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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on July 15, 2024, is 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
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.
Claims 1-3, 6-7, 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu (US 20050186846 A1) and in further view of Feldman (WO 8601350 A1)
Regarding Claim 1 – Wu teaches a cover box, for protecting an electrical connection (Figs 1-2; 2, 3, 4), the cover box comprising a first and a second half-shell (Fig 2; 3, 4) delimiting an interior volume configured to accommodate at least part of the electrical connection (Figs 1, 6A-6D; 2, 35; Wu [0028]), each half-shell comprising: a recess, opening into said interior volume (Fig 2; 35; Wu [0027]); latching means (Fig 2; 323, 324; Wu [0027]); the half-shells being able to be assembled together by cooperation of the latching means of the first half-shell with the latching means of the second half-shell (Figs 1, 6A-6D; 323, 324; Wu [0028]), the recess of the first half-shell facing the recess of the second half-shell when the half-shells are assembled together (Figs 2, 6A-6D; 35; Wu [0028]).
Wu does not explicitly disclose said electrical connection comprising a screw and a nut cooperating with said screw, the nut being able to be engaged in the recess of the first half-shell, a head of said screw being able to be engaged in the recess of the second half-shell.
Feldman teaches said electrical connection comprising a screw and a nut cooperating with said screw (Fig 2; 80, 82), the nut being able to be engaged in the recess of the first half-shell (Fig 2; nut 82 disposed within the recessed lower housing portion accommodating the electrical connection), a head of said screw being able to be engaged in the recess of the second half-shell (Fig 2; screw 80 extends through the electrical connection, with the screw head positioned on the side opposite nut 82).
It would have been obvious for a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the device of Wu with said electrical connection comprising a screw and a nut cooperating with said screw, the nut being able to be engaged in the recess of the first half-shell, a head of said screw being able to be engaged in the recess of the second half-shell as taught by Feldman to obtain the benefit of a simpler connection by protecting the exposed screw and nut connection within Wu’s cover. Wu’s opposed recesses would predictably receive the nut and screw head on opposite sides of the connection.
Regarding Claim 2 – Wu in view of Feldman teaches the cover box according to claim 1, the first and second half shells being identical (Wu; Figs 2, 4, 5; 3, 4; Wu [0027]).
Regarding Claim 3 – Wu in view of Feldman teaches the cover box according to claim 1, the latching means comprising a tab and a notch, the tab, respectively the notch, of the first half-shell being able to cooperate with the notch, respectively the tab, of the second half-shelf (Wu; Figs 2, 6A-6D; 323, 324, 343, 344; Wu [0027-0028]).
Regarding Claim 6 – Wu in view of Feldman teaches the cover box according to claim 1, each half-shell comprising an air inlet defining at least one aperture to link the interior volume to the outside of the cover box (Wu; Figs 2, 4-5; 34, 35, 248; Wu [0027]).
Regarding Claim 7 – Wu in view of Feldman teaches the cover box according to claim 1, comprising a cable passage delimiting an aperture comprising a first and/or a second part of aperture (Wu; Figs 1-2, 4-5; 34, 347; Wu [0027]), the first half-shell comprising the first part of aperture and/or the second half-shell comprising the second part of aperture (Wu; Figs 2, 4-5; each half cover member 3, 4 comprises a respective semicircular cable exit 347, the two exits defining the cable aperture when the half cover members are assembled), each of the first and/or second part of aperture being able to let through an electric cable of the electrical connection (Figs 1-2; 347; the electrical cable extends through the cable exit defined by the opposed semicircular cable exits 347).
Regarding Claim 11 – Wu in view of Feldman teaches an assembly comprising a cover box according to claim 1, and an electrical connection (Wu; Figs 1-2; 2, 3, 4; Wu [0020]) comprising: a bar (Feldman; Fig 2; conductive bar or plate forms one side of the electrical connection to which the cable terminal is secured); at least one ring-tongue, each ring-tongue being at an end of an electric cable (Feldman; Fig 2; the ring-tongue is disposed at the end of the electric cable and positioned against the conductive bar); a screw inserted through said bar and said ring-tongue, the screw comprising a screw head and elongating along a first direction (Feldman; Fig 2; 80); and a nut tightening said ring-tongue to said bar in cooperation with the screw head (Feldman; Fig 2; 80, 82); the electrical connection being at least partly accommodated by said cover box (Wu; Figs 1, 6A-6D; 2, 3, 4, 35; Wu [0028]).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu (US 20050186846 A1) in view of Feldman (WO 8601350 A1) and in further view of Schmidt et al. (US 20230113489 A1)
Regarding Claim 4 – Wu in view of Feldman teaches the cover box according to claim 1, but does not explicitly disclose the latching means comprising two safety walls elongating vertically on both sides of the latching means.
