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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/25/2024 was filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections – 35 USC § 102
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4 and 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cella et al. [US 5,844,188].
Claim 1, Cella et al. discloses a circuit breaker [40; figure 2], the circuit breaker comprising: a housing [42; 44] comprising an interior; a plurality of pole assemblies [figure 3 illustrates 2 contact assemblies] housed within the housing, each pole assembly comprising: a stationary conductor [50/52] comprising a stationary separable contact [52]; a movable conductor [54/56] comprising a movable separable contact [54], the movable conductor being structured to be actuated between a closed state [figure 11] and an open state [figure 13] in order to close and open an electrical connection between a corresponding load and a power source; a current sensor [bi-metal 64] structured to sense current flowing in the pole assembly [col. 12 lines 20-50]; and a trip mechanism [140] coupled to the trip mechanism of every other pole assembly in the circuit breaker and structured to be actuated by the current sensor when current in the pole assembly exceeds a predetermined threshold [col. 12 lines 20-50]; an operating mechanism [68] housed within the housing and configured to be actuated by the trip mechanism of each pole assembly and operably coupled to the movable conductor of each pole assembly; and an operating handle [46] operably coupled to the operating mechanism, the operating handle extending between the interior of the housing and an external environment [figure 2], wherein the operating mechanism is structured such that, when either of the operating handle or the movable conductor is actuated to rotate in one direction, the other of the movable conductor or the operating handle rotates in another direction opposite the one direction [to transition from the ON state as shown in figure 2 in phantom to the OFF state as shown in figure 2 in phantom, the operating handle 46 rotates in a counter clockwise, while the movable conductor 54/56 rotates in a clockwise direction].
Claim 2, Cella et al. discloses the circuit breaker of claim 1, wherein the operating mechanism is structured to be actuated to an OFF state [col. 4 lines 34-37], to an ON state [figure 11], and to a TRIP state [figure 2], wherein the operating handle [46] is structured to be rotated between an OFF position, an ON position, and a TRIP position [as shown in figure 2; 46 is in the TRIP state, while the ON and OFF states for 46 are shown in phantom; col. 4 lines 34-37], wherein the operating mechanism [68] is structured such that it can only be actuated to the ON state by manual rotation of the operating handle [46] to the ON position [col. 4 lines 34-37;col. 11 lines 38-40], wherein the operating mechanism is structured such that it can only be actuated to the OFF state by manual rotation of the operating handle to the OFF position [col. 4 lines 34-37; col. 11 lines 20-24], and wherein the operating mechanism is structured such that it can only be automatically actuated to the TRIP state when any of the trip mechanisms is actuated and such that the operating handle can only be automatically rotated to the TRIP position [figure 2] due to actuation of the operating mechanism to the TRIP state [col. 7 lines 1-5].
Claim 3, Cella et al. discloses the circuit breaker of claim 2, wherein the operating mechanism [68] is structured to be actuated into the TRIP state from the ON state when the operating handle gets stuck in the ON position [col. 7 line 66 to col. 8 line 3; and current in any of the pole assemblies has reached a fault level threshold [col. 12 lines 20-50] , and wherein the circuit breaker is in a TRIP FREE state when the operating mechanism is in the TRIP state while the operating handle is in the ON state [figures 11-13].
Claim 4, Cella et al. discloses the circuit breaker of claim 1, further comprising: a drive shaft [crossbar 58] operably connecting the movable conductor [54/56] of each pole assembly to the movable conductor of every other pole assembly, wherein each pole assembly is positioned laterally relative to every other pole assembly such that all of the pole assemblies are parallel to one another relative to a lateral dimension [figure 3] wherein the operating mechanism and the operating handle coincide with exactly one of the pole assemblies relative to the lateral dimension and are disposed laterally relative to all of the other pole assemblies [figures 2, 11 and 12], wherein the drive shaft is structured such that actuation of the operating mechanism actuates the movable conductors of all of the pole assemblies simultaneously [col. 6 lines 48-51]
Claim 7, Cella et al. discloses an operating arrangement for use with a multi-pole circuit breaker [figure 2], the multi-pole circuit breaker comprising a plurality of pole assemblies [figure 3], each pole assembly being structured to provide an electrical connection between a corresponding load and a power source and comprising a stationary conductor [50/52] with a stationary separable contact [52] and a movable conductor [54/56] with a movable separable contact [54], each movable conductor being structured to be actuated between a closed state [figure 11] and an open state in order to close and open the corresponding electrical connection, and each pole assembly including a trip mechanism [140] coupled to the trip mechanism of every other pole assembly in the circuit breaker and being structured to be actuated when current in the pole assembly exceeds a predetermined threshold [col. 12 lines 20-50], the operating arrangement comprising: an operating mechanism [68] configured to be actuated by the trip mechanism of each pole assembly and structured to be operably coupled to the movable conductor of each pole assembly [col. 7 lines 1-4]; and an operating handle [46] operably coupled to the operating mechanism, the operating handle being structured to be manually actuated [col. 4 lines 34-37], wherein the operating mechanism is structured such that, when either of the operating handle or the movable conductor is actuated to rotate in one direction, the other of the movable conductor or the operating handle rotates in another direction opposite the one direction [to transition from the ON state as shown in figure 2 in phantom to the OFF state as shown in figure 2 in phantom, the operating handle 46 rotates in a counter clockwise, while the movable conductor 54/56 rotates in a clockwise direction].
Claim 8, Cella et al. discloses the circuit breaker of claim 7, wherein the operating mechanism is structured to be actuated to an OFF state [col. 4 lines 34-37], to an ON state [figure 11], and to a TRIP state [figure 2], wherein the operating handle [46] is structured to be rotated between an OFF position, an ON position, and a TRIP position [as shown in figure 2; 46 is in the TRIP state, while the ON and OFF states for 46 are shown in phantom; col. 4 lines 34-37], wherein the operating mechanism [68] is structured such that it can only be actuated to the ON state by manual rotation of the operating handle [46] to the ON position [col. 4 lines 34-37;col. 11 lines 38-40], wherein the operating mechanism is structured such that it can only be actuated to the OFF state by manual rotation of the operating handle to the OFF position [col. 4 lines 34-37; col. 11 lines 20-24], and wherein the operating mechanism is structured such that it can only be automatically actuated to the TRIP state when any of the trip mechanisms is actuated and such that the operating handle can only be automatically rotated to the TRIP position [figure 2] due to actuation of the operating mechanism to the TRIP state [col. 7 lines 1-5].
Claim 9, Cella et al. discloses the circuit breaker of claim 8, wherein the operating mechanism [68] is structured to be actuated into the TRIP state from the ON state when the operating handle gets stuck in the ON position [col. 7 line 66 to col. 8 line 3; and current in any of the pole assemblies has reached a fault level threshold [col. 12 lines 20-50; figures 11-13].
Claim 10, Cella et al. discloses the circuit operating arrangement of claim 7, further comprising: wherein the operating mechanism [68] and the operating handle [46] are structured to coincide with exactly one of the pole assemblies relative to a lateral dimension and are structured to be disposed laterally relative to all of the other pole assemblies [figures 2, 11 and 12].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5 and 6 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Bernard Rojas whose telephone number is (571)272-1998. The examiner can normally be reached Mon. thru Fri. 7:00 am - 4:00 pm.
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/BERNARD ROJAS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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