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, 2, 5 and 10-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lehman (US. Pat. 4,774,390).
Regarding claim 1, Lehman teaches an adapter for an electric switch assembly, the adapter comprising an adapter body 110 adapted to be immovably connected to an electric switch 100 including a first set of terminals 112 (col. 4, lines 10-20), wherein each of the terminals is adapted to be electrically conductively connected to a corresponding electric wire (col. 3, lines 10-15), and includes a terminal member (217a-217c) adapted for releasing a connection between the terminal and the corresponding electric wire (Fig. 12 and col. 4, lines 30-40), wherein the adapter includes a protective cover 126 movably connected to the adapter body such that the protective cover has a protection position (the terminals are not accessible) and a first installation position (the terminals are accessible) relative to the adapter body, wherein in the protection position the protective cover is adapted to prevent use of the terminal members of the electric switch (Fig. 1 and col. 4, lines 44-55), and in the first installation position the protective cover is adapted to enable use of terminal members of the first set of terminals, wherein said use of a terminal member includes releasing a connection between the terminal and the corresponding electric wire (Fig. 3 and col. 4, lines 44-55).
Regarding claim 2, Lehman teaches the adapter wherein the adapter body comprises a first set of apertures (132, 134, 136 defined by the right adapter) and a second set of apertures (132, 134, 136 defined by the left adapter) extending through the adapter body in a depth direction (horizontal direction), wherein the first set of apertures and the second set of apertures are spaced apart in a height direction (perpendicular direction) of the adapter body, and adapted to provide access to terminal members of the electric switch when the adapter body is in a connected state relative to the electric switch (the defined height and depth directions are reference orientation that may change with installation of the adapter, and the claimed aperture is three-dimensional opening extending through the adapter body regardless of how the adapter is orientated, see Fig. 3 and col. 4, lines 44-55).
Regarding claim 5, Lehman teaches the adapter wherein the protective cover has a second installation position (when the cover is open at 45 degree, only one terminal is uncovered) relative to the adapter body, wherein in the second installation position the protective cover covers less the cross-sectional area of the second set of apertures than in the protection position (Figs. 1-3).
Regarding claim 10, Lehman teaches the adapter wherein the adapter body 110 is adapted to be immovably connected to the electric switch 100 by means of snap-fitting (210, 212, see Figs. 1-2 and col. 4, lines 10-20).
Regarding claim 11, Lehman teaches the adapter wherein the adapter body is provided with a plurality of flexible snap-fit members (210, 212) adapted to cooperate with counterpart members provided on the electric switch see Figs. 1-2 and col. 4, lines 10-20).
Regarding claim 12, Lehman teaches the adapter wherein the protection position and the first installation position are spaced apart in a height direction, and the plurality of flexible snap-fit members include a first snap-fit member (212, 210) on a first side (right side adapter) of the adapter body, and a second snap-fit member (212, 210) on a second side (left side adapter) of the adapter body, wherein the first side and the second side are spaced apart in the height direction (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 13, Lehman teaches an electric switch assembly comprising an adapter immovably connected to an electric switch including a first set of terminals 112, wherein each of the terminals is adapted to be electrically conductively connected to a corresponding electric wire (col. 3, lines 10-15), and includes a terminal member (217a-217c) adapted for releasing a connection between the terminal and the corresponding electric wire (Fig. 12 and col. 4, lines 30-40), wherein the adapter includes a protective cover 126 movably connected to the adapter body such that the protective cover has a protection position (the terminals are not accessible) and a first installation position (the terminals are accessible) relative to the adapter body, wherein in the protection position the protective cover is adapted to prevent use of the terminal members of the electric switch, and in the first installation position the protective cover is adapted to enable use of terminal members of the first set of terminals (Fig. 1 and col. 4, lines 44-55), wherein said use of a terminal member includes releasing a connection between the terminal and the corresponding electric wire, and the electric switch adapted to be immovably connected to the adapter (col. 4, lines 10-20), wherein the electric switch comprises a first set of terminals (132, 134, 136 defined by the right adapter) and a second set of terminals (132, 134, 136 defined by the left adapter), wherein the first set of terminals and the second set of terminals are spaced apart in a height direction of the electric switch (the defined height direction is reference orientation that may change with installation of the adapter), wherein each terminal of the first set of terminals and second set of terminals is adapted to be electrically conductively connected to a corresponding electric wire, wherein in the protection position the protective cover is adapted to prevent use of the terminal members of the electric switch, and in the first installation position the protective cover is adapted to enable use of the first set of terminal members (Figs. 1-5 and col. 4, lines 44-55).
Regarding claim 14, Lehman teaches the electric switch assembly wherein in the protection position the protective cover 126 is adapted to enable a voltage measurement from the first set of terminals and the second set of terminals through the adapter body (the terminals are accessible from the side opening 120 to measure voltage, see Fig. 1).
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 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lehman in view of Mishra (US2016/0260560)
Regarding claim 9, Lehman does not teach the protrusion and the groove of the cover or the adapter body. However, Mishra teaches a similar adapter with an adapter body 18 and a protective cover 200, wherein one of the protective cover and the adapter body includes at least one groove 238, and the other of the protective cover and the adapter body includes at least one protrusion 240 adapted to cooperate with the at least one groove in order to enable movable connection between the protective cover and the adapter body while keeping the protective cover and the adapter body together (paragraph 37 and Figs. 4-5). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to separate the cover from the adapter body, and use a groove and a protrusion to secure them together as taught by Mishra, since it has been held that constructing a formerly integral structure in various elements involves only routine skill in the art. Nerwin v. Erlichman, 168 USPQ 177, 179.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lehman in view of Zhang (US2022/0285105).
Regarding claim 15, Lehman does not teach the electric switch being adapted to be mounted on a standardized installation rail. Zhang teaches a similar circuit breaker that is adapted to be mounted on a standardized installation rail (Fig. 2 and paragraph 18). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Zhang in the circuit breaker of Lehman to provide tool-less installation within electrical panels as commonly practiced in the electrical industry.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 4 and 6-8 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.
Regarding claim 3, the prior art fails to teach or show, alone or in combination, the claimed adapter wherein in the protection position the protective cover covers at least a majority of cross-sectional areas of the first set of apertures and second set of apertures, and in the first installation position the protective cover covers less the cross-sectional area of the first set of apertures than in the protection position.
Regarding claim 6, the prior art fails to teach or show, alone or in combination, the claimed adapter wherein the adapter comprises an adapter handle member movably connected to the adapter body such that the adapter handle member has a first position and a second position relative to the adapter body, wherein the adapter handle member is movable relative to the protective cover, and wherein the adapter handle member is adapted to be connected to a control member of the electric switch in order to enable transferring the electric switch between a connected state and disconnected state thereof by moving the adapter handle member.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AHMED M SAEED whose telephone number is (571)270-7976. The examiner can normally be reached 10-8pm.
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/AHMED M SAEED/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2833