Appeal No. 2004-1074
Application No. 09/924,772
. . . The connector comprises a conductive housing
10, typically formed of aluminum or stainless steel,
which surrounds a connector assembly including forward
and rear perforated insulated blocks 12 and 14,
typically formed of a ceramic or plastic material,
through the apertures of which extend pins 16 forming
part of a filter assembly 18.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
present invention, filter assembly 18 comprises at
least one and preferably at least two printed circuit
boards 20 having surface mounted thereon filter
circuits 22 which provide desired transient suppression
and filtering for protection of electrical and
electronic equipment from spurious energy inputs,
including for example, EMI, RFI and EMP [column 2, line
62, through column 3, line 8].
The examiner concedes that the Cohen connector does not
respond to the limitations in independent claim 1, and the
corresponding limitations in independent claim 13, requiring a
plastic pin holder overmolded about portions of the termination
ends of the terminal pins, the filters and at least a portion of
the circuit board for rigidly supporting the termination ends for
connection to appropriate conductors. According to the examiner,
[i]n Cohen, the insulator 14 surrounds portions of
the pins and is adjacent the circuit board 20 (as is
shown in applicant’s drawings), however the insulator
14 is not overmolded about portions of the pins or the
board. Note however that Cohen does show in the
figures (see figures 2-5, 10, 11) that the circuit
board filter assembly is encapsulated, although this
aspect of the invention is not discussed [answer, page
4].
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