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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because the drawings because the drawings have poor line quality & the drawings shall not contain text matter, except a single word or words, when absolutely indispensable, such as “water,” “steam,” “open,” “closed,” “section on AB,” and, in the case of electric circuits and block schematic or flow sheet diagrams, a few short catchwords indispensable for understanding. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the:
panel mount recited in Claim 1 & 11 and dependent claims;
sealing boot recited in Claim 1 & and dependent clams;
panel mount receptacle recited in Claim 1 & 11;
watertight assembly recite in Claim 1 & 12;
flange recited in Claim 2 & 12;
nose ring recited in Claim 3 & 13;
partial ball shape recited in Claim 4 & 14;
gripping ribs recited in Claim 5 & 15;
protrusions recited in Claim 5 & 15;
O-rings recited in Claim 6 & 16;
watertight seal recited in Claim 6, 18, 16 & 18;
the recited “multiple water-tight seals, where a first water-tight seal is configured to be created by a length and angle of taper of an outer surface of the first over-mold section which is mirrored in the inverse by an inner surface of the second over-mold section that slides over the first over-mold section and is located between a first bolt hole of the first section of the shear bolt connector and a last bolt hole of the shear bolt connector” recited in Claim 7 & 17;
the recited “watertight seal above the first section of the shear bolt connector where a tongue and grove protruded area of the first over-mold section receives a recessed lip area of the second over-mold section” recited in Claim 8 & 18;
must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 3-4, 7 & 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding Claim 3, the applicant in the last line recites “the over-mold section”. Claim 1 & 3 recites a first over-mold section and second over-mold section. Therefore, it is unclear to what over-mold (first or second) Claim 3 in the last line is referring to.
Claim 4 is rejected based on the dependency from Claim 1.
Claim 7 & 17 recites the limitation "the inverse" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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, 3-4, 9-11, 13 & 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over GE (US 2025/0132724) in view of Bogart (US 2016/0079717).
Regarding Claim 1, GE discloses an apparatus, comprising:
a first over-mold section [1702] for a panel mount [1826 & 1828] (FIG. 18A, ¶ [0112]; Each exterior trough may be flanked by features that keep the anchoring device in place. For example, the first exterior trough 1822 may be positioned between a first raised wall 1826 and a second raised wall 1828),
a sealing boot [1802] with a second over-mold section [half right side of 1802 from the right side of 1822] (FIG. 18A),
where the first over-mold section [1702] for the panel mount [1826 & 1828] is configured to encase a portion [“portion” encased of 1810] of a first cable [1302] and a first section of connector [“B” 1202] to form a panel mount receptacle [1202 “forms a panel mount receptacle” once connected as shown in FIG. 18A], where the first cable [1302] is configured to be electrically connected to an electrical inverter (“A” – FIG. 18A, ¶ [0072]; Advantageously, the inclined branch cable installation enables ease of installation, and better protects the branch cables by allowing for fewer bends of the conductor metal in the connector, and increase bend radius of the branch cable, among other things. Also present in FIG. 9 is an electrical disconnect box 912 and an inverter 913, both of which are commonly found electrical components necessary for solar array operation),
where the second over-mold section [half right side of 1802 from the right side of 1822] of the sealing boot [1802] is configured to encase a portion [“portion” encased of 1816] of a second cable [1312] and a second section [half right side of 1202] of the connector [“B” 1202], where the second cable [1312] is configured to be electrically connected to a DC voltage feed to be supplied to the electrical inverter [refer to “A” above] (¶ [0062]; As noted, one conventional method of installing solar power DC wires is to connect a plurality of conducting (e.g., copper) photovoltaic extender wires from solar strings to a combiner box, and then combine several DC feeder lines from combiner boxes to an inverter), and
where the second over-mold section [1802] is configured to have a shape and size to slidably fit over the first over-mold section to form a mechanically locked [FIG. 18A shows the “have a shape and size to slidably fit over the first over-mold section to form a mechanically locked”], watertight assembly [The apparatus further comprises an inner mold encapsulating the metal material transition connector and at least partially encapsulating the temperature-activated sealing member(s), and an outer mold encapsulating the inner mold] that covers the connector [“B” 1202] in its entirety and the portions of the first cable and the second cable that are electrically coupled inside the connector [“B” 1202] (FIG. 18A, Abstract. Claim 1).
