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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the conductor terminal not having a metallic component must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they fail to show the conductor terminal may not have a metallic component and the conductor terminal may be designed without a busbar as described in the specification. Any structural detail that is essential for a proper understanding of the disclosed invention should be shown in the drawing. MPEP § 608.02(d). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 1-17 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, “a conductor terminal for connecting and interconnecting an electrical conductor, which each have an inner electrically conductive core.” It is unclear how one electrical conductor may each have an inner electrically conductive core. For examination purposes it will be interpreted as, “a conductor terminal for connecting and interconnecting electrical conductors, which each have an inner electrically conductive core.”
Claim 3 recites, “the tongue roots.” There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For examination purposes it will be interpreted as, “tongue roots.”
Claim 4 recites, “the free ends.” There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For examination purposes it will be interpreted as, “free ends.”
Claim 5 recites, “two spring tongues in each case are brought out from the piece of spring steel sheet mirror-symmetrically to a mid-plane such that their tongue ends are spaced a distance apart, and the sheet metal material between the tongue ends is stamped out.” It is unclear which cases are being referred to in the claim. Furthermore, “their tongue ends,” and, “the tongue ends,” lack antecedent basis. For examination purposes, it will be interpreted as, “two spring tongues from the piece of spring steel sheet mirror-symmetrically to a mid-plane such that free ends are spaced a distance apart, and the sheet metal material between the free ends is stamped out.”
Claim 7 recites, “the groups of spring tongues.” There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For examination purposes it will be interpreted as, “groups of spring tongues.”
Claim 8 recites, “the surface area of the housing outer wall on which the conductor insertion opening is situated, and/or less than five times the nominal cross-sectional surface area.” There is insufficient antecedent basis for “the surface area of the housing outer wall,” and “the nominal cross-sectional surface area,” in the claim. For examination purposes it will be interpreted as, “a surface area of a housing outer wall on which the conductor insertion opening is situated, and/or less than five times a nominal cross-sectional surface area.”
Claim 16 recites, “the clamping points.” There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For examination purposes it will be interpreted as, “clamping points.”
Claims 2, 6, 9-15, and 17 rejected at least for inheriting the deficiencies of the claims from which they depend.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-7 and 9-17 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1)(a2) as being unpatentable over Hartmann (US 6132238).
Regarding claim 1: Hartmann (Figures 1-2) teaches a conductor terminal for connecting and interconnecting an electrical conductor, which each have an inner electrically conductive core, which is surrounded by an insulating sheathing, the conductor terminal comprising: a housing (i.e. 9, 10); insertion guide openings (i.e. receiving 6 in 10) formed in the housing to guide first electrical conductors into the housing; at least one conductor insertion opening (i.e. receiving 6 in 9) for inserting a second electrical conductor into the housing such that at least one subsection of a second electrical conductor inserted into the housing through the at least one conductor insertion opening is arranged in the housing at an angle to at least one subsection of first electrical conductors that are each inserted into the housing through the insertion guide opening; and at least one clamping device (i.e. 4) arranged in the housing, via which a stripped section of a first electrical conductor inserted through an insertion guide opening is pressed in directly against a stripped section of the second electrical conductor inserted through the at least one conductor insertion opening.
Regarding claim 2: Hartmann (Figures 1-2) teaches the conductor terminal according to claim 1, wherein the clamping spring device has an elastic spring tongue (i.e. 5) for pressing a first electrical conductor against the second electrical conductor.
Regarding claim 3: Hartmann (Figures 1-2) teaches the conductor terminal according to claim 2, wherein the spring tongues are brought out or stamped out from a piece of spring steel sheet in the manner of leaf springs, the tongue roots (i.e. base of 5) being connected to each other via the spring steel sheet.
Regarding claim 4: Hartmann (Figures 1-2) teaches the conductor terminal according to claim 2, wherein the free ends of the spring tongues each have a clamping edge (i.e. end of 5), which is oriented in the direction of the second electrical conductor.
