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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 10/11/2024, 5/13/2025, 1/12/2026, & 7/13/2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the examiner has considered the information disclosure statements.
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.
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 1-6 & 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)as being anticipated by Ross et al. (US Patent Application Publication # 2015/0380917).
Regarding Claim 1, Ross discloses a distribution board system (i.e. power busway assembly 600), comprising:
a chassis (i.e. bridging element 627 w/ tap box housings 625A-B);
a busway configuration arranged outside the chassis, the busway configuration including a first busway (i.e. power busway segment 610A) coupled to a first power supply and a second busway (i.e. power busway segment 610B);
a first bridge switch (i.e. switching device 628) arranged inside the chassis and configured to bridge the first busway and the second busway; and
a first distribution device (i.e. power distribution unit/tap box assembly 520) configured to be arranged at the second busway (Fig. 1, 2, 4, 5B, 6; Abstract; Paragraphs 0017, 0019-0021, 0024, 0061-0069, 0073-0077, 0085-0089, 0097).
Regarding Claim 2, Ross discloses that the first bridge switch is a molded-case circuit breaker (MCCB) or an air circuit breaker (ACB) (Paragraphs 0053, 0064, 0066, 0083). The switching device can include one or more circuit breaker devices.
Regarding Claim 3, Ross discloses that the first bridge switch includes:
a first plug terminal (i.e. power busway connector 623A w/ plug head 622A) configured to be arranged at the first busway;
a second plug terminal (i.e. power busway connector 623B w/ plug head 622B) configured to be arranged at the second busway; and
a switch (i.e. switching device 628) coupled with the first plug terminal and the second plug terminal and configured to control a conduction of the first plug terminal and the second plug terminal (Fig. 6; Paragraphs 0088-0089).
Regarding Claim 4, Ross discloses that the first busway (i.e. power busway segment 610A) has a first arrangement part; the second busway (i.e. power busway segment 610B) has a second arrangement part and a third arrangement part; the first arrangement part and the second arrangement part are configured for setting up the first bridge switch, so that the first busway is coupled to the second busway through the first bridge switch; the third arrangement part is configured for setting up the first distribution device (Fig 6; Paragraphs 0085-0089). Arrangement parts are the portions of the busway where the power busway connectors & plug heads of the switching device connect.
Regarding Claim 5, Ross discloses that the first distribution device (i.e. power distribution unit/tap box assembly 520) includes:
a third plug terminal (i.e. coupling elements 525) configured to be arranged on the second busway; and
a distribution structure coupled to the third plug terminal (Fig. 5B; Paragraphs 0079-0084).
Regarding Claim 6, Ross discloses that the chassis includes a switch chassis and a distribution chassis; the first bridge switch is arranged inside the switch chassis, and the first distribution device is arranged inside the distribution chassis Fig. 1, 2, 4, 5B, 6).
Regarding Claim 10, Ross discloses a busway configuration for a distribution board system (i.e. power busway assembly 600), comprising:
a first busway (i.e. power busway segment 610A) arranged outside a chassis (i.e. bridging element 627 w/ tap box housings 625A-B) of the distribution board system and coupled to a first power supply, the first busway having a first arrangement part; and
a second busway (i.e. power busway segment 610B) arranged outside the chassis, the second busway having a second arrangement part and a third arrangement part,
wherein the first arrangement part and the second arrangement part are configured for setting up a bridge switch (i.e. switching device 628), so that the first busway is coupled to the second busway through the bridge switch; and
wherein the third arrangement part is configured for setting up a distribution device (i.e. power distribution unit/tap box assembly 520) (Fig. 1, 2, 4, 5B, 6; Abstract; Paragraphs 0017, 0019-0021, 0024, 0061-0069, 0073-0077, 0085-0089, 0097). Arrangement parts are the portions of the busway where the power busway connectors & plug heads of the switching device connect.
Regarding Claim 11, Ross discloses a bridge switch (i.e. switching device 628) for the busway configuration of claim 10, comprising:
a first plug terminal (i.e. power busway connector 623A w/ plug head 622A) configured to be arranged at the first arrangement part;
a second plug terminal (i.e. power busway connector 623B w/ plug head 622B) configured to be arranged at the second arrangement part; and
a switch part (i.e. switching device 628) coupled with the first plug terminal and the second plug terminal and configured to control a conduction of the first plug terminal and the second plug terminal (Fig. 6; Paragraphs 0088-0089).
Regarding Claim 12, Ross discloses a distribution device (i.e. power distribution unit/tap box assembly 520) for the busway configuration of claim 10, comprising: a third plug terminal (i.e. coupling elements 525) configured to be arranged at the third arrangement part; and a distribution structure coupled to the third plug terminal (Fig. 5B; Paragraphs 0079-0084).
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.
Claims 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ross et al. (US Patent Application Publication # 2015/0380917).
Regarding Claim 7, Ross does not explicitly discloses that the busway configuration further includes a third busway arranged outside the chassis and coupled to a second power supply; the distribution board system further includes a second bridge switch arranged inside the chassis and configured to bridge the second busway with the third busway; the first distribution device is configured to selectively receive power from one of the first power supply and the second power supply through the first bridge switch or the second bridge switch.
However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to add a second power supply and a third busway to the system, since it has been held that a mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8. Duplicating said parts would allow for expansion of the system while providing redundant power.
Regarding Claim 8, Ross does not explicitly disclose that the busway configuration further includes:
a third busway arranged outside the chassis and coupled to a second power supply; and
a fourth busway arranged outside the chassis; and
wherein the distribution board system further includes:
a second bridge switch arranged inside the chassis and configured to bridge the third busway and the fourth busway; and
a third bridge switch arranged inside the chassis and configured to selectively bridge the second busway with the third busway or the fourth busway.
However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to add a third busway and fourth busway along with a second and third bridge switch to the system, since it has been held that a mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8. Duplicating said parts would allow for expansion of the system with extended capability.
Regarding Claim 9, Ross does not explicitly disclose a second distribution device configured to be arranged at the fourth busway.
However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to add a second distribution device to the system, since it has been held that a mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8. Duplicating said parts would allow for expansion of the system with extended capability.
Relevant Cited Art
The cited art in PTO-892 was found during the examiner's search, but was not relied upon for this office action. However, it is still considered pertinent to the applicant's disclosure.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RHADAMES J ALONZO MILLER whose telephone number is (571)270-7829. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10am-6pm PST.
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/RJA/Examiner, Art Unit 2847
/TIMOTHY J THOMPSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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