GE does not disclose the shear bolt connector.
Bogart teaches a shear bolt connector [136] (FIG. 5, ¶ [0079]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to incorporate Bogart’s shear bolt connector as the connector (refer to “B” above). One would be motivated to so for a properly torqued connection, minimizing the risk of electrical faults, such as overheating or short circuits.
Regarding Claim 3, GE in view of Bogart disclose the apparatus of claim 1 [see rejected Claim 1],
GE discloses where a first end [right side end of 1702] of the first over-mold section [1702] is constructed in size and shape to fit over the shear bolt connector [incorporated bolt connection 136 for 1202 – refer to rejected Claim 1], where the first over-mold section [1702] can include a semi-circular curved recessed area [recessed area inside 1702 where 1702 is installed], in such a way as to create a nose ring [“nose ring created” of 1702 by 1704] at the first end of the over-mold section [1702] (FIG. 18A).
Regarding Claim 4, GE in view of Bogart disclose the apparatus of claim 3 [see rejected Claim 3],
GE discloses where the second over-mold section of the sealing boot [1802] is configured to have a semi-circular, curved protruded area that creates a partial ball shape [FIG. 18C shows the recited limitation on the “semi-circular, curved protruded area that creates a partial ball shape” where elements are installed inside 1802], where the curved protruded area is constructed in size and shape to fit the semi-circular curved recessed area of the first over-mold section [FIG. 18C shows the recited limitation on the “curved protruded area is constructed in size and shape to fit the semi-circular curved recessed area of the first over-mold section” where elements are installed inside 1802], and once the second over-mold section [1802] fully is slid far enough onto the first over-mold section [1702] for the panel mount [1826 & 1828], the curved protruded area [hollow area of 1802] will mechanically connect and lock into the semi-circular curved recessed area of the first over-mold section [1702] (FIG. 18A).
Regarding Claim 9, GE in view of Bogart disclose the apparatus of claim 1 [see rejected Claim 1],
GE discloses where the first over-mold section [1702] for the panel mount [1826 & 1828] is configured to have a hollow interior in order to slide over the first cable [“hollow interior” of 1708 where 1302 slide over] coming from the electrical inverter [refer to “A” above] when being installed and then slide back over the first cable and the first section of the shear bolt connection [incorporated bolt connection 136 for 1202 – refer to rejected Claim 1] after they have been mechanically and electrically secure together, where the electrical inverter is a solar-powered electrical inverter [photovoltaic extender wires from solar strings to a combiner box, and then combine several DC feeder lines from combiner boxes to an inverter]; and thus, the first over-mold section for the panel mount [1826 & 1828] is made of weather resistant material [The material used for the inner mold 1702, such as polypropylene (PP), may also be relatively rigid ] (FIG. 18A, ¶ [0062], ¶ [0104]).
Regarding Claim 10, GE in view of Bogart disclose the apparatus of claim 1 [see rejected Claim 1],
GE discloses where the second over-mold section [half right side of 1802 from the right side of 1822] of the sealing boot [1802] is configured to have a hollow interior [hollow interior of 1802] in order to slide over the second cable [1312] coming from the DC voltage feed [refer to “A” above] when being installed and then slide back over the second cable [1312] and the second section [right side] of the shear bolt connection [incorporated bolt connection 136 for 1202 – refer to rejected Claim 1] after they have been mechanically and electrically secure together, where the DC voltage feed comes from a solar-powered array [photovoltaic extender wires from solar strings to a combiner box, and then combine several DC feeder lines from combiner boxes to an inverter]; and thus, the second over-mold section is made of weather resistant material [The material used for the inner mold 1702, such as polypropylene (PP), may also be relatively rigid ] (FIG. 18A, ¶ [0062], ¶ [0104]).
