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 § 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, 4, 6-13, 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Therrien (US 2014/0087598).
Regarding claim 1: Therrien teaches a method of connecting a conductor 60 and a cable tray (at 59; see Figs. 13-14 and Para. 0002 discusses the conductors belonging to different components), the method comprising: aligning a main body 12 of a split bolt connector 11 with a cable tray (at 59; Figs. 13-14) so that a lay-in opening 16 (Fig. 2) is aligned with a wire 59 of the cable tray (Figs. 13-14), with a nut 17 engaged with external threads (at 25; Fig. 2) of a shaft (at 14; Fig. 2) to secure an insert 21 within a first slot (at 59; Fig. 14) that extends in an axial direction between first and second ends of the main body (see Figs. 12-14); moving the main body 12 to insert the wire 59 of the cable tray laterally into the first slot via the lay-in opening (see Figs. 13-14); tightening the nut 17 to move the insert 21 axially along the first slot to secure the wire 59 within the first slot (see Figs. 13-14); and securing a conductor 60 to the main body 12 to electrically connect the conductor 60 to the wire 59 of the cable tray (see Figs. 13-14).
Regarding claim 4: Therrien teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the main body includes a second slot (at 60; Fig. 14), separated from the first slot by material of the main body; and wherein securing the conductor to the main body includes securing the conductor within the second slot (see Figs. 13-14).
Regarding claim 6: Therrien teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the conductor 60 is secured to the main body before the main body is secured to the cable tray (e.g. the order of conductor 60 attached to the main body before or after wire 59 can be achieved).
Regarding claim 7: Therrien teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches further comprising: attaching the main body 12 to the conductor with a threaded post 31 that extends from a head 13 of the main body (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 8: Therrien teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein securing the conductor 60 to the main body 12 electrically bonds the cable tray to a tray assembly that includes a plurality of cable trays (Para. 0032 describes connecting to a steel plate and the ends of conductors 59 and 60 are connected to other trays).
Regarding claim 9: Therrien teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein, one or more of: with the nut 17 tightened to secure the wire within the first slot at the first end of the main body, legs of the insert 21 extends axially through the nut and beyond the lay-in opening away from the first end of the main body (see Fig. 1); with the nut tightened to secure the wire within the first slot at the first end of the main body, the legs of the insert extend axially through the nut and beyond the second end of the main body; or with the nut and the insert aligned along the main body to receive the wire into the lay-in opening, the legs of the insert extend axially through the nut and beyond the second end of the main body.
Regarding claim 10: Therrien teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein an end 53 of the insert 21 opposite the as the nut 17 is tightened to move the insert, the insert 21 is retained on the nut by lateral protrusions on the insert on an opposite end of the insert from the wire (see Figs. 1 and 13-14).
Regarding claim 11: Therrien teaches a split bolt connector assembly (see Fig. 1) comprising: a split bolt connector 11 that includes: a main body 12 having a shaft (at 14; Fig. 2) that includes external threads (at 25; Fig. 2) and defines an axial direction (see Fig. 2), and a first slot (at 59; Fig. 14) that extends between first and second ends of the main body in the axial direction (see Figs. 13-14); a nut 17 engaged with the external threads to be threadedly movable along the external threads (see Figs. 13-14 and Para. 0031); and an insert 21 within the first slot (Fig. 14), the insert being movable in the axial direction along the first slot by rotation of the nut (Para. 0031); the main body 12 defining a lay-in opening (at 16; Fig. 2) along the first slot that opens laterally through the main body into the first slot (see Figs. 1-2); and one or more of: the main body including a second slot (at 60; Fig. 14) that is separated from the first slot by material of the main body and opens out of the main body at the first end of the main body (see Figs, 13-14); or the split bolt connector having an installed configuration in which the insert is seated on the nut with the nut at least partly between the lay-in opening and the first end of the main body and legs of the insert extends axially through the nut, to or beyond the lay-in opening.
Regarding claim 12: Therrien teaches all the limitations of claim 11 and further teaches wherein legs (at 53, 50; Fig. 11) of the insert extend axially through the nut and protrude outwardly at free ends to secure the insert to the nut (see Fig. 9); wherein the main body includes grooves that extend axially along opposing sides of the second end of the main body to receive the legs of the insert when the nut is aligned along the second end of the main body (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 13: Therrien teaches all the limitations of claim 11 and further teaches wherein the main body includes, within or adjacent to the first slot, one or more surface roughness features 39 arranged to score a conductor received into the first slot (see Para. 0034).
