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 .
35 USC 102 Rejections
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 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wu et al 9979145.
Regarding claim 1, Wu et al (Figures 7 and 9) discloses a connector board configured to be electrically connected to a terminal of a communication cable comprising a differential pair wire 11 composed of two signal wires, each signal wire comprising a conductor 110 at a center and an insulation layer 111 covering the conductor, wherein the signal wire or the differential pair wire is provided with a shield layer 112, the connector board comprising: a substrate 51,52; a pair of terminals A2,A3 formed on one surface of the substrate and configured to be connected to the conductors of the two signal wires; and a shield terminal 324 formed on the one surface of the substrate and configured to be connected to the shield layer, the shield terminal being arranged on a communication cable-side of the pair of terminals.
Regarding claim 2, Wu et al discloses the differential pair wire 11 comprises two differential pair wires, wherein the pair of terminals comprise a pair of front surface terminals A2,A3 formed on a front surface 51 of the substrate and configured to be connected to the conductors of one differential pair wire of the two differential pair wires, and a pair of back surface terminals B10,B11 formed on a back surface 52 of the substrate and configured to be connected to the conductors of another differential pair wire of the two differential pair wires, and wherein the shield terminal comprises a front surface shield terminal 324 formed on the front surface of the substrate and arranged on a communication cable-side of the pair of front surface terminals, and a back surface shield terminal 324 formed on the back surface of the substrate and arranged on a communication cable-side of the pair of back surface terminals.
Regarding claim 3, Wu et al discloses the communication cable further comprises a configuration channel wire 12 for detecting front and back orientation of a plug, and wherein the connector board further comprises a configuration channel terminal formed on the front surface or the back surface of the substrate and configured to be connected to the configuration channel wire.
35 USC 103 Rejections
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) 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al.
The majority of the claim limitations have been discussed above. It would have been obvious matters of design to 1) make the connector board of Wu et al devoid of other terminals pairs than the two terminal pairs, and 2) to form the pitch of the front surface and rear surface terminals as 1.2 mm or more, since this would not substantially affect the function thereof.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GARY F PAUMEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2013. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th.
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/GARY F PAUMEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
