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's election with traverse of Species 1, claims 1-6 and 13 in the reply filed on 04/29/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that species 1-4 do not lack unity of invention because the inventions of these groups require the technical feature of having "a housing including a pressing section configured and arranged to press the contact case against the drive device", this technical feature is special technical feature as it make a contribution over the prior art in view of US 20210202197 A1. There is no description or suggestion in US 20210202197 Al that the housing 1 includes a pressing structure for pressing the switching chamber 11 against the drive device (such as magnetic yoke 9). This is not found persuasive because the suggested special technical feature - by the applicant - does not make a contribution over JP 2021144957 A, as described below.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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 | 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by SAKAI et al. JP 2021144957 A [SAKAI].
Regarding claim 1, SAKAI teaches An electromagnetic relay [1, figs. 1-2], comprising: a first fixed terminal [21] including a fixed contact [211]; a movable contact piece [22] including a movable contact [221] facing the fixed contact [211] in a first direction [toward 211]; a drive device [3] configured to move the movable contact piece [22] in the first direction [toward 211]; a contact case [51] arranged adjacent to the drive device [3] in the first direction [toward 211] and in contact therewith [see 51 and 3, fig. 2], the contact case [51] accommodating the first fixed contact [211] and the movable contact piece [22]; and a housing [4] including a pressing section [421] configured and arranged to press [421 is mounted on 51] the contact case [51] against the drive device [3, fig. 1], the housing [4] accommodating the contact case [51, fig. 1] and the drive device [3, fig. 1].
Regarding claim 13, SAKAI teaches The electromagnetic relay according to claim 1, further comprising: a second fixed terminal [21, fig. 1] including a second fixed contact [211], wherein the movable contact piece [22] further includes a second movable contact [221] facing the second fixed contact [211] in the first direction [toward 211].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-6 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior arts of record when considered as a whole, alone or in combination neither anticipates nor renders obvious the combination of - the contact case includes a case-top wall extending in a direction perpendicular to the first direction, a case-side wall disposed to sides of the movable contact piece, the case-side wall extending in the first direction from the case-top wall toward the drive device, and a to-be- pressed section protruding from the case-side wall toward the housing, the to-be-pressed section configured and arranged to be pressed by the pressing section.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See (PTO-892).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMAD A MUSLEH whose telephone number is ((571)272-9086. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 10 am - 7 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Shawki S. Ismail can be reached on 571 272 3985. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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/Mohamad A Musleh/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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