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 Amendments
Entry of Amendments
Claim(s) 1-3, 9-12 have been amended.
Claim(s) 4-8 have been canceled.
New Claim(s) 17-21 have been added.
Rejections under 35 USC 102 and 103
Applicant’s amendments filed 12/30/2025 with respect to Claim(s) 1-3, 9-12 and 17-21 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant's arguments with respect to Claim(s) 1-3, 9-12 and 17-21 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the reference(s) and/or ground(s) being used in the current rejection.
For further details see the rejections/objections for Claim(s) 1-3, 9-12 and 17-21 herein.
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 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 of this title, 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) 1-3, 11-12 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gunn et al. (US 20040183522; hereinafter Gunn) in view of Ding et al. (US 20050185345).
Regarding claim 1, Gunn teaches in figure(s) 1-18 An accessory device for a low-voltage switch, the accessory device comprising:
a power supply arrangement (100; figs. 1, 9-10,13; abs. - power supply circuitry set within the enclosure, the power supply circuitry powered through the secondary winding from the powering current transformer and operative to supply power to the amplifier) configured to provide a power supply to feed an electronic device onboard the low-voltage switch (abs. - apparatus may further comprise at least one of secondary leads and secondary terminals extending from the enclosure, coupled with the active current transformer and operative to deliver the scaled version of the current outside of the enclosure), the power supply arrangement including a magnetic core (magnetic core 946; fig. 13), which forms a first magnetic circuit configured to be enchained with a primary winding conductor (primary 950), and a first secondary winding conductor (secondary 932), which is wound around the magnetic core; and
a current detection arrangement (sense coil 934) for providing configured to provide detection signals indicative of a current flowing along the primary winding conductor (para. 42 - a 1000:5 current sensor indicating that a 1000A primary current will be transformed to a 5A secondary current);
wherein the magnetic core (946) and the current detection arrangement (934) are arranged next to each other (fig. 13), and
wherein the accessory device comprises magnetic shield elements (shields 933) interposed, at least partially, between the magnetic core (946) and the current detection arrangement (934).
Gunn does not teach explicitly wherein the accessory device comprises a first magnetic shield element and a second magnetic shield element made of magnetic material, which are made of a magnetic material and are arranged in proximal position respectively to the magnetic core and to the current detection arrangement, and a third magnetic shield element, which is made of non-magnetic material and is interposed between the first and second magnetic shield elements.
However, Ding teaches in figure(s) 4-11 wherein the accessory device comprises a first magnetic shield element (505, 512; fig. 5) and a second magnetic shield element (503, 514), which are made of a magnetic material and are arranged in proximal position respectively to the magnetic core (501) and to the current detection arrangement (511, 513), and a third magnetic shield element (507, 509), which is made of non-magnetic material and is interposed between the first and second magnetic shield elements.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of <p2nam_1> by having wherein the accessory device comprises a first magnetic shield element and a second magnetic shield element made of magnetic material, which are made of a magnetic material and are arranged in proximal position respectively to the magnetic core and to the current detection arrangement, and a third magnetic shield element, which is made of non-magnetic material and is interposed between the first and second magnetic shield elements as taught by Ding in order to provide combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results as evidenced by "read element is disposed between a pair of shields, constructed of a soft magnetic material, which acts to prevent the detection of stray magnetic fields. The head also includes an inductive write element" (para. 2).
Regarding claim 2, Gunn teaches in figure(s) 1-18 Accessory the accessory device according to claim 1, wherein the current detection arrangement includes a non- magnetic core (core 954, groove 931), which forms a second magnetic circuit configured to be enchained with the primary winding conductor (950), and at least a second secondary winding conductor (952), which is wound around the non-magnetic core; wherein the magnetic core (946) and the non-magnetic core (954) are arranged next to each other, and wherein the magnetic shield elements (933) are interposed, at least partially, between the magnetic core and the non-magnetic core.
Regarding claim 3, Gunn teaches in figure(s) 1-18 Accessory the accessory device according to claim 2, wherein a first portion of the magnetic core and a second portion of the non-magnetic core are arranged next to each other, wherein the magnetic shield elements (933) are interposed, at least partially, between the first portion of the magnetic core (946) and the second portion of the non-magnetic core (954,931).
Regarding claim 12, Gunn teaches in figure(s) 1-18 a low-voltage switch, comprising an accessory device (para. 83 - switching may be based on various power parameters being monitored by the IED 1700 that fall outside preset thresholds; para. 50 - Microcontroller 911 may selectively switche line GP4 between high and low states to maintain regulation of a supply rail 922) comprising:
a power supply arrangement (100; figs. 1, 9-10,13; abs. - power supply circuitry set within the enclosure, the power supply circuitry powered through the secondary winding from the powering current transformer and operative to supply power to the amplifier) configured to provide a power supply to feed an electronic device onboard the low-voltage switch (abs. - apparatus may further comprise at least one of secondary leads and secondary terminals extending from the enclosure, coupled with the active current transformer and operative to deliver the scaled version of the current outside of the enclosure), the power supply arrangement including a magnetic core (magnetic core 946; fig. 13), which forms a first magnetic circuit configured to be enchained with a primary winding conductor (primary 950), and a first secondary winding conductor (secondary 932), which is wound around the magnetic core; and
a current detection arrangement (sense coil 934) for providing configured to provide detection signals indicative of a current flowing along the primary winding conductor (para. 42 - a 1000:5 current sensor indicating that a 1000A primary current will be transformed to a 5A secondary current);
wherein the magnetic core (946) and the current detection arrangement (934) are arranged next to each other (fig. 13), and
wherein the accessory device comprises magnetic shield elements (shields 933) interposed, at least partially, between the magnetic core (946) and the current detection arrangement (934).
