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
Claims 5, 11-13 and 17-19 are objected to because:
Claim 5, lines 5-6, “an opening” should be -the opening-.
Claim 11, line 2, “an opening” should be -the opening-.
Claim 12, line 2, “an opening” should be -the opening-.
Claim 13, line 2, “an opening” should be -the opening-.
Claim 17, line 1, “an opening” should be -the opening-.
Claim 18, line 1, “an opening” should be -the opening-.
Claim 19, line 1, “an opening” should be -the opening-.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-4, 8-11, 14 and 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bresciani et al, US 9715979 [Bresciani] in view of Liu et al, CN 114843159 [Liu].
Regarding claim 1, Bresciani discloses (figs.1-11) a switch pole (1) for a low-voltage switching device (100) comprising:
an insulating casing (2) defining an internal space with a contact region (3) and an arc extinguishing region (4) of said switch pole (1);
a first pole terminal and a second pole terminal couplable with corresponding line conductors of an electric line;
a fixed contact assembly (31) arranged in said contact region (3) and including a plurality of fixed electric contacts (311, 312) electrically connected to said first pole terminal, said fixed electric contacts including one or more first fixed contacts (311) and one or more second fixed contacts (312) electrically insulated from said first fixed contacts (311);
a movable contact assembly (32) arranged in said contact region (3) and including a plurality of movable electric contacts (321, 322) electrically connected to said second pole terminal, said movable electric contacts (321, 322 including one or more first movable contacts (321) and one or more second movable contacts (322), said movable contact assembly (32) being reversibly movable around a rotation axis (at, 325), so that said first movable contacts (321) can be coupled to or decoupled from said first fixed contacts (311) and said second movable contacts (322) can be coupled to or decoupled from said second fixed contacts (312), when said movable contact assembly (32) moves about said rotation axis (at, 325); and
an arc chamber (41) arranged in said arc extinguishing region (4) and comprising a plurality of arc-breaking elements (42).
Bresciani fails to disclose where said switch pole comprises a magnetic field generation arrangement including a first coil conductor and a second coil conductor wound around a winding axis parallel to the rotation axis of said movable contact assembly, said first and second coil conductors being spaced one from another along said winding axis and being electrically connected in series between said second fixed contacts and said first pole terminal, and
wherein, said magnetic field generation arrangement is configured to generate a magnetic field during an opening maneuver of the switch pole, the generated magnetic field being directed in such a way to make electric arcs, which arise between said fixed contact assembly and said movable contact assembly under separation, displace towards the arc extinguishing region of said switch pole.
Liu discloses (figs.1-6) a circuit breaker, where a switch pole comprises a magnetic field generation arrangement [para.0031] including a first coil conductor (4) and a second coil conductor (4) wound around a winding axis parallel to a rotation axis of a movable contact assembly (8), first and second coil conductors (4, 4) being spaced one from another along said winding axis and being electrically connected in series between second fixed contacts (3) and a first pole terminal (6), and
where, said magnetic field generation arrangement [para.0031] is configured to generate a magnetic field (B) during an opening maneuver of the switch pole, the generated magnetic field [para.0031] being directed in such a way to make electric arcs, which arise between a fixed contact assembly (1, 3) and said movable contact assembly (8) under separation, displace towards an arc extinguishing region [para.0031] of said switch pole.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in them art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the switching pole of Bresciani with the inclusion of the magnetic field generation arrangement of Liu, thereby providing generated magnetic field that moves the electric arc stably and quickly into the arc extinguishing chamber to extinguish the arc due to the magnetic field forces, further improving the stability of the arc extinguishing, preventing the circuit breaker from burning when the contacts are separated.
Regarding claim 2, Bresciani and Liu further disclose where said first and second coil conductors (Liu, 4, 4) are arranged at opposite lateral walls (21, 22) of said insulating casing (2).
Regarding claim 3, Bresciani and Liu further disclose where said first and second coil conductors (4, 4) comprise first and second coil terminals (end portions, 4) and third and fourth coil terminals (end portions, 4) respectively, where the first coil terminal (one end portion of 4) of said first coil conductor (4) is electrically connected to a second fixed contacts (3) through a first electric bus (bracket),
where the second coil terminal (end portion, 4) of said first coil conductor (4) is electrically connected to the third coil terminal (one end portion, 4) of said second coil conductor (4) through a second electric bus (bracket), and
wherein the fourth coil terminal (one end portion, 4) of said second coil conductor (4) is electrically connected to said first pole terminal (6) through a third electric bus (bracket).
Regarding claim 4, Bresciani and Liu further disclose where said switch pole comprises an additional casing structure (7) to accommodate said first and second coil conductors (4, 4) and said first, seconds and third electric buses (brackets must be at least partially accommodated in the casing, 7), said additional casing structure (7) being fixed to said insulating casing (2).
Regarding claim 8, Bresciani further discloses where said movable contact assembly (32) is reversibly movable, about said rotation axis (at, 325), between a first position, which corresponds to a closed condition of said switch pole (1), and a second position which corresponds to an open condition of said switch pole (1).
