DETAILED ACTION
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-21 are moot in view of new grounds of rejection.
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(s) 1-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamauchi et al. (US 2014/0253269) in view of Fausch (US 2001/0045878).
In re claim 1, Yamauchi, in figures 1-10, discloses an electromagnetic relay, comprising: a housing (60) having a top wall and a bottom opening that are opposite in a height direction, a front sidewall and a rear sidewall that are opposite in a front and rear direction, and a left sidewall and a right sidewall that are opposite in a left-right direction (as clearly seen in the figures); an insulator (10) housed in the housing and formed with a plurality of chambers which are opened towards the front sidewall of the housing (the chambers are open to all sidewalls) and are arranged in a row along the left-right direction, the insulator including a partition plate (11) located between two adjacent chambers; a plurality of static terminals (50) fixedly installed in the plurality of chambers of the insulator; and a plurality of movable terminals (41) which are respectively installed in the plurality of chambers for electrical contact with the plurality of static terminals (inherent functionality of the terminals), each movable terminal has a movable elastic piece (elastic part of 41 that holds the movable contact 42) and a movable contact (42) and a driving device (20), the driving device drives each movable elastic piece to move between a closed position where each movable contact is in electrical contact with one static contact and an opened position where each movable contact is electrically separated from each static contact, the driving device has a coil bobbin (21) fixed to the insulator, a coil (30) wound around the coil bobbin, a yoke (34) fixed to the coil bobbin, an armature (43) movably mounted on the yoke. Yamauchi does not disclose a push member. Fausch however, in figures 1-6, discloses a similar device having a configuration that includes a push member (23) driven by an armature (21) and simultaneously driving a plurality of movable elastic pieces. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have adapted the configuration of Fausch with the push member to the device of Yamauchi to allow for simultaneous actuation of more elastic pieces.
In re claim 2, Yamauchi, in figures 1-10, discloses a rib (62) formed on an inner wall surface of the front sidewall of the housing, a front side of the partition plate is arranged against the inner wall surface of the front sidewall of the housing, and a side of the rib is arranged against a left or a right side of the partition plate to electrically isolate the adjacent two chambers from each other (as best seen in figure 4b).
In re claim 3, Yamauchi, in figures 1-10, discloses that the movable terminal includes: a fixed terminal attached to the insulator and arranged against the left or right side of the partition plate (36, 41, as best shown in figure 4b but also seen in other figures); the movable elastic piece having a fixed end attached to an upper end of the fixed terminal and a cantilever portion extending downward from the fixed end; and the movable contact (42) fixed to a free end of the cantilever portion, the front side of the partition plate protrudes forward a predetermined distance relative to the fixed terminal, and a top surface of the rib is positioned against a front side of the fixed terminal (as seen in in the figures, see figure 4b for best view).
In re claim 4, Yamauchi, in figures 1-10, discloses that the insulator has a bottom plate, a top plate, a left side plate, a right side plate, and a rear side plate that surround an inner cavity (12, as best seen in figure 7a), and the partition plate separates the inner cavity of the insulator into the plurality of chambers (as seen in figure 7a), and the rear side of the fixed terminal is arranged against the rear side plate of the insulator securing the fixed terminal between the rib and the rear side plate in the front-rear direction (figure 4b shows this arrangement).
In re claim 5, Yamauchi, in figures 1-10, discloses that a lower part of the rear side plate of the insulator is opened (this is best seen in figures 7a-b), and an outer side of the rear side plate is arranged against an inner wall surface of the rear sidewall of the housing (this is best seen in figure 4b and 1b) to electrically isolate the adjacent two chambers from each other (this is an inherent functionality of the shown structure).
In re claim 6, Yamauchi, in figures 1-10, discloses that the static terminal includes: a terminal body fixed to the insulator, and a static contact fixed to one end of the terminal body and facing the movable contact (as best shown in figure 6).
In re claim 7, Yamauchi, in figures 1-10, discloses that the insulator has a fixed portion arranged in the chamber and facing the free end of the cantilever portion of the movable elastic piece, and the terminal body of the static terminal is fixed to the fixed portion of the insulator (these structures can be best seen in figures 6A-B).
In re claim 8, Yamauchi, in figures 1-10, discloses the fixed end of the movable elastic piece, the upper end of the fixed terminal; the movable contact, the movable elastic piece protrudes towards the static contact of the static terminal; and the static contact of the static terminal at one end of the terminal body of the static terminal (as seen in the figures). With respect to the welding and riveting processes, in accordance to MPEP 2113, the method of forming the device is not germane to the issue of patentability of the device itself. Therefore, this limitation has not been given patentable weight. Please note that even though product-by-process claims are limited by and defined by the process, determination of patentability is based on the product itself. The patentability of a product, i.e relay, does not depend on its method of production, i.e. welding or riveting. In re Thorpe, 227 USPQ 964, 966 (Federal Circuit 1985).
