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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.84(l). Every line, number, and letter must be durable, clean, black (except for color drawings), sufficiently dense and dark, and uniformly thick and well-defined. The weight of all lines and letters must be heavy enough to permit adequate reproduction. This requirement applies to all lines however fine, to shading, and to lines representing cut surfaces in sectional views. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claims 11 and 18 are objected to because of the following informalities: Claims 11 and 18 are grammatically incorrect. It appears that the term “define” in Line 2, should be “defining”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 2, 4-5 and 16 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.
Claim 2 seems to be unclear. It seems that the electrical jack fastener comprises the terminals connected to the wires instead of the opposite.
Claims 4-5 recite the limitation "an electrical light fixture". It is not understood if these light fixtures are the same or different ones than the one recited in Claim 1.
Appropriate correction is required.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 3, 6-15 and 17-18 are allowed.
The references fail to teach, disclose, or suggest, either alone or in combination, regarding Claim 1, the first and second conductive layers being configured to connect to a class 2 or a class 3 power supply to define a circuit and wherein the head comprises a first terminal configured to connect to a first wire and the fastener portion comprises a second terminal configured to connect to a second wire; wherein the electrical jack fastener is insertable into the structural support at any position along the first conductive surface to engage the fastener portion with the second conductive layer and the head with the first conductive layer to provide electrical power to the electrical jack fastener; regarding Claim 12, the first and second conductive layers are configured to connect to a class 2 or a class 3 power supply to define a circuit; wherein the head comprises a first terminal configured to connect to a first wire and the fastener portion comprises a second terminal configured to connect to a second wire; wherein the electrical jack fastener is insertable into the structural support at any position along the first conductive surface to engage the fastener portion with the second conductive layer and the head with the first conductive layer to provide electrical power to the electrical jack fastener and in combination with the rest of the limitations of the base and intermediate claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited prior art discloses connectors, similar to Applicant’s claimed invention, having wiring systems for light fixtures with insulating and conductive layer and fasteners.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EDWIN A LEON whose telephone number is (571)272-2008. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10am-6pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Renee S Luebke can be reached on 5712722009. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/EDWIN A. LEON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831