Regarding claim 9, Bresciani further discloses where, when said movable contact assembly (32) is in said first position:
said first movable contacts (321) are coupled to said first fixed contacts (311); and
said second movable contacts (322) are decoupled from said second fixed contacts (312) [see fig.8].
Regarding claim 10, Bresciani further discloses where when said movable contact assembly (32) is in said second position:
said first movable contacts (321) are decoupled from said first fixed contacts (311); and
said second movable contacts (322) are decoupled from said second fixed contacts (312).
Regarding claim 11, Bresciani further discloses where during an opening maneuver of said switch pole (1), said movable contact assembly (32) moves from said first position to a first intermediate position, where:
said first movable contacts (321) are coupled to said first fixed contacts (311); and
said second movable contacts (322) are coupled to said second fixed contacts (312).
Regarding claim 14, Bresciani further discloses a low-voltage switching device (100)s where the low-voltage switching device (100) comprises at least a switch pole (1) [col.7, lines59-61].
Regarding claim 16, Bresciani further discloses where when said movable contact assembly (32) is in said second position:
said first movable contacts (321) are decoupled from said first fixed contacts (311); and
said second movable contacts (322) are decoupled from said second fixed contacts (312).
Regarding claim 17, Bresciani further discloses where, during an opening maneuver of said switch pole (1), said movable contact assembly (32) moves from said first position to a first intermediate position, where:
said first movable contacts (321) are coupled to said first fixed contacts (311); and
said second movable contacts (322) are coupled to said second fixed contacts (312).
Claims 12-13 and 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bresciani and Liu and further in view of DE143003.
Regarding claim 12, Bresciani and Liu fail to explicitly disclose wherein, during an opening maneuver of said switch pole, said movable contact assembly subsequently moves from said first intermediate position to a second intermediate position, in which wherein: said first movable contacts are decoupled from said first fixed contacts; and said second movable contacts are coupled to said second fixed contacts.
DE143003 discloses (figs.1-2) an electrical switch where, during an opening maneuver of a switch pole a movable contact assembly (f) subsequently moves from a first intermediate position to a second intermediate position, where:
first movable contacts (portion of movable contact, f cooperating with fixed contact c) are decoupled from first fixed contacts (c); and
second movable contacts (portion of movable contact, f cooperating with fixed contact, k) are coupled to second fixed contacts (k).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in them art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the switching pole of Bresciani with the teaching of the electrical switch of DE143003, thereby providing an alternative switching sequence, but is designed in such a way that is easier and quicker in the replacement of the components or parts.
Regarding claim 13, DE143003 further discloses where during an opening maneuver of said switch pole, said movable contact assembly (f) subsequently moves from said second intermediate position (position of fig.2, bold lines) to said second position (position of fig.2, dotted lines).
Regarding claim 18, Bresciani and Liu fail to disclose wherein, during an opening maneuver of said switch pole, said movable contact assembly subsequently moves from said first intermediate position to a second intermediate position, wherein: said first movable contacts are decoupled from said first fixed contacts; and said second movable contacts are coupled to said second fixed contacts.
DE143003 discloses (figs.1-2) an electrical switch where, during an opening maneuver of a switch pole a movable contact assembly (f) subsequently moves from a first intermediate position to a second intermediate position, where:
first movable contacts (portion of movable contact, f cooperating with fixed contact c) are decoupled from first fixed contacts (c); and
second movable contacts (portion of movable contact, f cooperating with fixed contact, k) are coupled to second fixed contacts (k).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in them art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the switching pole of Bresciani with the teaching of the electrical switch of DE143003, thereby providing an alternative switching sequence, but is designed in such a way that is easier and quicker in the replacement of the components or parts.
Regarding claim 19, DE143003 further discloses where, during an opening maneuver of said switch pole, said movable contact assembly (f) subsequently moves from said second intermediate position to said second position [see fig.2].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7 and 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 5, the prior art fails to teach or show, alone or in combination, the claimed switch pole comprises a magnetic shield arrangement arranged at an opposite side of the switch pole relative to said fixed contact assembly, said magnetic shield arrangement being configured to confine the magnetic field generated by said magnetic field generation arrangement, during an opening maneuver of said switch pole.
Regarding claim 7, the prior art fails to teach or show, alone or in combination, the claimed switch pole where a central magnetic portion is arranged on a first support fixed to said insulating casing at a front wall of the insulating casing and in that said second magnetic portions are arranged on corresponding second supports fixed to an additional casing structure , at opposite lateral walls of said insulating casing.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Carter, Kuznestsov et al and Baiatu are examples of switching device comprising coil conductors for generating magnetic fields, configured similar to the present invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM A BOLTON whose telephone number is (571)270-5887. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri: 7:30AM - 5:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Renee S Luebke can be reached at (571)-272-2009. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WILLIAM A BOLTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2833