Regarding Claim 11, GE discloses a method of electrically connecting a DC voltage feed to an electrical inverter (FIG. 18A, ¶ [0062]; As noted, one conventional method of installing solar power DC wires is to connect a plurality of conducting (e.g., copper) photovoltaic extender wires from solar strings to a combiner box, and then combine several DC feeder lines from combiner boxes to an inverter), comprising:
providing a first over-mold section [1702] for the panel mount [1826 & 1828] to encase a portion of a first cable [1302] and a first section of a connector [1202] to form a panel mount receptacle [1202 “forms a panel mount receptacle” once connected as shown in FIG. 18A], where the first cable [1302] is configured to be electrically connected to an electrical inverter (“A” – FIG. 18A, ¶ [0072]; Advantageously, the inclined branch cable installation enables ease of installation, and better protects the branch cables by allowing for fewer bends of the conductor metal in the connector, and increase bend radius of the branch cable, among other things. Also present in FIG. 9 is an electrical disconnect box 912 and an inverter 913, both of which are commonly found electrical components necessary for solar array operation),
providing a second over-mold section [half right side of 1802 from the right side of 1822] of a sealing boot [1802] to encase a portion of a second cable [1312] and a second section [right side of 1202] of the connector [1202], where the second cable [1312] is configured to be electrically connected to a DC voltage feed to be supplied to the electrical inverter [refer to “A” above] (¶ [0062]; As noted, one conventional method of installing solar power DC wires is to connect a plurality of conducting (e.g., copper) photovoltaic extender wires from solar strings to a combiner box, and then combine several DC feeder lines from combiner boxes to an inverter), and
providing the second over-mold section [1802] to have a shape and size to slidably fit over the first over-mold section to form a mechanically locked [FIG. 18A shows the “have a shape and size to slidably fit over the first over-mold section to form a mechanically locked”], watertight assembly [The apparatus further comprises an inner mold encapsulating the metal material transition connector and at least partially encapsulating the temperature-activated sealing member(s), and an outer mold encapsulating the inner mold] that covers the shear bolt connector in its entirety and the portions of the first cable and the second cable that are electrically coupled inside the connector [“B” 1202] (FIG. 18A, Abstract Claim 1).
GE does not disclose the shear bolt connector.
Bogart teaches a shear bolt connector [136] (FIG. 5, ¶ [0079]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to incorporate Bogart’s shear bolt connector as the connector (refer to “B” above). One would be motivated to so for a properly torqued connection, minimizing the risk of electrical faults, such as overheating or short circuits.
Regarding Claim 13, GE in view of Bogart disclose the method of claim 11 [see rejected Claim 11],
GE discloses further comprising:
providing a first end [“first end” of 1702 on the right side of 1702] of the first over-mold section [1702] constructed in size and shape to fit over the shear bolt connector [incorporated bolt connection 136 for 1202 – refer to rejected Claim 1], where the first over-mold section can include a semi-circular curved recessed area [recessed area inside 1702 where 1702 is installed], in such a way as to create a nose ring at the first end of the over-mold section (FIG. 18A).
Regarding Claim 19, GE in view of Bogart disclose the method of claim 11 [see rejected Claim 11], further comprising:
GE discloses providing the first over-mold section [1702] for the panel mount [1826 & 1828] to have a hollow interior in order to slide over the first cable [“hollow interior” of 1708 where 1302 slide over] coming from the electrical inverter [refer to “A” above] when being installed and then slide back over the first cable and the first section of the shear bolt connection [incorporated bolt connection 136 for 1202 – refer to rejected Claim 1] after they have been mechanically and electrically secure together, where the electrical inverter is a solar-powered electrical inverter; and thus, the first over-mold section for the panel mount is made of weather resistant material [The material used for the inner mold 1702, such as polypropylene (PP), may also be relatively rigid ] (FIG. 18A, ¶ [0062], ¶ [0104]).
Regarding Claim 20, GE in view of Bogart disclose the method of claim 11 [see rejected Claim 11],
GE discloses further comprising: providing the second over-mold section [half right side of 1802 from the right side of 1822] of the sealing boot [1802] to have a hollow interior [hollow interior of 1802] in order to slide over the second cable [1312] coming from the DC voltage feed when being installed and then slide back over the second cable and the second section of the shear bolt connection after they have been mechanically and electrically secure together connection after they have been mechanically and electrically secure together [photovoltaic extender wires from solar strings to a combiner box, and then combine several DC feeder lines from combiner boxes to an inverter] (FIG. 18A, ¶ [0062], ¶ [0104]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 5-8, 12 & 14-18 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH ORTEGA whose telephone number is (469)295-9083. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8 AM - 5 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, TULSIDAS C. PATEL can be reached at (571)272-2098. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JOSEPH ORTEGA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834