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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1, 2, and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Amended claim 1 recites that the thermal expansion structure is formed by both coating or spray coating a layer of thermal expansion material on a periphery of each hole, and attaching a layer of thermal expansion material on a non-woven fabric and then pasting on a periphery of each hole. The specification does not have support for using coating or spray coating and attaching at the same time.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1, 2, and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Uchiumi et al. (JP 2013-246920 A, hereinafter Uchiumi, previous cited) in view of Ohba et al. (CN 102859820 A, hereinafter Ohba, previous cited).
Re Claim 1. Uchiumi teaches a flameproof electronic device (Fig. 1 & 2), comprising:
a housing (item 2), having an accommodation space and a pair of vents (item 21);
an electronic assembly (items 1 & 11), disposed in the accommodation space of the housing, wherein at least a portion of the electronic assembly is separated from the housing (Fig. 1 & 2) and a flow channel (a space between items 2 and 11) is enclosed by the electronic assembly and an internal surface of the housing, and the flow channel is extended between the pair of vents; and
a thermal-expandable structure (item 3), arranged in the accommodation space of the housing and corresponding to at least one of the vents,
wherein the thermal-expandable structure is configured to expand to seal the vent correspondingly when the thermal-expandable structure is heated to greater than or equal to a predetermined temperature (P3),
wherein a grid (Fig. 5-7) is arranged on the vent and the thermal-expandable structure is attached on the grid and located at an inner side of the housing,
wherein a plurality of holes (Fig. 5-7) is defined on the grid, and the thermal-expandable structure is formed by coating or spray coating (a product-by-process limitation) a layer of thermal expansion material on a periphery of each hole (Fig. 5-7),
wherein a plurality of holes (Fig. 5-7) is defined on the grid, and the thermal-expandable structure is formed by attaching a layer of thermal expansion material on a periphery of each hole (Fig. 5-7).
Uchiumi fails to specifically teach that the thermal-expandable structure is formed by attaching a layer of thermal expansion material on a non-woven fabric and then pasting on a periphery of each hole.
The invention of Ohba encompasses fireproof structure. Ohba teaches the thermal-expandable structure is formed by attaching a layer of thermal expansion material on a non-woven fabric (para. 16).
In view of Ohba, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the invention of Uchiumi to employ a layer of thermal expansion material attached on a non-woven fabric, since using a known configuration of the thermal-expandable structure is within purview of one skill in the art.
Re Claim 2. The combination teaches wherein the electronic assembly comprises a battery cell (Uchiumi, P2).
Re Claim 7. The combination teaches wherein the thermal-expandable structure is configured to expand to seal the plurality of holes (Uchiumi, P3).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/8/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
On pages 7 and 8, regarding claim 1, applicant argued that Ohba fails to teach attaching a layer of thermal expansion material on a non-woven fabric and then pasting on a periphery of each hole, since Ohba teaches to completely fill the gap around the wires and the housing.
The examiner disagrees with this because Uchiumi already teaches that a layer of thermal expansion material on a periphery of each hole. The examiner is relying on Ohba for its teaching of attaching a layer of thermal expansion material on a non-woven fabric, to be used as the thermal-expandable structure. Therefore, one modifying Uchiumi in view of Ohba would use a layer of thermal expansion material on a non-woven fabric of Ohba around the periphery of each hole.
In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986).
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.
The rejections above rely on the references for all the teachings expressed in the text of the references and/or one of ordinary skill in the art would have reasonably understood from the texts. Only specific portions of the texts have been pointed out to emphasize certain aspects of the prior art, however, each reference as a whole should be reviewed in responding to the rejection, since other sections of the same reference and/or various combinations of the cited references may be relied on in future rejections in view of amendments.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN E YOON whose telephone number is (571)270-5932. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9 AM- 5 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Keith Walker can be reached at 571-272-3458. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KEVIN E YOON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1735
12/17/2025