaches wherein a shielding shell (ground spring 240, Fig. 11) containing the conductor, and the shielding shell includes: a third body part (mounting body portion 241, Fig. 12); a spring member (connection springs 242, Fig. 12) having a spring shape; a cover part (holding spring 243, Fig. 12) configured to cover the first mating part; and a fitting part (mounting pieces 246, Fig. 12-13) formed at an end of the cover part and configured to be fit into a recess (mounting groove 233, Fig. 13) of the first mating part.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of Suzuki to modify the invention of Quiter to provide a coaxial connector comprising a shielding shell having a body part, a spring member having a spring shape, a cover part covering the first mating part, and a fitting part configured to fit into a recess of the mating part. One would be motivated to make this modification to further shield the coaxial connector from high frequency signals and improve impedance matching.
Claim(s) 5-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Quiter (EP 3944427A1), in view of Wagata et al. (US 20130189866), hereinafter Wagata.
Regarding claim 5, Quiter discloses the coaxial connector device according to claim 4.
However, Quiter fails to disclose wherein the housing has a plurality of holes, and the plurality of holes are formed with the contact interposed therebetween.
Wagata teaches wherein the housing has a plurality of holes (upper hole 5a, lower hole 5b, Fig. 4C), and the plurality of holes are formed with the contact interposed therebetween (Par. 0053, “An upper hole 5a and a lower hole 5b made by supporting the signal terminal 4 at the time of molding is formed on the insulating member 5”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of Wagata to modify the invention of Quiter to provide wherein the housing has a plurality of holes and the holes are formed with the contact interposed between. One would be motivated to make this modification to allow the contact to stay centered during the insertion molding process of the housing.
Regarding claim 6, Quiter discloses the coaxial connector device according to claim 5, wherein the middle-root part (second contact section 44, Fig. 6-7) includes a part having a square bar shape, and a part of each of opposed side surfaces is exposed through the plurality of holes.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to form the middle-root part of the contact with a square bar shape, since such a modification amounts to a change in the shape of the conductor and produces no new or unexpected result, a person of ordinary skill would have recognized a square cross-section as one of multiple conventional shapes available for a contact and would have been an obvious matter of design choice absent any criticality. See MPEP 2144.04(IV)(B) In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966).
Regarding claim 7, Quiter discloses the coaxial connector device according to claim 5, wherein the middle-root part includes a part having a round bar shape (see Fig. 6-7), and a part of each of opposed side surfaces is exposed through the plurality of holes (see Fig. 7 above).
Regarding claim 8, Quiter discloses the coaxial connector device according to claim 5, wherein the contact includes: a first bar-shaped part (first contact section 44, Fig. 6) including the distal end part and the middle-root part; and a second bar-shaped part (second contact section 46, Fig. 6) orthogonal to the first bar-shaped part (see Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 12, Quiter discloses the method of manufacturing a coaxial connector device according to claim 9, wherein the step of enclosing a part of the contact with an encapsulant (first and second dielectric insulation element 48, 50, Fig. 3) includes: exposing a distal end part (end section 110, Fig. 7) of the contact from the encapsulant; and enclosing, with the encapsulant, a middle-root part (housing section 58, Fig. 7) connected to the distal end part.
However, Quiter fails to explicitly disclose at least one holding member configured to come into contact with a part of the middle-root part so as to support the contact, the step of insert molding includes removing the holding member, so that the contact includes the distal end part projecting from the housing, and the middle-root part connected to the distal end part, and the housing has at least one hole from which a part of the middle-root part is exposed.
Wagata teaches at least one holding member configured to come into contact with a part of the middle-root part so as to support the contact, the step of insert molding includes removing the holding member, so that the contact includes the distal end part projecting from the housing, and the middle-root part connected to the distal end part, and the housing has at least one hole from which a part of the middle-root part is exposed therebetween (Par. 0053, “An upper hole 5a and a lower hole 5b made by supporting the signal terminal 4 at the time of molding is formed on the insulating member 5”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of Wagata to modify the invention of Quiter to provide a holding member configured to come into contact with the middle-root part of the contact to support it during the insert molding process. One would be motivated to make this modification to stabilize the contact during the insert molding process and prevent the contact from coming misaligned from the process of the insert molding before curing takes place.
Examiner's Note: regarding method claim 12, since there are no specific method steps being claimed, just a general process of assembling the device (i.e., providing each element, forming, joining, inserting, connecting, etc.), the fact that the structure of the device of the present invention is anticipated by Quiter, means that the general method for providing such a structure is also anticipated in view of the same reference. The method steps recited in the claims are inherently necessitated by the structure of the device of Quiter in view of Wagata.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Takano et al. (DE 102019120159A1) discloses a connector comprising a housing a base body and contact parts encapsulated by holding insulators.
Togashi (US 5,662,480) discloses a coaxial connector of round shape and a central contact with a shell.
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/JEFFREY MOUNTAIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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