Appeal 2007-0561 Application 10/689,465 1 longitudinal axis substantially perpendicularly, and that the trough defines a 2 ground wire axis parallel to the ground member axis. 3 11. Mooney discloses a trough integral with the top portion of its 4 grounding clamp, and a set screw extending into the space within the trough 5 through a top plate to secure the ground wire received within the trough. The 6 applicants do not dispute this fact. 7 12. Mooney’s integral trough structure, however, is oriented in such a 8 manner that the set screw enters the trough from a hole in a top plate rather than 9 from a hole on the side wall and that the axis of extension of the set screw, the 10 third longitudinal axis, is parallel rather than perpendicular to at least one of the 11 first and second longitudinal axis defined by the screw holes on the top and bottom 12 portions of the clamp as is recited in the applicants’ claims. (Mooney, Figs. 1 and 13 2). 14 13. Nonetheless, Mooney’s trough defines a ground wire axis parallel to 15 the ground member axis, as is recited in the applicants’ claims. 16 14. The Examiner determined that the only difference between the 17 claimed invention of the applicants’ independent claims 9 and 18 and the 18 grounding clamp disclosed in Mooney is that as noted above in FF. 12. The 19 applicants have not identified any other difference. 20 15. The Examiner has identified several prior art references each 21 disclosing a grounding clamp having a trough which defines an opening for 22 receiving a grounding wire and having a set screw extending either through a top 23 plate or through a side wall of the trough to secure the grounding wire. Those 24 references include Mooney, Reichman, Shemtov, and Meinhardt, Churla, and 25 Bondeson. 6Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Next
Last modified: September 9, 2013