Detailed Action
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1-13 of U.S. Application 18/997,184 filed on January 21,2025 are presented for examination.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/21/2025 has been considered by the examiner.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 14-17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group 2, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 08/17/2026.
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.
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 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.
Claims 1, 6-8, and 11-13 are unpatentable over Lee et al (US Pat No. 8012331)
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Prior Art: Lee
Regarding claim 1, Lee discloses an electrically conductive contact pin (70) comprising: a body portion (72) composed of a plurality of metal layers (72a and 73a) stacked in a thickness direction (shown in figs 7a-7d as shown in the thickness and col 5 lines 30-40 discloses 72 and 73 being metal layers); and a tip portion (706) provided on at least one of a front-end portion (portion of 72b and 73b) and a base-end portion (base of 72a and 73a) of the body portion, wherein the tip portion has dimensions smaller than dimensions of the body portion in the thickness direction (shown in figs 7a-7d as the tip is smaller than the body), and a metal layer constituting the tip portion is formed continuously of a same material as some of the metal layers constituting the body portion (col 5 lines 46-52 discloses integrally formed. Therefore, of the same material).
Regarding claim 6, Lee discloses wherein the body portion comprises an elastic portion provided by bending a plate, and the elastic portion elastically deforms in a length direction (col 5 lines 35-47 discloses bending a plate and elastically deforming).
Regarding claim 7, Lee discloses wherein an electrically conductive contact pin (shown in figs 7a-14b) comprising: a first region (bottom of 71) composed of a plurality of metal layers stacked in a thickness direction (using 72a and 73a); a second region (72c) having smaller dimensions than dimensions of the first region in the thickness direction (shown at 72c as more than one material), having a stacked number smaller than that of the metal layers constituting the first region (col 5 lines 35 -42 discloses probe being made of metal) , and comprising a metal layer formed continuously with some of the metal layers constituting the first region; and a third region (72b and 73b) located between the first region and the second region and connecting metal layers of a same material of the first region and the second region (col 5 lines 46-52 discloses integrally formed. Therefore, of the same material).
Regarding claim 8, Lee discloses wherein the second region is a tip portion that contacts an object to be connected (as shown in figs 7a-7d as the second region containing the tip).
Regarding claim 11, Lee discloses wherein a metal layer of the third region comprises: a first connection portion connected to a metal layer of the first region; a second connection portion connected to a metal layer of the second region; and a middle portion provided between the first connection portion and the second connection portion (shown in figs 7a-7d where there are connection points of 72b/73b and 72a/73a connecting to the metal layers of the structure).
Regarding claim 12, Lee discloses wherein one of metal layers constituting the third region is in contact with the plurality of metal layers of the first region (col 5 lines 46-52 discloses integrally formed. Therefore, constituting the third region in contact with the first region).
Regarding claim 13, Lee discloses wherein the middle portion is composed of a second metal layer (col 5 lines 46-52 discloses integrally formed. Therefore, the middle portion is comprised on a second layer).
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 of this title, 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.
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 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.
Claims 2 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al (US Pat No. 8012331) in view of Kister et al (US Pat No. 11054443).
Regarding claim 2, Lee does not fully disclose wherein the tip portion is composed of a plurality of metal layers stacked in the thickness direction, and has a stacked number smaller than that of the metal layers constituting the body portion.
However, Kister discloses wherein the tip portion is composed of a plurality of metal layers stacked in the thickness direction, and has a stacked number smaller than that of the metal layers constituting the body portion (col 1 lines 60- col 2 lines 10 discloses tip having at least 5 layers with metal layers. Therefore, multiple metal). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Lee in view of Kister in order to increase tip pressure and decrease resistance.
Regarding claim 9, Lee does not fully disclose wherein the metal layers comprise a first metal layer and a second metal layer, wherein the first metal layer is formed of a metal selected from rhodium (Rd), platinum (Pt),iridium (Ir), palladium (Pd), nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), tungsten (W), phosphorus (Ph) or alloys thereof, or palladium-cobalt (PdCo) alloy, palladium-nickel (PdNi) alloy, or nickel- 1 phosphorus (NiPh) alloy, nickel-manganese (NiMn), nickel-cobalt (NiCo) or Nickel-tungsten (NiW) alloy, whereas the second metal layer is formed of a metal selected from copper (Cu), silver (Ag), gold (Au), or alloys thereof.
However, Kister discloses wherein the metal layers comprise a first metal layer and a second metal layer,wherein the first metal layer is formed of a metal selected from rhodium (Rd), platinum (Pt),iridium (Ir), palladium (Pd), nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), tungsten (W), phosphorus (Ph) or alloys thereof, or palladium-cobalt (PdCo) alloy, palladium-nickel (PdNi) alloy, or nickel- 1 phosphorus (NiPh) alloy, nickel-manganese (NiMn), nickel-cobalt (NiCo) or Nickel-tungsten (NiW) alloy, whereas the second metal layer is formed of a metal selected from copper (Cu), silver (Ag), gold (Au), or alloys thereof (col 3 lines 14-35 discloses being layers made up of PD Conlley Cu, and or Rh). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Lee in view of Kister because these materials are known as good conductors.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al (US Pat No. 8012331) in view of Hsieh et al (USPGPub 20130255993).
Regarding claim 5, Lee does not fully disclose wherein a slit provided inside the body portion is comprised, and the body portion elastically deforms in a width direction.
However, Hsieh discloses wherein a slit provided inside the body portion is comprised, and the body portion elastically deforms in a width direction (par 33 discloses slits 141 and helps deforms in the width direction). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Lee in view of Hsieh in order to deform to contact the component.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 4, and 10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 3, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination fail to teach or suggest an electrically conductive contact pin comprising: wherein lowermost and uppermost layers of the body portion are composed of a first metal layer, whereas a lowermost layer of the tip portion is composed of a second metal layer and an uppermost layer of the tip portion is composed of the first metal layer in combination with the other limitations of the claim.
Regarding claim 4, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination fail to teach or suggest an electrically conductive contact pin comprising: wherein a fine trench is provided on a side of the body portion and a side of the tip portion in combination with the other limitations of the claim.
Regarding claim 10, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination fail to teach or suggest an electrically conductive contact pin comprising: wherein the first metal layer is provided at lowermost and uppermost layers of the first region, whereas the second metal layer is provided at lowermost layers of the second and third regions, and the first metal layer is provided at uppermost layers of the second and third regions.
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ahn et al (USPGPub 20240280609): discloses having a contact pin with a plurality of metal layers.
Zhou et al (US Pat No 6504223): discloses contact with a plurality of contact structures.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DOMINIC E HAWKINS whose telephone number is (571)272-2647. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30am-5:00pm EST.
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/DOMINIC E HAWKINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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