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 .
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed January 21st, 2026 has been entered. Claims 1-6, 8 and 11-15 are pending. Claims 1, 5-6, 8 and 14 have been amended and claims 7 and 9-10 have been canceled by the Applicant. Applicant’s amendments have overcome claim objections.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 3, 5 and 14 are objected to because:
Claim 1, lines 10-11, “the material of the second contact piece” lacks antecedent basis.
Claim 3, phrase, “where the material of the first contact piece is a first alloy of CuCr and the material of the second contact piece is a second alloy of CuCr” does not further limit claim 1.
Claim 5, lines 9-10, “the material of the second contact piece” lacks antecedent basis.
Claim 14, lines 6-7, “the material of the second contact piece” lacks antecedent basis.
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 1-3 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al, CN 104966650 [Wu}. In view of Kikuchi et al, US 8426754 [Kikuchi].
Regarding claim 1, as best understood, Wu discloses (fis.1-3) a vacuum interrupter [para.0002], comprising:
a first contact carrier (labeled in fig.1, below);
a first contact piece (labeled in fig.1, below);
a second contact carrier (labeled in fig.1, below); and
a second contact piece (labeled in fig.1, below);
where the first contact piece (labeled in fig.1, below) is connected to the first contact carrier (labeled in fig.1, below);
where the second contact piece (labeled in fig. 1, below) is connected to the second contact carrier (labeled in fig.1, below);
where a shape of the first contact piece (labeled in fig.1, below) is different to a shape of the second contact piece (labeled in fig.1, below);
where a material of the first contact piece is CuCr and the material of the second contact piece is CuCr;
where in a deactivated state the vacuum interrupter is configured to hold the first contact piece(labeled in fig.1, below) spaced from the second contact piece; (labeled in fig.1, below); and wherein in an activated state the vacuum interrupter is configured to bring the first contact piece and the second contact piece into contact with one another.
Wu fails to disclose wherein the contact material has a content of 0.1% to 5% of at least one material comprising Fe, Al, Cr, V, Nb, Ta, Hf, Sn, Zr or Si.
Kikuchi discloses (figs.1-6) electrical contacts (1) where a contact material has a content of 0.1% to 5% (4.5%) of at least one material comprising of Nb [col.12, lines 58-61].
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 contact material of Wu with the inclusion of the additive of Kikuchi, thereby further providing arc suppression and improved switching capability.
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Regarding claim 14, Wu (figs.1-3) would necessarily perform a method of manufacturing a vacuum interrupter [para.0002], comprising:
connecting a first contact piece (labeled in fig.1, above) to a first contact carrier (labeled in fig.1, above);
connecting a second contact piece (labeled in fig.1, above); and a second contact carrier (labeled in fig.1, above);
where a shape of the first contact piece (labeled in fig.1, above) is different to a shape of the second contact piece (labeled in fig.1, above) and/or a material of the first contact piece is different to a material of the second contact piece,
where a material of the first contact piece is CuCr and the material of the second contact piece is CuCr; [paras 0015-0016];
where in a deactivated state the vacuum interrupter is configured to hold the first contact
where in an activated state the vacuum interrupter is configured to bring the first contact piece (labeled in fig.1, above) and the second contact piece(labeled in fig.1, above) into contact with one another.
Wu fails to disclose wherein the contact material has a content of 0.1% to 5% of at least one material comprising Fe, Al, Cr, V, Nb, Ta, Hf, Sn, Zr or Si.
Kikuchi (figs.1-6) would necessarily perform a method of manufacturing of electrical contacts (1) where a contact material has a content of 0.1% to 5% (4.5%) of at least one material comprising of Nb [col.12, lines 58-61].
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 method of contact material of Wu with the inclusion of the additive of Kikuchi, thereby further providing arc suppression and improved switching capability.
Regarding claim 2, Wu further discloses where the first contact carrier (labeled in fig.1, above); is a fixed contact carrier, and the second contact carrier (labeled in fig.1, above); is a movable contact carrier, and wherein in the activated state the vacuum interrupter is configured to move the second contact carrier to bring the first contact piece and the second contact piece into contact with one another.
Regarding claim 3, Wu further discloses where the material of the first contact piece is a first alloy of CuCr and the material of the second contact piece is a second alloy of CuCr [paras. 0015-0016].
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu and Kikuchi and further in view of Yang et al, CN 112756915 [Yang].
Regarding claim 4, Wu and Kikuchi fail to disclose wherein the material of the first contact piece is CuCr10 and the material of the second contact piece is CuCr50; or wherein the material of the first contact piece is CuCr25 and the material of the second contact piece is CuCr35.
Yang discloses (figs.1-4) contact pieces can be produced form a material of a first contact piece is CuCr25 and the material of the second contact piece is CuCr35.
