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 § 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 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by Darr et al. (US 8,454,390).
Regarding claim 1, Darr et al. discloses a fuse holder for an in-line fuse, comprising:
a multipart housing (10),
a fuse carrier (22, 24) for a fuse, and
at least one closure element (32),
wherein the housing has at least a first housing part (12) with an interior space and at least a second housing part (14) with an interior space, 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.
Regarding claim 2, Darr et al. disclose 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, Darr et al. disclose the fuse holder comprises connection terminals for electrical lines (27), the connection terminal being formed with a contact device for a fuse to be accommodated in the fuse carrier.
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Regarding claim 15, Darr et al. disclose the first housing parts of the at least two fuse holders consist of housing sections which are connected at their free ends by a joint (threaded like portion at 32).
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.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Darr et al. (US 8,454,390) in view of Muguira (US 4,909,761).
Darr et al. substantially disclosed the claimed invention except a spring.
Muguira teach a spring (64).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to provide the spring into Darr’s fuse holder, as taught by Muguira for increasing contact force.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-12 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 TRUC T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2011. The examiner can normally be reached monday-friday (7-4).
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/TRUC T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834