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 states in the REMARKS, “In response, Applicant elects Species A, Figure 3, drawn to a printed circuit board, classified in H05K1/117, drawn to purification apparatus. It is believed that all of the currently pending claims encompass the elected species”.
Applicant’s election of Species A (Fig 3) in the reply filed on 07/27/2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Drawings
Figure 1 and 2 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. 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.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 – 5 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.
Claims 6 – 10 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the prior art taken either singularly or in combination fails to anticipate or fairly suggest the limitations of the independent claim 6 in such a manner that a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102 or 103 would be improper.
The prior art fails to teach a combination of all the claimed features as presented in independent claim 6 with the allowable feature being: a printed circuit board comprising: a plurality of electrical lines comprising: at least one individual electrical line electrically connected between a single edge connector of the plurality of edge connectors and the pin connector, and at least one dual electrical line electrically connected between the pair of dual edge connectors and the at least one pin connector; wherein one of the plurality of diodes is connected on one of the plurality of electrical lines; wherein each of the plurality of edge connectors is positioned on the printed circuit board to enable the plurality of edge connectors to interface with connectors of a plurality of configurations of circuit breakers, comprising at least: a first configuration comprising a circuit breaker of a first type, and a second configuration comprising a circuit breaker of a second type; wherein a position of a connector on the circuit breaker of the first type is different from a position of a connector on the circuit breaker of the second type; and wherein the printed circuit board has a thickness of not greater than 1.2 mm.
One close prior art Yang (CN 218939562) teaches of a printed circuit board comprising: a plurality of edge connectors, the plurality of edge connectors comprising a pin connector; a plurality of electrical lines comprising: wherein each of the plurality of edge connectors is positioned on the printed circuit board to enable the plurality of edge connectors to interface with connectors of a plurality of configurations of circuit breakers; however Yang does not teach at least one single edge connector and a pair of two dual edge connectors; a pin connector; a plurality of electrical lines comprising: at least one individual electrical line electrically connected between a single edge connector of the plurality of edge connectors and the pin connector, and at least one dual electrical line electrically connected between the pair of dual edge connectors and the at least one pin connector; a plurality of diodes, wherein one of the plurality of diodes is connected on one of the plurality of electrical lines and comprising at least: a first configuration comprising a circuit breaker of a first type, and a second configuration comprising a circuit breaker of a second type; wherein a position of a connector on the circuit breaker of the first type is different from a position of a connector on the circuit breaker of the second type; and wherein the printed circuit board has a thickness of not greater than 1.2 mm.
Therefore claims 6 – 10 are allowed.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1 – 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang (CN 218939562; English Translation provided with Office Action) in view of Li (CN 219421181; English Translation provided with Office Action) and Gass (US 2010/00149772 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Yang (CN 218939562) teaches of a printed circuit board (Drawing 1-9; 31, 32) comprising: a plurality of edge connectors (3221,3121); a pin connector (analogous to 3122; [0057] “second plug”); a plurality of electrical lines (see Drawing 7,9), each electrically connecting (see Drawing 7 showing 3121 connected to 3122) one of the plurality of edge connectors to the pin connector; wherein each of the plurality of edge connectors (3221,3121) is positioned on the printed circuit board (31,32) to enable the plurality of edge connectors to interface with connectors (about 41,42) of a plurality of configurations of circuit breakers (1; see Drawing 1-2).
Yang does not explicitly disclose comprising at least: a first configuration comprising a circuit breaker of a first type, and a second configuration comprising a circuit breaker of a second type; wherein a position of a connector on the circuit breaker of the first type is different from a position of a connector on the circuit breaker of the second type; and wherein the printed circuit board has a thickness of not greater than 1.2 mm.
Li (CN 219421181; English Translation provided with Office Action) teaches of a printed circuit board (Drawing 3-4) comprising: a plurality of edge connectors (3); a pin connector; a plurality of electrical lines, each electrically connecting one of the plurality of edge connectors to the pin connector; wherein each of the plurality of edge connectors (3) is positioned on the printed circuit board (1) to enable the plurality of edge connectors (3) to interface with connectors of a plurality of configurations of circuit breakers (5), comprising at least: a first configuration comprising a circuit breaker of a first type ([0023] “smaller terminals are suitable for 60A terminals”), and a second configuration comprising a circuit breaker of a second type ([0023] “larger terminals are suitable for 120A terminals”); wherein a position (interface on 5 as seen in Fig 1) of a connector (“connected to the standard circuit breaker 5”; interface at 5; [0004]) on the circuit breaker of the first type is different from a position of a connector (see Fig 2; 41; [0004]) on the circuit breaker of the second type; and wherein the printed circuit board has a thickness of not greater than 1.2 mm.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the board as disclosed by Yang, comprising at least: a first configuration comprising a circuit breaker of a first type, and a second configuration comprising a circuit breaker of a second type; wherein a position of a connector on the circuit breaker of the first type is different from a position of a connector on the circuit breaker of the second type as taught by Li, in order to increase current carrying capacity, ensuring flow rate, increase applicability of boards, and increase heat dissipating area (Li, [0005,0014,0019,0021,0023,0029,0046]).
Gass (US 2010/00149772 A1) teaches of a printed circuit board (Fig 1-4) wherein the printed circuit board has a thickness of not greater than 1.2 mm ([0029-0031] “0.020 inches” “0.047 inches”).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the board as taught by Yang in view of Li, wherein the printed circuit board has a thickness of not greater than 1.2 mm as taught by Gass, in order to provide flexibility (Gass, [0029-0031]).
Regarding Claim 2, Yang in view of Li and Gass teaches the limitations of the preceding claim and Li further teaches the printed circuit board according to claim 1, wherein the circuit breaker of the first type is a 1-63 ampere (A) circuit breaker ([0023]), and the circuit breaker of the second type is a 80-125A circuit breaker ([0023]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROSHN K VARGHESE whose telephone number is (571)270-7975. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th: 900 am-300 pm.
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/ROSHN K VARGHESE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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