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 . Claims 1-20 are pending in the current application.
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 1-14 and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Uitto et al. (PCT Pat. No. WO 2012/168554 A1, hereinafter “Uitto”).
Specifically, regarding Claim 1, Uitto discloses an electrical contact bridge for an electromechanical device (Abstract; see also, e.g., FIGS. 2 and 8A), comprising a bridge element (26, 27; FIG. 9A) having a first contacting portion (26A; FIG. 8B, reproduced and annotated below) engaging a first electrical terminal (11A; FIG. 8B) of the electromechanical device (FIGS. 3 and 8B), a second contacting portion (26B) engaging a second electrical terminal (11B) of the electromechanical device (FIGS. 3 and 8B), and a middle portion (MP) between the first contacting portion (26A; FIG. 9A) and the second contacting portion (26B), and a spring element (27) having a flat spring (27 itself) attached to the middle portion (MP).
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Regarding Claim 2, Uitto discloses that the spring element (27) has an attaching portion (29; FIG. 8A, reproduced and annotated above) attached to the middle portion (MP), a first spring arm (SA1; FIG. 8A above) extending from the attaching portion (29) in a first direction (D1; FIG. 8A above), and a second spring arm (SA2; FIG. 8A below) extending from the attaching portion (29) in a second direction (D2) different from the first direction (D1; FIG. 8A above).
Regarding Claim 3, Uitto discloses that the first contacting portion (26A) and the second contacting portion (26B) extend along a common contacting plane (CCP; FIG. 8A above).
Regarding Claim 4, Uitto discloses that the first direction (D1) forms a first angle with the common contacting plane (CCP; FIG. 8B) and the second direction (D2) forms a second angle with the common contacting plane (CCP; FIG. 8B), the first angle and/or the second angle has a value of less than 60° (FIG. 8A).
Regarding Claim 5, Uitto discloses that the first spring arm (SA1) has a first engagement portion (an inner surface of SA1 in contact with CCP) and the second spring arm (SA2) has a second engagement portion (an inner surface of SA2 in contact with CCP), the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion resiliently engage a movable part (26, 27; see, e.g., FIG. 8B) of the electromechanical device (p. 8, line 34 – p. 9, line 1).
Regarding Claim 6, Uitto discloses that the first engagement portion and/or the second engagement portion extends along a direction parallel to the common contacting plane (CCP; FIG. 8A above).
Regarding Claim 7, Uitto discloses that the first engagement portion and/or the second engagement portion has a recurved portion that is recurved toward the bridge element (26, 27; FIG. 8A above).
Regarding Claim 8, Uitto discloses that the first engagement portion and/or the second engagement portion has a projection (P1, P2; FIG. 8A above) that projects in a direction away from the bridge element (26, 27).
Regarding Claim 9, Uitto discloses that the projection is a circular embossment (each of P1 and P2 encircles a portion of 28 and is in a sectionalized or patterned structure; FIG. 8A.
Regarding Claim 10, Uitto discloses that the middle portion (MP) has a U-shaped portion (USP; a half of USP is U-shaped, FIG. 8B) in a plane perpendicular to the common contacting plane (CCP; FIGS. 8A and 8B).
Regarding Claim 11, Uitto discloses that the middle portion (MP) has a cam element (USP; FIG. 8B above) received in a matching groove (31) of a movable part (top surface of 27) of the electromechanical device (FIG. 8B).
Regarding Claim 12, Uitto discloses that the cam element (USP) protrudes in a direction parallel to the common contacting plane (a width direction of USP; FIG. 8B).
Regarding Claim 13, Uitto discloses that the cam element (USP) protrudes orthogonal to the first direction (D1) and/or the second direction (D2; FIG. 8B).
Regarding Claim 14, Uitto discloses that the middle portion (MP) has a bridge groove (31) receiving a matching cam (USP) of a movable part (26, 27) of the electromechanical device.
Regarding Claim 16, Uitto discloses that the flat spring (27) is press-fit or snap-fit to the middle portion (MP; p. 8, line 34 – p. 9, line 1).
Claims 17 and 18 include language substantially similar to that of Claim 5 and are rejected for reasons at least similar to those discussed above.
Regarding Claim 19, Uitto discloses an electromagnetically movable armature attached to the movable part.
Claim 20 includes language substantially similar to that of Claim 16 and is rejected for reasons at least similar to those discussed above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 15 is 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure. Swan (U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2,598,856 A) and Schwab (U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,972) each appear to disclose the limitations of Claim 1.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHONY R. JIMENEZ whose telephone number is 313-446-6518. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Thursday, 1030am - 9pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, Applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Renee Luebke, can be reached at (571) 272-2009. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANTHONY R JIMENEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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