Prior art

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Patent Analysis Report: US 12,015,376 B2

To: File
From: Senior Patent Analyst
Date: May 13, 2026
Subject: Analysis of Most Relevant Prior Art for US Patent 12,015,376 B2

This report provides an analysis of the most relevant prior art cited against U.S. Patent No. 12,015,376 B2 (the '376 patent), titled "Lead assembly for connecting solar panel arrays to inverter." The analysis focuses on the potential for anticipation of the patent’s claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102.

The core invention of the '376 patent is a prefabricated electrical lead assembly designed to replace conventional combiner boxes in solar power installations. This assembly features a main feeder cable with one or more integrated "drop lines." These drop lines are terminated with connectors to attach to wire harnesses from solar panel arrays. The key features claimed are the specific configuration of the cables and the use of one or more molded structures to create a durable, environmentally sealed joint at the electrical interconnection point between the feeder cable and the drop line(s).

An evaluation of the cited references reveals several key pieces of prior art that disclose many of the fundamental concepts of the '376 patent.

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Analysis of Key Prior Art References

1. US Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0269746 A1

• Full Citation: US 2013/0269746 A1
• Title: Tapered Trunking System with Distributed Combiner
• Publication Date: October 17, 2013
• Filing Date: April 11, 2012
• Assignee: Schneider Electric USA, Inc.

Brief Description:
This reference discloses a wiring system for photovoltaic (PV) arrays that explicitly aims to reduce or eliminate the need for traditional combiner boxes. It describes a "trunk" or "homerun" cable (analogous to the '376 patent's "feeder cable") that runs through the solar field. At various points along this trunk, "distributed combiners" or "tap-off" assemblies (analogous to the "region of electrical interconnection" with "drop lines") are used to connect strings of PV modules. The system is designed to aggregate power from multiple solar arrays along a single main cable run.

Potential Anticipation of Claims:
This reference is highly relevant and potentially anticipates the system-level claims of the '376 patent.

• Claim 1 & 8: The Schneider '746 application appears to disclose all elements of the system described in these claims. It teaches a main "trunk" cable (feeder cable) and multiple "tap-off" points where power from solar arrays is combined (drop lines). The stated purpose is to deliver the combined electrical power to an inverter without an intervening combiner box. The '746 publication, therefore, describes the same overall architecture and function.
• Claim 5: The '746 application explicitly describes connecting the main trunk cable to an inverter, thereby eliminating the combiner box.
• Limitations Not Explicitly Disclosed: While the system architecture is similar, the '746 publication does not appear to explicitly describe the specific geometric arrangement recited in claim 1, where "the first drop line and the second drop line extend in opposite directions along a longitudinal axis that is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the feeder cable." It also does not detail the use of an "injection molded overmold" and "undermold" as specified in claim 11. Therefore, anticipation would depend on whether its disclosed "tap-off assemblies" could be interpreted to meet these more specific structural limitations.

2. US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0139733 A1

• Full Citation: US 2010/0139733 A1
• Title: Fused Wiring Harness for a Photovoltaic System
• Publication Date: June 10, 2010
• Filing Date: August 18, 2009
• Assignee: General Electric Company

Brief Description:
This GE application discloses a fused wiring harness for connecting multiple PV modules. It describes a "trunk conductor" and multiple "branch conductors" that connect to it. Crucially, it describes encapsulating the electrical connections between the branch conductors and the trunk conductor in a "molded housing" to provide environmental sealing and strain relief. It also teaches the integration of in-line fuses.

Potential Anticipation of Claims:
This reference is particularly relevant to the structural and manufacturing aspects of the claimed invention.

• Claim 1, 11, 14: The GE '733 application teaches the core concept of a feeder/trunk cable, a drop/branch line, and a "molded housing" (mold structure) that is "disposed about and conforming to a region of electrical interconnection." It explicitly mentions that this housing can be formed by injection molding. This strongly supports the structural elements of claims 1, 11, and 14 concerning the sealed, molded joint.
• The application also discloses that the branch conductor is arranged parallel to the trunk conductor at the connection point (see Fig. 3), which is a key limitation in claim 14 of the '376 patent.
• Limitations Not Explicitly Disclosed: The GE application focuses on a single harness and does not explicitly describe a longer "lead assembly" with multiple, spaced-apart joints for connecting several distinct solar arrays as envisioned in the '376 patent. It also does not disclose the specific "dual drop" configuration of claim 1 where two drop lines extend in opposite directions from the joint.

3. US Patent No. 8,604,342 B2

• Full Citation: US 8,604,342 B2
• Title: Low leakage electrical joints and wire harnesses, and method of making the same
• Publication Date: December 10, 2013
• Filing Date: July 14, 2009
• Assignee: Shoals Technologies Group, LLC

Brief Description:
This patent, from the same assignee as the '376 patent, is cited in the background of the '376 patent itself. It describes a wire harness for connecting individual solar panels into an array that outputs to a single connector. The key technology disclosed is the use of an overmolded joint to create a low-leakage, environmentally sealed electrical connection.

Potential Anticipation of Claims:
While this patent does not anticipate the overall system of the '376 patent, it provides a clear antecedent for a key component.

• Claim 11: The '342 patent extensively describes the method and structure of an injection-molded overmold to seal the nexus between electrical cables in a solar application. This disclosure could be seen as anticipating the "injection molded overmold" element of claim 11. It establishes that this specific manufacturing technique for sealing cable joints in the solar industry was known art from the same inventor.
• Distinction: The '342 patent describes the wire harnesses that are connected to the '376 patent's lead assembly. It does not describe the lead assembly itself, which is a larger component comprising a heavy-gauge feeder cable and multiple drop line connections for aggregating power from several such harnesses. Therefore, it cannot anticipate the independent claims of the '376 patent on its own.

Conclusion

A complete anticipation (102) rejection of the independent claims of US 12,015,376 by a single prior art reference appears challenging based on the cited art. However, the combination of these references presents a strong case for obviousness (35 U.S.C. § 103).

• The Schneider '746 application teaches the overall system architecture of using a trunk cable with distributed tap-off points to eliminate combiner boxes.
• The GE '733 application and the assignee's own '342 patent teach the specific construction of using molded housings, including injection molding, to seal the connection points between a trunk and branch conductors in a PV harness.

An examiner could argue that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to implement the distributed combiner system of Schneider '746 using the well-known and commercially advantageous overmolded joint technology taught by GE and Shoals to create the "tap-off" connections, thereby arriving at the invention claimed in the '376 patent. The specific arrangement of drop lines extending in opposite directions (claim 1) or parallel within the mold (claim 14) may be considered design choices offering no unexpected result.