DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed on November 14, 2022 has been considered by the Examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 3, 4, 6-8, 20, 22 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Henry (US 7,939,759).
Regarding claim 1, Henry discloses a container system (10) for forming channels that receive conductor cable for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system, the container system (10) comprising an enclosure (see figure 1) having: a. a tray (12) having a base at a bottom and a pair of opposing sidewalls (16), in which the sidewalls (16) slope upward from opposing edges of the bottom at a junction with the sidewalls to a rim (see figures 1 and 5) , the rim (see figure 5) being at a generally horizontal opening in the tray in which the horizontal opening has a narrower width than a width of the base between the opposing edges (see figure 5), b. one or more cable spacer members (30) laterally spaced apart between the first pair of opposing sidewalls (see figure 1), and a lid (20) configured to engage the rim to close the horizontal opening in the tray (see figure 1).
Regarding claim 3, Henry discloses the container system (10) for forming channels that receive conductor cable (70) for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system, in which the cable spacer members (30) are one of formed integrally within the bottom of the tray and spaced apart to extend at least partially over a portion of the bottom of the tray (see figure 1).
Regarding claim 4, Henry discloses the container system (10) for forming channels that receive conductor cable (70) for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system in which the cable spacer members (30) have a plurality of holes (see figure 1) to allow a liquid used to fill a cavity between the tray and the lid to flow under a portion of one at least one of the tray and the cable spacer members (see figure 1).
Regarding claim 6, Henry discloses the container system (10) for forming channels that receive conductor cable for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system wherein at least one lower portion of the lid (20) penetrates below the rim (see figure 2).
Regarding claim 7, Henry discloses the container system (10) for forming channels that receive conductor cable for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system according in which the tray (see figure 1) has a central portion with an interior cavity surrounded by a convoluted flexible wall (column 4 lines 15-21 or column 6 lines 1-8).
Regarding claim 8, Henry discloses the container system (10) for forming channels that receive conductor cable for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system in which one of the lid (20) and opposing sidewalls (16) have a portion that forms an acute angle less than 60 degrees from the base (see figure 1).
Regarding claim 20, Henry discloses the container system (10) for forming channels that receive conductor cable (70) for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system in which at least a portion of the bottom of the tray is open (see figure 2, keyed slot 14).
Regarding claim 22, Henry discloses the container system (10) for forming channels that receive conductor cable (70) for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system in which the cable spacers (30) are configured as cable support members that present upward facing channels for receiving at least one of insulated conductor cable, cable in conduit and fiber optic cable (see figures 1 and 26) .
Regarding claim 23, Henry discloses the container system (10) for forming channels that receive conductor cable (70) for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system in which the upward spacing channels vary in diameter to accommodate narrow fiber optic cables and wider cable that are one insulated conductor cables and conductor in conduit (see figures 1 and 26).
4. Claims 1, 2 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Henry (US 6,747,212).
Regarding claim 1, Henry discloses a container system (50) for forming channels that receive conductor cable for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system, the container system (50) comprising an enclosure (see figure 1) having: a. a tray (see figure 1) having a base at a bottom and a pair of opposing sidewalls (54), in which the sidewalls (54) slope upward from opposing edges of the bottom at a junction with the sidewalls to a rim (see figures 6) , the rim (see figure 6) being at a generally horizontal opening in the tray in which the horizontal opening has a narrower width than a width of the base between the opposing edges (see figure 6), b. one or more cable spacer members (58) laterally spaced apart between the first pair of opposing sidewalls (see figure 6), and a lid (see figure 1; column 2 lines 35-36) configured to engage the rim to close the horizontal opening in the tray (see figure 1).
Regarding claim 2, Henry discloses the container system (10) for forming channels that receive conductor cable (not shown) for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system that further comprises a pair of openings (52) that are generally orthogonal to the first pair of opposing sidewalls (see figure 6).
Regarding claim 19, Henry discloses the container system (10) for forming channels that receive conductor cable for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system in which the enclosure is fabricated from a dielectric material or composite that is fire resilient and will not propagate flames that originate either internally or externally (column 4 lines 21-29).
5. Claims 1 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Henry (US 2019/0229506).
Regarding claim 1, Henry discloses a container system (10) for forming channels that receive conductor cable for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system, the container system (10) comprising an enclosure (see figure 1) having: a. a tray (12; see figure 1) having a base at a bottom and a pair of opposing sidewalls (15), in which the sidewalls (15) slope upward from opposing edges of the bottom at a junction with the sidewalls to a rim (see figures 1) , the rim (see figure 1) being at a generally horizontal opening in the tray in which the horizontal opening has a narrower width than a width of the base between the opposing edges (see figure 1), b. one or more cable spacer members (see figures 1 and 3) laterally spaced apart between the first pair of opposing sidewalls (see figure 1), and a lid (14) configured to engage the rim to close the horizontal opening in the tray (see figures 1 and 3).
