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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-11 in the reply filed on 23 December 2025 is acknowledged.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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, 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, 5, 8, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Giraldi (US 2014/0167763), in view of Musolf et al. (“Musolf”; US 2004/0219825).
Regarding claim 1: Giraldi discloses a tracer wire jumper assembly for electrically connecting tracer wires of two non-conductive ducts (Fig. 1 and 2), the tracer wire jumper assembly (Fig. 6) comprising:
a first tracer wire connector (100, left side of Fig. 6) having a first housing (124) and at least one first contact assembly (140) positioned within the first housing, the first housing having a first cover (122) movable between a closed position and an open position (paragraph 0020), the at least one first contact assembly having at least one first contact configured to pierce or cut through a non-conductive material surrounding a first tracer wire (170) so that the at least one first contact can electrically contact the first tracer wire when the first cover is in the closed position (paragraph 0021, the first contact assembly 140 may have spikes to cut through the first tracer wire);
a second tracer wire connector (also 100, right side of Fig. 6) having a second housing and at least one second contact assembly positioned within the second housing (as the right side of Fig. 6 is the same as the left side), the second housing having a second cover movable between a closed position and an open position (same as the first housing), the at least one second contact assembly having at least one second contact configured to pierce or cut through a non-conductive material surrounding a second tracer wire so that the at least one second contact can electrically contact the second tracer wire when the second cover is in the closed position (paragraph 0021).
Giraldi does not explicitly disclose a jumper wire having a first end electrically connected to the at least one first contact assembly and a second end electrically connected to the at least one second contact assembly.
However, Musolf discloses a jumper wire (124) having a first end (left side) electrically connected to the at least one first contact assembly (akin to 122a) and a second end (right side) electrically connected to the at least one second contact assembly (akin to 122b).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the contact assemblies of Giraldi to have the jumper cable of Musolf in order to allow for a flexible connection.
Regarding claim 2: Giraldi discloses the first housing (left side of Fig. 6) includes a first base (124) and the first cover (122), wherein the first cover is movably attached to the first base (paragraph 0020), and the second housing (right side of Fig. 6) includes a second base (124) and the second cover (122), wherein the second cover is movably attached to the second base (paragraph 0020).
Regarding claim 3: Giraldi discloses the at least one first contact assembly comprises a termination portion (180) and at least one contact in electrical communication with the termination portion (paragraph 0022).
Regarding claim 5: Giraldi discloses the at least one second contact assembly comprises a termination portion and at least one contact in electrical communication with the termination portion (as the second contact assembly is the same as the first, see rejection of claim 3, above).
Regarding claim 8: Giraldi discloses a tracer wire jumper assembly for electrically connecting tracer wires of two non-conductive ducts (Fig. 1 and 2), the tracer wire jumper assembly (Fig. 6) comprising:
a first tracer wire connector (100, left side of Fig. 6) having a first base (124) and a first cover (122) movable between a closed position and an open position (paragraph 0020), the first base including at least one first contact assembly (140) having at least one first contact configured to pierce or cut through a non-conductive material surrounding a first tracer wire (170) so that the at least one first contact can electrically contact the first tracer wire when the first cover is in the closed position (paragraph 0021, the first contact assembly 140 may have spikes to cut through the first tracer wire);
a second tracer wire connector (also 100, right side of Fig. 6) and a second cover movable between a closed position and an open position (same as the first housing), the base having at least one second contact assembly having at least one second contact configured to pierce or cut through a non-conductive material surrounding a second tracer wire so that the at least one second contact can electrically contact the second tracer wire when the second cover is in the closed position (as it is the same as the first housing, paragraph 0021).
Giraldi does not explicitly disclose a jumper wire having a first end electrically connected to the at least one first contact assembly and a second end electrically connected to the at least one second contact assembly.
However, Musolf discloses a jumper wire (124) having a first end (left side) electrically connected to the at least one first contact assembly (akin to 122a) and a second end (right side) electrically connected to the at least one second contact assembly (akin to 122b).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the contact assemblies of Giraldi to have the jumper cable of Musolf in order to allow for a flexible connection.
Regarding claim 9: Giraldi discloses the at least one first contact assembly comprises a termination portion (180) and at least one contact in electrical communication with the termination portion (paragraph 0022), and wherein the second contact assembly comprises a termination portion (also 180, right side of Fig. 6) and at least one contact (paragraph 0022).
Claims 7 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Giraldi and Musolf as applied to claims 1 and 8 above, and further in view of Yamane et al. (“Yamane”; US 2019/0081438).
Regarding claim 7: Giraldi discloses the first housing and the second housing, but does not explicitly disclose the first housing includes at least one boss extending from an outer surface of the first housing, and the second housing includes at least one boss extending from an outer surface of the second housing.
However, Yamane discloses at least one boss (111, Fig. 1) extending from an outer surface of the first housing, and the second housing (111) includes at least one boss extending from an outer surface of the second housing (when applied to the first and second housings of Giraldi).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the first and second housings of Giraldi to include the boss of Yamane in order to allow the housings to mate to other devices (paragraph 0071).
Regarding claim 11: Giraldi discloses the first base and first cover and the second base and the second cover, but does not explicitly disclose first base includes at least one boss extending from an outer surface of the first base, wherein the first cover includes at least one boss extending from an outer surface of the first cover, wherein second base includes at least one boss extending from an outer surface of the second base, and wherein the second cover includes at least one boss extending from an outer surface of the second cover.
However, Yamane discloses first base includes at least one boss (111, Fig. 1) extending from an outer surface of the first base, wherein the first cover includes at least one boss (212) extending from an outer surface of the first cover, wherein second base includes at least one boss (also 111, when applied to the second base of Giraldi) extending from an outer surface of the second base, and wherein the second cover includes at least one boss (212, when applied to the second cover of Giraldi) extending from an outer surface of the second cover.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the first and second bases and covers of Giraldi to include the boss of Yamane in order to allow the components to mate to other devices (paragraph 0071).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 6, and 10 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.
The prior art of record, alone or in combination does not explicitly teach, suggest, or render obvious, at least to the skilled artisan the assembly of claim 4, specifically comprising:
the first end of the jumper wire is electrically connected to the termination portion of the at least one first contact assembly, in the context of the other components in the claim.
The prior art of record, alone or in combination does not explicitly teach, suggest, or render obvious, at least to the skilled artisan the assembly of claim 6, specifically comprising:
the second end of the jumper wire is electrically connected to the termination portion of the at least one second contact assembly, in the context of the other components in the claim.
The prior art of record, alone or in combination does not explicitly teach, suggest, or render obvious, at least to the skilled artisan the assembly of claim 10, specifically comprising:
the first end of the jumper wire is electrically connected to the termination portion of the first contact assembly, and wherein the second end of the jumper wire is electrically connected to the termination portion of the second contact assembly, in the context of the other components in the claim.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEAN GUGGER whose telephone number is (571)272-5343. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 9:00am - 5:00pm EST.
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/SEAN GUGGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834