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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/27/2024, 01/07/2025, 08/13/2025 and 12/17/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-5, 10-15 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Zong et al. [WO2022262851A1] in view of Hayashida et al. [US 2018/0240631]
The applied reference has a common assignee with the instant application. Based upon the earlier effectively filed date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2).
This rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 might be overcome by: (1) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(a) that the subject matter disclosed in the reference was obtained directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor of this application and is thus not prior art in accordance with 35 U.S.C.102(b)(2)(A); (2) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(b) of a prior public disclosure under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(B); or (3) a statement pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) establishing that, not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the subject matter disclosed and the claimed invention were either owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person or subject to a joint research agreement. See generally MPEP § 717.02.
Claim 1, Zong et al. discloses a contact part for a relay [1], comprising two sets of movable contact parts [61 and 62], each set of the movable contact parts [62] comprising a movable contact piece [623/627], a movable contact unit [624/628] and a static contact unit [622/626], the movable contact unit [624/628] being disposed on the movable contact piece [623/627]; two movable contact units [624/628] of the contact part corresponding to two static contact units [622/626] of the contact part, respectively.
Zong et al. fails to teach wherein when the contact part is in a disconnected state, a contact gap between the movable contact unit and the static contact unit corresponding to each other in one set is smaller than a contact gap between the movable contact unit and the static contact unit corresponding to each other in the other set.
Hayashida et al. teaches a relay [1] wherein when the contact part [22] is in a disconnected state [figure 2], a contact gap between the movable contact unit [23] and the static contact unit [26] corresponding to each other in one set [23/26] is smaller than a contact gap between the movable contact unit [24] and the static contact unit [27] corresponding to each other in the other set [24/27; the contact height of 23 and 26 is larger than 24 and 27, respectively, creating different sized contact gaps which cause the contact sets to close sequentially; paragraphs 0098-0099].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to adjust the contact gaps between the sets of contacts in the contract part of Zong et al. as taught by Hayashida et al. in order to adjust the how the electric load is distributed during open/close cycles [Hayashida et al. paragraph 0099].
Claim 2, Zong et al. as modified discloses the contact part according to claim 1, wherein Zong et al. further disclose that each set of movable contact parts [62] further comprises a movable contact leading-out piece [621/625], the movable contact leading-out piece is connected to the movable contact piece [623/627]; the static contact unit [622/626] is disposed on the movable contact piece and/or the movable contact leading-out piece [figure 9].
Claim 3, Zong et al. as modified discloses the contact part according to claim 2, wherein Zong et al. further disclose that the static contact unit [622/626] of each set of movable contact part [62] is disposed at a connection position between the movable contact piece [623/627] and the movable contact leading-out piece [621/625; figure 9].
Claim 4, Zong et al. as modified discloses the contact part according to claim 1, wherein Zong et al. further disclose that the movable contact piece [623/627] has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end in its own length direction [figure 8]; the movable contact unit [624/628] is disposed at the first end, and the static contact unit [622/626] is disposed at the second end [figures 8 and 9]; two movable contact pieces are parallel with each other [figure 9], the movable contact unit at the first end of one of the movable contact pieces corresponds to the static contact unit at the second end of the other of the movable contact pieces [figure 9], such that two pairs of the movable contact units and the static contact units after contacting form a circuit structure in parallel [figure 9].
Claim 5, Zong et al. as modified discloses the contact part according to claim 1, wherein Hayashida et al. further teaches that the movable contact unit and the static contact unit in one set with a smaller contact gap is defined as an arc-resistant end contact, and movable contact unit and the static contact unit in the other set with a larger contact gap is defined as a current-carrying end contact [paragraphs 0098-0099]; Zong et al. further discloses that the movable contact unit comprises one or more movable contacts [624/628], the static contact unit comprises one or more static contacts [622/626], and the movable contacts and static contacts corresponding to each other form a contact set [figure 9]; the arc-resistant end contact comprises one or more contact sets, and the current-carrying end contact comprises one or more contact sets; a number of the contact sets of the arc-resistant end contact is less than or equal to a number of the contact sets of the current-carrying end contact [figures 8 and 9 there are an equal number of contact sets].