Regarding claim 21, Henry discloses the container system (10) for forming channels that receive conductor cable for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system in which the lid (14) has one or more holes (20; see figure 6).
Allowable Subject Matter
6. Claims 25-33 are allowed.
Claims 5, 9-18 and 24 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance: The primary reasons for the indication of the allowability of claims 5, 9-18 and 24-33 are:
Regarding claims 5, 9, 11, 12, and 15, the prior art does not teach or fairly suggest in combination with the other claimed limitations the container system for forming channels that receive conductor cable for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system, in which the tray has one or more lateral flanges that extend outward away from at least one of the opposing sidewalls at the edge of the base.
Regarding claim 10, the prior art does not teach or fairly suggest in combination with the other claimed limitations the container system for forming channels that receive conductor cable for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system in which the lid has downward extending portion that covers at least an exterior portion of the sidewalls.
Regarding claims 13 and 14, the prior art does not teach or fairly suggest in combination with the other claimed limitations the container system for forming channels that receive conductor cable for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system further comprising one or more coupling bars configured to extend over sidewall of the enclosure at edge of the openings that are generally orthogonal to the first pair of opposing sides and engage a 2nd enclosure connected to the opposing openings of the enclosure.
Regarding claim 16, the prior art does not teach or fairly suggest in combination with the other claimed limitations the container system for forming channels that receive conductor cable for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system in which the tray has a portion that is one of curved and bent to change a local principal axis of at least a portion of the enclosure.
Regarding claim 17, the prior art does not teach or fairly suggest in combination with the other claimed limitations the container system for forming channels that receive conductor cable for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system in which the tray has a portion that is one of curved and bent to change a local principal axis of a portion of the enclosure to dispose one of the openings of said pair above the other opening of the pair such that the base of the tray is not entirely disposed in a single plane.
Regarding claim 18, the prior art does not teach or fairly suggest in combination with the other claimed limitations the container system for forming channels that receive conductor cable for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system in which each of the openings of said pair is configured to have an inverted lag offset flange from the other opening to provide sealed engagement when a 2nd enclosure is coupled to the enclosure at opposing openings.
Regarding claim 24, the prior art does not teach or fairly suggest in combination with the other claimed limitations the container system for forming channels that receive conductor cable for one of an essentially flush and ground level electrical distribution system according to claim 1 in which the cable spacers are configured as an indexing member with a plurality of downward appendages that descend from a generally horizontal support.
Regarding claims 25-29, the prior art does not teach or fairly suggest in combination with the other claimed limitations a container system comprising an enclosure having: a. a base at having a bottom and a first pair of opposing sidewalls, in which the sidewalls of the first pair extend upward from the base to an upper rim at a horizonal opening in the base, b. one or more cable spacer members laterally spaced apart between the opposing sidewalls of the first pair, c. a lid for installing over the base to cover the rim of the base, the lid having a generally horizontal center portion and opposing walls that slopes from a lower rim upward to the generally horizontal center portion in which a height of the lid from the lower rim to the generally horizontal center portion is greater than a height of the base from the bottom to the upper rim.
Regarding claims 30-33, the prior art does not teach or fairly suggest in combination with the other claimed limitations a container system comprising an enclosure having: a. abase having a bottom, b. one or more cable spacer members laterally spaced apart for isolating cables disposed on the bottom, c. a lid for installing over the base to cover the one or more cable spacer members, the lid having a generally horizontal center portion and opposing walls that slope from a lower rim upward to the generally horizontal center portion.
These limitations are found in claims 5, 9-18 and 24-33 are neither disclosed nor taught by the prior art of record, alone or in combination.
Conclusion
7. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Huff (US 9,834,927), Lioi (US 9,438,022), DePaul (US 8,779,290), Federspiel et al (US 6,972,367), Morris (US 6,843,181) , Samuels (US 6,191,363), Russo et al (US 5,942,724) and West et al (US 5,777,270) disclose a container system.
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication should be directed to Angel R. Estrada at telephone number (571) 272-1973. The Examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday (8:30am -5:00pm).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Imani N. Hayman can be reached on (571) 270-5528. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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July 23, 2025
/ANGEL R ESTRADA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
