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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/12/2023 has been considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
(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.
Claims 1-3 and 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chorian, et al. (US 2015/0207126 A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 3, Chorian teaches a traction battery (energy storage apparatus) including battery cells (energy storage device) having adjacent terminals and a busbar with a busbar holder attached to the terminals (¶ [0004], Ln. 1-5). In this case, the busbar includes the busbar holder and the direction the terminals are disposed in is the first direction. The busbar (108; bus bar body portion) completes an electrical connection between terminals (109a and 109b) of adjacent battery cells (104; energy storage devices) (¶ [0025], Ln. 10-12; Fig. 6 and 11). The busbar (108; bus bar body portion) is welded to the terminals (109a and 109b) (joint portion) (¶ [0027], Ln. 16-19). Busbar holders (106) assist in the positioning of the busbars (108; bus bar body portion) (¶ [0025], Ln. 9-10). The busbar holder (106) includes an arm (124) which, as shown in Figure 8, includes a portion erected in the first direction from the busbar (108; bus bar body portion), forming the first wall portion, and includes a portion extending from the first wall portion so as to overlap the busbar (108; bus bar body portion), forming the second wall portion (Fig. 8). The second wall portion intersects the first wall portion from an end portion of the first wall portion, the end portion opposite to the busbar (108; bus bar body portion) (Fig. 8).
Regarding claim 2, Chorian teaches all of the limitations of claim 1 above and further teaches that the arms (124; first and second wall portion) define apertures (125; openings) (¶ [0026], Ln. 9-10). As shown in Figure 8, the apertures (125; openings) penetrate in the first direction and are centered in the second wall portion of the arm (124), and as shown in Figure 11, the arm is centered over the terminals (109a and 109b), indicating that at least part of the apertures (125; openings) is disposed at a position overlapping the connection to the terminals (109a and 109b) (joint portion) (Fig. 8 and 11).
Regarding claim 5, Chorian teaches all of the limitations of claim 1 above and further teaches that the busbar (108; bus bar body portion) extends in a direction intersecting the first direction (second direction) beyond the arm (124) (protruding portion provided at a position not overlapping the second wall portion). As shown in Figure 11, part of the busbar (108; bus bar body portion) is connected to one terminal (109b) and positioned underneath an arm (124), and the rest of the busbar (108; bus bar body portion) extends to electrically connect to the next terminal (109a), protruding in the second direction and not overlapping the arm (124) that is positioned above the first terminal (109b).
Regarding claim 6, Chorian teaches all of the limitations of claim 1 above and further teaches that the busbar (108; bus bar body portion) is bonded to and electrically connects second battery cells having an adjacent pair of terminals (arranged side by side) (¶ [0003], Ln. 1-3).
Claims 1, 3, and 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yoichi, et al. (JP 2013/196932 A), cited on IDS.
Regarding claims 1 and 3, Yoichi teaches a secondary battery device including a plurality of battery cells (12; energy storage device) each having an electrode terminal (22a and 22b) and arranged side by side, and a plurality of connection bus bars (56) to electrically connect the electrode terminals of the battery cells (¶ [0006], Ln. 1-3). The connection bus bars include a fusing portion, a wiring portion connected to the plurality of connection bus bars and for detecting voltage, and an insulating member arranged over the fusing portion of the connection bus bar and positioned between the fusing portion and the wiring portion (¶ [0006], Ln. 3-6) (Fig. 4 and 7c). The direction of the terminals is considered the first direction. As shown in Figure 7c, the bus bar (56) includes a flat connection portion (77; bus bar body portion), with a connection opening (60; joint portion) (¶ [0025], Ln. 1-2) for engaging with the electrode terminals (¶ [0031], Ln. 4-5). The bus bar (56) also includes a turn portion (78; first wall portion) extending upward (in the first direction) from the connection portion (77; bus bar body portion), and a fusing portion (79; second wall portion) extended from the turn portion (78; first wall portion) (¶ [0025], Ln. 1-4). As shown in Figure 7c, the fusing portion (79; second wall portion) extends from the end portion of the turn portion (78; first wall portion) in a direction intersecting the first direction, and overlaps the connection portion (77; bus bar body portion) when viewed from the first direction (Fig. 7c).
Regarding claim 5, Yoichi teaches all of the limitations of claim 1 above and further teaches a connection piece (81; protruding portion) extending from the connection portion (77; bus bar body portion) (¶ [0025], Ln. 5-6). As shown in Figure 7c, the connection piece (81; protruding portion) does not overlap the fusing portion (79; second wall portion) when viewed from the first direction and protrudes in a direction intersecting the first direction.
Regarding claim 6, Yoichi teaches all of the limitations of claim 1 above and further teaches that the bus bars electrically connect the electrode terminals of adjacent battery cells (arranged side by side) (¶ [0009], Ln. 6-7).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoichi, et al. (JP 2013/196932 A), as applied to claim 1 above.
Regarding claim 4, Yoichi teaches all of the limitations of claim 1 above and further teaches an insulating sheet disposed to cover and overlap the connection bus bars (¶ [0040], Ln. 3-6). Additionally, Yoichi teaches that the insulating sheet may be an insulating molding or adhesive, and that the connection bus bars may be embedded in the insulating molding or adhesive (¶ [0040], Ln. 7-9). Yoichi teaches that it is possible to selectively fuse the fusion portions of the bus bars when current is flowing, and that the insulating sheet keeps the connection bus bars warm, promoting the melting of the melting parts (¶ [0051], Ln. 1-9). Yoichi does not expressly teach that the insulating sheet is disposed between the connection portion (77; bus bar body portion) and the fusing portion (79; second wall portion).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the insulating sheet of Yoichi to be disposed between the connection portion (77; bus bar body portion) and the fusing portion (79; second wall portion). Yoichi teaches that the insulating sheet may be insulating molding or adhesive, and that the bus bars may be embedded in the insulating molding or adhesive, which would likely dispose the insulating sheet between the connection portion (77; bus bar body portion) and the fusing portion (79; second wall portion). Further, as the insulating sheet keeps the connection bus bars warm, promoting the melting of the melting parts, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that the insulating sheet should cover the fusing portion (79; second wall portion) of the bus bar. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to include the insulating sheet between the connection portion (77; bus bar body portion) and the fusing portion (79; second wall portion) to keep the fusing portion (79; second wall portion) warm and promote the selective fusing of fusion portions of the bus bar.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SARAH J JACOBSON whose telephone number is (703)756-1647. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm.
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/SARAH J JACOBSON/Examiner, Art Unit 1785
/MARK RUTHKOSKY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1785