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 .
Claims 1-16 are pending.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, line 13: “with which the electrical contact element is adapted to clamped to the busbar” should be changed to “with which the electrical contact element is adapted to be clamped to the busbar”
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the electrical contact element" in line 12. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claims 2-3 and 5-16 are rejected as depending from a rejected base claim.
Claim 4 recites the limitation "the electrical contact element" in line 8. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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) 1-8, 11, and 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kollmann et al. (WO 2020200937A1), hereinafter Kollmann ‘937 in view of Meyer (US 20210257750), hereinafter Meyer ‘750.
Regarding claim 1, Kollmann ‘937 discloses a conductor connection terminal (conductor connection terminal 1, Fig. 1) comprising: a spring-loaded clamping connection (Fig. 3) comprising a busbar (power rail 3, Fig. 3) and a clamping spring (first clamp spring 4, Fig. 1) having a clamping leg (first clamping leg 44, Fig. 3), an electrical conductor being adapted to be clamped under spring force to a conductor-connection side of the busbar via the clamping leg of the clamping spring (Par. 0040, “The clamping edge 43 and the clamping section 30 form a first clamping point, which serves to clamp the electrical conductor.”); a support element comprising a support portion (second clamping spring 6, Fig. 1) for bearing against a side of the busbar, which side is remote from the conductor-connection side (Fig. 1); wherein the support portion contacts the busbar at least in sections over its entire surface (see Fig. 1, contact section 32), wherein the support element has spring tongues (second clamping leg 62, Fig. 1, 3), with which the electrical contact element (blade contact 70, Fig. 4) is adapted to clamped to the busbar under spring force (Figs. 4-5), and wherein the spring tongues are formed in one piece with the support element, adjoin the support portion, and project from the support portion on opposite sides of the support element (Fig. 3).
However, Kollmann ‘937 fails to explicitly disclose two spring-loaded clamping connections arranged opposite one another, each having a clamping spring, a common busbar, and a common support element.
Meyer ‘750 teaches two spring-loaded clamping connections (spring-loaded terminal connection 1, Fig. 1) arranged opposite one another, each having a clamping spring (clamping spring 3a, 3b, Fig. 1), a common busbar (busbar 2, Fig. 1), and a common support element (bottom section 12, Fig. 1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings Meyer ‘750 to modify the invention of Kollmann ‘937 to provide spring-loaded clamping connections arranged opposite one another and sharing a common support element and busbar. One would be motivated to make this modification to have multiple connection arrangements and to make optimal use of installation space. Connectors of such arrangement are well known in the art.
Regarding claim 2, Kollmann ‘937 discloses the conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the spring tongue has a resilient bend from which a clamping arm protrudes for clamping the contact element (see Fig. 2).
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Regarding claim 3, Kollmann ‘937 discloses the conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the spring tongue is bent in an S-shape, at least in sections (see Fig. 2 above).
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Regarding claim 4, Kollmann ‘937 discloses a conductor connection terminal comprising: a spring-loaded clamping connection (Fig. 3) comprising a busbar (power rail 3, Fig. 3) and a clamping spring (first clamp spring 4, Fig. 1) having a clamping leg (first clamping leg 44, Fig. 3), an electrical conductor being adapted to be clamped to a conductor-connection side of the busbar under spring force via the clamping leg of the clamping spring (Par. 0040, “The clamping edge 43 and the clamping section 30 form a first clamping point, which serves to clamp the electrical conductor.”); and a support element comprising a support portion (second clamping spring 6, Fig. 1) for bearing against a side of the busbar which is remote from the conductor-connection side (Fig. 1), the support element having a spring tongue (second clamping leg 62, Fig. 1, 3) with which the electrical contact element (blade contact 70, Fig. 4) is adapted to be clamped to the busbar under spring force (Figs. 4-5), wherein the spring tongue is formed in one piece with the support element, adjoins the support portion, and is bent in an S-shape at least in sections and ends with an end region of the support element (see Fig. 2 above), wherein the busbar is bent over in an end section of the busbar in a direction of the spring tongue (first arch section 31, Fig. 2) and has an end wall bent in a direction pointing away from the clamping spring (end part of contact section 32, Fig. 3), and wherein the spring tongue rests with its end region on a lower edge of the end wall of the bent-over end section of the busbar (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 5, Kollmann ‘937 discloses the conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the electrical contact element (blade contact 70, Fig. 4) is adapted to be clamped to the busbar on a contact connection side which is remote from the conductor-connection side (Fig. 4-5).
Regarding claim 6, Kollmann ‘937 discloses the conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the spring tongue (second clamp leg 62, Fig. 3) extends starting from the support element essentially in the opposite direction to the plug-in direction of the electrical contact element to be clamped to the busbar (Fig. 1-2).
Regarding claim 7, Kollmann ‘937 discloses the conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the plug-in plane of an electrical conductor that is adapted to be clamped to the busbar extends essentially parallel to the plug-in plane of a contact element that is adapted to be clamped to the busbar (Fig. 1-2).
Regarding claim 8, Kollmann ‘937 discloses the conductor connection terminal according to claim 1.
However, Kollmann ‘937 fails to disclose wherein spring-elastic bearing sections project from the support portion in diametrically opposite directions, which are designed in the form of material tongues and tension the support element against the busbar.