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 contact pieces of Wu with the teaching of the contact pieces of Yang, thereby providing contact material having excellent heat conducting performance and anti- welding performance.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu in view of Greiner et al, DE 102015203693 [Greiner].
Regarding claim 5, Wu discloses (figs.1-3) a vacuum interrupter [para.0002] comprising:
a first contact carrier (labeled in fig.1, above);
a first contact piece (labeled in fig.1, above);
a second contact carrier (labeled in fig.1, above); and
a second contact piece (labeled in fig.1, above);
where the first contact piece is connected to the first contact carrier (labeled in fig.1, above);
where the second contact piece is connected to the second contact carrier (labeled in fig.1, above) ;
where a shape of the first contact piece (labeled in fig.1, above) is different to a shape of the second contact piece (labeled in fig.1, above),
where in a deactivated state the vacuum interrupter [para.0002] is configured to hold the first contact piece (labeled in fig.1, above) spaced from the second contact piece (labeled in fig.1, above); and
where in an activated state the vacuum interrupter (labeled in fig.1, above) is configured to bring the first contact piece (labeled in fig.1, above) and the second contact piece (labeled in fig.1, above) into contact with one another.
Wu fails to disclose wherein a material of the first contact piece is a first alloy of WCAg and a material of the second contact piece is a second alloy of WCAg.
Greiner discloses (fig.1) a vacuum interrupter (200) comprising switching contacts (201, 203) of material of a first contact piece (201) is a first alloy of WCAg and a material of a second contact piece (203) is a second alloy of WCAg.
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 contact pieces of Wu with the substitution of the contact pieces of Greiner, thereby providing high switching capacity and having a low tendency for welding of the contacts.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu and Kikuchi and further in view of Kusano et al, JP 2006032036 [Kusano].
Regarding claim 8, Wu and Kikuchi fail to disclose wherein the at least one material comprises an oxide, nitride or boride of Fe, Al, Cr, V, Nb, Ta, Hf, Sn, Zr or Si.
Kusano discloses (fig.2) contacts (13a, 13b) where at least one material comprises an oxide, nitride or boride of Fe, Al, Cr, V, Nb, Ta, Hf, Sn, Zr or Si.
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 contact pieces of Wu with the additives of the contact pieces of Kusano, thereby providing an improved interrupting property and voltage withstanding property.
Claims 11-13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu and Kikuchi and further in view of Sato et al, US 10614982 [Sato].
Regarding claim 11, Wu and Kikuchi fail to disclose wherein a size of the first contact piece is different to a size of the second contact piece.
Sato discloses (fig.1) a vacuum interrupter (100) where a size of a first contact piece (12B) is different to a size of a second contact piece (12A).
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 contact pieces of Wu with the teaching of the contact pieces of Sato, thereby achieving both an increased number of operations and suppressed maintenance frequency, without needing a trigger electrode and a pulsed power supply.
Regarding claim 12, Sato further disclose where a diameter of the first contact piece (12B) is less than a diameter of the second contact piece (12A).
Regarding claim 13, Sato further discloses where the vacuum interrupter (100) comprises an upper lid (10c), where a first contact carrier (13A) is fixedly connected to the upper lid (10c), where prior to the first contact carrier (13A) being fixedly connected to the upper lid (10c) the upper lid (10c)
comprises a hole with a diameter greater than a diameter of the first contact piece (12B) and greater than a diameter of at least a portion of the first contact carrier (13B) adjacent to the first contact piece (12B).
Regarding claim 15, Wu and Kikuchi fail to explicitly disclose the method comprising providing an upper lid having a hole with a diameter greater than a diameter of the first contact piece and greater than a diameter of at least a portion of the first contact carrier adjacent to the first contact piece, and wherein the method comprises inserting the first contact piece and the at least portion of the first contact carrier through the hole and fixedly connecting the first contact carrier to the upper lid.
Sato discloses (fig.1) a vacuum interrupter (100) comprises an upper lid (10c) having a hole with a diameter greater than a diameter of a contact piece (12B) and greater than a diameter of at least a portion of the first contact carrier (13B) adjacent to the first contact piece (12B), and where the method comprises inserting the first contact piece (12B) and the at least portion of the first contact carrier (13B) through the hole and fixedly connecting the first contact carrier to the upper lid (10c).
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 contact pieces of Wu with the teaching of the contact pieces of Sato, thereby achieving both an increased number of operations and suppressed maintenance frequency, without needing a trigger electrode and a pulsed power supply.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 6 is 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 6, the prior art fails to teach or show, alone or in combination, the claimed vacuum interrupter, wherein the material of the first contact piece is WCAg40 and the material of the second contact piece is WCAg20.
Conclusion
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/WILLIAM A BOLTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831