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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention I in the reply filed on August 7, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 27 and 69 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to nonelected inventions, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on August 7, 2026.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 6-8, 10, 12 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cross US 5152395.
Cross discloses a wire carrier (2) for transporting a wire, comprising: a support structure (4, 22) comprising a front side and a rear side; a first coil holder (26 or 26’) secured to the front side of the support structure at a first location corresponding to a coil of the wire (100) and a first position on the coil between a first end (102) of the wire and a second end (102) of the wire (100); a first end holder (32) secured to the front side of the support structure (4, 22) at a second location corresponding to the first end of the wire; and a second end holder (32) secured to the front side of the support structure at a third location corresponding to the second end (see fig. 7 below).
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As for claim 3, Cross discloses wherein the first coil holder is capable of at least temporarily retaining the coil of the wire (100, see Fig. 7 above).
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As for claim 6, Cross discloses wherein the first location for the first coil holder (26 or 26’) and the second location for the first end holder (32) define a first breakout length (see annotated Fig. 8b above) between the first end of the wire and the coil of the wire.
As for claim 7, Cross discloses wherein the first location for the first coil holder (26 or 26’) and the third location for the second end holder (32) define a second breakout length (see annotated Fig. 8b above) between the second end of the wire and the coil of the wire.
As for claim 8, Cross discloses wherein the first end (102) of the wire (100) and the second end (102) of the wire (100) comprise terminated connections (106).
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As for claim 10, Cross discloses the first coil holder comprising: a clamp (26’) with an open state in which the clamp receives or releases the coil of the wire and a closed state in which the clamp grips the coil (spring clip 26’ actuated by pulling on the end 30 for opening and closing).
As for claim 12, Cross discloses wherein the first end holder (32) comprising: a clamp (33) with an open state in which the clamp receives or releases the first end of the wire and a closed state in which the clamp grips the first end (slits 36 provided to open and close; col. 7, lines 26-68 and col. 8, lines 1-9).
As for claim 14, Cross discloses the second end holder (32) comprising: a clamp (33) with an open state in which the clamp receives or releases the second end of the wire and a closed state in which the clamp grips the second end(slits 36 provided to open and close; col. 7, lines 26-68 and col. 8, lines 1-9).
Claim(s) 1, 3, 6-7, 12, 14, 21 and 25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cross US 5320301.
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Cross discloses a wire carrier (10) for transporting a wire (106), comprising: a support structure (12) comprising a front side and a rear side; a first coil holder (14, 16) secured to the front side of the support structure at a first location corresponding to a coil of the wire (106) and a first position on the coil between a first end (end of 106) of the wire and a second end (end of 106) of the wire (106); a first end holder (60) secured to the front side of the support structure (12) at a second location corresponding to the first end of the wire; and a second end holder (62) secured to the front side of the support structure at a third location corresponding to the second end (see fig. 7 above).
As for claim 3, Cross discloses wherein the first coil holder is capable of at least temporarily retaining the coil of the wire (106, see Fig. 7 above).
As for claim 6, Cross discloses wherein the first location for the first coil holder (14, 16) and the second location for the first end holder (60) define a first breakout length (see Fig. 7 above, spacing between coil holder and first end holder) between the first end of the wire and the coil of the wire.
As for claim 7, Cross discloses wherein the first location for the first coil holder (14, 16) and the third location for the second end holder (62) define a second breakout length (see Fig. 7 above, spacing between coil holder and second end holder) between the second end of the wire and the coil of the wire.
As for claim 12, Cross discloses wherein the first end holder (60) comprising: a clamp (60) with an open state (see Fig. 6) in which the clamp receives or releases the first end of the wire and a closed state (see Fig. 5) in which the clamp grips the first end.
As for claim 14, Cross discloses the second end holder (62) comprising: a clamp (62, 79) with an open state (dashed lines 80, see Fig. 4) in which the clamp receives or releases the second end of the wire and a closed state (see fig. 4) in which the clamp grips the second end.
