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 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.
Claim 15 is 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.
Claim 15 recites the limitation "the at least two fuse holders" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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 1-2 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by Jetton (US 2012/0289086).
Regarding claim 1, Jetton discloses a fuse holder for an in-line fuse, comprising:
a multipart housing (10), a fuse carrier (18) for a fuse (12), and
at least one closure element (58, 62),
wherein the housing has at least a first housing part (20) with an interior space and at least a second housing part (22) with an interior space (72), the housing parts can be moved from a closed position, in which the housing parts are connected to one another by the closure element and enclose the interior spaces, into an open position, in which the housing parts are spaced apart from one another by an opening width and the interior spaces are open, and back in the direction of a longitudinal axis of the fuse holder, wherein the housing parts are coupled to at least one guide rail (40) arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fuse holder (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 2, Jetton discloses the fuse carrier in the closed position of the housing parts is accommodated within the inner spaces of the housing parts concentrically to a longitudinal axis of the fuse holder, and in that the fuse carrier is arranged in the open position of the housing parts within the opening width between the housing parts spaced apart from one another concentrically to the longitudinal axis of the fuse holder.
Regarding claim 13, Jetton discloses the fuse holder comprises connection terminals (30, 32) for electrical lines (120), the connection terminal being formed with a contact device (124) for a fuse to be accommodated in the fuse carrier.
Regarding claim 14, Jetton discloses the contact device has a spring within the contact device which maintains a constant contact force against the fuse contacts, or/and that the contact device has circumferentially resilient lamellar contacts or lamellar springs which form an electrically conductive connection receptacle for a fuse contact of the fuse.
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-9, 11-12, 15 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-9, 11-15 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRUC T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2011. The examiner can normally be reached monday-friday (7-4).
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, Christopher M. Koehler can be reached at 5712723560. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TRUC T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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