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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.
The Amendment filed February 6th, 2026 has been entered. Claims 1-8 are pending. Claims 1 and 8 have been amended by the Applicant.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 5 are objected to because:
Claim 5 is objected to under 37 CFR 1.75 as being a substantial duplicate of claim 1. When two claims in an application are duplicates or else are so close in content that they both cover the same thing, despite a slight difference in wording, it is proper after allowing one claim to object to the other as being a substantial duplicate of the allowed claim. See MPEP § 608.01(m).
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 1-5 and 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato et al, WO 2020084984 [Sato] in view of Takashi, JPH 1186697.
Regarding claim 1, Sato discloses (figs.1-13) a gas circuit breaker (100, 101, 102), comprising:
a container (10) filled with an arc-extinguishing gas [para.0012];
an opposing part (11) that is housed in the container (10). the opposing part (11) including an opposing arc contact (1) and an exhaust stack (5);
a movable part (21) that is housed in the container (10), the movable part (21) including: a movable arc contact (2) that comes in contact with the opposing arc contact (1) in a connected state, and separates from the opposing arc contact (1) in an open state: and a pressure accumulation part (Mp) where a pressure of the arc-extinguishing gas is increased; and
a nozzle (7) that is housed in the container (10) the nozzle (7) including a space (Mnu) where arc discharge (E ) occurs between the movable arc contact (2) and the opposing arc contact (1),
where the nozzle (7) comprises:
a middle part where the opposing arc contact (1) is inserted.
Sato fails to explicitly disclose the nozzle comprising one or more jet holes that eject, toward the space, pail of the arc-extinguishing gas flowing in from a first flow passage between the pressure accumulation part and the middle part, and
wherein part of threshing gas whose pressure is increased in the pressure accumulation part flows into the space via the first flow passage and a remaining part of the arc-extinguishing gas whose pressure is increased in the pressure accumulation part flows into the space via the one or more jet holes to extinguish the arc discharge,
wherein the nozzle includes a diameter-enlarged part with a diameter expanding from the middle part toward an end part on a side of the opposing arc contact,
wherein the diameter is a diameter of a cross section of a flow passage inside the nozzle, and wherein each of the one or more jet holes is provided in the diameter-enlarged part.
Takashi discloses (figs.7-8) a gas circuit breaker where a nozzle (7) comprising one or more jet holes (11b) that eject, toward a space part (labeled in fig.7, below) of an arc-extinguishing gas flowing (see direction of the arrow) in from a first flow passage (5a) between a pressure accumulation part (6) and a middle part (throat part, 7a), and
where part of the arc-extinguishing gas whose pressure is increased in the pressure accumulation part (6) flows into the space (labeled in fig.7, below) via the first flow passage (5a) and a remaining part (see direction of arrow) of the arc-extinguishing gas whose pressure is increased in the pressure accumulation part (6) flows into the space (labeled in fig.7, below) via the one or more jet holes (11b) to extinguish an arc discharge (20),
where the nozzle (7) includes a diameter-enlarged part (labeled in fig.7, below) with a diameter expanding from the middle part (throat part, 7a) toward an end part (labeled in fig.7, below) on a side of an opposing arc contact (2),
where the diameter is a diameter of a cross section of a flow passage (labeled in fig.7, below) inside the nozzle (7), and where each of the one or more jet holes (11b) is provided in the diameter-enlarged part (labeled in fig.7, below).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the nozzle of Sato with the teaching of the nozzle of Takashi, thereby providing a nozzle that has a diverging portion, with plurality discharge openings into the diverging portion downstream from the middle of the nozzle; this construction removes the risk of the discharge openings being blocked by the electric arc.
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Regarding claim 2, Sato and Takashi further disclose where the nozzle (7) comprises one or more second flow passages (11) where part of the arc-extinguishing gas flowing in the first flow passage (5a) flows in. the one or more second flow passages (11) allowing inflow arc- extinguishing gas to flow out to the one or more jet holes (11b).
Regarding claim 3, Sato and Takashi further disclose where the nozzle (Takashi, 7) comprises a housing part (labeled in fig.7, above) where part of the arc-extinguishing gas in the first flow passage (labeled in fig.7, above) flows in, the housing part (labeled in fig.7, above) housing inflow are-extinguishing gas and ejecting the housed arc-extinguishing gas from the one or more jet holes 911b).
Regarding claim 4, Sato and Takashi further disclose where the nozzle (Takashi, 7) includes one or more inflow holes (11a) where part of the arc-extinguishing gas flowing in the first flow passage (labeled in fig.7, above) flows in, and each of the one or more jet holes ejects (11b), toward the space (labeled in fig.7, above), the arc-extinguishing gas flowed in from any of the one or more inflow holes (11a).
Regarding claim 5, Sato and Takashi further disclose where the nozzle (Takashi, 7) includes a diameter-enlarged part (labeled in fig.7, above) with a diameter expanding from the middle part (7a) toward an end part (labeled in fig.7, above) on a side of the opposing are contact (2), and each of the one or more jet holes (11b) is provided in the middle part (labeled in fig.7, above) or the diameter- enlarged part (labeled in fig.7, above).
Regarding claim 7, Sato and Takashi further disclose where each of the one or more jet holes (11b) is provided in a part other than the middle part (throat, 7a).
Regarding claim 8, Sato and Takashi further disclose where each of one or more jet holes (11b) has a size smaller than a cross-sectional area of the first flow passage (labeled in fig.7, above).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato and Takashi and further in view of Hasegawa et al, US 20220166198 [Hasegawa].
Regarding claim 6, Sato and Takashi fail to disclose wherein the arc- extinguishing gas is a gas that has a lower global warming potential than a sulfur hexafluoride gas has, has a lower molecular weight than the sulfur hexafluoride gas has, and is in a gas phase at least at 1 atmospheric pressure or higherand20 degrees Celsius lower.
Hasegawa discloses (fig.1) a gas insulation apparatus (1) where an arc- extinguishing gas (2) is a gas (CO2) that has a lower global warming potential than a sulfur hexafluoride gas has, has a lower molecular weight than the sulfur hexafluoride gas has, and is in a gas phase at least at 1 atmospheric pressure or higherand20 degrees Celsius lower.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the circuit breaker of Sato with the substitution of the arc-extinguishing gas of Hasegawa, thereby providing a gas that has a lower environmental burden, life span an reliability of the gas insulation apparatus components ca be secured in long -term use, and safety during maintenance can be secured.
Conclusion
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/WILLIAM A BOLTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2833