Gunn does not teach explicitly wherein the accessory device comprises a first magnetic shield element and a second magnetic shield element made of magnetic material, which are made of a magnetic material and are arranged in proximal position respectively to the magnetic core and to the current detection arrangement, and a third magnetic shield element, which is made of non-magnetic material and is interposed between the first and second magnetic shield elements.
However, Ding teaches in figure(s) 4-11 wherein the accessory device comprises a first magnetic shield element (505, 512; fig. 5) and a second magnetic shield element (503, 514), which are made of a magnetic material and are arranged in proximal position respectively to the magnetic core (501) and to the current detection arrangement (511, 513), and a third magnetic shield element (507, 509), which is made of non-magnetic material and is interposed between the first and second magnetic shield elements.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of <p2nam_1> by having wherein the accessory device comprises a first magnetic shield element and a second magnetic shield element made of magnetic material, which are made of a magnetic material and are arranged in proximal position respectively to the magnetic core and to the current detection arrangement, and a third magnetic shield element, which is made of non-magnetic material and is interposed between the first and second magnetic shield elements as taught by Ding in order to provide combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results as evidenced by "read element is disposed between a pair of shields, constructed of a soft magnetic material, which acts to prevent the detection of stray magnetic fields. The head also includes an inductive write element" (para. 2).
Regarding claim(s) 11 and 21, Gunn teaches in figure(s) 1-18 The accessory device according to according to claim 1 and the low-voltage switch according to according to claim 12, respectively, wherein the magnetic shield elements have shapes partially matching with a shape of a first portion of the magnetic core and a shape of a second portion of a non-magnetic core (magnetic shielding element 933 is parallel with bath the magnetic core 946 and the sense coil 934. Therefore, it partially matches bath; fig. 13).
10. Claim(s) 9 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gunn in view of Ding, and further in view of Donazzi et al (US 20070144754).
Regarding claim(s) 9 and 19, Gunn in view of Ding teaches the accessory device according to claim 1, and the low-voltage switch according to according to claim 12, respectively,
Gunn does not teach explicitly wherein the first magnetic shield element is made of plastic or silicone material and the second magnetic shield element is made of ferromagnetic material.
However, Donazzi teaches in figure(s) 1-11 wherein the first magnetic shield element is made of plastic or silicone material (para. 111 - shielding element further comprises a plurality of fixing means …of a plastics material) and the second magnetic shield element is made of ferromagnetic material (para. 9 - shielding effect provided by an open-section shield, such as a sheet of ferromagnetic material, placed above the cables; fig. 1).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Gunn by having wherein the first magnetic shield element is made of plastic or silicone material and the second magnetic shield element is made of ferromagnetic material as taught by Donazzi in order to provide "shielding the magnetic field generated by an electrical power transmission line …the ferromagnetic material of the shielding element is selected from grain oriented silicon steel" (abstract).
Claim(s) 10 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gunn in view of Smith et al. (US 5757183).
Regarding claim 10 and 20, Gunn in view of Ding teaches The accessory device according to claim 1, and the low-voltage switch according to according to claim 12, respectively,
Gunn does not teach explicitly wherein the magnetic shield elements have a ring shape.
However, Smith teaches in figure(s) 1-11 wherein the magnetic shield elements have a ring shape (col. 2 - a magnetic field shielding structure including a series of N annular rings; figs. 2,10).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Gunn by having wherein the magnetic shield elements have a ring shape as taught by Smith in order to provide "a magnetic field shielding structure including rings being formed from a high permeability, magnetically soft ferromagnetic material of permeability .mu., and where the rings are physically separated from each other by a series of N-1 spacer layers made from any nonmagnetic material" (abstract).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 17-18 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 17, the prior arts of record do not fairly teach or suggest “wherein: the current detection arrangement includes a non-magnetic core, which forms a second magnetic circuit configured to be enchained with the primary winding conductor, and at least a second secondary winding conductor, which is wound around the non-magnetic core, the magnetic core and the non-magnetic core are arranged next to each other, and the magnetic shield elements are interposed, at least partially, between the magnetic core and the non-magnetic core” including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim(s) 18 are objected for dependent upon the objected base claim 17.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AKM ZAKARIA whose telephone number is (571)270-0664. The examiner can normally be reached on 8-5 PM (PST).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JUDY NGUYEN can be reached on 571-272-2258. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AKM ZAKARIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858