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 .
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-8, in the reply filed on 4/24/26 is acknowledged. Claim 9 has been withdrawn from consideration as being directed toward a non-elected invention. Claims 1-8 remain in the application for prosecution thereof.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 1-4 and 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by WO 2019/149125.
WO 2019/149125 discloses in Fig. 1, 5-16 a contactor comprising: a first fixing contact terminal 204 electrically connected to an energy storage device 101; a second fixing contact terminal 208 electrically connected to a load 104; and a moving contact terminal 205 coupled to or separated from the first fixed contact terminal and the second fixed contact terminal according to a control signal, wherein the first fixed contact terminal and the second fixed contact terminal are coupled to the moving contact terminal by a male-female coupling structure
Regarding claims 2 and 3, WO 2019/149125 teaches the first and second contact terminals to have fitting grooves while the moving contact terminal to have first and second protrusions which accommodate the grooves (Fig. 1, 5-16).
Regarding claims 6-8, WO 2019/149125 teaches first and second contact coils configured to be coupled to the first and second contact terminals using a control signal. The moving contact terminal can be moved vertically or horizontally (Figs. 1 and 5-16).
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by CN 113675042.
CN 113675042 teaches a contactor comprising: a first fixing contact terminal 101 electrically connectable to an energy storage device; a second fixing contact terminal 102 electrically connectable to a load; and a moving contact terminal 3 coupled to or separated from the first fixed contact terminal and the second fixed contact terminal according to a control signal, wherein the first fixed contact terminal and the second fixed contact terminal are couplable to the moving contact terminal by a male-female coupling structure (see fig. 21 & 22),
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 4 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO 2019/149125 in combination with CN 113675043.
Features detailed above concerning the teachings of WO 2019/149125 are incorporated here.
WO 2019/149125 fails to teach the first and second fixing contact terminal comprises first and second protrusions and the moving contact terminal has first and second grooves or a single groove accommodating the first and second protrusions
CN 113675043 teaches these limitation as detailed in Fig. 5, 6, 9-11,14.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified WO 2019/149125 to have protrusions and fitted grooves respectively as evidenced by CN 113675043 with the expectation of similar success.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 113675042 in combination with CN 109192617.
Features detailed above concerning the teachings of CN 113675042.
CN 113675042 fails to teach a second contactor coil configured to move the moving contact terminal to be separated from the first fixing contact terminal and the second fixing contact terminal according to the contactor open signal.
CN 109192617 teaches similar contact coils 5 and 6.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified CN 113675042 to include a second contactor coil configured to move the moving contact terminal as evidenced by CN 109192617.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIAN K TALBOT whose telephone number is (571)272-1428. The examiner can normally be reached Monday -Friday 7-4PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, MICHAEL CLEVELAND can be reached at 571-272-1418. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BRIAN K TALBOT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1712
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