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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 5 is objected to because:
Claim 5, lines 2-3, “a current” should be -the current-.
Claim 5, line 4, “a current” should be -the current-.
Claim 5, line 7, “a current” should be -the current-.
Claim 5, line 8, “a current” should be -the current-.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Iwasawa et al, US 20140231391 [Iwasawa].
Regarding claim 1, Iwasawa discloses (figs. 1-17) a manipulator (10) manipulating a breaker (1), the manipulator (10) comprising:
a housing (14);
a rotation unit (11) disposed in the housing (14) and having a first rotation axis; and
a linear unit (6) of which at least a portion is disposed in the housing (14) and which performs a linear motion with respect to the breaker (1),
where one side of the linear unit (6) is connected to the breaker (1), and another side of the linear unit (6) is connected to a first portion of the rotation unit (11).
Regarding claim 2, Iwasawa further discloses where a hole is formed in one of the other side of the linear unit (6) and the first portion of the rotation unit (11);
a pin protrudes from the other of the other side of the linear unit (11) and the first portion of the rotation unit (11) and passes through the hole; and the pin is not constrained in the hole.
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 3-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iwasawa in view of KR200446093.
Regarding claim 3, Iwasawa fails to explicitly disclose wherein the hole is a slot having an oval shape.
KR200446093 discloses (figs.3-5) a rotation unit (135) comprising a hole (135c) is a slot having an oval shape.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the rotation unit of Iwasawa with the inclusion of the hole of KR200446093, thereby providing lever configuration that rotate smoothly without shaking or tilting, preventing sparks and arcs from occurring at the contact points, further ultimately improving the operating performance of the gas-circuit breaker.
Regarding claim 4, Iwasawa and KR200446093 further comprise a blocking induction portion (15) configured to induce blocking of a current; and an input induction portion (83) configured to induce input of a current, where a portion of the blocking induction portion (15) is connected to a second portion of the rotation unit (11), and
a portion (82) of the input induction portion (83) is connected to a third portion of the rotation unit (11).
Regarding claim 5, Iwasawa and KR200446093 further disclose where the blocking induction portion (15) is configured to induce blocking of a current by rotating the rotation unit (11) in a determined direction; the input induction portion (83) is configured to induce input of a current by rotating the rotation unit in another direction; and
the linear unit (6) is configured to be displaced away from the breaker (1) when blocking of a current is induced and displaced toward the breaker (1) when input of a current is induced.
Regarding claim 6, Iwasawa and KR200446093 further disclose where the blocking induction portion (15) comprises:
a blocking spring (12); and a blocking rod (15) disposed in the blocking spring (12) in a longitudinal direction of the blocking spring (12),
where the blocking rod (15) is connected to the rotation unit (11) through a pin-hole connection (11a), and
the blocking spring (12) is configured to displace the blocking rod (15) by extending from a loaded state [para.0066].
Claims 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iwasawa and KR200446093 and further in view of Hashimoto et al, KR 20130072147 [Hashimoto].
Regarding claim 8, Iwasawa and KR200446093 fail to explicitly disclose wherein the input induction portion comprises: an input motor; an input sprocket driven by the input motor and having a second rotation axis; and an input rod of which one side is connected to the input sprocket, wherein an other side of the input rod is connected to the rotation unit through a pin-hole connection.
Hashimoto discloses (figs.1-8) a gas circuit breaker(100) where an input induction portion (404) comprises:
an input motor [para.0043];
an input sprocket (51) driven by the input motor and having a second rotation axis; and
an input rod (27) of which one side is connected to the input sprocket (51), where an other side of the input rod (27) is connected to a rotation unit (5) through a pin-hole connection (6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the manipulator of Iwasawa with the inclusion of the motor assembly of Hashimoto, thereby providing electrical and remote operation of the opening and closing of the contact points within the circuit breaker, via a rotating shaft (sprocket/gear).
Regarding claim 9, Iwasawa fails to explicitly disclose where the input induction portion comprises:
an input motor;
an input sprocket driven by the input motor and having a second rotation axis; and
an input cam coupled to the input sprocket,
wherein the input cam is connected to the third portion of the rotation unit through a sliding contact,
configured to rotate as the input sprocket rotates and configured to rotate the rotation unit by pushing the third portion of the rotation unit.
Hashimoto discloses (figs.1-8) a gas circuit breaker (100) where an input induction portion (404) comprises:
an input motor [para.0043];
an input sprocket (51) driven by the input motor [para.0043] and having a second rotation axis; and
an input cam (3) coupled to the input sprocket (51),
where the input cam (3) is connected to a third portion (L46) of a rotation unit (5) through a sliding contact (6),
configured to rotate as the input sprocket (51) rotates and configured to rotate the rotation unit (5) by pushing the third portion (L46) of the rotation unit (5).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the manipulator of Iwasawa with the inclusion of the motor assembly of Hashimoto, thereby providing electrical and remote operation of the opening and closing of the contact points within the circuit breaker, via a rotating shaft (sprocket/gear).
Regarding claim 10, Hashimoto further discloses where the rotation unit (5) comprises:
a first arm (L45a) connected to a linear unit (68);
a second arm (L47) located on an opposite side of the first arm (L45a) with respect to a first rotation axis;
a third arm (L45b) located on one side with respect to a line connecting the first arm (L45a) and the second arm (L47); and
a fourth arm (L46) located on another side with respect to the line,
where the blocking induction portion (403) further comprises, a checker (8) configured to selectively fix the second arm (L47),
where the third arm (L45b) is connected to a blocking rod (25), and where the fourth arm (L46) is connected to the input cam (3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 is 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 a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 7, the prior art fails to teach or show, alone or in combination, the claimed manipulator, where a hole of the pin-hole connection of the blocking rod to the rotation unit is a slot having an oval shape.
Conclusion
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/WILLIAM A BOLTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2833