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 .
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.
1. Claims 1-3, 16, 18, 19, 27, 29, 31, 38, 39 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Watford (USPN 2018/0323600).
Regarding claim 1, Watford discloses a combined leakage protection device (a leakage protection device 100 shown in figure 1, and also see figure 10, see par 0062) comprising:
an input end (1002), configured to be coupled to a power supply;
an output end (1004), configured to be coupled to an electrical load;
a circuit breaker module (a circuit breaker module 102, 106 see figures 3A, B), having a disconnected state and a connected state, which respectively disconnects and connects an electrical connection between the input end and the output end (see par. 0037, 0038, 0062); and
a ground fault circuit interrupter module (a protection module 104), including a housing (a housing of the module 104 includes a first portion 500, a second portion 502, see figure 5), a ground fault signal processing unit (ground fault circuits 1020, 1022, 1024 on a PCB 508, see par. 0036 and figure 10), and a drive assembly (an electromagnet 520) and a locking device (a locking device includes components lockout components 524, 300, see par. 0054, 0057, figures 5, 8) couple to the ground fault signal processing unit, disposed inside the housing; wherein the drive assembly (the electromagnet 520) is in a first position (de-activated position) or a second position (activated position) under control of the ground fault signal processing unit (see par. 0054, 0065); and
wherein the locking device (524, 300, see par. 0054, 0057, figures 5, 8)
is attached to the circuit breaker module (the circuit breaker module 102, 106 via 306, 306, see par. 0051) and has a locked state (the handles 110, 112 of the breaker module 102, 106 in a locked state and an unlocked state, see par. 0065) and an unlocked state, wherein the locking device is mechanically linked (by a latch bar 300) to the drive assembly (520, 532) to switch between the locked state and the unlocked state (see par. 0054, 0057).
Regarding claim 2, Watford discloses wherein the locking device (524, 300) includes a drive plate assembly (a drive plate assembly shown in figure 6) and locking rod (the latch bar 300) attached to the circuit breaker module (see figure 3A, 5).
Regarding claim 3, Watford discloses wherein the drive plate assembly includes a driving plate (550) and a locking plate (526, 552, 536, 556) (see par. 0057, see figure 6a).
Regarding claim 13, Watford discloses wherein the locking plate (536, 552, 556, 526) is attached to the driving plate (550), and wherein the locking plate includes a pivot at one end (554, 558) and is configured to pivot relative to the driving plate (550).
Regarding claim 16, Watford discloses wherein the locking plate (526, 552, 536, 556) further includes a locking protrusion (536) configured to drive the locking rod (300) to move (see par. 0060).
Regarding claim 18, Watford discloses wherein the locking rod (300) has a pivot hole (504), which is attached to the housing (500) to allow the locking rod to pivot relative to the housing (see figure 5).
Regarding claim 19, Watford discloses wherein the locking rod (300) has a locking notch (330, see figures 4a, b), wherein the drive plate assembly (524) is configured to drive the locking rod by engaging the locking notch (in a locked position, see figure 9, par. 0050).
Regarding claim 27, Watford wherein the ground fault circuit interrupter module further includes an auxiliary switch (610, see figure 10) coupled to the ground fault signal processing unit, wherein the auxiliary switch (610) is mechanically linked to and moves with the locking device (524, 300) to be in an open state or a closed state (see figure 7).
Regarding claim 29, Watford discloses wherein when the locking device (524, 300) is in the unlocked state, the auxiliary switch is in the open state (the locking device 524, 300 is in an unlocked state when the ground fault test is pass and the switch 610 is open).
Regarding claim 31, Watford discloses wherein the housing (500, 502) of the ground fault circuit interrupter module (104, see figure 5) includes upper cover and a base, which form a cavity to accommodate the ground fault signal detection unit (508) and the drive assembly (520) coupled to the ground fault signal detection unit (1020 of the circuit 508).
Regarding claims 38, 39, Watford discloses a fixing device (snapping bar 116 shown in figure 1, and some rivet pins shown in figure 3) configured to connect the circuit breaker module (102, 106) and the ground fault circuit interrupter module (104) to each other.
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.
2. Claims 20-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watford (USPN 2018/0323600) in view of Chen et al (USPN 2018/0083436).
Regarding claims 20-22, 24, 25, 26, Watford discloses wherein the drive assembly includes: an actuator (the electromagnet 520), configured to drive the locking device (524) to an unlocked state; and the actuation of the actuator (520) is controlled in response to the ground fault signal processing unit (see par. 0036, 0065), and wherein the actuator (the electromagnet 520) is configured to drive the circuit breaker module (102, 106) to the disconnected state (0038, 0054).
However, Watford does not explicitly disclose the actuator as claimed.
Chen disclose leakage current protection device (figure 5A) comprises an actuator (an actuator shown in figure 5H) comprises a coil assembly includes a coil winding (coil winding 34), an iron core (a core 36), and an iron core spring (a spring 33), wherein the coil winding (34) has a center hole configured to accommodate the iron core spring (33) and the iron core (36), wherein the coil winding (coil 34) drives the iron core (36) to reciprocate in the center hole in response to the ground fault signal processing unit (GFCI)(see par. 0013),
wherein the iron core (36) has an iron core groove, configured to engage with the actuator to drive the actuator to move (an end of the core 36 that associates with spring 33).
It 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 to have modified the actuator of Watford to incorporated an actuator as disclosed by Huang in order to increase an attraction force as well as energy saving so that proving an actuator with a better performance.
Regarding claim 23, Watford discloses wherein the actuator (520) has a pivot hole attached to the housing (502), wherein the actuator is configured to pivot relative to the housing (see figure 5).
3. Claims 35-37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watford (USPN 2018/0323600) in view of Gimenez et al (USPN 2001/0022713).
Regarding claims 35, 36, 37, Watford discloses the housing (500, 502, see figure 5), but does not explicitly disclose the housing as claimed.
Gimenez discloses a ground fault protection device (12, 14) comprises a circuit breaker module (12), and a ground fault detection module (14), wherein the ground fault detection module (14) comprises a housing (a housing 52),
wherein the housing (52) includes a test button hole (85), wherein the ground fault signal processing unit (14) includes a test button (84); and wherein a portion of the test button passes through the housing via the test button hole (85) (see figures 1, 2), wherein the housing (52) includes a reset button hole (80), wherein the ground fault signal processing unit includes a reset button (88); and wherein a portion of the reset button passes through the housing via the reset button hole (see figure 1).
wherein the housing (52) includes a display hole, wherein the ground fault signal processing unit (14) includes a display unit (a trip indicator 76); and wherein a display signal of the display unit passes through the housing via the display hole (an aperture 73).
It 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 to have modified the Housing of Watford to incorporated a reset button, a test button, and a display unit as disclosed by Gimenez in order to insure an improper function of the ground fault detection device so that increasing a safety operation.
Allowable Subject Matter
4. Claims 4-15, 17, 28, 30, 32, 33, 34 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.
Conclusion
5. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANNY NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2054. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00AM-4:30PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Monica Lewis can be reached at 571-271-1838. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANNY NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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