Regarding claim 5: Hartmann (Figures 1-2) teaches the conductor terminal according to claim 3, wherein two spring tongues (i.e. another 5) in each case are brought out from the piece of spring steel sheet mirror-symmetrically to a mid-plane such that their tongue ends (i.e. ends of 5) are spaced a distance apart, and the sheet metal material between the tongue ends is stamped out.
Regarding claim 6: Hartmann (Figures 1-2) teaches the conductor terminal according to claim 1, wherein the clamping spring device has at least one receiving channel (i.e. receiving 3) for receiving at least the stripped section of the second electrical conductor in a form-fitting and/or force-fitting manner.
Regarding claim 7: Hartmann (Figures 1-2) teaches the conductor terminal according to claim 6, wherein the receiving channel for the second electrical conductor is arranged in a mid-plane between the groups of spring tongues (i.e. 5).
Regarding claim 9: Hartmann (Figures 1-2) teaches the conductor terminal according to claim 1, wherein the at least one conductor insertion opening has the shape of an elongated hole or slit, in particular an elongated hole or slit which is open on one side (i.e. side receiving 3).
Regarding claim 10: Hartmann (Figures 1-2) teaches the conductor terminal according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes a main housing part (i.e. 9) with a receiving opening (i.e. receiving 10) and a cover part (i.e. 10) for closing the receiving opening.
Regarding claim 11: Hartmann (Figures 1-2) teaches the conductor terminal according to claim 10, wherein the insertion guide openings are arranged in the cover part.
Regarding claim 12: Hartmann (Figures 1-2) teaches the conductor terminal according to claim 10, wherein the cover part has a pressing section (i.e. bottom of 10), via which a second electrical conductor guided into the housing is pressed into the receiving channel of the clamping spring device when the cover part is inserted into the main housing part.
Regarding claim 13: Hartmann (Figures 1-2) teaches the conductor terminal according to claim 10, wherein the at least one conductor insertion opening is arranged in the main housing part.
Regarding claim 14: Hartmann (Figures 1-2) teaches the conductor terminal according to claim 10, wherein the clamping spring device is inserted as a separate component into the main housing part through the receiving opening of the main housing part.
Regarding claim 15: Hartmann (Figure 2) teaches the conductor terminal according to claim 1, wherein the conductor terminal does not have a metallic component or has only the clamping spring device as a metallic component.
Regarding claim 16: Hartmann (Figure 2) teaches the conductor terminal according to claim 1, wherein the clamping points for connecting the electrical conductors are formed directly between a stripped section of a particular first electrical conductor and a stripped section of the second electrical conductor.
Regarding claim 17: Hartmann (Figure 2) teaches the conductor terminal according to claim 1, wherein the stripped section of a second electrical conductor inserted through the conductor insertion opening, against which a stripped section of a first electrical conductor inserted through the insertion guide opening is pressed, forms a busbar of the conductor terminal, via which the multiple first electrical conductors is mechanically and electrically connected directly to the second electrical conductor and electrically conductively connected to each other.
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 8 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hartmann and D2 (DE102013107292A1).
Regarding claim 8: Hartmann teaches the conductor terminal according to claim 1, but does not specifically teach wherein the at least one conductor insertion opening has a size of less than 50% of the surface area of the housing outer wall on which the conductor insertion opening is situated, and/or less than five times the nominal cross-sectional surface area of a second electrical conductor specified for the conductor terminal.
However, D2 (Figure 8) teaches wherein the at least one conductor insertion opening (i.e. 32) has a size of less than 50% of the surface area of the housing outer wall on which the conductor insertion opening is situated, and/or less than five times the nominal cross-sectional surface area of a second electrical conductor specified for the conductor terminal.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the conductor terminal taught by Hartmann to have the insertion opening size less than five times the nominal cross-sectional surface area of a second electrical conductor specified for the conductor terminal as taught by D2 so as to secure the desired size conductor securely within the housing.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Gregory Mangot whose telephone number is 703-756-5737. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christopher Koehler can be reached at 571-272-3560. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/GREGORY L MANGOT/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/CHRISTOPHER M KOEHLER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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