DETAILED ACTION
Response to Arguments
The arguments with respect to the double patenting rejection are persuasive and the rejection has been withdrawn.
The arguments with respect to the prior art rejection with respect to Kazuma are persuasive, but are moot in view of new grounds of rejection.
With respect to claims 10-11, the applicant argues that “Furthermore, the entirety of the claim was not addressed in the Office Action. Claims 10 and 11 do not simply recite the position of a protrusion and a recess, as alleged by the Office Action. Rather, a specific structural arrangement of the insulating member and the housing is recited….”. This argument is not persuasive because claim 10 recites “…the insulating member includes a protrusion protruding toward the housing, and the housing is further configured to slidably support the insulating member at the protrusion.” This clearly recites a recess and a protrusion arranged on the insulating member and the housing. No other specific structures are recited. Thus, the entirety of the claim was addressed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 1-11, 13-14, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kazuma (US 3099730) in view of Yano et al. (US 7924123).
In re claim 1, Kazuma, in figures 1-12, discloses a relay comprising: a first fixed terminal; a first fixed contact connected to the first fixed terminal; a second fixed terminal; a second fixed contact connected to the second fixed terminal (terminals 10 and contacts 11); a first movable contact piece (8) configured to move in a moving direction; a first movable contact that faces the first fixed contact, the first movable contact being connected to the first movable contact piece; a second movable contact that faces the second fixed contact, the second movable contact being connected to the first movable contact piece (movable contacts 7); an insulating member (4; it is inherently insulating because contacts and core would have a short circuit without insulation) connected to the first movable contact piece; a drive device including a spool, a coil (2) wound around the spool, and a movable iron core (3) at least partially disposed in the spool and connected to the insulating member, the drive device being configured to move the movable iron core by a magnetic force generated from the coil to move the first movable contact piece, the movable iron core including a first link part (portion that links with the insulating member), and the insulating member including a second link part (portion of the insulating member that connects with the movable iron core) with a locking groove into which the first link part is locked (as best seen in figure 2), the locking groove including a first flat surface (either of the two surfaces extending in the moving direction) extending in the moving direction; a housing (14) slidably supporting the insulating member the first movable contact piece and the movable iron core being electrically insulated by the insulating member (inherent functionality for the device to be operable), the housing including a base supporting the drive device, the base slidably supporting the insulating member, a direction in which the drive device is arranged with respect to the base being defined as upward, the insulating member being supported by the base in a vertical direction, and the insulating member being configured to move in a direction that intersects the vertical direction by the drive device, and the first and second fixed terminals penetrating through and projecting downward from the base to an outside of the housing (as best seen in figure 2; see attached figure showing the base and the direction; the ends of the terminals are clearly outside of the housing to make external connection). Kazuma does not teach the first and second steps extending in the claimed directions. Yano however, in figures 1-19, discloses a similar device having first and second steps that extend laterally inward in a direction that intersects the moving direction, the first and second steps being spaced a distance in the moving direction from a flat surface in which the first and second link parts contact, the first step including a first step part, the first flat surface extending perpendicular to and from the first step part (this can be seen in figures 8-11 and 13-17). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have adapted the link structure having the first and second steps extending laterally inward as taught by Yano to the device of Kazuma to improve connection strength between the armature and the insulating member.
PNG
media_image1.png
455
478
media_image1.png
Greyscale
In re claim 2, Kazuma, in figures 1-12, discloses that the insulating member is fixed to the movable iron core so as to be immovable relative to the movable iron core in the moving direction of the first movable contact piece (as shown in figures 1-2).
In re claim 3, Kazuma, in figures 1-12, discloses that the insulating member is fixed to the movable iron core so as to be non-rotatable relative to the movable iron core around an axis extending in the moving direction of the first movable contact piece (inherent function of the shown structure).
In re claim 4, Kazuma, in figures 1-12, discloses that the movable iron core includes a third flat surface and a fourth flat surface extending in the moving direction of the first movable contact piece, the first flat surface contacts the third flat surface, and the second flat surface contacts the fourth flat surface (as seen in figure 2).
In re claim 5, Kazuma, in figures 1-12, discloses the movable iron core includes a plurality of plate members provided separately from each other (laminated core is clearly shown in figure 2 and 6).
In re claim 6, Kazuma, in figures 1-12, discloses that the plurality of plate members are laminated and integrated with each other (as seen in figures 2 and 6).
In re claim 7, Kazuma, in figures 1-12, discloses that the movable iron core has a non-circular shape in a cross section perpendicular to the moving direction of the first movable contact piece (as seen in the figures).
In re claim 8, Kazuma, in figures 1-12, discloses that the movable iron core has a prismatic shape (as seen in the figures).
In re claim 9, Kazuma, in figures 1-12, discloses a housing (12-14) configured to slidably support the insulating member (the insulating member slides inside the housing).
In re claims 10-11, Kazuma teaches a protrusion (20) and a recess (19) as claimed except for the positioning of the protrusion and the recess are reversed. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have reversed the positioning of the protrusion and the recess, since it has been held that a mere reversal of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. In re Einstein, 8 USPQ 167. Please note that in the instant application, paragraphs 17-18, applicant has not disclosed any criticality for the claimed limitations.
In re claim 13, Kazuma, in figures 1-12, discloses a first return spring configured to contact the insulating member; and a second return spring configured to contact the insulating member (springs 17), wherein the moving direction includes an opening direction in which the first movable contact and the second movable contact move away from the first fixed contact and the second fixed contact, the first return spring is further configured to press the insulating member in the opening direction, and the second return spring is further configured to press the insulating member in the opening direction (inherent function of the shown structure).
In re claim 14, Kazuma, in figures 1-12, discloses that the insulating member (4) includes a first connection part connected to the second link part and to which the first return spring is connected, and a second connection part connected to the second link part and to which the second return spring is connected (the link part is positioned between the connection parts; the connection parts are the parts that the springs contact as seen in figure 2 and 6).
In re claim 16, Kazuma modified by Yano discloses that the locking groove has a second flat surface opposite the first flat surface and extends in the moving direction and a second step part, the second flat surface extending perpendicular to and from the second step part, and the first link part has third and fourth flat surfaces respectively contacting the first and second flat surfaces, and has third and fourth step parts respectively contacting the first and second step parts (as best seen in Yano figure 11).
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kazuma (US 3099730) in view of Yano et al. (US 7924123) and Lange (US 7772945).
In re claim 15, Kazuma discloses a second movable contact piece with third and fourth contacts connected to, and electrically insulated by the insulating member, but does not disclose the third and fourth fixed contacts on the first and second terminals. Lange however teaches a similar device with multiple fixed contacts connected to one fixed terminal (connected to 212) with a plurality of movable contact pieces having contacts and all connected to one fixed terminal. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have adapted the configuration of Lange with more than one contact point to the device of Kazuma/Yano in order to provide redundancy and improve reliability.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Alexander Talpalatski whose telephone number is (571)270-3908. The examiner can normally be reached 10 AM - 6 PM PT.
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, Shawki Ismail can be reached at 5712723985. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Alexander Talpalatski/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
Prosecution Insights