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
The amendment filed on 01/27/2026 has been entered. Claim 15 has been newly added. No claims have been cancelled. Claims 1-15 remain pending in this application.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 1-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu (CN105376968A).
Regarding claim 1, Liu teaches a protective housing (see fig. 1) for a central electrical system deployed within an electric vehicle (Title; integrated power system of electric automobile), the protective housing comprising:
a first housing layer (fig. 1, element 3), formed in part by a first plurality of frame members (see reproduced fig. 1 below) of the protective housing, to support and protect one or more power distribution units (Summary of page 1 and claim 2: car charger and DC-DC module integrated in a complete and reasonable housing in while ensuring that each part of the normal operation of the connected);
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a second housing layer (fig. 1, element 2) positioned above the first housing layer (fig. 1, element 3) and formed in part by a second plurality of frame members of the protective housing (see reproduced fig. 1 below); and
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a third housing layer (fig. 1, element 1), formed in part by a third plurality of frame members of the protective housing and positioned above the second housing layer, the third housing layer (fig. 1, element 1) to support a high-voltage junction box electrically coupled to at least a first distribution unit of the one or more distribution units (page 2; the housing 1 comprising an upper side panels 11, 12 and the upper cover plate 13 on the composition of the housing is provided with a high voltage junction box 4).
Liu does not disclose the second housing layer to support and protect a power charger. However, changing the location of the power charger from the location shown by Liu to a location on the second housing layer, absent any criticality, is only considered to be an obvious modification of the Liu’s device that a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would be able to provide using routine experimentation since the courts have held that there is no invention in shifting the position if the operation of the device would not be thereby modified. See In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950) and MPEP 2144.04 VI.
Regarding claims 2 and 9, Liu teaches wherein the high-voltage junction box
comprises a first interface including a first plurality of power ports adapted for coupling to a first plurality of power cables (page 1 of Summary section; Liu discloses the invention is to provide…high-voltage cable boxes) connected with (can be directly or indirectly) battery packs (electric automobile includes one or more batteries) installed within the electric vehicle (page 1; Background technique and summary).
Regarding claims 3 and 10, Liu teaches wherein the high-voltage junction box (fig. 1, element 3; the first layer) comprises a second interface including a second plurality of power ports (more than one ports) for coupling to a plurality of power ports associated with a power input/output (I/O) interface of the first power distribution unit (claim 1; DC-DC modules) of the one or more power distribution units (see fig. 1 below).
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Regarding claims 4 and 11, Liu teaches wherein the second plurality of power
ports is exposed and accessible from a first end of the protective housing while the plurality of power ports associated with the power I/O interface of the first power distribution unit is also exposed and accessible from the first end of the protective housing (see fig. 1 above and claims 1-2).
Regarding claims 5 and 12, Liu teaches wherein the power charger (page 1; the EV includes a car charger) is configured to receive high-voltage input power from a charging source (from AC outlet) and route the high-voltage input power to the high-voltage junction box (page 1; HV junction box) for routing the high-voltage input power to the battery packs (page 1; EV battery) over the first plurality of power cables (page 1, HV cable boxes).
Regarding claims 6 and 13, Liu teaches the protective housing further comprising: a power converter coupled to members forming the protective housing that are located on a back end of the protective housing (page 1; said lower inner housing is provided with a car charger and DC-DC modules, the bottom end surface of the intermediate casing).
Regarding claims 7 and 14, Liu teaches wherein the first distribution unit of the one or more power distribution units is configured to disseminate high-voltage power exceeding 200 volts to electrification components of the electric vehicle and the power converter is configured to disseminate low-voltage power less than 24 volts to electrification components of the electric vehicle. However, does not disclose a particular value for the voltage. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide one or more distribution units are able to supply HV power exceeding 200 volts and the power converter is able to supply low-voltage power less than 24 volts, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the “optimum range” involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. See MPEP 2144.05.
Regarding claim 8, Liu teaches a protective housing (see fig. 1) for a central electrical system deployed within an electric vehicle (Title; integrated power system of electric automobile), the protective housing comprising:
a first housing layer (fig. 1, element 3) to support and protect one or more power distribution units (Summary of page 1 and claim 2: car charger and DC-DC module integrated in a complete and reasonable housing in while ensuring that each part of the normal operation of the connected) configured to output high-voltage power (DC-DC module is able to output DC voltage);
a second housing layer (fig. 1, element 2) positioned above the first housing layer (fig. 1, element 3), the second housing layer including a charging interface that is adapted to receive power input from a charging source (from AC outlet or from on-board charger of the EV) and provide converted high-voltage power to the a high-voltage junction box (claims 1 and 2; high voltage junction box); and
a third housing layer (fig. 1, element 1) positioned above the second housing layer, the third housing layer (fig. 1, element 1) to support the high-voltage junction box that is electrically coupled to the one or more power distribution units and configured to provide high-voltage power from the one or more power distribution units (page 2; the housing 1 comprising an upper side panels 11, 12 and the upper cover plate 13 on the composition of the housing is provided with a high voltage junction box 4).
Liu does not disclose the second housing layer to support and protect a power charger. However, changing the location of the power charger from the location shown by Liu to a location on the second housing layer, absent any criticality, is only considered to be an obvious modification of the Liu’s device that a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would be able to provide using routine experimentation since the courts have held that there is no invention in shifting the position if the operation of the device would not be thereby modified. See In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950) and MPEP 2144.04 VI.
Regarding claim 15, Liu teaches a protective housing (see fig. 1) for a central electrical system deployed within an electric vehicle (Title; integrated power system of electric automobile), the protective housing comprising:
a first housing layer (fig. 1, element 3) formed in part by a first plurality of frame members (see reproduced fig. 1 above) of the protective housing, the first housing layer is configured with one or more power distribution units (Summary of page 1 and claim 2: car charger and DC-DC module integrated in a complete and reasonable housing in while ensuring that each part of the normal operation of the connected) secured to a first plurality of frame members of the first housing layer (see fig. 1 above; secure the panels of the housing);
a second housing layer (fig. 1, element 2) positioned above the first housing layer (fig. 1, element 3) and formed in part by a second plurality of frame members of the protective housing (see reproduced fig. 1 above), a power charger is able to receive power (from AC outlet or from on-board charger of the EV) and convert the received power into a high-voltage power supplied to a high-voltage junction box (claims 1 and 2; high voltage junction box); and
a third housing layer (fig. 1, element 1) positioned above the second housing layer and formed in part by a third plurality of frame members (see fig. 1 above), the third housing layer to support the high-voltage junction box electrically coupled to at least a first distribution unit of the one or more distribution units and the power charger (page 2; the housing 1 comprising an upper side panels 11, 12 and the upper cover plate 13 on the composition of the housing is provided with a high voltage junction box 4).
Liu does not disclose the second housing layer to support and protect a power charger. However, changing the location of the power charger from the location shown by Liu to a location on the second housing layer, absent any criticality, is only considered to be an obvious modification of the Liu’s device that a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would be able to provide using routine experimentation since the courts have held that there is no invention in shifting the position if the operation of the device would not be thereby modified. See In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950) and MPEP 2144.04 VI.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-15 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZIXUAN ZHOU whose telephone number is (571)272-6739. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
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/ZIXUAN ZHOU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859 03/30/2026