DETAILED ACTION
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 anticipatory rejections under 35 U.S.C. 102 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 21-27, 30, 33-39, 42, and 45 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Polidori US 4415222.
Regarding claim 21, Polidori discloses a wedge type electrical power connector assembly comprising:
a frame 12 having at least one opening;
a wedge 14 positionable at least partially within the at least one opening in the frame and movably coupled to the frame; and
an interface 16 positionable at least partially within the at least one opening in the frame and movably coupled to the frame (in particular coupled to the frame by being sandwiched between the conductors 18 and 20 which are held in the opening by the frame walls, see figure 3);
wherein when the wedge and the interface are positioned within the at least one opening (see figure 3),
a first conductor 18 opening (the space occupied by the conductor 18) is defined between the interface and an upper portion of the frame and
a second conductor 20 opening (the space occupied by the conductor 20) is defined between the interface and at least a portion of the wedge.
Per claim 22, the frame includes one or more stops 34 configured to prevent longitudinal movement of the interface when the interface is positioned at least partially within the at least one opening in the frame.
Per claim 23, the interface includes a first contact surface 64 and a second contact surface 66, wherein the first conductor opening is defined between the first contact surface and an upper portion 24 of the frame, and wherein the second conductor opening is defined between the second contact surface and a contact portion 36 of the wedge.
Pe claim 24, the first contact surface has a curved shape and the second contact surface has a curved shape (figure 3).
Per claim 25 at least a portion of the upper portion (at 24) of the frame has a curved shape.
Per claim 26 the contact portion 36 of the wedge has a curved shape.
Per claim 27 the interface includes at least one lead-in (labeled LI1 and LI2 below, the end surface of the interface where the conductors (18, 20) enter/exit the interface grooves 64 and 66).
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Per claim 30, the wedge includes a fastener 46 coupled to the wedge.
Per claim 33, the wedge further includes at least one fastener holder 38 extending from the wedge, and wherein the fastener 36 is coupled to the at least one fastener holder.
Per claim 34, Polidori discloses a wedge type electrical power connector assembly comprising:
a frame 12 having at least one opening;
a wedge 14 positionable at least partially within the at least one opening in the frame and movably coupled to the frame,
the wedge having a contact portion 36; and
an interface 16 positionable at least partially within the at least one opening in the frame and movably coupled to the frame (in particular coupled to the frame by being sandwiched between the conductors 18 and 20 which are held in the opening by the frame walls, see figure 3),
the interface including a first contact surface 64 and a second contact surface 66;
wherein when the wedge and the interface are positioned within the at least one opening, a first conductor (18) opening is defined between the first contact surface and an upper portion 24 of the frame and a second conductor 20 opening is defined between the second contact interface and the contact portion of the wedge.
Per claim 35 the frame includes one or more stops 34 configured to prevent longitudinal movement of the interface when the interface is positioned at least partially within the at least one opening in the frame.
Per claim 36 the first contact surface has a curved shape and the second contact surface has a curved shape.
Per claim 37 at least a portion of the upper portion of the frame has a curved shape.
Per claim 38 the contact portion of the wedge has a curved shape.
Per claim 39 the interface includes at least one lead-in (the end surface of the interface where the conductors (18, 20) enter/exit the interface grooves 64 and 66).
Per claim 42 the wedge includes a fastener 46 coupled to the wedge.
Per claim 45 the wedge further includes at least one fastener holder 38 extending from the wedge, and wherein the fastener is coupled to the at least one fastener holder.
Claim Rejections - and 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 46-50, 52, and 53 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Polidori in view of Mair US 4915653.
Regarding claim 46, Polidori discloses a wedge type electrical power connector assembly comprising:
a frame 12 having at least one opening; and
an interface 16 movably coupled to the frame;
a wedge 14 positioned at least partially within the frame and movably coupled to the frame.
The Polidori interface 16 is movably coupled to the frame, but not by at least one connecting member passing at least partially through the at least one opening.
Mair discloses an interface 14 movably coupled to the frame 12 by at least one connecting member 16 passing at least partially through the at least one opening (the slot formed between walls 18 of the frame 12)
It would have been obvious to attach the Polidori interface 16 using fastener (Mair at 16) passing through a hole (Mair at 28) in the bottom of the frame and into a threaded bore (Mair at 40) in the interface (Mair at 14, Polidori at 16) as taught in Mair. The reason would have been to simplify assembly since the interface 16 would not need to be held in place during assembly of the conductors and connector.
Per claim 47, the Polidori frame includes one or more stops 34 configured to prevent longitudinal movement of the interface when coupled to the frame.
Per claim 48 the Polidori interface includes a first contact surface in an upper surface of the interface and a second contact surface in a lower surface of the interface.
Per claim 49 the first contact surface has a curved shape and the second contact surface has a curved shape.
Per claim 50 the interface includes at least one lead-in (the end surface of the interface where the conductors (18, 20) enter/exit the interface grooves 64 and 66).
Per claim 52, the Polidori wedge includes a fastener 46 coupled to the wedge.
