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 of Species 4, Figures 9-11, Claims 1 and 13-20 in the reply filed on 07/01/2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
(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 | 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by YOON KR 20180072346 A by [YOON].
Regarding claims 1 | 13 | 20, YOON teaches A contactor movable terminal assembly [figs. 3-8], comprising: a movable terminal [see 30]; a driving shaft [see 55] movably connected to the movable terminal [see 30 and 55, fig. 3], the driving shaft [55] drives the movable terminal [30] from an opened position [fig. 3] electrically separated from a static terminal [25] to a closed position [fig. 7] electrically in contact with the static terminal [25]; a main elastic member [see the contact spring 23] axially compressed between a bottom of the movable terminal [30, fig. 3] and the driving shaft [55, fig. 3] to provide a main contact pressure [inherent feature] to the movable terminal [30]; and an auxiliary elastic member [see auxiliary spring (61)] disposed between the movable terminal [30] and the driving shaft [55], the auxiliary elastic member [61] is axially compressed [fig. 3] between the bottom of the movable terminal [30] and the driving shaft [55, fig. 3] to provide an auxiliary contact pressure to the movable terminal when the movable terminal is in the closed position [fig. 7, inherent feature], the auxiliary elastic member [61] is not axially compressed when the movable terminal is in the opened position [fig. 3 shows that 61 is not axially compressed when the movable terminal 30 is in the opened position]. A housing [A -20 AND 71]; the static terminal [25] fixed to the housing [20]; a coil [73] installed in the housing [71]; and a contactor movable terminal assembly [30] movably arranged in the housing [fig. 3], the driving shaft [55] drives the movable terminal [30] from the opened position [fig. 3] to the closed position [fig. 7] under an electromagnetic force generated by the coil when the coil is energized [The actuator A includes a yoke 71 formed in a U shape and forming a magnetic circuit, a coil 71 wound around a bobbin 72 installed inside the yoke 71, A fixed core 40 fixed to the inside of the coil 73 and magnetized by a magnetic field generated by the coil 73 to generate a magnetic attractive force; A movable core 50 which is installed so as to be brought into contact with or separated from the fixed core 40 by the magnetic attractive force of the fixed core 40 and whose upper end is coupled to the movable contact 30, And may include a shaft 55 inserted therethrough].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over YOON KR 20180072346 A by [YOON].
Regarding claim 19, YOON discloses the claimed invention except for an elastic coefficient of the auxiliary elastic member is greater than an elastic coefficient of the main elastic member, an axial compression amount of the auxiliary elastic member is less than an axial compression amount of the main elastic member under a same axial pressure.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to achieve the disclosed values for proper performance, and since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 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 -
For Claim 14: a shoulder is formed on the driving shaft, the shoulder supports a bottom of the auxiliary elastic member, the auxiliary elastic member is axially compressed between the bottom of the movable terminal and the shoulder of the driving shaft when the movable terminal is in the closed position, and the auxiliary elastic member does not contact the shoulder of the driving shaft and is axially spaced from the shoulder by a predetermined distance when the movable terminal is in the opened position.
For claim 15: the main elastic member is a spiral spring and the auxiliary elastic member is a disc spring, the auxiliary elastic member has a bottom opening and a top opening, a diameter of the top opening is larger than the bottom opening, an edge of the top opening of the auxiliary elastic member is against a bottom surface of the movable terminal, the bottom of the auxiliary elastic member is against a top of the main elastic member.
For claim 16, a flange portion is formed on the driving shaft, the main elastic member is axially compressed between the bottom of the auxiliary elastic member and the flange portion of the driving shaft.
For claim 17, a washer supported on the flange portion of the driving shaft and having a diameter larger than a diameter of the flange portion, an upper end and a lower end of the main elastic member are respectively pressed against the bottom of the auxiliary elastic member and a top surface of the washer.
For claim 18: an upper end of the driving shaft extends through the movable terminal and a limiting member is installed on the upper end of the driving shaft, a snap slot is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the upper end of the driving shaft, the limiting member is a snap ring which is fitted in the snap slot of the driving shaft, the limiting member is axially pressed against a top of the movable terminal to limit a position of the movable terminal when the movable terminal is in the opened position, the limiting member is separated from the movable terminal by a predetermined distance when the movable terminal is in the closed position.
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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