DETAILED ACTION Drawings The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because figure 7 incorrectly indicates the first base member 110 using reference number “102,” which is correctly used to indicate the first support. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance. 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) 1-4 , 6- 11 and 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Quincy (US 0,972,471). Referring to Claim 1 : Quincy discloses a rail brace assembly for first and second rails ( A , A’ ) each having a head portion, a web portion extending from the head portion, and a base portion extending from the web portion (Fig. 2), a longitudinal axis of the first rail aligned with a longitudinal axis of the second rail (Fig. 1 ), the rail brace assembly comprising: a first support ( B ) comprising an electrically insulating material ( C ) configured to be engaged with a first side of the base portions of the first rail and the second rail (Fig. 2 ), the first support defining a plurality of openings (Fig. 1 ) (page 1, lines 38-49) ; a second support ( B ) comprising an electrically insulating material (C ) configured to be engage with a second side of the base portions of the first rail and the second rail (Fig. 2 ), the second support defining a plurality of openings (Fig. 1 ) (page 1, lines 38-49) ; a first base member ( E ) comprising an electrically insulating material configured to be engaged with a bottom surface of the base portions of the first rail and the second rail (page 1 , lines 59-73 ); and a plurality of fasteners ( F ) each configured to extend through one of the plurality of openings of the first support and the second support (Figs. 1 and 2) (page 1, lines 70-73) . Referring to Claim 2 : Quincy discloses t he rail brace assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a second base member (D) configured to abut the first base member and extend between the first support and the second support (Fig. 2) (page 1, lines 55-58) . Referring to Claim 3 : Quincy discloses the rail brace assembly of claim 2, wherein the second base member (D) is a metal plate (page 1, lines 34-35) . Referring to Claim 4 : Quincy discloses the rail brace assembly of claim 1, wherein the first support and the second support ( B ) each comprises a rail joint bar (49) (page 1 , lines 38-45 ) . Referring to Claim 6 : Quincy discloses the rail brace assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fasteners ( F ) each comprise a bolt and a nut (Figs. 1 and 2) (page 1, lines 70-73). Referring to Claim 7 : Quincy discloses the rail brace assembly of claim 6, further comprising a first washer plate (see annotated Fig. 2 below) configured to be engaged with the first support (B) and a second washer plate (see annotated Fig. 2 below) configured to be engaged with the second support (B) , wherein the first and second supports and the first and second washer plates are configured to be positioned between the nut and a head of the bolt (F) . Referring to Claim 8 : Quincy discloses the rail brace assembly of claim 1, wherein the first base member (E) includes a body defining a plurality of openings configured to be aligned with the plurality of openings of the first and second supports (Figs. 2 and 4) . Referring to Claim 9 : Quincy discloses a rail joint assembly comprising: a first rail (A) having a head portion, a web portion extending from the head portion, and a base portion extending from the web portion; a second rail (A’) having a head portion, a web portion extending from the head portion, and a base portion extending from the web portion, a longitudinal axis of the first rail aligned with a longitudinal axis of the second rail; a first rail joint bar (b) attached to a first side of the first and second rails; a second rail joint bar (b) attached to a second side of the first and second rails; and a rail brace assembly comprising: a first support (B) comprising an electrically insulating material (C) engaged with a first side of the base portions of the first rail and the second rail, the first support defining a plurality of openings (Fig. 1) (page 1, lines 38-49) ; a second support (B) comprising an electrically insulating material (C) engaged with a second side of the base portions of the first rail and the second rail, the second support defining a plurality of openings (Fig. 1) (page 1, lines 38-49) ; a first base member (E) comprising an electrically insulating material engaged with a bottom surface of the base portions of the first rail and the second rail (page 1, lines 59-73) ; and a plurality of fasteners (F) each extending through one of the plurality of openings of the first support and the second support (Figs. 1 and 2) (page 1, lines 70-73) . Referring to Claim 10 : Quincy discloses the rail joint assembly of claim 9, further comprising: a second base member (D) configured to abut the first base member and extend between the first support and the second support (Fig. 2) (page 1, lines 55-58). Referring to Claim 11 : Quincy discloses the rail joint assembly of claim 9, wherein the first support and the second support (B) each comprises a rail joint bar (49) (page 1, lines 38-45). Referring to Claim 13 : Quincy discloses the rail joint assembly of claim 9, wherein the plurality of fasteners (F) each comprise a bolt and a nut (Figs. 1 and 2) (page 1, lines 70-73). Referring to Claim 14 : Quincy discloses the rail joint assembly of claim 9, further comprising a first washer plate (see annotated Fig. 2 above ) configured to be engaged with the first support (B) and a second washer plate (see annotated Fig. 2 above ) configured to be engaged with the second support (B), wherein the first and second supports and the first and second washer plates are configured to be positioned between the nut and a head of the bolt (F). Referring to Claim 15 : Quincy discloses the rail joint assembly of claim 9, wherein the first base member (E) includes a body defining a plurality of openings configured to be aligned with the plurality of openings of the first and second