Per claim 53, the wedge further includes at least one fastener holder 38 extending from the wedge, and wherein the fastener is coupled to the at least one fastener holder.
Claims 28, 29, 40, and 41 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Polidori in view of Murugiah et al. US 10594054 (“Murugiah”).
Per claim 28, to the extent that the Polidori lead-ins arguably do not positioned to guide at least a portion of a conductor into the first conductor opening or the second conductor opening, Murugiah discloses an interface 122 where the contact surfaces (124, 126) including lead-ins (labeled LI1 and LI2 in annotated figure 8 below) where the lead surfaces are rounded or beveled to guide at least a portion of a conductor into the first conductor opening or the second conductor opening.
It would have been obvious to round or bevel the lead-in surfaces of the Polidori interface as taught in Murugiah. The reason would have been to facilitate locating the conductors in the proper locations in the connector as was well known in the art.
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Per claim 29, to the extent that the Polidori lead-ins arguably do not positioned to guide at least a portion of a conductor into the first conductor opening or the second conductor opening, Murugiah discloses an interface 122 where the contact surfaces (124, 126) including lead-ins (labeled LI1 and LI2 in annotated figure 8 above) where the lead surfaces are rounded or beveled to guide at least a portion of a conductor into the first conductor opening or the second conductor opening.
It would have been obvious to round or bevel the lead-in surfaces of the Polidori interface as taught in Murugiah. The reason would have been to facilitate locating the conductors in the proper locations in the connector as was well known in the art.
Per claim 40, to the extent that the Polidori lead-ins arguably do not positioned to guide at least a portion of a conductor into the first conductor opening or the second conductor opening, Murugiah discloses an interface 122 where the contact surfaces (124, 126) including lead-ins (labeled LI1 and LI2 in annotated figure 8 above) where the lead surfaces are rounded or beveled to guide at least a portion of a conductor into the first conductor opening or the second conductor opening.
It would have been obvious to round or bevel the lead-in surfaces of the Polidori interface as taught in Murugiah. The reason would have been to facilitate locating the conductors in the proper locations in the connector as was well known in the art.
Per claim 41, to the extent that the Polidori lead-ins arguably do not positioned to guide at least a portion of a conductor into the first conductor opening or the second conductor opening, Murugiah discloses an interface 122 where the contact surfaces (124, 126) including lead-ins (labeled LI1 and LI2 in annotated figure 8 above) where the lead surfaces are rounded or beveled to guide at least a portion of a conductor into the first conductor opening or the second conductor opening.
It would have been obvious to round or bevel the lead-in surfaces of the Polidori interface as taught in Murugiah. The reason would have been to facilitate locating the conductors in the proper locations in the connector as was well known in the art.
Claim 51 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Polidori and Mair in view of Murugiah.
Per claim 51, to the extent that the Polidori lead-ins arguably do not positioned to guide at least a portion of a conductor into the first conductor opening or the second conductor opening, Murugiah discloses an interface 122 where the contact surfaces (124, 126) including lead-ins (labeled LI1 and LI2 in annotated figure 8 above) where the lead surfaces are rounded or beveled to guide at least a portion of a conductor into the first conductor opening or the second conductor opening.
It would have been obvious to round or bevel the lead-in surfaces of the Polidori interface as taught in Murugiah. The reason would have been to facilitate locating the conductors in the proper locations in the connector as was well known in the art.
Claims 31, 32, 43, and 44 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Polidori in view of Watanabe et al. US 2008/0152460 (“Watanabe”).
Regarding claim 31, Polidori does not disclose that the fastener comprises multi-lead threading.
Watanabe discloses fastener 1 comprises multi-lead threading (e.g., figures 1a-c.). It would have been obvious to form the Polidori fastener with multi-lead threading as taught in Watanabe. The reason would have been that multi-lead threading offers high-speed linear motion with a fine, stable pitch as was well-known in the art.
Per claim 32 Watanabe discloses that the multi-lead threading comprises triple-lead threading.
Regarding claim 43, Polidori does not disclose that the fastener comprises multi-lead threading.
Watanabe discloses fastener 1 comprises multi-lead threading (e.g., figures 1a-c.). It would have been obvious to form the Polidori fastener with multi-lead threading as taught in Watanabe. The reason would have been that multi-lead threading offers high-speed linear motion with a fine, stable pitch as was well-known in the art.
Per claim 44 Watanabe discloses that the multi-lead threading comprises triple-lead threading.
Claims 54 and 55 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Polidori and Mair in view of Watanabe.
Regarding claim 54, Polidori does not disclose that the fastener comprises multi-lead threading.
Watanabe discloses fastener 1 comprises multi-lead threading (e.g., figures 1a-c.). It would have been obvious to form the Polidori fastener with multi-lead threading as taught in Watanabe. The reason would have been that multi-lead threading offers high-speed linear motion with a fine, stable pitch as was well-known in the art.
Per claim 55 Watanabe discloses that the multi-lead threading comprises triple-lead threading.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROSS GUSHI whose telephone number is (571)272-2005. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday, 8:30 - 5:00.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christopher Koehler can be reached on 571-272-3560. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ROSS N GUSHI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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