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 .
Status of Claims
Applicant’s arguments filed 01/29/2026 have been fully considered. All claims remain as previously presented.
Upon considering said arguments, the previous rejections of claims 1-4 and 8-9 under 35 U.S.C. 103 over Kazuhiro et al. (JP2012028186A) in view of Weinberger et al. (US20210098765A1) and Ota et al. (US20180088179A1) set forth in the Office action mailed 10/29/2026 has/have been withdrawn.
However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102 is made in view of Shigita US20240302449A1; see below.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Shigita US20240302449A1.
Regarding claim(s) 1, Shigita discloses a conductive module (30, “battery sensing unit”) ([0032], FIG. 1), comprising:
a flexible printed circuit/FPC (32A) (claim 1), being a first FPC (32A) (claim 2), that is configured to be mounted on a battery module (1, “battery pack”) in which a plurality of battery cells (2) are arranged in an arrangement direction (“the Z direction”) (claim 1), the battery module being a first battery module (1) having first cells (2) (claim 2) ([0032], FIG. 1)
the (first) FPC (32A) is provided with a flat laminated body formed of a (first) plurality of conductors (34A, “conductive patterns”) and a (first) insulator (33A, “insulating layer”) having flexibility ([0045], FIG. 4) (claims 1, 2).
Shigita discloses a first connector (57, “third connector”) provided on a rigid printed circuit/RPC (50) used for connection to the (first) FPC (32A). When the first connector (57) is connected onto the surface of a first end of the (first) FPC (32A) (see dashed line in Annotated Shigita FIG. 4; FIG. 1 showing the connection), the first connector (57) is recognized as being mounted on a first end of the (first) FPC (32A) (claims 1, 2)
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Annotated Shigita FIG, 4
Shigita discloses a second connector (41, “first connector”) mounted on a second end (45 a, “first portion”) of the (first) FPC (32A) (FIG. 4, [0053]) (claims 1, 2).
Shigita further discloses a second FPC (32B) ([0052]) (claim 2), where the first (32A) and second (32B) FPCs are configured to monitor different pluralities of battery cells ([0021], see Annotated Shigita FIG. 2 below). As each plurality of battery cells (2) corresponding to an FPC (32A, 32B) is arranged in the arrangement direction as recited in the structure of each battery module (see claim 2), the first and second plurality of battery cells may be broadly and reasonably interpreted as a respective first and second battery module. The second FPC (32B), configured to be mounted on a plurality of second battery cells arranged in the arrangement direction, is therefore also configured to be mounted on a second battery module as claimed (Annotated Shigita FIG. 2) (claim 2).
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Annotated Shigita FIG. 2
The second FPC (32B) is provided with a second flat laminated body formed of a second plurality of conductors (34B) and a second insulator (33B) having flexibility ([0045], FIG. 4) (claim 2), and a third connector (58, “fourth connector”) connected onto one end of the second flexible printed circuit (32B) ([0067], see Annotated Shigita FIG. 4) (claim 2).
The (first) plurality of conductors (34A) includes a first conductor (35A, “voltage detection patterns”) ([0046]) that is configured to electrically connect the (first) battery cells (2) to an RPC (50) containing a monitoring IC (43), this RPC (50) being recognized as a battery monitoring unit/BMU (50) ([0060], FIG. 4) for monitoring a battery status of the battery cells ([0047]) (see Annotated Shigita FIG. 2 Showing Conductors below, FIG. 3), and
a second conductor (38A, “signal pattern”) that is configured to electrically connect the BMU (50) to electrical equipment housed in an external electrical connection box (S1, “external devices”) ([0046], [0049], Annotated Shigita FIG. 2 Showing Conductors, FIG. 3) (claims 1, 2).
