DETAILED ACTION
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 and 5-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Zhou (US 11735386).
In re claim 1, Zhou, in figures 1-18, discloses an electromagnetic contactor comprising: a container (100,130,150) made of resin (150 is made of resin, see figure 12); a pair of fixed contact pieces (110) fixed to the container in a penetrating manner and on one end side of each of which, the one end side being located inside the container, a fixed contact is formed (as seen in figure 15); a movable contact piece (230) on both end sides of which movable contacts facing the fixed contacts are formed (as best seen in figures 2-4), the movable contact piece being configured to, when the movable contact piece is displaced in a depth direction in the container, cause a contact unit including the movable contacts and the fixed contacts to be opened or closed (as seen in figures 2-4); a fixed yoke (120) arranged between the pair of fixed contact pieces and at least a portion of which is held in a skeleton (150) forming the container; and a movable yoke (240) disposed on the movable contact piece and opposed to the fixed yoke, wherein the fixed yoke and the movable yoke attract each other caused by a magnetic circuit being formed about an axis in a conduction direction in which current flows in the movable contact piece when the contact unit is closed (inherent functionality of the shown structure).
In re claim 2, Zhou, in figures 1-18, discloses on the skeleton, an opening portion to cause a portion of the fixed yoke to be exposed is formed (as seen in figures 12-14).
In re claim 3, Zhou, in figures 1-18, discloses that the fixed yoke is formed in a flat plate shape extending in a direction orthogonal to the movable contact piece when viewed from a depth direction and includes: an embedded portion embedded in the skeleton; and an exposed portion (portion that is not embedded) projecting from the opening portion (as best seen in figure 14).
In re claim 5, Zhou, in figures 1-18, discloses that the fixed yoke has the embedded portion closely adhering to an inner surface of the skeleton (as best seen in figure 14).
In re claim 6, Zhou, in figures 1-18, discloses that the movable yoke is formed in a U-shape (this is shown in several figures, see figure 9 for example) opening to the fixed yoke when the movable contact piece is viewed from a conduction direction.
In re claims 7-8, In accordance to MPEP 2113, the method of forming the device is not germane to the issue of patentability of the device itself. Therefore, this limitation has not been given patentable weight. Please note that 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, i.e container and yoke, does not depend on its method of production, i.e. process of applying a coating or using insert molding. In re Thorpe, 227 USPQ 964, 966 (Federal Circuit 1985).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 is 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. A list of pertinent prior art is attached in form PTO-892.
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/Alexander Talpalatski/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837