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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 11-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 8/11/25.
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-10 in the reply filed on 8/11/25 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The term “extremely” in claim 1 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “extremely” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Therefore, the limitation “extremely low density and extremely low thermal conductivity” is not clearly defined. In order to further prosecution, the examiner interprets the limitation to mean an aerogel material.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nakamura (JP2020017364A).
As to claim 1, Nakamura discloses a cable 1 (fig. 1) for fast-charging an electric vehicle (EV), comprising:
an insulated conductor 2;
a binder 7;
a thermal layer 19; and
a jacket 10, wherein the thermal layer is a synthetic porous material having extremely low density and extremely low thermal conductivity.
As to claims 2, Nakamura discloses two insulated conductors 2, wherein the two insulated conductors are cabled, wherein the binder is positioned around the two insulated conductors, wherein the thermal layer is positioned around the binder, and wherein the jacket is positioned around the thermal layer (fig. 1).
As to claim 10, Nakamura discloses that two insulated conductors, wherein the two insulated conductors comprise a thermal layer 12 positioned around the conductor, wherein the two insulated conductors and the thermal layers are cabled to form an assembly, wherein the binder is positioned around the assembly, and wherein the jacket is positioned around the binder (fig. 1).
Claim(s) 1, 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nakamura (JP2020017364A; second interpretation).
As to claim 1, Nakamura discloses a cable 1 (fig. 1) for fast-charging an electric vehicle (EV), comprising:
an insulated conductor 2;
a binder 7;
a thermal layer 12; and
a jacket 10, wherein the thermal layer is a synthetic porous material having extremely low density and extremely low thermal conductivity.
As to claim 7, Nakamura discloses that the thermal layer comprises a blanket (fig. 2) having an outer layer and an aerogel material (see first paragraph of page 4).
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cunningham (Pub. No. US 2016/0133354).
As to claim 1, Cunningham discloses a cable 10 (fig. 1) for fast-charging an electric vehicle (EV), comprising:
an insulated conductor 1;
a binder 3;
a thermal layer 4; and
a jacket 5, wherein the thermal layer is a synthetic porous material having extremely low density and extremely low thermal conductivity (¶0020).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakamura (JP2020017364A) in view of Fazio et al. (Pub. No. US 2022/0108816).
As to claim 3, Nakamura does not disclose that the two insulated conductors comprise flexible, tinned, copper class K conductors.
Fazio discloses a cable having class K stranded wire comprising 30AWG copper wires (¶0021).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the conductors of Nakamura be formed of flexible, tinned, copper class K conductors as similarly taught by Fazio in order to provide flexible and durable conductors.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakamura (JP2020017364A) and Fazio et al. (Pub. No. US 2022/0108816) as applied to claim 3 above, and further in view of LaPidus et al. (Patent No. US 6,362,432).
As to claim 4, Nakamura in view of Fazio discloses wherein the two insulated conductors comprises a flexible, tinned, copper class K conductors (¶0021 of Fazio).
However, Nakamura in view of Fazio does not disclose that the two insulated conductors comprise 2/0 AWG conductors.
LaPidus discloses a flexible power cable having 2/0 AWG power conductor made of tinned copper wire strands (col. 2 line 66 – col. 3 line 17).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the size of the conductors of Nakamura be formed of 2/0 AWG conductors as similarly taught by LaPidus in order to provide power conductors with high flexibility and high conductivity.
Claim(s) 5-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakamura (JP2020017364A) in view of Blair et al. (Pub. No. US 2018/0033522).
As to claim 5, Nakamura does not disclose that the binder comprises mica-based material and is applied over the conductors in an overlap.
Blair discloses a cable having a wound mica tape with an overlapping percentage of for example 25% (¶0044).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the binder material be formed of a mica material as similarly taught by Blair in order to provide a binder layer with good insulating and thermal properties.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the binder of Nakamura be applied over the conductors in an overlap as similarly taught by Blair in order to reliably bind the inner layers of the cable.
As to claim 6, Nakamura in view of Blair discloses that the overlap is about a 25 percent overlap (Blair, ¶0044).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakamura (JP2020017364A; second interpretation) in view of Cunningham (Pub. No. US 2016/0133354).
As to claim 8, Nakamura discloses that the outer layer comprises a fiber material (see first paragraph of page 4).
However, Nakamura does not explicitly disclose that the fiber material is a fiberglass material.
Cunningham discloses a thermal insulating layer having a fiberglass material and an aerogel material (¶0006).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the fiber of Nakamura be a fiberglass as taught by Cunningham in order to provide an outer layer with excellent thermal and insulating properties.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakamura (JP2020017364A) in view of Kohori et al. (Pub. No. US 2019/0077341).
As to claim 9, Nakamura does not disclose that the jacket is formed from a polymeric material and comprises a thermoplastic polyurethane material.
Kohori discloses a sheath made out of a thermoplastic polyurethane (¶0068)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the jacket of Nakamura be formed of a polymeric material and comprise a thermoplastic polyurethane material as similarly taught by Kohori in order to provide a jacket with good abrasion resistance and/or excellent heat resistance.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AMOL H PATEL whose telephone number is (571)270-7833. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30AM-6:00PM.
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/AMOL H PATEL/Examiner, Art Unit 2847
/TIMOTHY J THOMPSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2847