Ex Parte Rossman

Patent Trial and Appeal Board

Feb 16, 2018

14326807 (P.T.A.B. Feb. 16, 2018)

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.
14/326,807 07/09/2014 Jared Evan Rossman DC-02135 (958-2692) 7188
75750 7590
The Whitaker LLC
4550 Linden Hill Road
Suite 140
Wilmington, DE 19808
02/16/2018 EXAMINER
DUVERNE, JEAN F
ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER
2833
MAIL DATE DELIVERY MODE
02/16/2018 PAPER
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.
PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
Ex parte JARED EVAN ROSSMAN
Appeal 2017-005958
Application 14/326,807
Technology Center 2800
Before TERRY J. OWENS, N. WHITNEY WILSON, and
MERRELL C. CASHION JR., Administrative Patent Judges.
OWENS, Administrative Patent Judge.
DECISION ON APPEAL
STATEMENT OF THE CASE
The Appellant appeals under 35 U.S.C. § 134(a) from the Examiner’
rejection of claims 1—20. We have jurisdiction under 35 U.S.C. § 6(b).
The Invention
The Appellant claims an electrical connector assembly and an
integrated securing guide pin which guides and connects an electrical
connector assembly with respect to an electrical component device.
Claim 1 is illustrative:
1. An electrical connector assembly, comprising:
one or more first electrical contact elements and an integrated
securing guide pin, wherein the integrated securing guide pin
includes a guiding member that guides the integrated securing
guide pin into a receiving channel of a guiding connection
Appeal 2017-005958
Application 14/326,807
module, and a securing member that securely connects to a
securing surface of the guiding connection module, wherein the
guiding member extends forward from the securing member.
Gulla
Nguyen
The References
US 2011/0256753 A1 Oct. 20, 2011
US 8,199,494 B2 June 12, 2012
The Rejections
The claims stand rejected as follows: claims 1, 3—10, and 12—18 under
35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) over Nguyen and claims 2, 11, 19, and 20 under
35 U.S.C. § 103 over Nguyen in view of Gulla.
OPINION
We reverse the rejections. We need address only the independent
claims, i.e., claims 1, 10, and 19. Those claims require an integrated
securing guide pin including a guiding member and a securing member.
Rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1)
The Examiner has the initial burden of establishing a prima facie case
of anticipation by pointing out where all of the claim limitations appear in a
single reference. See In re Spada, 911 F.2d 705, 708 (Fed. Cir. 1990); In re
King, 801 F.2d 1324, 1327 (Fed. Cir. 1986).
Nguyen discloses thumbscrews (214, 216) having a threaded
portion (222, 224) for threadably securing a module (200) to a host
device (104) with which the module (200) has been connected operatively
by mating a module connector (208) with a corresponding host device
connector (116) (col. 5,11. 36-42, 56—58; col. 6,11. 2—6; Figs. 1, 2A). A
module bottom shell (206) and thumbscrew extensions (226, 228) which
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Appeal 2017-005958
Application 14/326,807
extend outwardly from the back end of the module connector (208) form a
protective barrier for the module connector (208) (col. 6,11. 38-43; Fig. 2C).
The Examiner finds that Nguyen’s thumbscrews (214, 216) are guide
pins (Final Act. 2; Ans. 2).
‘“[DJuring examination proceedings, claims are given their broadest
reasonable interpretation consistent with the specification.’” In re
Translogic Tech. Inc., 504 F.3d 1249, 1256 (Fed. Cir. 2007) (quoting In re
Hyatt, 211 F.3d 1367, 1372 (Fed. Cir. 2000)).
The Appellants’ Specification states that “[t]he integrated securing
guide pins 60 are configured to guide the electrical connector assembly 30
into proper mating alignment with the electrical component device 10
(shown in Figure 1) and securely connect the electrical connector
assembly 30 to the electrical component device 10” (Spec. 126).
The Examiner does not establish that the broadest reasonable
interpretation of the Appellant’s claim term “integrated securing guide pin”
consistent with the Appellant’s Specification includes Nguyen’s
thumbscrews (214, 216) which threadably secure a module (200) to a host
device (104) after they have been connected operatively by mating a module
connector (208) with a corresponding host device connector (116) (col. 5,
11. 38-42, 59-61; col. 6,11. 4—6). The Appellants’ Specification indicates
that a guide pin would be useful for mating alignment of Nguyen’s module
connector (208) and host device connector (116) (Spec. 126), but the
Examiner does not establish that Nguyen’s thumbscrews (214, 216) are
capable of performing that connector mating alignment function.
Thus, the Examiner has not established a prima facie case of
anticipation.
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Appeal 2017-005958
Application 14/326,807
Rejection under 35 U.S.C. §103
The Examiner does not rely upon Gulla for any disclosure that
remedies the deficiency in Nguyen as to the independent claims (Final
Act. 4). The Examiner, therefore, has not established a prima facie case of
obviousness.
DECISION/ORDER
The rejections of claims 1, 3—10, and 12—18 under
35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) over Nguyen and claims 2, 11, 19, and 20 under
35 U.S.C. § 103 over Nguyen in view of Gulla are reversed.
It is ordered that the Examiner’s decision is reversed.
REVERSED
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