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 .
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.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ngo (CN 202930658 U)(English Translated).
In Regards to Claim 1:
Ngo teaches a connector (22) current capacity adjustment method for a compression type connector (22) that is pressed against and connected to an object to be connected, comprising:
preparing the connector (22) including a housing (30) made of resin, and a plurality of contacts (42/40) coupled with each other through at least one coupling portion (73) and arranged in order while being partially embedded in the housing (30), each of the plurality of contacts (42/40) including a contact portion (45/41a,b) having a spring property for making contact with the object to be connected, and a connection portion (73) for connecting a cable (32) without a spring property, wherein the plurality of contacts (42/40) includes signal contacts (40) used for signal transmission and power supply contacts (40) used for power supply, and the contact portion (45/41a,b) in each of the signal contacts (40) and the power contacts (31b) has a width equal to each other, the at least one coupling portion (73) couples all or some of the power supply
contacts (42), and a current capacity is adjusted with maintaining a spring property of each of the power supply contacts (31b) by changing the number of the at least one coupling portions (73) in the power supply contacts (42) while keeping a shape of the contact portion (45/41a,b) having the spring property in each of the power supply contacts (31b).
In Regards to Claim 2:
Ngo teaches a compression type connector (22) that is pressed against and connected to an object to be connected, comprising:
a housing (30) made of resin; and a plurality of contacts (42/40) coupled with each other through at least one coupling portion (73) and arranged in order while being partially embedded in the housing (30), each of the plurality of contacts (42/40) including a contact portion (45/41a,b) having a spring property for making contact with the object to be connected, and a connection portion (73) for connecting a cable (32) without a spring property, wherein the plurality of contacts (42/40) includes signal contacts (40) used for signal transmission and power supply contacts (31b) used for power supply, and the contact portion (45/41a,b) in each of the signal contacts (40) and the power supply contacts (42) has a width equal to each other, the at least coupling portion (73) couples all or some of the plurality of power supply contacts (42) at points other than the contact portions (45/41a,b) in the power supply contacts (42), while keeping a shape of the contact portion (45/41a,b) having the spring property in each of the power supply contacts (42).
In Regards to Claim 3:
Ngo teaches the connector according to claim 2, wherein the at least one coupling portion (73) couples only the connection portions (73), each having no spring property, in the power supply contacts (42).
In Regards to Claim 4:
Ngo teaches the connector according to claim 2, wherein the at least one coupling portion (73) includes a plurality of coupling portions (73), the power supply contacts (42) includes a plurality of contact groups having the number of the plurality of coupling portions (73) different from each other, and the at least one coupling portion (73) couples the connection portions (73), each having no spring property, in the power supply contacts (42).
In Regards to Claim 5:
Ngo teaches the connector according to claim 2, wherein all contact portions (41/41a,b), each having the spring property for making contact with the object to be connected, have shapes identical to each other.
In Regards to Claim 6:
Ngo teaches a connector cable having comprising:
the connector according to claim 1; and a plurality of cables (32) connected to the connection portions (73) of the plurality of contacts (42/40) provided in the connector (22).
In Regards to Claim 7:
Ngo teaches the connector cable according to claim 6, wherein among the plurality of cables (32) including signal cables connected to the signal contacts (40) and power cables connected to the power supply contacts (42) have different appearances.
In Regards to Claim 8:
Ngo teaches the connector current capacity adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of contacts (42/40) includes a noncontact portion instead of the connection portion (73), the noncontact portion not connecting a cable (32) and having no spring property, and the current capacity is adjusted with maintaining a spring property of each of the power supply contacts (42) by changing the number of the at least one coupling portions (73) that couples the noncontact portions in the power supply contacts (42).
In Regards to Claim 9:
Ngo teaches the connector according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of contacts (42/40) includes a noncontact portion instead of the connection portion (73), the noncontact portion not connecting a cable and having no spring property, and the at least one coupling portion (73) couples the noncontact portions of the power supply contacts (42) adjacent to each other.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NADER J ALHAWAMDEH whose telephone number is (571)270-0571. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9Am - 6Pm EST.
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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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/NADER J ALHAWAMDEH/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831 /ABDULLAH A RIYAMI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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