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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: througout the specification, the phrase “without the cable splicing device having an used pin receptacle” is unclear. Should it be changed to --without the cable splicing device having unused pin receptacle--?
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1, lines 5-8, “a first communication cable” and “a second communication cable” are unclear to how these relate to “communication cables” cited in line 3 of the claim.
Claim 1, line 9, “a conducting portion” is unclear to how this relates to “conducting portion” cited in line 2 of the claim.
Claim 2 is a redundant of part of claim 1, lines 24-25.
Claim 3, line 3, “a first communication cable” and “a second communication cable” are unclear to how these relate to “communication cables” cited in claim 1.
Claim 4, lines 2-3, “a first communication cable” and “a second communication cable” are unclear to how these relate to “communication cables” cited in claim 1.
Claim 5, line 5, “the first communication cable” lacks antecedent basis.
Claim 5, lines 7-8, “the second communication cable” lacks antecedent basis.
Claim 8, line 2, “a conducting portion” is unclear to how this relates to “conducting portion” cited in line 9 of claim 5.
In claim 9, “a coaxial cable” is unclear to how this relates to “communication cables” cited in claim 5.
Claim 10, lines 2-3, “a first communication cable” and “a second communication cable” are unclear to how these relate to “communication cables” cited in claim 5.
Claim 10, line 4, should “an unsed pin receptacle” be changed to --unused pin receptacle--?
Claim 11, line 3, “a first communication cable” and “a second communication cable” are unclear to how these relate to “communication cables” cited in claim 5.
Claim 12, lines 4-7, “the first communication cable” and “the second communication cable” lack antecedent basis.
Claim 14, lines 2--5, “the first communication cable” and “the second communication cable” lack antecedent basis.
Claim 19, lines 2-3, “a first communication cable” and “a second communication cable” are unclear to how these relate to “communication cables” cited in claim 12.
Claim 19, line 4, should “an unsed pin receptacle” be changed to --unused pin receptacle--?
Claims 6, 7, 13, 15-18, and 20 are included in this rejection because of dependency.
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lankford et al. in view of Kobayashi et al. (JP 2002-170638).
Lankford et al. discloses a cable splicing device comprising a first end portion having a first connection portion structurally configured to connect to a first communication cable (332); a second end portion opposite the first end portion, the second end portion having a second connection portion structurally configured to connect to a second communication cable (432); a conducting portion (370) structurally configured to electrically couple the first connection portion with the second connection portion; wherein the first connection portion includes a first longitudinal cable interface port (306), a first lateral cable interface port (304), and a first pin receiving portion (314); wherein the second connection portion includes a second longitudinal cable interface port (406), a second lateral cable interface port (404), and a second pin receiving portion (414) (re-claims 1, 5, 8, and 12).
Lankford et al. does not disclose the first pin receiving portion being structurally configured to move relative to the conducting portion between a first position operatively associated with the first longitudinal cable interface port and a second position operatively associated with the first lateral cable interface port; and the second pin receiving portion being structurally configured to move relative to the conducting portion between a third position operatively associated with the second longitudinal cable interface port and a fourth position operatively associated with the second lateral cable interface port (re-claims 1, 5, and 12).
Kobayashi et al. discloses a device comprising a pin receiving portion (31) which is structurally configured to move, relative to a conducting portion (21), between a first position operatively associated with a longitudinal direction and a second position operatively associated with a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify the splicing device of Lankford et al. by removing inserts 314/414 and screws 322/422, connecting a pivot portion 22, taught by Kobayashi et al., to both ends of the conducting portion 370 of Lankford et al., and attaching a pin receiving portion 31, taught by Kobayashi et al., to each pivot portion such that the connection of the first cable (332) and of the second cable (432) to the conducting portion (370) can be done horizontally or vertically. As disclosed in Lankford et al., col. 3, lines 10-13, cable can be inserted in vertical bore (bore 104 = bore 304 or 404).
It is noted that in the modified splicing device of Lankford et al., the first/second pin receiving portions are structurally configured to move relative to the conducting portion between a first/third position operatively associated with the first/second longitudinal cable interface port and a second/fourth position operatively associated with the first/second lateral cable interface port; the first pin receiving portion is structurally configured to move independent of the second pin receiving portion; the first pin receiving portion is structurally configured to pivot between the first position and the second position; the second pin receiving portion is structurally configured to pivot between the third position and the fourth position so as to permit adjustment of an angular orientation of the first pin receiving portion relative to the second pin receiving portion and improve installation versatility and/or electrical performance (re-claims 1, 2, 5-7, 12, and 15).
Re-claims 3, 11, and 20, Lankford et al., as modified, discloses the first pin receiving portion and the second pin receiving portion being structurally configured to selectively electrically couple the first communication cable with the second communication cable in a pass-through orientation, a 90-degree orientation, and a 180-degree orientation.
Re-claims 4 and 10, Lankford et al., as modified, discloses the cable splicing device being structurally configured to allow relative orientation between the first communication cable and the second communication cable electrically coupled with the cable splicing device to be adjusted without the cable splicing device having an used pin receptacle.
Re-claim 9, since the modified splicing device of Lankford et al. comprises structure and material as claimed, the first pin receiving portion can be configured to receive a center conductor of a coaxial cable and the second pin receiving portion can be configured to receive a center condutor of a coaxial cable.
Re-claim 13, Lankford et al. discloses the first cable interface port (306) being a first longitudinal port, the second cable interface port (304) being a first lateral port, the third cable interface port (406) being a second longitudinal portion, and the fourth cable interface port (404) being a second lateral port.
Re-claim 14, Lankford et al., as modified, discloses the first coupling portion including a first pin receiving portion (31 of Kobayashi) structurally configured to receive a first male end of the first cable and the second coupling portion including a second pin receiving portion (31 of Kobayashi) structurally configured to receive a second male end of the second cable.
Re-claim 16, Lankford et al., as modified, discloses the second coupling portion being structurally configured to move between a third position operatively associated with the third cable interface port and a fourth position operatively associated with the fourth cable interface port.
Re-claim 17, Lankford et al., as modified, discloses the first coupling portion being structurally configured to pivot between the first position and the second position and the second coupling portion being structurally configured to pivot between the third position and the fourth position.
Re-claim 18, Lankford et al., as modified, discloses the device further comprising a conducting portion (370) structurally configured to electrically couple the first coupling portion to the second coupling portion.
Re-claim 19, Lankford et al., as modified, discloses the cable splicing device being structurally configured to allow relative orientation between the first communication cable and the second communication cable electrically coupled with the cable splicing device to be adjusted without the cable splicing device having an used pin receptacle.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHAU N NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1980. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th, 7am to 5:30pm.
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/CHAU N NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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