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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 23 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 23 recites “the connector assembly according to claim 16,” and, “the first end…and the second end…” It is unclear whether claim 23 should depend from claim 22 or if “the first end,” and, “the second end,” lack antecedent basis. For examination purposes claim 23 will be interpreted as depending from claim 22.
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 16-18 and 22- 23 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sigg (CH307758) and Peltier (US 2017/0194725 A1).
Regarding claim 16: Sigg (Figure 1 and description) teaches a connector assembly, comprising: a fixing bolt (i.e. b) including: a tapered section (i.e. b1, b2) extending along a central axis direction of the fixing bolt, the tapered section establishing an electrical contact with a stranded conductor wire (i.e. a1), a first portion (i.e. b2) of the tapered section is an arched cone frustum that is arched with respect to the central axis direction, a second portion (i.e. b1) of the tapered section is a cone frustum that linearly-tapers with respect to the central axis direction, and a tip portion (i.e. tip of b1) of the tapered section extends directly from the second portion in the central axis direction; and an external threaded section (i.e. as described in paragraph 6); a hollow connector (i.e. a) having an internally threaded bore (i.e. threaded bore of paragraph 6) extending from an outside of the hollow connector through to a wire-receiving inner hollow volume of the hollow connector,
but does not specifically teach a bushing having: an internally threaded bore into which the threaded section of the fixing bolt is screwed; and an external threaded section; and the external threaded section of the bushing is screwed with the internally threaded bore.
however, Peltier (Figure 4) teaches a bushing (i.e. 102b) having: an internally threaded bore (i.e. 108b) into which the threaded section (i.e. 108a) of the fixing bolt (i.e. 102a) is screwed; and an external threaded section (i.e. 109); and the external threaded section of the bushing is screwed with the internally threaded bore (i.e. 155).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the assembly taught by Sigg to have the threaded bushing as taught by Peltier to more-evenly distribute the load to the connector body from the fixing bolt.
Regarding claim 17: Sigg and Peltier teach the connector assembly according to claim 16, Sigg (description) further teaches wherein the fixing bolt is one of a plurality of fixing bolts, and the internally threaded bore is one of a plurality of internally threaded bores of the hollow connector, each of the fixing bolts is screwed in one of the internally threaded bores (i.e. as in page 2 paragraph 2),
but does not specifically teach the bushing is one of a plurality of bushings, and each of the fixing bolts is screwed in one of the internally threaded bores via a respective one of the plurality of bushings.
However, because Sigg teaches duplicating the fixing bolt and bore of the hollow connector to meet the number of fixing bolts required to secure the conductor, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to duplicate the bushing taught by Peltier for each fixing bolt in the assembly such that Sigg and Peltier teach, the bushing is one of a plurality of bushings, and each of the fixing bolts is screwed in one of the internally threaded bores via a respective one of the plurality of bushings.
Regarding claim 18: Sigg and Peltier teach the connector assembly according to claim 16, Sigg (Figures 1-2) further teaches wherein the hollow connector has a tubular shape.
Regarding claim 22: Sigg and Peltier teach the connector assembly according to claim 16, Peltier (Figure 2) further teaches wherein: the bushing includes a first end (i.e. 111) and a second end (i.e. having 109); in a first position (i.e. figure 2) of the bushing, the first end extends outwardly from an exterior of the hollow connector in a direction away from the inner hollow volume; and the second end is arranged within the internally threaded bore of the hollow connector.
Regarding claim 23 (as understood): Sigg and Peltier teach the connector assembly according to claim 16, Peltier (Figure 4) further teaches wherein wherein in a second position (i.e. figure 4) of the bushing: the first end of the bushing remains outside of the hollow connector; and the second end extends into the first interior volume of the hollow connector.
Claim 21 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sigg, Peltier, and Peltier (hereinafter “Peltier^2”, US 2017/0117644 A1)
Regarding claim 21: Sigg and Peltier teach the connector assembly according to claim 16, but do not specifically teach further comprising a semi-circular insert arranged within the interior volume of the hollow connector and defining a serrated surface.
However, Peltier^2 (Figure 1) teaches further comprising a semi-circular insert (i.e. 16) arranged within the interior volume of the hollow connector and defining a serrated surface (i.e. top surface).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the assembly taught by Sigg and Peltier to have the semi-circular insert as taught by Peltier^2 so as to increase the friction between the conductor and hollow connector.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-3, 5, 7-13, 15, and 25 allowed. Claim 24 objected to for containing the subject matter deemed allowable in the previous action.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Gregory Mangot whose telephone number is 703-756-5737. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm ET.
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/GREGORY L MANGOT/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/CHRISTOPHER M KOEHLER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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