DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
Claims 1 and 3-25 are currently pending. Claim 2 has been cancelled. Claims 18-20 are withdrawn from further consideration as being drawn to a non-elected invention. The amended claims do not overcome the previously stated 102 rejection. Therefore, upon further consideration, claims 1, 3-17, and 21-25 are rejected under the following 112 and 102 rejections.
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.
Claims 1, 3-17 and 21-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Motohashi et al (WO 2018143079 A1, machine translation).
Regarding claims 1, 3, and 4, Motohashi et al disclose a battery pack “100” comprising:
battery cells “150” (battery unit);
a [lower case “110” + cell holder “120” + wall portion “124” + “] (housing) including:
an inner portion surrounded by walls “110”, “120”, “124”, the battery cells being accommodated in the inner portion,
an outer portion outside the inner portion, the outer portion including a negative terminal bus bar “165” (service terminal) therein that is electrically connected to the battery cells; and
a step-difference block structure (see annotated Fig. 13 below) attached to one of the walls surrounding the inner portion to face an interior of the inner portion, the step-difference block structure separating the inner portion from the outer portion;
a bus bar “160” including a terminal connection portion “162” (first end) and an external connection portion “166” (second end), and a main body directly connecting between the first end and the second end, the main body extending inside and buried within the step-difference block structure, the terminal connection portion (first end) extending from the main body into the inner portion of the housing and connected to the battery cells, and the external connection portion (second end) extending from the main body into the outer portion of the housing and connected to the negative terminal bus bar;
a BAT case “500” (first sealing portion) sealing the battery cells and the first end of the bus bar; and
an upper case “300” (second sealing portion) sealing the negative terminal bus bar and the second end of the bus bar;
wherein the step-difference block structure is between the battery unit and an inner surface of the one of the walls surrounding the inner portion, and the bus bar is integrally formed with the housing;
wherein the first end, the second end, and the main body of the bus bar are in contact with different surfaces of the step-difference block structure ([0085]-[0095] and Figs. 11, 13).
[AltContent: textbox (main body of bus bar)][AltContent: textbox (first end of bus bar)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (step-difference block structure)][AltContent: textbox (second end of bus bar)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (inner portion)][AltContent: textbox (outer portion)]
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Regarding claims 5-17, Motohashi et al discloses a step-difference block structure that includes a first step-difference block and a second step-difference block having different heights from each other and providing an upper surface having a step-difference;
wherein the first step-difference block and the second step-difference block are adjacent to each other and contact each other (Fig. 12 below);
wherein the walls define an accommodation space in which the battery cells is accommodated, and the walls, the first step-difference block, and the second step-difference block are sequentially adjacent to each other to contact each other in an inward direction from the walls toward the accommodation space (Figs. 12 and 13);
wherein the first end “165” of the bus bar extends from the main body onto the first step-difference block, and the second end “160-2”, “160-3” of the bus bar extends from the main body onto the second step-difference block, the first and second ends of the bus bar extending from opposite ends of the main body and in parallel to each other (Fig. 12);
wherein: the main body “160” of the bus bar is buried in the first step-difference block, and the first end and the second end of the bus bar are bent from the main body of the bus bar in directions opposite to each other, respectively, so as to be supported on the first step-difference block and the second step-difference block, respectively (Figs. 12 and 13);
wherein the main body “160” of the bus bar extends within the first step-difference block and in parallel with the first step-difference block (Fig. 12);
wherein: the first end “165” of the bus bar is on an upper surface of the first step-difference block, and the second end “160-2, “160-3” of the bus bar is on a lower surface of the second step-difference block, the upper surface of the first step-difference block and the lower surface of the second step-difference block facing opposite directions from each other (Fig. 12);
wherein: an upper surface of the first end “165” of the bus bar that faces the inner portion of the housing and faces away from the first step-difference block is exposed at the inner portion of the housing, a lower surface of the first end is buried in the first step-difference block, a lower surface of the second end of the bus bar that faces the outer portion of the housing and faces away from the second step-difference block is exposed at the outer portion of the housing, and an upper surface of the second end is buried in the second step-difference block (Fig. 12);
wherein: an upper surface of the first step-difference block forms a part of an inner surface of the housing, and a lower surface of the second step-difference block forms a part of an outer surface of the housing (Fig. 12); and
a sensor board “231-2” (first clamping portion) that is attached by mounting members “233” to the bus bar “160-4” (first end) to fix a location of the first end “160-4” of the bus bar, the sensor board extending inwardly from an upper surface of the first step-difference block to a predetermined coupling depth, the first end of the bus bar being on the upper surface of the first step-difference block ([0061] and Fig. 7);
wherein the first clamping portion includes a screw thread therein, the first clamping portion being configured to form a screw joint with a clamping member penetrating through the first end of the bus bar (Fig. 7);
and further comprising a second clamping portion configured to fix a location of the second end of the bus bar, the second clamping portion extending inwardly from a lower surface of the second step-difference block to a predetermined coupling depth, the second end of the bus bar being on the lower surface of the second step-difference block; wherein the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion do not vertically overlap each other (Fig. 13).
