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 with traverse of Specie 8 (figures 9, 10) reading on claims 1-3, 5, 8-10 and 13, in the reply filed on 6/25/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that it should be no undue burden on the Examiner to consider all claims. This is not found persuasive because all the species are independent and distinct, and various differences among the species have been pointed out in the restriction requirement mailed 5/1/2026.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claims 4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14-18 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 6/25/2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 1-3, 5, 8-10, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
In Claim 1, line 1, ‘spring loaded clamping’ in preamble does not describe a physical component, hence vague and indefinite. May be ‘spring loaded element or component. Also in lines 3-5, it is not clear what is meant by “the conductor rail component being designed as a profile component angled substantially parallel to a (an) conductor insertion direction.” First, it is not clear what is meant by ‘profile component’, this part of recitation fails to describe any structure; second if the rail component is parallel to the insertion direction, then how it is angled?
Claim 1, line 9, it is not clear what is meant by recitation ‘the clamping spring at a clamping point.’ The conductor, when inserted will be clamped between the spring tab 33 and tip of spring 43 (figure 9), hence the clamping will not take place at a ‘point’, therefore, the recitation is vague and indefinite. Same arguments related to ‘clamping point’ for claim 9.
Claim 1, line 15, the recitation of ‘essentially’ makes the claim vague and indefinite.
Claim 1, lines 8-9, recites ‘..the conductor rail component and clamps an electrical conductor’ suggests that the ‘electrical conductor’ is being positively claimed, however, lines 17-18, recites ‘ the electrical conductor.. is adapted to be inserted’, suggests that the electrical conductor is not being positively claimed. Similarly lines 12-13n also suggest that the electrical conductor is not being positively claimed. Therefore, the claim is vague and indefinite.
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5, 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) is being anticipated by DE 20 2015 104 961 (DE 961).
Regarding Claim 1, DE 961 discloses a contact assembly (1, fig. 1) to connect an electrical conductor not shown) via spring-loaded clamping, the assembly comprising:
a conductor rail component (wall 2a, also see fig. 2) made of a conductor rail material, the conductor rail component being designed as a profile component angled substantially parallel to an conductor insertion direction (along the longitudinal axis of contact assembly) of an electrical conductor into the contact assembly, at least in sections;
a spring component with a clamping spring (element 8 on wall 2b), the spring component being made of a spring material, and is mechanically connected to the conductor rail component and clamps an electrical conductor via the clamping spring at a clamping point (around tip 9 of element 8 of wall 2a) on the conductor rail component;
a conductor insertion opening (7) and a conductor insertion channel connected to the conductor insertion opening, through which an electrical conductor inserted at the conductor insertion opening is adapted to be routed to the clamping point, the conductor insertion channel being formed from at least one first wall (wall 2a), a second wall (2b) and a third wall (bottom wall, not numbered), the first wall is essentially parallel to the second wall and the third wall extends at least from the first wall to the second wall,
wherein the electrical conductor in the space formed between the first wall, the second wall and the third wall is adapted to be inserted into the contact assembly, and wherein at least the third wall of the conductor insertion channel is partly made up of the conductor rail component and partly of the spring component (wall 2a and wall 2b are connected by the third wall).
[AltContent: textbox (Third wall )][AltContent: connector]
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Regarding Claim 2, DE 961 discloses the contact assembly, wherein the clamping point is formed on the first wall (rail or first wall 2a includes spring element 9 and clamping point is at the tip of elements 9 of each of walls 2a, 2b).
Regarding Claim 3, DE 961 discloses the contact assembly, wherein one wall of the first and second walls is formed wholly or at least in part from a section of the conductor rail component (wall 2a) and the other wall of the first and second walls (wall 2b) is formed wholly or at least in part from a section of the spring component (8, 9).
Regarding Claim 5, DE 961 discloses the contact assembly, wherein the spring component has a U-shaped curved section forming at least part of the conductor insertion channel (see figure 1).
Regarding Claim 8, DE 961 discloses the contact assembly, wherein the spring component is attached to the conductor rail component via form-fit and / or material-fit fastening. The recitation of ‘the spring component is attached to the conductor rail component via form-fit and/or material fit fastening’ is a process limitation in an product claim. Even though product-by-process claims are limited by and defined by the process, determination of patentability is based on the product itself. The patentability of a product does not depend on its method of production. If the product in the product-by-process claim is the same as or obvious from a product of the prior art, the claim is unpatentable even though the prior product was made by a different process." In re Thorpe, 777 F.2d 695, 698, 227 USPQ 964, 966 (Fed. Cir. 1985).
Regarding Claim 9, DE 961 discloses the contact assembly, wherein the spring component as a clamping spring has a one-sided leaf spring (fig 1, the spring component of walls 2b has one sided spring 8, 9), which is designed as a spring tongue inclined to the conductor insertion direction, which is arranged at an angle in the direction of the conductor rail component and has a clamping edge at a free end, and wherein the clamping point is designed to clamp the electrical conductor between the conductor rail component and the clamping edge.
Regarding Claim 10, DE 961 discloses the contact assembly, wherein the spring tongue is designed as a material tongue that is flared (fig. 2, element 13) and bent away from the material of the spring component.
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.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE 20 2015 104 961 (DE 961) in view of Wu et al. (US 20160240970).
Regarding Claim 13, DE 961 discloses the contact assembly, however, DE ‘961 does not disclose the contact assembly is designed as a contact insert of a conductor connection terminal. Wu et al. in figure 2, discloses a contact assembly (2) is designed as a contact insert of a conductor connection terminal (2, fig 3).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to design contact assembly of DE ‘961 and insert in a housing as suggested by Wu et al. to make it a conductor connection terminal and to protect the contact assembly.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Mastel (US 2024/0313439) discloses contact assembly with similar design; Froebing (US 2021 0218161) discloses contact assembly with a lever; Zier et al. (US 20240332833) discloses contact assembly with a lever; Stolze (US 20180254567) discloses contact assembly of similar design.
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/TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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