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 § 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.
Claim 9 is 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Specifically, it is unclear to determine whether the limitation “a pogo pin” (line 1 of claim 9) refers to the limitation “a pogo pin” (line 1 of claim 1), or, if it is a new limitation, the limitation “a barrel; a probe” (line 2 of claim 9) refers to the limitation “a barrel” (line 1 of claim 1), or, if it is a new limitation, and the limitation “a probe” (line 3 of claim 9) refers to the limitation “a pogo pin probe” (line 1 of claim 1), or, if it is a new limitation. In addition, the examiner interprets said limitations as being the same.
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 1-2 and 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chung (US 2021/0190823 A1, heretofore referred to as Chung) in view of Winter (US 2007/0296436 A1, heretofore referred to as Winter).
Regarding claim 1, Chung teaches a pogo pin probe (Chung; Fig 8, Element 10 and Par 0087) that is partially inserted into a barrel (Chung; Fig 7, Element 40) of a pogo pin (Chung; Fig 8, Element 1), the probe comprising: at least one contact portion having a pointed end that contacts a test subject (Chung; Fig 7, Element 111, Par 0090, and Par 0098; Chung teaches a contact portion contacting a semiconductor device); a first body portion disposed outside the barrel (Chung; Fig 7, Element 11), and having a first end coupled to a second end of the contact portion (Chung; Par 0097; Chung teaches the portions are connected end to end); a second body portion disposed inside the barrel (Chung; Fig 7, Element 12), and having a first end coupled to a second end of the first body portion (Chung; Par 0097; Chung teaches the portions are connected end to end); a third body portion disposed inside the barrel (Chung; Fig 7, Element 13), having a first end coupled to a second end of the second body portion (Chung; Par 0097; Chung teaches the portions are connected end to end); and a fourth body portion disposed inside the barrel (Chung; Fig 7, Element 14), having a first end coupled to a second end of the third body portion (Chung; Par 0097; Chung teaches the portions are connected end to end).
Chung is silent on a third body portion having a toothed wheel shape.
Winter teaches a third body portion having a toothed wheel shape (Winter; Fig 1, Element 10, Fig 5 and Par 0039-0040; Winter teaches a coiled wheel shape with tooth like protrusions).
Before the effective filing date of the invention it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to use the apparatus of Chung with the toothed wheel of Winter in order to a better physical slidable contact area (Winter; Par 0039).
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Chung and Winter teaches the pogo pin probe of claim 1. Winter further teaches wherein teeth of the third body portion engage with a recessed portion of the barrel (Winter; Par 0041; Winter teaches the teeth are engaged in a reduced diameter section of the barrel).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Chung and Winter teaches the pogo pin probe of claim 1. Winter further teaches wherein the second body portion has a toothed wheel shape (Winter; Par 0036-0037; Winter teaches the toothed contact element may be placed anywhere on the plunger, i.e. a different portion).
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Chung and Winter teaches the pogo pin probe of claim 1. Winter further teaches wherein the fourth body portion has a toothed wheel shape (Winter; Par 0036-0037; Winter teaches the toothed contact element may be placed anywhere on the plunger, i.e. a different portion).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Chung and Winter teaches the pogo pin probe of claim 1. Chung further teaches wherein a maximum outer diameter of the third body portion is smaller than an outer diameter of the second body portion and an outer diameter of the fourth body portion (Chung; Fig 7 and Par 0087; Chung teaches the third body portion may be narrower than the second and fourth).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Chung and Winter teaches a pogo pin (Chung; Fig 8, Element 1) comprising: a barrel (Chung; Fig 7, Element 40); a probe, a portion of which is inserted into the barrel (Chung; Fig 7, Element 10 and Par 0087); a plunger, a portion of which is inserted into the barrel (Chung; Fig 7, Element 30 and Par 0087); and an elastic member disposed inside the barrel (Chung; Fig 7, Element 20 and Par 0087) and applying elastic force to the probe and the plunger in a direction in which the probe and the plunger move away from each other, wherein the probe is the pogo pin probe of claim 1 (Chung; Par 0087).
Claims 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chung in view of Winter in further view of Hasebe et al (JP2014081231, using attached translation, heretofore referred to as Hasebe).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Chung and Winter teaches the pogo pin probe of claim 1.
The combination of Chung and Winter is silent on wherein at least one through hole is formed penetrating at least one of the second body portion, the third body portion, and the fourth body portion, and the first body portion does not have a through hole formed.
Hasebe teaches wherein at least one through hole is formed penetrating at least one of the second body portion, the third body portion, and the fourth body portion (Hasebe; Fig 5, Element PAb and Par 0057-0059; Hasebe teaches that the main probe body has a through hole core that contains a hardened SK tool steel), and the first body portion does not have a through hole formed (Hasebe; Fig 5, Element PAe and Par 0057-0059; Hasebe teaches that the main probe tip does not have the core).
Before the effective filing date of the invention it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to use the apparatus of Chung and Winter with the through hole of Hasebe in order to improve contact performance (Hasebe; Par 0058).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Chung, Winter, and Hasebe teaches the pogo pin probe of claim 3. Hasebe further teaches wherein the through hole is filled with a different material having a higher hardness than a surrounding material (Hasebe; Fig 5, Element PAb and Par 0057-0059; Hasebe teaches that the main probe body has a through hole core that contains a hardened SK tool steel).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Chung, Winter, and Hasebe teaches the pogo pin probe of claim 4. Hasebe further teaches wherein the different material is a metal or resin containing one or more elements selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), gold (Au), silver (Ag), carbon (C), palladium (Pd), rhodium (Rh), tin (Sn), ruthenium (Ru), and tungsten (W) (Hasebe; Par 0057-0059; Hasebe teaches that the main probe body has a through hole core that contains a hardened SK tool steel, which is a carbonized steel, i.e. contains carbon).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
-Lee teaches a probe tip with through hole.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ADAM S CLARKE whose telephone number is (571)270-3792. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-4pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Judy Nguyen can be reached at (571)272-2258. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ADAM S CLARKE/Examiner, Art Unit 2858
/NEEL D SHAH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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