Meyer ‘750 teaches wherein spring-elastic bearing sections (spring clamping edge 7a, 7b, Fig. 2a) project from the support portion in diametrically opposite directions, which are designed in the form of material tongues and tension the support element against the busbar (busbar clamping edge 11a, 11b, Fig. 2a-2b).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings Meyer ‘750 to modify the invention of Kollmann ‘937 to provide elastic bearing sections projecting in opposite directions and formed as tongues to tension the support element against the busbar. One would be motivated to make this modification to ensure proper and constant clamping force of the bearing sections and to keep connections secure during operation.
Regarding claim 11, Kollmann ‘937 discloses the conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the busbar in an end section of the busbar is bent (second arch section 33, Fig. 2) in the direction of the spring tongue.
Regarding claim 15, Kollmann ‘937 discloses the conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the spring tongue forms a jumper connection with the busbar (see Fig. 4-5).
Regarding claim 16, Kollmann ‘937 discloses the conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the conductor connection terminal has a multi-part insulating material housing (housing 2, Fig. 1-2), wherein a cover part (main housing part 20, Fig. 2) of the multi-part insulating material housing has a receptacle for the support element.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kollmann ‘937 in view of Koellmann (US Patent 10,164,349), hereinafter Koellmann ‘349.
Regarding claim 12, Kollmann ‘937 discloses the conductor connection terminal according to claim 1.
However, Kollmann ‘937 wherein a bearing leg of the clamping spring protrudes with an end segment into or through an opening in the busbar.
Koellmann ‘349 teaches wherein a bearing leg (bearing leg 25, Fig. 1) of the clamping spring (clamping leg 21, Fig. 1) protrudes with an end segment (end piece 28, Fig. 1) into or through an opening (through-opening 30, Fig. 1) in the busbar.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings Koellmann ‘349 to modify the invention of Kollmann ‘937 to provide an opening wherein an end section of the clamping spring protrudes. One would be motivated to make this modification to center and mechanically stabilize the clamping spring for the purpose of optimizing electrical conduction.
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kollmann ‘937 in view of Meyer et al. (US 20210257752), hereinafter Meyer ‘752.
Regarding claim 13, Kollmann ‘937 discloses the conductor connection terminal according to claim 1.
However, Kollmann ‘937 fails to disclose wherein the conductor connection terminal is designed as a double or multiple connection having at least two conductor insertion openings opposing each other and having at least two clamping springs, at least one busbar, and at least one support element.
Meyer ‘752 teaches wherein the conductor connection terminal is designed as a double or multiple connection (Fig. 1) having at least two conductor insertion openings (two conductor insertion openings 4a, 4b, Fig. 1) opposing each other and having at least two clamping springs (two clamping springs 17a, 17b, Fig. 4a), at least one busbar (busbar 13, Fig. 4a), and at least one support element (Fig. 4a).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings Meyer ‘752 to modify the invention of Kollmann ‘937 to provide a conductor connection terminal as a double connection arranged opposite each other. One would be motivated to make this modification to scale the connection terminal to include multiple conductors. A person of ordinary skill would find this to yield predictable results and scaling connectors to meet connection needs are well known in the art.
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kollmann ‘937 in view of Koellmann et al. (DE 1020130101409A1), hereinafter Koellmann ‘409.
Regarding claim 14, Kollmann ‘937 discloses the conductor connection terminal according to claim 1.
However, Kollmann ‘937 fails to disclose wherein the conductor connection terminal is designed as a double or multiple series terminal having at least two conductor insertion openings arranged next to each other and having at least one clamping spring, at least one busbar, and at least one support element.
Kollmann ‘409 teaches wherein the conductor connection terminal (conductor terminal 1, Fig. 1) is designed as a double or multiple series terminal having at least two conductor insertion openings (conductor insertion opening 4, Fig. 1) arranged next to each other and having at least one clamping spring, at least one busbar, and at least one support element (Fig. 1-2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings Kollmann ‘409 to modify the invention of Kollmann ‘937 to provide a conductor connection terminal as a multiple series terminal arranged next to each other. One would be motivated to make this modification to scale the connection terminal to include multiple conductors. A person of ordinary skill would find this to yield predictable results and scaling connectors to meet connection needs are well known in the art.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-10 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.
Regarding claim 9, allowability resides with the prior art of record not fairly showing, suggesting, or teaching the conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the spring tongue has a bearing section for the bearing of the spring tongue against a side section of the support element, as recited in claim 9. These limitations are neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record taken alone or in combination. Claim 10 is dependent on claim 9 and is therefore allowable for the same reasons.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Witte (US 20210313713) discloses a spring clamp terminal for connecting a conductor with a busbar and clamping spring.
Stolze (US 20210242612) discloses a connecting terminal having a plurality of conductor connection modules.
Koellmann (US 20210143560) discloses a conductor connecting terminal having an insulating housing, a clamping spring, and a blade contact.
Gramm (DE 202016104456U1) discloses a cross jumper and terminal block arrangement having a first and second tongue and a busbar.
Kollmann et al. (DE 102016111627A1) discloses a conductor terminal having a busbar and a clamping spring.
Gramm (DE 202015009940U1) discloses a conductor connection terminal with a spring loaded terminal connection having a clamping spring for insertion of an electrical conductor.
Muller (DE 202020100621U1) discloses a cross jumper and terminal arrangement for spring-loaded terminal connections.
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/JEFFREY MOUNTAIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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