3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY

Patent Trials and Appeals Board

Oct 30, 2020

2020000749 (P.T.A.B. Oct. 30, 2020)

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
www.uspto.gov
APPLICATION NO. FILING DATE FIRST NAMED INVENTOR ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. CONFIRMATION NO.
14/345,296 03/17/2014 Chin Hua Lim 65431US005 6202
32692 7590 10/30/2020
3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
PO BOX 33427
ST. PAUL, MN 55133-3427
EXAMINER
IMAS, VLADIMIR
ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER
2831
NOTIFICATION DATE DELIVERY MODE
10/30/2020 ELECTRONIC
Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
following e-mail address(es):
LegalUSDocketing@mmm.com
PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
Ex parte CHIN HUA LIM, SAUJIT BANDHU, and ALEXANDER W.
BARR
Appeal 2020-000749
Application 14/345,296
Technology Center 2800
Before ADRIENE LEPIANE HANLON, JEFFREY B. ROBERTSON, and
JEFFREY R. SNAY, Administrative Patent Judges.
ROBERTSON, Administrative Patent Judge.
DECISION ON APPEAL1

1 This Decision includes citations to the following documents: Specification
filed March 17, 2014 (“Spec.”); Final Office Action mailed February 7,
2019 (“Final Act.”); Appeal Brief filed June 3, 2019 (“Appeal Br.”);
Examiner’s Answer mailed September 6, 2019 (“Ans.”); and Reply Brief
filed November 5, 2019 (“Reply Br.”).
Appeal 2020-000749
Application 14/345,296

2
STATEMENT OF THE CASE
Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 134(a), Appellant2 appeals from the
Examiner’s decision to reject claims 1 and 19–28. Appeal Br. 2. We have
jurisdiction under 35 U.S.C. § 6(b). We affirm.
CLAIMED SUBJECT MATTER
Appellant states the invention relates to electrical contacts configured
to facilitate high speed signal transmissions in high speed electrical
connectors. Spec. 1. Claim 1, the only independent claim on appeal, is
illustrative of the claimed subject matter and reproduced below (Appeal Br.,
Claims Appendix 5):
1. An electrical contact comprising:
a longitudinal first body portion elongated along a first direction
and having a terminal end, a first transition end opposite the
terminal end, and a major surface generally lying in a first
plane;
a longitudinal second body portion elongated along a second
direction, different from the first direction, and having a
contact end, a second transition end opposite the contact end,
and a major surface generally lying in a second plane
intersecting the first plane, the contact end being distal to the
first transition end;
a terminal portion extending from the first body portion at the
terminal end for mounting on a printed circuit board; and
a contact portion extending from the second body portion at the
contact end for making contact with a corresponding contact
of a mating connector, such that when the electrical contact is

2 We use the word “Appellant” to refer to “applicant” as defined in 37
C.F.R. § 1.42(a). Appellant identifies 3M Company as the real party in
interest. Appeal Br. 2.
Appeal 2020-000749
Application 14/345,296

3
oriented so that the first direction and the first plane are both
substantially vertical, then the second direction and the
second plane are both substantially horizontal.
REFERENCES
The prior art relied upon by the Examiner is:
Name Reference Date
Chen et al.
hereinafter “Chen”
US 6,319,061 B1 November 20, 2001
REJECTION
The Examiner rejected claims 1 and 19–28 under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C.
§ 102(b) as anticipated by Chen. Final Act. 2–3.

OPINION
Appellant does not present separate arguments with respect to the
claims on appeal. See Appeal Br. 3–4. Thus, we select claim 1 as
representative for disposition of this rejection. 37 C.F.R. § 41.37(c)(1)(iv).

The Examiner’s Rejection
In rejecting claim 1 as anticipated by Chen, the Examiner found Chen
discloses an electrical contact 12 including a longitudinal first body portion
122 elongated along a first direction and a major surface lying in a first
plane, and a longitudinal second body portion 120 elongated along a section
direction different than a first direction and a major surface generally lying
in a second plane. Final Act. 2. The Examiner found the electrical contact
is oriented so that the first direction and first plane are both substantially
Appeal 2020-000749
Application 14/345,296

4
vertical, then the second direction and the second plane are both
substantially horizontal. Id.

Appellant’s contentions
Appellant contends Chen fails to disclose a first body portion with a
major surface that generally lies in a first plane that is substantially vertical
and a second body portion with a major surface in a second plane that
generally lies in a substantially horizontal plane. Appeal Br. 3. In
particular, Appellant contends that every major surface of the first body
portion 122 in Chen as identified by the Examiner lies in a substantially
vertical plane. Id. at 3–4.

Issue
Did the Appellant demonstrate reversible error in the Examiner’s
findings that Chen discloses a second body portion with a major surface in a
second direction where the second direction and the second plane are both
substantially horizontal?

Discussion
We are not persuaded by Appellant’s arguments. The Examiner’s
annotated version of an enlarged portion of Chen’s Figure 1 from the
Answer is reproduced below with additional annotations to show the first
and second planes as recited in claim 1 (Ans. 4):
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The portion of Chen’s Figure 1 reproduced above depicts a plurality
of electrical terminals 12 including a fixing section 120, a contacting section
121 extending from the fixing section 120, and mounting sections 122
extending outwardly and downwardly from the fixing section 120. Chen,
col. 2, ll. 8–25. The Examiner has annotated Figure 1 by shading a “major
surface” of fixing section 120 gray (with additional box to show the second
plane) and shading a “major surface” of mounting section 122 black (with
and additional box to show the first plane). Ans. 5; Chen, Fig. 1, col. 2,
ll. 20–25.
For comparison, the Examiner has annotated Figure 5 of Appellant’s
Application, reproduced below, to show how the shading in the annotated
version of Chen’s Figure 1 corresponds to Appellant’s Figure 5.
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Application 14/345,296

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Figure 5 is a top perspective view of an electrical contact according to
the present Application where a first body portion 142 includes a major
surface 142a that has been shaded gray and a second body portion 144
having a major surface 144a that has been shaded black. Ans. 4; Spec. 10,
ll. 10–14; see also Fig. 6.
Thus, as the Examiner indicates, depending on the orientation of
Chen’s electrical terminals 12, the shaded major section of fixing section
120 corresponds to the second plane that is horizontal, and the major surface
of section 122, shaded black, which is perpendicular thereto, is in a vertical
plane. Ans. 5. Accordingly, contrary to Appellant’s contentions, we find
that Chen does disclose an electrical contact having first and second body
portions with major surfaces and first and second planes meeting the
relationship recited in claim 1.
Therefore, we affirm the Examiner’s rejection of claim 1 as well as
claims 19–28 for similar reasons.

Appeal 2020-000749
Application 14/345,296

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DECISION SUMMARY
In summary:
Claims
Rejected
35 U.S.C.
§
Reference(s)/Basis Affirmed Reversed
1, 19–28 102(b) Chen 1, 19–28
TIME PERIOD FOR RESPONSE
No time period for taking any subsequent action in connection with
this appeal may be extended under 37 C.F.R. § 1.136(a). See 37 C.F.R.
§ 1.136(a)(1)(iv).

AFFIRMED