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 .
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided.
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.
Claims 1-5 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Masumoto et al. [Masumoto hereinafter, US 5,825,085].
In regard to claim 1, Masumoto discloses [in Fig. 1] a diverter switch comprising: a housing [11]; and a carrier [21] comprising elements [22, 23] configured to carry out a diverter switch operation; wherein the carrier [21] and the elements [22, 23] are at least partly encapsulated in the housing [11].
In regard to claim 2, Masumoto discloses [in Fig. 1] the diverter switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the housing is configured in a shape of a tank or cup; the housing [11] has a first region [lower region of 11]; and the carrier [21] is at least partly arranged in the first region.
In regard to claim 3, Masumoto discloses [in Fig. 1] the diverter switch as claimed in claim , wherein: the carrier [21] is configured as a circuit board.
In regard to claim 4, Masumoto discloses [in Fig. 1] the diverter switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carrier [21] and the elements [22, 23] are at least partly or completely encapsulated or potted with a casting resin [41] or a silgel in the housing [11].
In regard to claim 5, Masumoto discloses [in Fig. 1] the diverter switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elements [22, 23] for carrying out the diverter switch operation comprise at least one semiconductor switching element [23], a varistor, or a controller.
In regard to claim 8, Masumoto discloses [in Fig. 1] a method for producing a diverter switch as claimed in claim 1, the method comprising: in a first step, the carrier [21] with elements [22, 23] configured to carry out a diverter switch operation is arranged in a first region [lower region on 11] of the housing [11]; in a second step, the carrier [21] with the elements [22, 23] is at least partly potted in the first region such that the carrier [21] is connected to the housing [11]; and in a third step, the housing [11] with the potted carrier [21] and the elements [22, 23] is dried.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6 and 7 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.
In regard to claim 6, in combination with other limitations, the diverter switch further comprising an optical communication interface and electrical contacts, which are at least partly encapsulated or potted and arranged on the carrier is neither disclosed nor suggested by the prior art.
In regard to claim 7, in combination with other limitations, the diverter switch being connected to a controller via an optical communication interface and being connected to a selector via electrical contacts is neither disclosed nor suggested by the prior art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Guidosh [US 4,107,637] and Chandler [US 7,977,588] disclose similar switches.
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/LHEIREN MAE A CAROC/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2833