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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Fifth Embodiment, claims 1-5, 7, 10 in the reply filed on 2/27/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the requirement is improper at least because the Office Action only provided a list of five embodiments/species and related portions in the present specification and does not list the different groups of claims, as required in MPEP 1893.03 (d). This argument is not persuasive because the unity of invention as discussed in MPEP 1893.03 (d) refers to different categories of invention, and not species.
Applicant further argues that there are several additional technical features common to all of the first to fifth embodiments (species), such as the technical features recited in generic claims 2-5, and 10, that were not considered when determining special technical features.
This is found persuasive. Hence, it is noted that claims 1-5, and 10 are generic.
All the embodiments lack unity of invention because even though the inventions of these groups require the technical features of claims 1-5 and 10, these features are not special features as it does not make a contribution over the prior art in view of Ohkura (US 2010/0271223) in view of Zeng (US 2018/0198110) and Gotoh (US 2017/0179460). See rejections below.
Applicant further argues there is no serious burden in examining all the pending claims. This is not found persuasive because the unity of invention analysis is applicable in national stage applications, and not an independent and distinct analysis. See MPEP 1893.03(d).
Priority
Acknowledgement has been made of applicant’s claim for priority under 35 USC 119 (a-d). The certified copy has been filed on 5/3/2023.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) filed 5/3/2023 has been placed in the application file and the information referred to therein has been considered.
Drawings
The drawings received 5/3/2023 are acceptable for examination purposes.
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, 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by Ohkura (US 2010/0271223).
Figure 7 of Ohkura. Regarding claim 1, Ohkura discloses a wiring module that is attached to a plurality of power storage elements 10, comprising:
a bus bar 40 that is connected to electrode terminals of the plurality of power storage elements;
an electric wire 52; and
a circuit substrate 50 that connects the bus bar 40 and one end of the electric wire 52, wherein a conductive path is routed on the circuit substrate 50, and
the conductive path includes: a busbar land 42 (one of the attachment portions 42 not connected to the wire 51) connected to the bus bar 40, an electric wire land 42 (another of the attachment portions 42 connected to the wire 51) connected to the electric wire 52, and a fuse portion 60 provided between the busbar land and the electric wire land. It is noted that the fuse 60 is located between the pair of attachment portions 42 from a sideview (in the y-direction). See figure 7.
Regarding claim 10, the wiring module is a vehicle wiring module that is mounted and used in a vehicle. See figure 14.
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.
Claims 2-5 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ohkura (US 2010/0271223) as applied to claim 1, in view of Zeng (US 2018/0198110) and Gotoh (US 2017/0179460).
Ohkura does not disclose a protector as claimed in claims 2-5.
In particular, Ohkura does not disclose in claim 2, further comprising a protector that holds the bus bar, the circuit substrate, and the electric wire. Zeng teaches a battery connection module comprising an insulating frame (Applicant’s protector), a plurality of bus bars, a circuit board, a plurality of extension connecting tabs that connect with the bus bars [0044, 0046]. The circuit board comprises circuit traces that electrically connect with the plurality of extension tabs [0047]. The insulating frame is used to be provided on the plurality of batteries and has a body accommodating grooves correspondingly accommodating the plurality of busbars and limiting the plurality of busbars in position [0045].
Regarding claim 4, the circuit substrate includes an engagement portion, and the protector includes a substrate engaging portion that engages with the engagement portion, Zeng teaches the insulating frame 2 has a plurality of protruding posts 23 protruding from the body 21 and the insulating substrate of the circuit board has a plurality of positioning holes correspondingly accommodating the plurality of positions posts, so that the circuit board and the insulating frame are positioned relative to each other [0050].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art at the time the invention was made to add an insulating frame with its protruding posts and their corresponding holes to the wiring module of Ohkura, as taught by Zeng, for the benefit of further stabilizing all the components of Ohkura’s wiring module.
Regarding claim 5, Zeng teaches further comprising a connector 10 that is connected to the other end of the electric wire, wherein the connector is held by the protector 2, 23, to be used to externally connect with a plug [0050]. Figure 4. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art at the time the invention was made to form the connector of Ohkura to be held by the protector, as taught by Zeng, for the benefit of having the flexibility of positioning the connector at a different location on the battery module, depending on the space availability of the electronic device being used.
Regarding claim 2, Ohkura modified by Zeng does not teach wherein the protector includes an electric wire engaging portion that engages with the electric wire. Gotoh teaches a wiring module having an electric wire holding portion 49 is integrally formed in the inner surface of the side wall 43A or the side wall 43B in the electric wire routing portion 4. The electric wire holding portion 49 is formed into a plate-like shape, which protrudes in parallel with the bottom wall 41 from the inner surface of the side wall 43A or the side wall 43B so as to provide a space in which the voltage detection wires 5 can be held between the electric wire holding portion 49 and the bottom wall 41. Due to the electric wire holding portion 49, intermediate parts of the voltage detection wires 5 extending from the tip portions of the voltage detection wires 5 held in the electric wire tip holding portion 27 of the bus bar reception portion 26 can be retained in the electric wire routing portion 4 in the state where the intermediate parts have been bent at least once [0041]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art at the time the invention was made to add an electric wire holding portion of Gotoh to the protector of Okura modified by Zeng, as taught by Gotoh, for the benefit of further stabilizing the wires of Ohkura modified by Zeng.
Regarding claim 3, two electric wire engaging portions are provided for the one electric wire land, and are disposed on two sides of the electric wire land, Ohkura discloses that the circuit board is attached to the attachment portions 32 of the busbars 40 by screws 54 in figure 8. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art at the time the invention was made to add a screws to either of the attachment portions of the bus bars in figure 7 for the benefit of attaching the attachment portions of the bus bars to the circuit board. The screw reads on Applicant’s wire engaging portion disposed on one side of the electric wire land. Further, Gotoh teaches a wiring module having an electric wire holding portion 49 is integrally formed in the inner surface of the side wall 43A or the side wall 43B in the electric wire routing portion 4 [0041]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art at the time the invention was made to add an electric wire holding portion of Gotoh to the protector of Okura modified by Zeng, as taught by Gotoh, for the benefit of further stabilizing the wires of Ohkura modified by Zeng. Gotoh’s wire holding portion reads on Applicant’s wire engaging portion disposed on another side of the electric wire land.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ohkura (US 2010/0271223) as applied to claim 1, in view of Kozu (US 2005/0112456).
Regarding claim 7, Ohkura discloses the circuit substrate is a flexible printed substrate [0063]. Ohkura discloses the fuse portion, but does not disclose the fuse is formed by a pattern fuse. Kozu teaches a battery pack having a circuit substrate having a pattern fuse that has an irreversible current cutting function and stops current flow when the current exceeds a preset limit, so as to improve the reliability of the battery pack [0066].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art at the time the invention was made to form the Ohkura’s fuse of pattern fuse on the circuit substrate, as taught by Kozu, for the benefit of reliably cutting current when current exceeds a preset limit.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CYNTHIA KYUNG SOO WALLS whose telephone number is (571)272-8699. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F until 5pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jonathan Leong can be reached at 571-270-1292. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CYNTHIA K WALLS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1751
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