Regarding claim 15: Therrien teaches all the limitations of claim 11 and further teaches wherein the split bolt connector assembly is a prefabricated assembly that includes a first conductor secured within the second slot (see Figs. 13-14).
Regarding claim 16: Therrien teaches all the limitations of claim 15 and further teaches wherein one of: the first conductor includes a wire of a cable tray (see Para. 0002 and 0032 and Figs. 13-14); or the prefabricated assembly is secured to a wire of a cable tray with the wire secured in the first slot by the insert to be electrically connected to the first conductor.
Regarding claim 17: Therrien teaches all the limitations of claim 11 and further teaches wherein, with the split bolt connector in the installed configuration, the legs extend axially through the nut and beyond the second end of the main body (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 18: Therrien teaches all the limitations of claim 11 and further teaches wherein a first end of the insert includes a contact surface that is oriented to contact a wire that is received within the first slot to secure the wire against a blind end of the first slot at the first end of the main body; wherein the blind end of the first slot defines a first width, perpendicular to the axial direction, the first width corresponding to a first wire diameter; and wherein, with the contact surface of the insert spaced axially from the blind end within the first slot by a distance equal to the first width, the legs of the insert extend axially through the nut and beyond the second end of the main body (see Figs. 13-14).
Regarding claim 19: Therrien teaches all the limitations of claim 11 and further teaches wherein the main body includes a head 13 at the first end that defines one or more of: a rounded axial profile, with a larger diameter than the main body measured perpendicular to the axial direction; a flattened axial profile, with a larger diameter than the main body measured perpendicular to the axial direction (see Fig. 1); or a threaded post extending from the head in the axial direction.
Regarding claim 20: Therrien teaches a method of prefabricating a connector assembly, the method comprising: securing a nut 17 to external threads of a shaft of a main body of a split bolt connector (see Figs. 1 and 13-14), to secure an insert 24 within a first slot (at 59; Fig. 14) that extends in an axial direction along the shaft between first and second ends of the main body (see Fig. 1), with a lay-in opening (at 16; Fig. 2) provided into the first slot to receive a wire 59 of a cable tray into the first slot to be secured by the insert to electrically bond the main body to the wire (see Figs. 13-14); and securing a conductor 60 within a second slot (at 60; Fig. 14) of the main body that is separated from the first slot by material of the main body so that the conductor is electrically bonded to the main body (see Figs. 13-14).
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 2-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Therrien (US 2014/0087598), in view of Ruggiero (US 2020/0059013).
Regarding claim 2: Therrien teaches all the limitations of claim 1.
Therrien does not explicitly teach before tightening the nut to secure the wire with the insert within the first slot, removing an insulating coating from the wire, using one or more surface roughness features on the main body of the split bolt connector.
Ruggiero teaches before securing a wire within a first slot, removing an insulating coating from the wire (see Para. 0003 and 0033), using one or more surface roughness features 34 on a main body of a connector (see Fig. 1 and Para. 0027).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to be able to modify the invention with before tightening the nut to secure the wire with the insert within the first slot, removing an insulating coating from the wire, using one or more surface roughness features on the main body of the split bolt connector as taught by Ruggiero into the method of connecting a conductor and a cable tray of Therrien in order to achieve the advantage of establishing an electrical connection and a better grip.
Regarding claim 3: Therrien, in view of Ruggiero, teaches all the limitations of claim 2 and further teaches wherein the one or more surface roughness features (e.g. Therrien and Ruggiero both teach surface roughness features located throughout the connector and within a slot) are located within the first slot and the insulating coating is removed after the wire is inserted into the first slot (e.g. Ruggiero teaches removal of the insulating coating for establishing an electrical connector and this process can be done before or after the wire is inserted into the slot).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 14 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please see PTO-892 for pertinent prior art, the following references being of closest relevance:
Goto (US 5,129,844) teaches an electrical wire connector comprising an insert and nut configured to electrically and mechanically connect at least two conductors;
Boehm (US 5,533,913) teaches an electrical connector comprising an insert with surface roughness features and attached to an exposed conductor end;
Cook (US 2,190,824) teaches an electrical wire connector comprising an insert and nut configured to electrically and mechanically connect at least two conductors;
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OSCAR C JIMENEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-0272. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Renee Luebke can be reached at (571) 272-2009. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/OSCAR C JIMENEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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