Appeal No. 1998-3027
Application No. 08/546,179
1. A one-piece hooded socket contact formed from a sheet
metal blank that is rolled to form the contact body
comprising:
a contact body having a forward mating section and a rear
wire connection section;
said mating section comprising a generally cylindrical
hood having a front end and a reverse bend of more than 90° at
said front end to form a plurality of spring fingers and lead-
in tabs between said fingers, all lying within said hood and
extending rearwardly from said hood front end with at least
said fingers extending inwardly toward the center axis of said
cylindrical hood; and
said tabs having a length less than one-quarter that of
said fingers, and being stiff to guide a pin contact with said
tabs forming at least three radially innermost locations
circumferentially spaced apart by about 120° about said axis
and lying on an imaginary circle to center a pin contact of
generally cylindrical shape in said hood.
The examiner relies on the following references:
Ostapovitch 4,152,042 May 1, 1979
Seidler 4,139,256 Feb. 13, 1979
Schubert 5,119,664 June 9, 1992
Wurster 5,167,543 Dec. 1, 1992
Takenouchi 5,350,321 Sep. 27, 1994
Claims 1, 5, 9, 11, 12, 16 and 17 stand rejected under
35 U.S.C. § 103. As evidence of obviousness, the examiner
cites Ostapovitch and Wurster with regard to claims 1 and 9,
adding Seidler with regard to claim 5. With regard to claims
11 and 12, the examiner relies on Ostapovitch, Wurster and
2
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