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 .
Response to Amendment
This is a final office action in response to Applicant’s remarks filed on 11/17/2025. Claims 1, 3, and 7-10 are presented for examination.
The 35 U.S.C. § 103 rejections in the previous office action are maintained
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11/17/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues it would not be necessary or obvious to would to provide a current-increasing portion around the avoidance region (opening 18) of the carrier 12 of Lemke because the carrier is not used for current conduction. Therefore, the solution of providing opening 18 on carrier 12 in Lemke is completely different from the solution of providing an avoidance region on the electrical connecting plate of claim 1. Li also fails to disclose “the avoidance region” which is configured to avoid an explosion-proof valve.
The Examiner respectfully disagrees. Lemke teaches that the avoidance region of Fritz may be formed as a hole or notch (opening) rather than as an indentation in order to improve degassing of the battery cells. A position of the opening corresponds a position of a burst valve in the battery cell (Fritz: [0019]) and therefore “the avoidance region is configured to avoid an explosion-proof valve disposed at an explosion-proof aperture of the battery cell, so that the electrical connecting plate does not block the explosion-proof valve.” This modification would not require altering the electrical connecting function of the plate of Frtiz. Therefore, it would still be obvious to further modify the electrical connecting plate of Fritz in view of Lemke to include a current-increasing portion as taught by Li.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1, 3, and 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fritz (WO-2018083303-A1, English-language equivalent US 2019/0259996 A1 is cited below; both documents were previously cited) in view of Lemke (US 2016/0351883 A1) and Li (CN-109103408-A; the rejections below refer to the machine translation mailed 09/11/2024).
Regarding claims 1, 9, and 10, Fritz discloses a device (motor vehicle, [0069]) using a battery cell as a power supply, comprising: a power source, configured to provide a driving force for the device (accumulator for driving motor vehicle [0069]) (claim 10), and a battery module (100, FIG. 2, [0102]), configured to provide electrical energy to the power source (claims 9 and 10; remainder of rejection applies to claims 1, 9 and 10), wherein the battery module (100) comprises a plurality of battery cells (104, FIG. 2, [0102]) and an electrical connecting plate (142, FIGS. 3-4, [0113]), wherein the electrical connecting plate (142) comprises a first part (intermediate region 152, FIGS. 3-4, [0117]) and a second part (first 148 and second 150 contact regions, FIGS. 3-4, [0116]); the first part (152) comprises a body portion (intermediate region 152 corresponds to both the “first part” and the “body portion” of the claimed invention) containing an avoidance region (gas guidance channel section 162, FIGS. 7-8, [0151]); and the second part (148, 150) is connected to ends of the body portion (152) and is configured to connect to the battery cell (104) (FIGS. 3-4, [0116]-[0117]); wherein the body portion (152) comprises a first body portion (first body portion in annotated figure below) and a connecting section (connecting section in annotated figure below), the avoidance region (162) is in the connecting section (connecting section) (see annotated figure below), the avoidance region (162) is configured to avoid an explosion-proof valve (degassing valve 132, FIG. 2, [0109]) disposed at an explosion-proof aperture (degassing outlet 130, FIG. 2, [0109]) of the battery cell (104), the body portion (152) further comprises a second body portion (second body portion in annotated figure below), and the first body portion (first body portion) is connected to the second body portion (second body portion) through the connecting section (connecting section).
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Annotation of Fritz FIG. 7
Fritz discloses wherein the avoidance region (162) is an indentation in the connecting section that overlaps the explosion-proof valve (134) (FIG. 8, [0151]) so does not disclose wherein the avoidance region is a via hole or notch opened in the connecting section and the avoidance region is configured so that the electrical connecting plate does not block the explosion-proof valve.
Lemke teaches an electrical connecting plate (10, FIG. 1, [0029]) applied to a battery module, wherein the battery module comprises a battery cell (30, FIG. 6, [0030]) and the electrical connecting plate (10) comprises a first part (12, FIG. 1, [0030]) and a second part (14, FIG. 1, [0030]); the first part (12) comprises a body portion (12) containing an avoidance region (18, FIG. 1, [0032]); the second part (14) is connected to ends of the body portion (12) and is configured to connect to the battery cell (30), wherein the avoidance region (18) is a via hole opened in the body portion (12), and the avoidance region (18) is configured to avoid an explosion-proof valve (38, FIG. 6, [0032]) disposed at an explosion-proof aperture of the battery cell (30), so that the electrical connecting plate (10) does not block the explosion-proof valve (FIG. 7, [0032]). A person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have found it obvious to have substituted the avoidance region of Lemke for the avoidance region of Fritz, such that the avoidance region is a via hole or notch opened in the connecting section and the avoidance region is configured so that the electrical connecting plate does not block the explosion-proof valve, with a reasonable expectation of success because Lemke teaches that this configuration can improve degassing of the battery cells ([0019]). The simple substitution of one known element for another is likely to be obvious when predictable results are achieved [MPEP § 2143B].