As for claim 21, Cross discloses an interface member (112) secured to a top side of the support structure and extending outward capable of being connected with a wire transport system to suspend the wire carrier from the wire transport system in conjunction with transport of the wire from a wire preparation system to a wire assembly system.
As for claim 25, Cross discloses a projecting member (connector, 24) secured to the rear side of the support structure and protruding from the rear side (see Figs. 2-3).
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(s) 16-18 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cross US 5152395 in view of Glass 5992788.
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As for claim 16, Cross discloses all the limitations as recited above but does not specify wherein a second coil holder secured to the front side of the support structure at a fourth location corresponding to a second position on the coil of the wire opposing the first position on the coil. However, the use of a first and second coil holder for holding a coil of a cable or wire is well known in the cable and wire storage art as recognized by Glass who teaches a cable storage apparatus (10) having a support structure (26) with a first coil holder (38) and a second coil holder (38) both secured to a front side (27) of the support structure, the first coil holder located at a third location (top of plate 26, see fig. 2 above) and the second coil holder located at a fourth location (bottom of plate 26, see Fig. 2 above) respectively and holding a first and second position of the coil (see Fig. 6). It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to modify the wire carrier of Cross through duplication of parts to include a second coil holder at a fourth location as taught by Glass in order to provide proper securement of the coil to the carrier.
As for claim 18, the modified Cross teaches the second coil holder comprising: a clamp (26’, Cross, see Fig. 3A) with an open state in which the clamp receives or releases the coil of the wire and a closed state in which the clamp grips the coil (spring clip 26’ actuated by pulling on the end 30 for opening and closing).
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As for claim 20, the modified Cross teaches wherein the first location for the first coil holder and the fourth location for the second coil holder define a central area of the coil of the wire in relation to the support structure, a height dimension for the coil and a range of width dimensions for the coil (see Glass, Fig. 6; first and second coil holders define a central area).
Claim(s) 13 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cross US 5320301 in view of Backus US 1156739.
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As for claims 13 and 15, discloses a clamp for the first (60) and second (62) end holders but does not specify wherein a first and second keyhole configured for engagement by a first key tool and second key tool, respectively, in conjunction with moving the clamp of the first and second end holders to the open state, the clamp of the first and second end holders is biased to the closed state and configured to enable the first key tool to hold the clamp in the open state. However, the use of key tools for opening and closing a clamp is well known in the clamp art as evidence by Backus who teaches a key locking clamp (see fig. 2 above) wherein the clamping jaws (1 and 2) are actuated between an open and closed state by a key tool (12). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to modify and/or substitute the clamps of Cross with key locking clamps as taught by Backus in order to provide an alternative means of clamping and securing the wire ends and prevent accidental removal by locking the clamping jaws.
Claim(s) 22-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cross US 5320301 in view of Peters et al. US 2018/0072523.
As for claims 22-24, Cross discloses wherein the rear side of the support structure (12) is provided with holes (36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46) aligned with retractable reeler pins (94, 96, 98, 100, 102, 104) of the reeler head (84) for coupling the carrier to the reeler head but does not specify wherein a ferromagnetic member is secured to the rear side of the support structure for coupling with an electromagnet device and wherein the ferromagnetic member comprises at least one of an iron material, a cobalt material, a steel material, a nickel material, a manganese material, a gadolinium material and a lodestone material.
However, Peters teaches a coupling between a carrier (210) having a ferromagnetic member (208a, 208b) secured thereto for being coupled to an arm (202) of a robot (200) having a magnetic actuator (electromagnet, 206a, 206b, electromagnetic actuator, ¶0055). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, to modify the carrier of Cross to include a ferromagnetic member and the reeler head to include an electromagnet as taught by Peters in order to provide additional securement of the carrier to the reeler head.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TYRONE V HALL JR whose telephone number is (571)270-5948. The examiner can normally be reached Mon.-Fri. 7:30am-3:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Monica Carter can be reached at (571) 272-4475. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TYRONE V HALL JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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