In re claim 9, Yamauchi, in figures 1-10, discloses lower ends of the main body of the fixed terminal and the terminal body of the static terminal pass through the bottom plate of the insulator and are exposed through the bottom opening of the housing (as seen in figures 1A-B).
In re claim 10, Yamauchi, in figures 1-10, discloses that the driving device (20) is arranged in the housing and mounted on the insulator.
In re claim 11, Yamauchi, in figures 1-10, discloses a magnetic core (31) housed in the coil bobbin and passing through the coil; the yoke connected to one end of the magnetic core; the armature facing the other end of the magnetic core, the armature is adapted to rotate between an initial position and the termination position (as seen in figures 6a-b); and a connection spring piece elastically connecting the armature to the yoke (part of 41 forming the 90° angle and fixed to both the armature and the yoke); when the coil is deenergized, the armature is rotated to the initial position under an elastic restoring force of the connection spring piece (this is discussed in paragraphs 50-52) to simultaneously drive the plurality of movable elastic pieces to the opened position through the push member (in the combined device).
In re claim 12, Fausch, in figures 1-6, discloses that the push member includes: a push rod (23) movably mounted on the insulator; a plurality of push portions connected to the push rod and respectively formed with slots (35) that allow the movable elastic pieces to pass through; and a connecting portion positioned at one end of the push rod and rotationally connected to the armature (21, this is best seen in figure 1).
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamauchi et al. (US 2014/0253269) in view of Fausch (US 2001/0045878) and Gruner (US 2002/0050885).
In re claim 14, Yamauchi/Fausch teach the claimed device including the fixed terminal but does not teach the fixed terminal having the claimed shape. Gruner however, in figures 1-8, discloses a relay where the upper end of the fixed terminal (71) is U-shaped (as seen in figures 1-2), and the fixed terminal includes: a main body extending in the height direction; a first connecting portion (55a, 69a) extending in the left-right direction; and a second connecting portion (55) extending downward in the height direction, wherein: one end of the first connecting portion is connected to an upper end of the main body, one end of the second connecting portion is connected to the other end of the first connecting portion; the upper end of the main body, the first connecting portion, and the second connecting portion define the U-shaped upper end of the fixed terminal (as best seen in figures 1-2), and the fixed end of the movable elastic piece is fixed to the second connecting portion of the fixed terminal (in the same way as disclosed by the applicant; all structures in the device are fixed to each other). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have adapted the U shaped fixed terminal arrangement as taught by Gruner to the device of Yamauchi/Fausch to allow the fixed terminal to better absorb shock from the moving terminal.
Claim(s) 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamauchi et al. (US 2014/0253269) in view of Gruner (US 2002/0050885).
In re claim 21, Yamauchi, in figures 1-10, discloses an electromagnetic relay, comprising: a housing (60) having a top wall and a bottom opening that are opposite in a height direction, a front sidewall and a rear sidewall that are opposite in a front and rear direction, and a left sidewall and a right sidewall that are opposite in a left-right direction (as clearly seen in the figures); an insulator (10) housed in the housing and formed with a plurality of chambers which are opened towards the front sidewall of the housing and are arranged in a row along the left-right direction, the insulator including a partition plate (11) located between two adjacent chambers; a plurality of static terminals (50) fixedly installed in the plurality of chambers of the insulator; a plurality of movable terminals (41) which are respectively installed in the plurality of chambers for electrical contact with the plurality of static terminals. Yamauchi not teach the movable terminal having a fixed terminal having the claimed shape. Gruner however, in figures 1-8, discloses a relay where the upper end of the fixed terminal (71) is U-shaped (as seen in figures 1-2), and the fixed terminal includes: a main body extending in the height direction; a first connecting portion (55a, 69a) extending in the left-right direction; and a second connecting portion (55) extending downward in the height direction, the upper end of the main body, the first connecting portion, and the second connecting portion define the U-shaped upper end of the fixed terminal (as best seen in figures 1-2). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have adapted the U shaped fixed terminal arrangement as taught by Gruner to the device of Yamauchi to allow the fixed terminal to better absorb shock from the moving terminal.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 13 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. A list of pertinent prior art is attached in form PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Alexander Talpalatski whose telephone number is (571)270-3908. The examiner can normally be reached 10 AM - 6 PM PT.
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/Alexander Talpalatski/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837