supports (Figs. 2 and 4). Claim(s) 1 6- 17 and 19 -20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Urmson , Jr. et al. (US 7,261,244) (hereinafter “Urmson ‘244”) . Referring to Claim 16 : Urmson ‘244 discloses a rail brace assembly for first and second rails ( 56 , 56 ’) each having a head portion, a web portion extending from the head portion, and a base portion extending from the web portion (Fig. 8 ) , a longitudinal axis of the first rail aligned with a longitudinal axis of the second rail (Fig. 9 ) , the rail brace assembly comprising: a base plate ( 52 ) defining a plurality of openings; a plurality of clips (62) , each of the plurality of clips comprising an electrically-insulating material configured to engage the base portion of the first rail or second rail, each of the plurality of clips defining an opening configured to be aligned with one of the plurality of openings of the base plate (Fig. 8) (Col. 4, lines 32-38) ; and a plurality of fasteners ( 60 ) configured to extend through respective openings of the plurality of clips and the plurality of openings of the base to secure the clips and the base plate to the first and second rails (Fig. 8) (Col. 4, lines 32-38) . Referring to Claim 17 : Urmson ‘244 discloses t he rail brace assembly of claim 16, wherein the base plate (52) is metal (Col. 3, lines 21-22) . Referring to Claim 19 : Urmson ‘244 discloses the rail brace assembly of claim 16, further comprising an insulator plate (26) configured to be positioned between the base portions of the first and second rails and the base plate (12) (Figs. 6 and 9) (Col. 3, lines 23-26) . Referring to Claim 20 : Urmson ‘244 discloses a rail joint assembly comprising: a first rail (56) having a head portion, a web portion extending from the head portion, and a base portion extending from the web portion (Fig. 8) ; a second rail (56’) having a head portion, a web portion extending from the head portion, and a base portion extending from the web portion, a longitudinal axis of the first rail aligned with a longitudinal axis of the second rail (Fig. 9) ; a first rail joint bar (76) attached to a first side of the first and second rails (Fig. 8) ; a second rail joint bar (76’) attached to a second side of the first and second rails (Fig. 8) ; and a rail brace assembly comprising: a base plate (52) positioned below the base portions of the first and second rails, the base plate defining a first opening and a second opening (58) (Fig. 10) ; a first clip (62) comprising an electrically-insulating material engaged with the base portion of the first rail or second rail at the first side of the first and second rails, the first clip defining an opening (Fig. 8) (Col. 4, lines 32-38) ; a second clip (62) comprising an electrically-insulating material engaged with the base portion of the first rail or second rail at the second side of the first and second rails, the second clip defining an opening (Fig. 8) (Col. 4, lines 32-38) ; a first fastener (60) extending through the opening of the first clip and the first opening of the base plate to secure the first clip and the base plate to the first and second rails (Fig. 8) (Col. 4, lines 32-38) ; and a second fastener (60) extending through the opening of the second clip and the second opening of the base plate to secure the second clip and the base plate to the first and second rails (Fig. 8) (Col. 4, lines 32-38) . 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) 5 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Quincy in view of Urmson , Jr. et al. (US 9,103,074) (hereinafter “Urmson ‘074”) . Referring to Claim s 5 and 12 : Quincy does not specifically teach the first support and the second support each comprise a polyurethane encapsulated rail joint bar. However, Urmson ‘074 teaches a modular insulated tie plate, the first support (56) and the second support (58) each comprise a polyurethane encapsulated rail joint bar (Col. 3, lines 3-9 and 20-25) . It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, for Quincy to insulate the first and second supports by encapsulating with polyurethane, as taught by Urmson ‘074 , in order to electrically insulate the metal effectively with a reasonable expectation of success. Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Urmson ‘244 in view of Tucker (US 2,373,387) Referring to Claim s 5 and 12 : Urmson ‘244 does not specifically teach a plurality of washer plates. However, Tucker teaches an insulated rail joint for electric signal systems, further comprising a plurality of washer plates (18) configured to be positioned on a top surface of each of the plurality of clips (13) , wherein the plurality of fasteners each comprise a bolt with a head (17) and a nut (19) , and wherein each of the plurality of washer plates (18) , each of the plurality of clips (13) , and the base plate (11) are positioned between the head of the bolt (17) and the nut (19) when the rail brace assembly is attached to the first and second rails (Fig. 4) (page 2, line 124 – Col. 3, line 4) . It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, for Urmson ‘244 to use washer plates , as taught by Tucker , in order to secure the bolts with a reasonable expectation of success. Conclusion The references made of record and not relied upon are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Thomson (US 0,975,376) and Igwenezie (US 7,735,746) both teach an insulated rail joint where a bolt horizontally connects the first and second support, in a similar orientation to the embodiment shown in Figs. 6-11 of the invention. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT ZACHARY L KUHFUSS whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)270-7858 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT Monday - Friday 10:00am to 6:00 pm CDT . Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Samuel (Joe) Morano can be reached on FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-6682 . The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ZACHARY L KUHFUSS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3615A