[AltContent: textbox (first step-difference block)][AltContent: textbox (second step-difference block)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: rect][AltContent: rect]
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Regarding claim 21, Motohashi et al discloses a cover “500” covering the inner portion of the housing, in which the battery cells is accommodated, wherein the first sealing portion seals the battery cells by being between the cover and the housing (Figs. 14 and 15).
Regarding claim 22, Motohashi et al discloses a cover “300” of the negative terminal bus bar covering the outer portion of the housing, in which the negative terminal bus bar is arranged, wherein the upper case seals the negative terminal bus bar by being between the outer portion of the housing and the cover of the negative terminal bus bar (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 23, Motohashi et al discloses a first projection area of the first sealing portion “500” and a second projection area of the second sealing portion “300” overlap with each other at a first overlap area (Figs. 1 & 15).
Regarding claim 24, Motohashi et al discloses each of the first projection area of the first sealing portion and the second projection area of the upper case includes a second area not overlapping each other (Figs. 1 & 15).
Regarding claim 25, Motohashi et al discloses the second area of the first projection area of the first sealing portion and the second area of the second projection area of the second sealing portion are at opposite sides to the first overlap area (Figs. 1 & 15).
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Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/10/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The Applicant argues that “the Motohashi reference fails to disclose or even remotely suggest the above cited limitations of amended claim 1. In particular, the Motohashi reference fails to anticipate or render obvious (i) a step-difference block structure attached to one of the walls surrounding an inner portion of the housing and separating the inner portion from the outer portion, and (ii) a main body of a bus bar that extends inside and buried within the step-difference block structure. More particularly, while the outstanding Office Action appears to interpret the different heights of the lower case 110 of the Motohashi reference as reading on the first and second step-difference blocks in the pending claims,¹ applicant respectfully disagrees and submits that the
lower case 110 of the Motohashi reference is not attached to a wall surrounding an inner portion of the housing and does not separate the inner portion from the outer portion, as now recited in claim 1. Similarly, while the outstanding Office Action appears to interpret the inter-cell bus bar 160 of the Motohashi reference as reading on the main body of the bus bar,² applicant respectfully submits that the inter-cell bus bar 160 of the Motohashi reference is not inside or buried within the step-difference block structure, as now recited in claim 1”.
In response, as clarified by the annotated Figs. 12 and 13 shown above, the Office disagrees with the Applicant’s interpretation of the Motohashi reference. Specifically, the annotated Fig. 13 shows a step-difference block structure attached to one of the walls “124”, “120” surrounding an inner portion of the housing and separating the inner portion from the outer portion, and a main body of a bus bar that extends inside and buried within the step-difference block structure.
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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/T.S.C/Examiner, Art Unit 1751
/JONATHAN G LEONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1751 3/13/2026