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Annotated Shigita FIG. 2 Showing Conductors
Shigita’s first connector (57) is configured to be mounted and connected on a first end portion of the BMU (50) ([0060], [0082], Annotated Shigita FIG. 4). A plain English definition of fitting is “to insert or adjust until correctly in place” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary); as a skilled artisan would need to adjust the position of Shigita’s first connector (57) until it is correctly placed on the BMU (50) first end portion as the counterpart before mounting and connecting the first connector (57) to the first end portion, Shigita’s first connector (57) is broadly and reasonably interpreted as being configured to be fitted and connected to a (first) counterpart connector (i.e., the first end portion) of the BMU (50). (claims 1, 2).
The first connector (57) is configured to electrically connect the first conductor (35A) and the second conductor (38A) to the battery monitoring unit (50) ([0046], [0066], FIG. 2) (claims 1, 2).
the second connector (41) is configured to be fitted and connected to a counterpart connector (“end portions of wire harnesses WH”) disposed on the electrical connection box side and is configured to electrically connect the second conductor (38) to the electrical equipment (S1) ([0049-0051], FIG. 5, Annotated Shigita FIG. 4) (claims 1, 2).
the first conductor (35) includes a first end (“end portion”) that is connected onto the first connector (57) ([0046], Annotated Shigita FIG. 2 Showing Conductors) and a second end (“cell connection land”) that is configured to be connected to a respective one of the battery cells, the second end (“cell connection land”) of the first conductor is provided at wire connection portions (15), which are spaced away from the first connector (57) and the second connector (41) (Annotated Shigita FIG. 2 Showing Conductors, [0047]) (claims 1, 2), and
the second conductor (38A) includes a first end that is connected onto the first connector (57) and a second end that is connected onto the second connector (41) ([0049], Annotated Shigita FIG. 2 Showing Conductors) (claims 1, 2).
Shigita’s third connector (58) is configured to be mounted and connected on a second end portion of the BMU (50) ([0054] [0060], Annotated Shigita FIG. 4). A plain English definition of ‘fitting’ is “to insert or adjust until correctly in place” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary); as a skilled artisan would need to adjust the position of Shigita’s third connector (58) until it is correctly placed on the BMU (50) second end portion as the counterpart before mounting and connecting the third connector (58) to the second end portion, Shigita’s third connector (58) is broadly and reasonably interpreted as being configured to be fitted and connected to a second counterpart connector (i.e., the second end portion) of the BMU (50) (claim 2).
Regarding claim(s) 3, 4 Shigita discloses the conductive module according to claims 1 and 2, further comprising:
a plurality of conductor members (12, “busbar”), each of the conductor members is a connection part configured to electrically connect a plurality of electrode terminals (4) of the battery cells (2) adjacent to each other in the arrangement direction ([0033]), and each of the conductor members (12) is provided for a respective combination of two adjacent electrode terminals (4) arranged in the arrangement direction ([0033], FIG. 1),
wherein the plurality of conductors (34) includes a plurality of the first conductor (35), and each of the first conductors (35) is provided for a respective one of the conductor member (12) ([0047], Annotated Shigita FIG. 2 Showing Conductors)
Regarding claim(s) 8, 9, Shigita discloses a conductive system comprising:
the conductive module (30) according to claims 1 and 2;
an electrical connection box (20, “case”) ([0032], FIG. 1) in which electrical equipment (“an adjacent battery sensing unit 30”) is housed ([0051], FIG. 5); and
an electrical connection tool (WH, “wire harness”) that is connected onto the second connector (41) and electrically connects the conductive module (30) and the electrical equipment (“an adjacent battery sensing unit 30”) ([0051], FIG. 5)
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed 01/29/2026 with respect to the previous non-final rejection of claims 1-4 and 8-9 filed 10/29/2026 under 35 U.S.C. 103 over Kazuhiro et al. (JP2012028186A) in view of Weinberger et al. (US20210098765A1) and Ota et al. (US20180088179A1) (Remarks pp. 1-9) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, this rejection has been withdrawn.
However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Shigita US20240302449A1 as presented above.
Conclusion
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/E.C./Examiner, Art Unit 1751
/JONATHAN G LEONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1751 3/23/2026