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 Objections
Claims 1 and 5 are objected to because of the following informalities: in claim 1, line 5, -- respective – should be inserted before “shutter plate”. In claim 5, line 2, -- upper – should be inserted before “shutter plate”; last line, -- lower – should be inserted before “shutter plate”. Appropriate correction is required.
35 USC 102 Rejections
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KR 20-1998-0010113.
Regarding claim 1, KR ‘113 (Figure 5) discloses a shutter assembly that is connected to a switchboard to open and close a terminal of an external terminal disposed in the switchboard to be connected to a circuit breaker, the shutter assembly comprising: a plurality of shutter plates 41,42 that shield an upper terminal and a lower terminal; a plurality of shutter levers 65,49, each of which is connected to the shutter plate at one end thereof and is rotatable; and a connection link 63,46 that connects the plurality of shutter levers and is movable so that the shutter levers rotate, wherein the plurality of shutter levers are configured to be rotated in different directions so that the plurality of shutter plates are rotated in different directions.
Regarding claim 2, KR ‘113 discloses the plurality of shutter plates comprise: an upper shutter plate 41 that blocks an external terminal disposed at a top; and a lower shutter plate 42 that blocks an external terminal disposed at a bottom, the shutter levers comprise: an upper shutter lever 65 that is connected to the upper shutter plate; and a lower shutter lever 49 that is connected to the lower shutter plate, the upper shutter lever and the lower shutter lever include rotation axis pins 65,65,61,48 that rotate the upper shutter lever and the lower shutter lever, respectively, and the rotation axis pins of the upper shutter lever and the lower shutter lever are disposed at the same position of each lever.
35 USC 103 Rejections
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.
Claim(s) 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KR 20-1998-0010113 as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Seo 9123488.
Regarding claim 3, KR ‘113 discloses a main link 43 that is connected to the connection link to move the connection link downward when the circuit breaker is inserted, wherein the main link is disposed in a path along which the circuit breaker is inserted into the switchboard, and pressed by at least a portion of the circuit breaker as the circuit breaker is inserted, to be rotated centering on one axis. Seo (Figure 4) discloses the main link 20 includes a stopping jaw 22 by which a wheel of the circuit breaker is caught, and is rotated when the wheel of the circuit breaker enters more inward than the stopping jaw, and to provide KR ‘113 with a stopping jaw thus would have been obvious, to facilitate interaction of the circuit breaker with the shutter plates.
Regarding claim 4, KR ‘113 discloses the connection link comprises: an upper connection link 63 that connects the upper shutter lever 65 and the lower shutter lever 49 to each other; and a lower connection link 46 that connects the lower shutter lever and the main link 43 to each other, and the upper connection link and the lower connection link are connected to the upper shutter lever and the lower shutter lever, respectively, at a position farthest away from the rotation axis pin in a remaining region, excluding at least a portion from a region of connecting the rotation axis pin and the shutter plate, so as to be connected to the shutter plates.
Regarding claim 5, KR ‘113 discloses the upper connection link 63 is connected to the upper shutter lever 65 at a side far away from the upper shutter plate 41 based on the rotation axis pin, and the lower connection link 46 is connected to the lower shutter lever 49 at a side close to the lower shutter plate 42 based on the rotation axis pin.
Claims Defining Over Prior Art
Claims 13-25 are allowed.
Claims 6-12 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 a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: none of the prior art discloses or teaches the combination of the rotation part, shutter locking plate, connecting rotation plate and connecting rod; nor a locking device that is disposed in a region where the same locks the shutter assembly when the shutter assembly is rotated, and is rotated to a region where the same does not lock the shutter assembly to allow the shutter assembly to be rotated as the circuit breaker is moved into the switchboard case; in combination with the rest of the subject matter of the respective independent claim.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GARY F PAUMEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2013. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th.
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/GARY F PAUMEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834