Fritz in view of Lemke does not disclose wherein the first part comprises a current-increasing portion and the current-increasing portion is connected to a side of the body portion in a thickness direction of the electrical connecting plate.
Li teaches an electrical connecting plate (connecting piece, FIGS. 1-2, [0025]) applied to a battery module ([0002]), wherein the battery module comprises a plurality of battery cells ([0004]). The electrical connecting plate comprises a current-increasing portion (folding piece 3, FIGS. 1-2, [0025]) and a body portion (1, FIGS. 1-2, [0025]) and the current-increasing portion (3) is connected to a side of the body portion (1) in a thickness direction of the electrical connecting plate. A person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have found it obvious to have added a current-increasing portion to the first part of the electrical connecting plate of Fritz in view of Lemke, the current-increasing portion connected to a side of the body portion in a thickness direction of the electrical connecting plate, because Li teaches that doing so increases the overcurrent strength of the plate ([0007]) without excessively increasing its weight and thickness ([0015]).
Fritz in view of Lemke and Li does not disclose wherein the current-increasing portion is located in a specified region around the avoidance region and the current-increasing portion is located on the first body portion and/or the second body portion, the current-increasing portion isn't located on the connecting section. However, a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have found it obvious to have positioned the current-increasing portion in a specified region around the avoidance region of Fritz in view of Lemke and Li because the avoidance region so that the current-increasing portion does not block the explosion-proof valve. Since the avoidance region corresponds to the connecting section, this arrangement would necessarily meet the limitation “the current-increasing portion is located on the first body portion and/or the second body portion, the current-increasing portion isn't located on the connecting section.”
Regarding claim 3, Fritz in view of Lemke and Li teaches the electrical connecting plate according to claim 1, but does not explicitly disclose wherein the current-increasing portion is located on the first body portion and a width of the current-increasing portion is less than a width of the first body portion.
A person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have found it obvious to have positioned the current-increasing portion on the first body portion of the electrical plate of Fritz in view of Lemke and Li because there are a finite number of possible locations on the first part of the electrical plate in which the current-increasing portion can be formed (i.e., the first body portion and/or the second body portion as required by claim 1).
Li teaches that width of the current-increasing portion (3) is less than a width of the first body portion (1) because a gap (8) should be formed between separate current-increasing portions (3) (FIGS. 1-2, [0025]). A person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention therefore would have found it obvious to have formed the current-increasing portion of Fritz in view of Lemke and Li to have a width less than a width of the first body to allow for appropriate process tolerance as taught by Li ([0025]).
Regarding claim 7, Fritz in view of Lemke and Li teaches the electrical connecting plate according to claim 1, but does not disclose wherein a groove is further disposed in the body portion and the groove is located on one or two sides of the current-increasing portion.
Fritz teaches an additional modification to the electrical connecting plate (142) in which the body portion (152) comprises one or a plurality of grooves (180’ and 182’, FIGS. 26-27, [0212]). A person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have found it obvious to have added a groove to the body portion of the electrical connecting plate of Fritz in view of Lemke and Li, because Fritz teaches that doing so enables relative movement between the second part at the end of the body portion for operation of the battery module or for tolerance compensation upon mounting of the battery module ([0214]). As the current-increasing portion is connected to a side of the body portion (required by claim 1), the groove could be located in any region of the body portion and meet the limitation “the groove is located on one or two sides of the current-increasing portion.”
Regarding claim 8, Fritz in view of Lemke and Li teaches the electrical connecting plate according to claim 1. Li further teaches wherein the current-increasing portion (3) and the body portion (1) are integrally formed (FIGS. 1-2, [0025]-[0026]); and the current-increasing portion (3) is bent along a side wall of the body portion (1), and the body portion (1) fits snugly with the current-increasing portion (3) (a gap 9 is left between the folding piece body 4 and the body portion 1 or they are in contact with each other, [0025]; FIG. 2).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/C.C.D./Examiner, Art Unit 1723 /TIFFANY LEGETTE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1723