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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 12/16/2025 has been entered.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed 3/10/2026 fails to comply with 37 CFR 1.98(a)(2), which requires a legible copy of each cited foreign patent document; each non-patent literature publication or that portion which caused it to be listed; and all other information or that portion which caused it to be listed. It has been placed in the application file, but the information referred to therein has not been considered.
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.
Claims 1-7,19-20, 22-25 and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Reibke et al. (US 7,238,043) in view of Coyne et al. (US 6,315,597).
Regarding claim 1, Reibke discloses an electrical wiring device comprising: a housing (5) having an interior and at least one wire receiving opening (3) that provides access from an exterior of the housing to the interior of the housing, the wire receiving opening being configured to receive a wire; and at least one wire terminal assembly (1,2) positioned in the interior of the housing such that the at least one wire terminal assembly is accessible from the at least one wire receiving opening, the at least one wire terminal assembly includes a clamp brace (2) and a clamping member (1) having a
clamp opening (7) configured to receive at least a portion of the clamp brace, the clamping member being movable between a closed position where the wire can be clamped between the clamping member and the clamp brace and an open position where the wire can be inserted through the at least one wire receiving opening and between the clamping member and the clamp brace; and an actuator (23) mounted (i.e. placed) at least partially within at least one actuator opening (22) in the housing (see Fig. 1) and configured to move the clamping member from the closed position to the open position.
Reibke is silent regarding the housing wire receiving opening being configured to receive a wire gauge 10 AWG wire or larger in size. However, Coyne teaches an electrical wiring device having a housing (12) with a wire receiving opening (20) configured to receive a wire gauge 10 AWG wire in the receiving opening. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to modify the housing device of Reibke to be configured to accommodate a 10 AWG wire as a predetermined selection as taught by Coyne.
Regarding claim 19, Reibke discloses an electrical wiring device comprising: a housing (5) having an interior and at least one wire receiving opening (3), the wire receiving opening having a diameter configured to receive wires; and at least one wire terminal (1, 2) positioned in the interior of the housing such that the at least one wire terminal is accessible from the at least one wire receiving opening, the at least one wire terminal being configured to automatically be in a closed position where the wire can be clamped within the at least one wire terminal until moved to an open position that allows the wire to be inserted or removed from the at least one wire terminal, the at least one wire terminal being moved open to the open position by a linearly movable
actuator (23) mounted (i.e. placed) in at least one actuator opening (22) within the housing (Fig. 1).
Reibke is silent regarding the housing wire receiving opening being configured to receive a wire gauge 10 AWG wire or larger in size. However, Coyne discloses an electrical wiring device having a housing (12) with a wire receiving opening (20) configured to receive a wire gauge 10 AWG wire in the receiving opening. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to modify the housing device of Reibke to be configured to accommodate a 10 AWG wire as a predetermined selection as taught by Coyne.
Regarding claims 2 and 22, Reibke discloses the clamping member comprising a spring.
Regarding claims 3 and 23, Reibke discloses the clamping member moving in a first direction to the closed position and in a second direction to the open position.
Regarding claims 4 and 24, Reibke discloses the movement of the clamping member in the second direction being opposite the movement of the clamping member in the first direction.
Regarding claims 5 and 25, Reibke discloses the movement of the clamping member in the first direction and the second direction being substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the wire.
Regarding claim 6, Reibke discloses the movement of the clamping member in the first direction and the second direction being substantially linear.
Regarding claims 7 and 27, Reibke discloses that the wire can be clamped between the clamping member and the clamp brace with a force that is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the wire so that the clamping member presses the wire against the clamp brace.
Regarding claim 20, Reibke, as modified by Coyne, discloses the at least one wire terminal includes a clamp brace (2) and a clamping member (1) that is movable between the closed position where the wire that is 10 AWG wire can be clamped between the clamping member and the clamp brace and the open position where the wire that is 10 AWG wire can be inserted through the at least one wire receiving opening and between the clamping member and the clamp brace.
Claims 10-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Reibke in view of Coyne and Kozel et al. (US 5,494,456).
Regarding claim 10, Reibke discloses an electrical wiring device comprising: a housing (5) having an interior and a wire receiving opening (3), the wire receiving opening provides access from an exterior of the housing to the interior of the housing, the wire receiving opening being configured to receive a wire (4) and a wire terminal assembly (1, 2) positioned in the interior of the housing such that the wire terminal assembly is accessible from the wire receiving opening, the wire terminal assembly includes a clamp brace (2) and a clamping member (1) having a clamp opening (9) configured to receive at least a portion of the clamp brace, the clamping member being movable between a closed position where the wire can be clamped between the clamping member and the clamp brace and an open position where the wire can be inserted through the one of the plurality of wire receiving openings through the clamp opening between the clamping member and the clamp brace; and an actuator (23) mounted (i.e. placed) at least partially within at least one actuator opening (22) in the housing (Fig. 1) and configured to move the clamping member from the closed position to the open position.
Reibke is silent regarding the housing wire receiving opening being configured to receive a wire gauge 10 AWG wire or larger in size, a plurality of wire receiving openings, and a plurality of wire terminal assemblies. However, Coyne teaches an electrical wiring device having a housing (12) with a wire receiving opening (20) configured to receive a wire gauge 10 AWG wire in the receiving opening. Kozel discloses an electrical wiring device having a housing with plurality of wire receiving openings (20), and a plurality of wire terminal assemblies (34). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to modify the housing of the wiring device of Reibke to be configured to accommodate a 10 AWG wire as a predetermined selection size as taught by Coyne and also obvious to modify the housing of the wiring device of Reibke to have the housing with plurality of wire receiving openings and a plurality of wire terminal assemblies to accommodate multiple wires and wire assemblies as taught by Kozel.
Regarding claim 11, Reibke discloses the clamping member comprising a spring.
Regarding claim 12, Reibke discloses the clamping member moving in a first direction to the closed position and in a second direction to the open position.
Regarding claim 13, Reibke discloses the movement of the clamping member in the second direction being opposite the movement of the clamping member in the first direction.
Regarding claim 14, Reibke discloses the movement of the clamping member in the first direction and the second direction being substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the wire.
Regarding claim 15, Reibke discloses the movement of the clamping member in the first direction and the second direction being substantially linear.
Regarding claim 16, Reibke discloses that the wire can be clamped between the clamping member and the clamp brace with a force that is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the wire so that the clamping member presses the wire against the clamp brace.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/16/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Reibke discloses an actuator (23) mounted (i.e. placed) at least partially within at least one actuator opening (22) in the housing (Fig. 1). Please note that “mounted” does not define any further structural relationship between the actuator and the housing beyond that shown in Fig. 1.
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 FELIX O FIGUEROA whose telephone number is (571)272-2003. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-6pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Renee Luebke can be reached at (571)272-2009. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/FELIX O FIGUEROA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831