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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 7, 9-14, 16, 18 and 20, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by (Kamor 2019/0189377).
Regarding Claim(s) 1 and 20; Kamor discloses an electrical switchboard—claims 1 and 20 (whereas a load center system-1 including a base pan-4-as depicted by Fig.’s 1, 18, and/or 20 and constitutes an electrical switchboard—as set forth by para. 0077) comprising: a plurality of conductive sheets—claims 1 and 20 (as constituted by 106, 108, and 110—as depicted by Fig.’s 18 and 20); a plurality of branch devices, each branch device of said plurality of branch devices electrically coupled to each conductive sheet of said plurality of conductive sheets (whereas an individual circuit breaker protects each branch circuit—as set forth by para. 0003; wherein para.’s 0110-0112 discloses the base pan includes line phase connections 12 and line neutral connections 18 of the conductive sheets 106, 108 and 110 electrically coupled to the circuit breakers-6); and a supply device electrically coupled to each conductive sheet of said plurality of conductive sheets, said supply device configured to supply electric power to said plurality of branch devices via said plurality of conductive sheets—claims 1 and 20 (as constituted by a main breaker-para. 0003, and otherwise depicted by 145-Fig. 22 which controls the supply of power from the primary power supply to the branch circuits).
Regarding Claim 2; Kamor discloses the electrical switchboard of Claim 1, wherein each branch device of said plurality of branch devices comprises at least one clip configured to engage a respective conductive sheet of said plurality of conductive sheets (a clip of the respective circuit breakers is constituted atleast by 48 and 50—as depicted by Fig. 6 which couples to a neutral electrical connection-18 of a respective conductive sheet including 110).
Regarding Claim 3; Kamor discloses the electrical switchboard of Claim 1, further comprising at least one dielectric layer disposed adjacent to at least one conductive sheet of said plurality of conductive sheets (as constituted by a collar-128 which isolates current carrying members defined by the conductive sheets 106, 108 and/or where dielectric barrier 88 constitutes being adjacent to the conductive sheets when the respective circuit breaker is coupled thereto; Note: the claim does not assert which feature further comprises the dielectric layer).
Regarding Claim 4; Kamor discloses the electrical switchboard of Claim 3, wherein said at least one dielectric layer is disposed between two conductive sheets of said plurality of conductive sheets (as constituted by a collar-128 which isolates current carrying members defined by the conductive sheets 106, 108).
Regarding Claim 5; Kamor discloses the electrical switchboard of Claim 1, wherein each conductive sheet of said plurality of conductive sheets comprises at least one tab (as constituted by 12 and 88).
Regarding Claim 7; Kamor discloses the electrical switchboard of Claim 5, further comprising at least one cap fitted onto said at least one tab (as constituted by a collar-128 disposed atleast in-part around the tab 12 which isolates current carrying members defined by the conductive sheets 106, 108).
Regarding Claim 9; Kamor discloses the electrical switchboard of Claim 7, wherein said at least one cap is fitted onto a first tab of a first conductive sheet of said plurality of conductive sheets and a second tab of a second conductive sheet of said plurality of conductive sheets (as constituted by a collar-128 disposed atleast in-part around the tab 12 which isolates current carrying members defined by the conductive sheets 106, 108).
Regarding Claim 10; Kamor discloses the electrical switchboard of Claim 5, wherein at least one of said plurality of conductive sheets defines an opening, and wherein at least one tab of another conductive sheet of said plurality of conductive sheets extends through the opening (as depicted by Fig. 20—whereas the sheets atleast partially define a plurality of openings between each tab, wherein each tab is atleast in-part defines a side portion of the openings).
Regarding Claim 11; Kamor discloses the electrical switchboard of Claim 1, wherein the plurality of branch devices include at least one circuit breaker (as already set forth).
Regarding Claim 12; Kamor discloses the electrical switchboard of Claim 1, wherein the supply device comprises a circuit breaker (as already set forth).
Regarding Claims 13-14, 16, and 18; the method steps are necessitated by the already disclosed structure of Kamor.
Claim(s) 1, and 15; is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by (Santore 2020/0395739).
Regarding Claim(s) 1; Santore discloses an electrical switchboard (as constituted by an electrical distribution panel-100-Fig. 1—as set forth by abstract and para. 0027) comprising: a plurality of conductive sheets (conductive sheets--as constituted by stacked busbar-108--as depicted by 108-Fig. 4); a plurality of branch devices, each branch device of said plurality of branch devices electrically coupled to each conductive sheet of said plurality of conductive sheets (whereas SSCBs constitute branch devices connected between connection pins 142 of the stacked busbars—as further depicted by Fig. 2—as set forth by para. 0030); and a supply device electrically coupled to each conductive sheet of said plurality of conductive sheets, said supply device configured to supply electric power to said plurality of branch devices via said plurality of conductive sheets (wherein live wires from a grid are fed into the panel from the grid to the stacked busbars—as set forth by para.’s 0024, 0034 which include the connections pins 142 of the stacked busbars—as already set forth by para. 0030).
Regarding Claim 15; Santore discloses the method of Claim 14, further comprising positioning the at least one dielectric layer between two conductive sheets of the plurality of conductive sheets (whereas para. 0029 discloses the three electrically conductive layers are stacked with electrically insulating layers therebetween).
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) 6, and 17, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (Kamor 2019/0189377).
Regarding Claim 6; Kamor discloses the electrical switchboard of Claim 5, suggests wherein said at least one tab is formed by a fold-like disposition with said conductive sheet (as depicted by Fig. 20—whereas 12 and 88 are each vertically depicted as integrally connected with the respective sheets being horizontally disposed), except, explicitly disclosing the fold-like disposition is formed by folding. However, ‘**folding**’ constitutes a method of manufacture and is not structurally distinguished from the prior art. (In re Johnson, 157 USPQ 670, 1968; In re Thorpe, 227 USPQ 964, 1985; See MPEP 2113—Product by Process Claims), and thus it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time that the invention was made that the disclosed structure of the prior art is a fully functional equivalent to the claimed structure as evidenced by meeting all of the claimed structural limitations thereof.
Regarding Claim 17; Kamor discloses the method of Claim 16, suggests wherein said at least one tab is formed by a fold-like disposition with said conductive sheet (as depicted by Fig. 20—whereas 12 and 88 are each vertically depicted as integrally connected with the respective sheets being horizontally disposed), except, explicitly disclosing the fold-like disposition is formed by folding. However, ‘**folding**’ constitutes a method of manufacture and is not structurally distinguished from the prior art. (In re Johnson, 157 USPQ 670, 1968; In re Thorpe, 227 USPQ 964, 1985; See MPEP 2113—Product by Process Claims), and thus it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time that the invention was made that the disclosed structure of the prior art is a fully functional equivalent to the claimed structure as evidenced by meeting all of the claimed structural limitations thereof.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8, 19, 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.
Regarding Claim 8; the electrical switchboard of Claim 7, wherein said supply device and/or at least one branch device of said plurality of branch devices is configured to engage and electrically couple to said cap.
Regarding Claim 19; the method of Claim 16, further comprising engaging and electrically coupling the cap to the supply device and/or at least one branch device of the plurality of branch devices.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 9112336 B2
Samuelson; Eric
Fig. 1
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/COURTNEY L SMITH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2835