Claim 10, Zong et al. as modified discloses the contact part according to claim 1, wherein Zong et al. further discloses the movable contact piece comprises a plurality of sub-contact pieces stacked with each other [figures 12 and 19].
Claim 11, Zong et al. discloses a relay [1; figure 10] comprising a contact part, the contact part comprising two sets of movable contact parts [61 and 62], each set of the movable contact parts [62] comprising a movable contact piece [623/627], a movable contact unit [624/628] and a static contact unit [622/626], the movable contact unit [624/628] being disposed on the movable contact piece [623/627]; two movable contact units [624/628] of the contact part corresponding to two static contact units [622/626] of the contact part, respectively.
Zong et al. fails to teach wherein when the contact part is in a disconnected state, a contact gap between the movable contact unit and the static contact unit corresponding to each other in one set is smaller than a contact gap between the movable contact unit and the static contact unit corresponding to each other in the other set.
Hayashida et al. teaches a relay [1] wherein when the contact part [22] is in a disconnected state [figure 2], a contact gap between the movable contact unit [23] and the static contact unit [26] corresponding to each other in one set [23/26] is smaller than a contact gap between the movable contact unit [24] and the static contact unit [27] corresponding to each other in the other set [24/27; the contact height of 23 and 26 is larger than 24 and 27, respectively, creating different sized contact gaps which cause the contact sets to close sequentially; paragraphs 0098-0099].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to adjust the contact gaps between the sets of contacts in the relay of Zong et al. as taught by Hayashida et al. in order to adjust the how the electric load is distributed during open/close cycles [Hayashida et al. paragraph 0099].
Claim 12, Zong et al. as modified discloses the relay according to claim 11, wherein Zong et al. further disclose that each set of movable contact parts [62] further comprises a movable contact leading-out piece [621/625], the movable contact leading-out piece is connected to the movable contact piece [623/627]; the static contact unit [622/626] is disposed on the movable contact piece and/or the movable contact leading-out piece [figure 9].
Claim 13, Zong et al. as modified discloses the relay according to claim 12, wherein Zong et al. further disclose that the static contact unit [622/626] of each set of movable contact part [62] is disposed at a connection position between the movable contact piece [623/627] and the movable contact leading-out piece [621/625; figure 9].
Claim 14, Zong et al. as modified discloses the relay according to claim 11, wherein Zong et al. further disclose that the movable contact piece [623/627] has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end in its own length direction [figure 8]; the movable contact unit [624/628] is disposed at the first end, and the static contact unit [622/626] is disposed at the second end [figures 8 and 9]; two movable contact pieces are parallel with each other [figure 9], the movable contact unit at the first end of one of the movable contact pieces corresponds to the static contact unit at the second end of the other of the movable contact pieces [figure 9], such that two pairs of the movable contact units and the static contact units after contacting form a circuit structure in parallel [figure 9].
Claim 15, Zong et al. as modified discloses the relay according to claim 11, wherein Hayashida et al. further teaches that the movable contact unit and the static contact unit in one set with a smaller contact gap is defined as an arc-resistant end contact, and movable contact unit and the static contact unit in the other set with a larger contact gap is defined as a current-carrying end contact [paragraphs 0098-0099]; Zong et al. further discloses that the movable contact unit comprises one or more movable contacts [624/628], the static contact unit comprises one or more static contacts [622/626], and the movable contacts and static contacts corresponding to each other form a contact set [figure 9]; the arc-resistant end contact comprises one or more contact sets, and the current-carrying end contact comprises one or more contact sets; a number of the contact sets of the arc-resistant end contact is less than or equal to a number of the contact sets of the current-carrying end contact [figures 8 and 9 there are an equal number of contact sets].
Claim 20, Zong et al. as modified discloses the relay according to claim 11, wherein Zong et al. further discloses the movable contact piece comprises a plurality of sub-contact pieces stacked with each other [figures 12 and 19].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-9 and 16-19 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.
Conclusion
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/BERNARD ROJAS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837