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 § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claim 39 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. The limitation recited in claim 39 is not disclosed in the specification.
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.
Claims 28-30 and 35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Askan Publication No. US 2020/0194195.
Regarding claim 28, Askan discloses a circuit breaker comprising:
receiving an AC waveform of electrical energy within a circuit breaker via an input node of the circuit breaker [Fig. 2, input node at the AC supply 16];
conducting the AC waveform from the input node to an output node [Fig. 2, 4, 7] of the circuit breaker using the circuit breaker;
detecting a fault during the conducting [during an overcurrent or short condition, the control unit 13 controls the switches 8 and 14 to turn off for a period of time; par. 0039];
after the detecting, changing operation of mechanical breaker [Fig. 2, 8] circuitry of the circuit breaker that is coupled with the input node and the output node from a conductive state to a non-conductive state;
after the detecting, changing operation of switching circuitry [Fig. 2, 14] of the circuit breaker that is coupled with the input node and the output node from a conductive state to a non-conductive state; and
absorbing electrical energy of the fault using energy absorption circuitry [Fig. 2, surge arrester 19; par. 0040] of the circuit breaker after the changings of the operations of the mechanical breaker circuitry and the switching circuitry to the non-conductive state.
Regarding claim 29, Askan discloses that the changing operation of the mechanical breaker circuitry occurs prior to the changing operation of the switching circuitry [par. 0049].
Regarding claim 30, Askan discloses that the changing operation of the switching circuitry occurs prior to the changing operation of the mechanical breaker circuit [par. 0039 suggests that the control unit 13 first turns off the switching circuitry 14 prior to opening the bypass switch 8].
Regarding claim 35, Askan comprises providing a control signal to the switching circuitry to cause the changing operation of the switching circuitry [par. 0036; by controlling the gates of the transistors].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 31-34 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 an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance of claim 31: The prior art does not disclose that the discharge of the electrical energy results in the injection of a current that is reverse of the current of the fault. This feature in combination with the rest of the claim limitations is not anticipated or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance of claim 33: The prior art does not disclose that the changing operation of the mechanical breaker circuitry comprises changing at a zero-crossing of the AC waveform. This feature in combination with the rest of the claim limitations is not anticipated or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 3, 5-22, 24-27, 36-38 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance of claim 1: The prior art does not disclose a circuit breaker, comprising: wherein the AC waveform has a frequency less than 40 Hz. This feature in combination with the rest of the claim limitations is not anticipated or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance of claim 18: The prior art does not disclose a circuit breaker comprising: energy storage circuitry configured to store electrical energy and to discharge the stored electrical energy to the switching circuitry to reduce an amplitude of a current of the fault. This feature in combination with the rest of the claim limitations is not anticipated or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance of claim 24: The prior art does not disclose a circuit breaker comprising: control circuitry configured to control the mechanical breaker circuitry to change from the operation in the conductive state at a zero-crossing of the AC waveform. This feature in combination with the rest of the claim limitations is not anticipated or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 11/20/2025, with respect to claims 1, 18, and 24 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of the claims has been withdrawn due to the persuasive remarks and the amendments.
Applicant's arguments filed 11/20/2025 regarding claim 28 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant comments on page 19 of the REMARKS regarding claim 28 that the office has failed to identify any teachings regarding the absorbing limitations of claim 28.
The Examiner points out that applicant’s specification par. 0032 recites that the energy absorption circuitry 22 includes one or more absorption devices such as MOV. The prior art reference Askan discloses a surge arrester 19 in parallel to the series combination of mechanical breaker and switching circuitry as shown in Fig. 2. The surge arrester is configured to divert and dissipate the excess electrical energy from a fault to the ground, effectively absorbing it by providing a low-resistance path for the surge current to safely go to earth.
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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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 mailing date of this final action.
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DHARTI PATEL
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2836
/DHARTI H PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838