DETAILED ACTION
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 13-16 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 13 recites, “wherein the sleeve has a length of more than 50 of a length of the threaded connection.” This limitation is indefinite because it is unclear how much longer the length of the sleeve is relative to the threaded connection. There seems to be a typographical/grammatical error than has left out a modifier for the number 50. Therefore, claim 13 is indefinite.
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.
Claims 9-14 are rejected, as best as can be understood, under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mikkelsen US 2018/0258938 A1.
Mikkelsen discloses, regarding claim 9, a centrifugal pump 1 comprising: a module 31 having a cable connection assembly (see cables 27 in Figs. 1-2) with a threaded connection 81; and an M12 socket (see para. [0054]), wherein the M12 socket is integrated into the threaded connection 81 (clearly shown in Figs. 5b and 7, see para. [0054]); Re claim 10, wherein the threaded connection 81 comprises a nut with an internal thread into which an M12 plug is integrated (clearly disclosed in Fig. 5b and para. [0054]); Re claim 11, wherein the threaded connection 81 has a sealing element (clearly disclosed in para. [0017]); Re claim 12, wherein the threaded connection 81 includes a sleeve (see sleeves at the top of cables 27 in Fig. 1) in which a cable 27 is connected to the M12 plug (see how the sleeves of cables 27 connect to 81 in Fig. 1); Re claim 13, wherein the sleeve (see sleeves at the tops of cables 27 in Fig. 1) has a length of more than 50 of a length of the threaded connection 81 (the length of the sleeves of 27 is clearly longer than that of the connections 81 shown in Figs. 5b and 7); Re claim 14, the M12 socket (see para. [0054]) has a connector to the cable-connection assembly (substantially broad; this is clearly shown by the depiction of 81 in Fig. 7).
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 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mikkelsen US 2018/0258938 A1 in view of Kavars 10,812,998.
Mikkelsen discloses the invention as discussed above, as well as the threaded connections 81 being sealed to a waterproof housing module 31 (see paras. [0017] and [0054]). However, Mikkelsen does not specifically teach that the threaded connections are sealed in accordance with IP68.
Kavars teaches a sensor and monitoring system comprising a module 100 with M12 threaded connectors (see Fig. 2B and col. 5, lines 56-61); regarding claim 15, wherein the threaded connections are sealed in accordance with IP68 (see col. 8, lines 2-6).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to have modified the threaded connection of Mikkelsen by implementing an IP68 sealed connection, as taught by Kavars, in order to ensure that the module is watertight.
Regarding claim 16, Mikkelsen further discloses a method comprising: using the threaded connection 81 as an M12 plug-in plug connector for sensors 21, 23 for connection to open-loop or closed-loop control systems of centrifugal pumps (via monitoring unit 29 within 31 – clearly shown in Figs. 5a and 7).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Peter J Bertheaud whose telephone number is (571)272-3476. The examiner can normally be reached 9am - 5pm M-F.
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PJB
/PETER J BERTHEAUD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746