Schmidt teaches the latching means comprising two safety walls elongating vertically on both sides of the latching means (Figs 1-2, 5-6; 8, 20; Schmidt [0151-0152, 0156]).
It would have been obvious for a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the device of Wu in view of Feldman with the latching means comprising two safety walls elongating vertically on both sides of the latching means as taught by Schmidt to protect the latching means from mechanical damage and undesirable access.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu (US 20050186846 A1) in view of Feldman (WO 8601350 A1) and Schmidt et al. (US 20230113489 A1) and in further view of Cox (US 6079673 A)
Regarding Claim 5 – Wu in view of Feldman and Schmidt teaches the cover box according to claim 4, but does not explicitly disclose each safety wall comprising a first and a second part, the first half-shell comprising the first part, the second half-shell comprising the second part, both parts of each safety wall defining an extension of each other when the first and second half-shells are assembled.
Cox teaches each safety wall comprising a first and a second part, the first half-shell comprising the first part, the second half-shell comprising the second part, both parts of each safety wall defining an extension of each other when the first and second half-shells are assembled (Figs 2-6, 8; 12, 14, 20, 22, 50-53).
It would have been obvious for a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the device of Wu in view of Feldman and Schmidt with each safety wall comprising a first and a second part, the first half-shell comprising the first part, the second half-shell comprising the second part, both parts of each safety wall defining an extension of each other when the first and second half-shells are assembled to permit separation of the half shells during installation while forming continuous safety walls when assembled.
Claims 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu (US 20050186846 A1) in view of Feldman (WO 8601350 A1) and in further view of Robinson et al. (US 20210151970 A1)
Regarding Claim 8 – Wu in view of Feldman teaches the cover box according to claim 7, but does not explicitly disclose the first and second parts of aperture being obstructed by at least one detachable cover.
Robinson teaches the first and second parts of aperture being obstructed by at least one detachable cover (Figs 2-3, 6; 12, 14, 18, 40, 48).
It would have been obvious for a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the device of Wu in view of Feldman with the first and second parts of aperture being obstructed by at least one detachable cover as taught by Robinson to selectively close unused portions of the cable passage and securely retain cables of different configurations.
Regarding Claim 9 – Wu in view of Feldman and Robinson teaches the cover box according to claim 8, comprising an obstruction tab (Robinson; Figs 3-4; 18, 19, 21), the first half-shell comprising a first part of obstruction tab and/or the second half-shell comprising a second part of obstruction tab (Robinson; Figs 3-4; 18, 21), when the first and second half-shells are assembled together (Robinson; Figs 3, 6; 12, 18, 48, 44, 46) and each part of aperture is letting through a cable of the electrical connection (Robinson; Figs 2-3; 14), the obstruction tab being configured to obstruct at least part of a space between the cables (Robinson; Fig 3; 18, 19, 21).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu (US 20050186846 A1) in view of Feldman (WO 8601350 A1) and in further view of Cox (US 6079673 A)
Regarding Claim 10 – Wu in view of Feldman teaches the cover box according to claim 1, but does not explicitly disclose each half-shell comprising centering holes and pins, the pins, respectively the centering holes, of the first half shell being able to cooperate with the centering holes, respectively the pins, of the second half-shell when the half-shells are assembled together, the centering holes and pins being able to bring the latching means of the first half-shell facing the latching means of the second half-shell.
Cox teaches each half-shell comprising centering holes and pins, the pins, respectively the centering holes, of the first half shell being able to cooperate with the centering holes, respectively the pins, of the second half-shell when the half-shells are assembled together, the centering holes and pins being able to bring the latching means of the first half-shell facing the latching means of the second half-shell (Figs 2-3, 5; 12, 14, 24, 26, 28, 30, 36, 38, 34a, 34b).
It would have been obvious for a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the device of Wu in view of Feldman with each half-shell comprising centering holes and pins, the pins, respectively the centering holes, of the first half shell being able to cooperate with the centering holes, respectively the pins, of the second half-shell when the half-shells are assembled together, the centering holes and pins being able to bring the latching means of the first half-shell facing the latching means of the second half-shell as taught by Cox to properly align the half-shells, bring the corresponding latching means into facing relationship, and facilitate engagement of the latching means.
Conclusion
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/ADITYA SHARMA/Examiner, Art Unit 2847
/TIMOTHY J THOMPSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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