DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
This is the first office action regarding application number 17/990,732, filed 11/20/2022.
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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Group 1, Species A in the reply filed on 11/24/2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that amended claim 8 and 11 now recite an identical technical feature of “a protrusion is provided along an outer circumference of the through groove” of claim 1. This is not found persuasive because the restriction is not based off technical features nor does it rely on non-overlapping limitations; rather, the restriction is based off independent and distinct species that are not obvious variants based on the current record. Accordingly, it is unclear how the amendments to claims 8 and 11 address the restriction.
Claims 5-17 are withdrawn for being directed to a non-elected invention.
Claims 1-4 have been fully considered in examination.
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 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yamamoto (JP-2018129280-A) (refer to enclosed translations for citations).
Regarding claim 1,
Yamamoto teaches a current collecting member (Fig. 17, 10; [0083]), comprising:
a connecting structure (Fig. 17, vertical portion of 10) comprising a through groove (Fig. 17, S1; [0080]),
wherein the through groove S1 extends along a length direction (Fig. 17, vertical direction) of the connecting structure (Fig. 17, vertical portion of 10),
and a protrusion (Fig. 17, projection 18; [0065]) is provided along an outer circumference (Fig. 17, perimeter of S1) of the through groove S1.
Regarding claim 2,
Yamamoto teaches the current collecting member according to claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above), wherein the current collecting member satisfies at least one of the following conditions (a) to (f):
(a) the current collecting 10 member further comprises a lead-out structure (Fig. 17, 16; [0041]), and the connecting structure (Fig. 17, vertical portion of 10) is substantially perpendicular (see Fig. 17 and [0051]; wherein 16 is bent at an “L shape” such that the vertical portion of 10 is perpendicular to 16) to the lead-out structure 16;
(b) the protrusion 18 is a continuous protrusion (see Fig. 17, wherein 18 is single, continuous structure) distributed along (wherein 18 is along at least a portion of the groove S1) the outer circumference of the through groove (Fig. 17, perimeter of S1);
Regarding claim 3,
Yamamoto teaches the current collecting member according to claim 2 (see rejection of claim 2 above), wherein the protrusion 18 protrudes in a direction (see Fig. 17, wherein 18 protrudes horizontally to the right) away (Fig. 17, wherein 16 and 18 protrude in opposite directions) from the lead-out structure (see Fig. 17, wherein 16 protrudes horizontally to the left)
Regarding claim 4,
Yamamoto teaches the current collecting member according to claim 2 (see rejection of claim 2 above), wherein the connecting structure (Fig. 17, vertical portion of 10) and the lead-out structure (Fig. 17, 16) are integrally formed (see Fig. 17 and [0051], wherein the structures thereof are integrally formed, formed by “bending a metal plate”).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Jiangsu (US-20230123940-A1), relevant to an alternate disclosure of a through groove with projections and protective members (see Fig. 16).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL WYROUGH whose telephone number is (571)272-4806. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 10am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, TIFFANY LEGETTE can be reached on (571) 270-7078. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PAUL CHRISTIAN ST WYROUGH/Examiner, Art Unit 1728
/TIFFANY LEGETTE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1723
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