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
During a telephone conversation with Tony Sikto on 8/27/26 a provisional election was made without traverse to prosecute the invention of Group 1, claim 1. Affirmation of this election must be made by applicant in replying to this Office action. Claim 2 is withdrawn from further consideration by the examiner, 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a non-elected invention.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: The “housing” referred to in line 6, seems to be intended to describe the “enclosure” of line 3. Therefore “housing” should be changed to “enclosure”, or “housing” should be positively recited. Appropriate correction is required.
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) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2004/0149550 to Allen in view of US 5,638,256 to Leach et al.
As to Claim 1, Allen discloses a switchgear (Abstract, “A company switch-type of electrical switchgear is disclosed”) assembly for retrofit application, the switchgear assembly comprising: a switchgear enclosure (210), the enclosure including a first end (top end Figure 1) and a second end (bottom end), a first end plate (210, top horizontal plate) secured to the first end and a second end plate (210, bottom horizontal plate) secured to the second end, bolts secured at mounting points (140) on the first end plates and the second end plates ([0043] “While certain embodiments utilize fasteners such as screws or nails to mount the company switch 100”, here bolts being a type of screw), and bushings (530, 540) secured to the housing at a fixed location relative to the mounting points, the bushings being configured to electrically connect conductors (252) with electric components disposed within the switchgear enclosure.
Allen fails to disclose mounting stands including a plurality of apertures defining a plurality of mounting locations, the apertures configured to receive the bolts at one of the plurality of mounting locations such that the mounting stand supports the switchgear enclosure at a fixed relationship to a pad such that electric conductors extending from the pad are sufficiently aligned to permit connection of the conductors with the bushings.
Leach teaches a service enclosure (Fig. 6) comprising mounting stands (182a/182b) including a plurality of apertures (184) defining a plurality of mounting locations, the apertures configured to receive bolts (183) at one of the plurality of mounting locations such that the mounting stand supports the service enclosure at a fixed relationship to a pad (col. 6, ll. 15-17 “To install the combination service entrance unit 100 for temporary service, the flanges 182a and 182b are either placed in concrete…”) such that electric conductors extending from the pad are sufficiently aligned to permit connection of the conductors with the bushings (col. 6, ll.15-19 “To install the combination service entrance unit 100 for temporary service, the flanges 182a and 182b are either placed in concrete or attached to vertical posts at the location where the combination device will eventually be placed for permanent use.” Here the implication being that the bushings will be sufficiently aligned to permit connection of conductors with the bushings).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the filing to modify the cabinet of Allen with the mounting plates/stands of Leach in order to flexibly locate a switchgear housing in a concrete slab.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 11,745,775 to Sage et al. disclosing an electrical housing with mounting apparatus.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMIL ALEXANDER DECKER whose telephone number is (571)272-6578. The examiner can normally be reached 8am-5pm Mon-Fri.
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/JAMIL ALEXANDER DECKER/Examiner, Art Unit 2841
/MANDEEP S BUTTAR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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