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
Applicants’ election of Species 1, Figure 1-9, claims 1-17 without traverse in paper filed on 2/3/26 is acknowledged.
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 1, 2, 13, 16 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) or (a)(2) as being anticipated by Bonnet Claude (FR 2760892 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Claude discloses a movable contact driving device (Fig 1, 2), comprising:
a contact carrier (5) configured to carry a movable contact (3a);
an electromagnetic actuator (4) comprising:
a coil (6);
a movable core (12) movable along a longitudinal axis in a state in which the coil is energized; and
a push rod (13) engaged with the movable core (12) and driven by the movable core (12) to move along the longitudinal axis (Figs 1, 2); and
a driving member (axial ratchet 14-21) disposed along the longitudinal axis between the push rod (13) and the contact carrier (5) and configured to be driven by the push rod (13) to move the contact carrier (5) along the longitudinal axis (Fig 1, 2),
wherein the driving member (axial ratchet 14-21) is configured to, when the push rod (13) moves to a first predetermined position along the longitudinal axis, rotate relative to the push rod (13) in a first direction such that the driving member (axial ratchet 14-21) engages a fixed portion of the electromagnetic actuator (4) to lock the contact carrier (axial ratchet 14-21) in a position corresponding to a closed position of the movable contact (Fig 2); and,
when the push rod (13) moves to a second predetermined position along the longitudinal axis, rotate relative to the push rod (13) in a second direction opposite the first direction such that the driving member (axial ratchet 14-21) is unlocked from the fixed portion of the electromagnetic actuator to allow the contact carrier (axial ratchet 14-21) to move to a position corresponding to an open position of the movable contact (Fig 1, Fig 3, page 5, 19 to page 7, 131).
Regarding claim 2, Claude discloses:
a bobbin (8) serving as the fixed portion and for winding the coil (6),
the bobbin (8) comprises a cavity extending along the longitudinal axis, and
the movable core (12) and the driving member (axial ratchet 14-21) are at least partially disposed within the cavity.
Regarding claim 13, Claude discloses:
a return spring (16) configured to at least engage the contact carrier (5),
the return spring (16) configured to return the contact carrier (5) and the driving member (axial ratchet 14-21) to an initial position after the coil (6) for moving the movable core (12) is de-energized.
Regarding claim 16, Claude discloses:
a stationary contact (3a);
a movable contact (moving contacts on the bridge 5);
Regarding claim 17, Claude discloses:
a circuit breaker.
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 14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bonnet Claude (FR 2760892 A1) in view of Deng Changchun (CN 207663973 U).
Regarding claim 14, Claude discloses:
the coil (6)
the push rod (13) moves along the longitudinal axis (axial ratchet 14-21).
However, Claude fails to explicitly disclose the controller configured to receive a switching-off and/or switching-on command, and to issue a command to energize the coil in response to the received switching-off and/or switching-on command, so that the push rod moves along the longitudinal axis.
Deng discloses a device comprising the controller (see para. [0019]) configured to receive a switching-off and/or switching-on command.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the controller as taught by Deng with Claude’s device for the purpose of managing, operating, and directing the flow of data or actions within a system.
Regarding claim 15, Claude discloses:
the movable core (12)
the push rod (13).
However, Claude fails to explicitly disclose the manual button configured to be mounted to the movable core and/or the push rod, wherein depression of the manual button causes the push rod to move along the longitudinal axis.
Deng discloses the push button switch (see paras. [4-12).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make the push button switch as taught by Deng with Claude’s device for the purpose of facilitating to use effectively reducing power consumption.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-12 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:
The prior art does not teach or suggest the movable contact driving device, comprising:
Claim 3: one of an inner surface of the bobbin and an outer surface of the push rod comprises a radially-protruding first guide rail, and the other of the inner surface of the bobbin and the outer surface of the push rod comprises a radially-recessed first guide groove, wherein the first guide groove cooperates with the first guide rail such that the push rod moves rectilinearly.
Claim 4: one of an inner surface of the bobbin and an outer surface of the driving member comprises a radially-protruding second guide rail, and the other of the inner surface of the bobbin and the outer surface of the driving member comprises a radially-recessed second guide groove cooperating with the second guide rail, wherein when the push rod moves to the first predetermined position along the longitudinal axis, the driving member slides rectilinearly relative to the bobbin, and is rotatable relative to the push rod after the second guide rail and the second guide groove are disengaged.
Claim 5: the push rod comprises a circumferential force-applying portion at an end face at a side facing the driving member, the circumferential force-applying portion being configured to be capable of applying a circumferential force component to the push rod to rotate the driving member.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication should be directed to Lisa Homza whose telephone number is (571) 272-3592.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Shawki Ismail can be reached on (571) 272-3985. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Lisa Nhung Homza/
Patent Examiner - Art Unit 2837
April 29, 2026
/SHAWKI S ISMAIL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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