DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
This is the first office action regarding application number 18/061,891, filed 12/05/2022.
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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claim 1-8 and 18-20 in the reply filed on 10/23/2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 9-17 are hereby withdrawn for being directed to a non-elected invention.
Claims 1-8 and 18-20 have been fully considered in examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 4 recites “wherein the terminal bends”; however, it is unclear which terminal “the terminal” refers to as claim 4 introduces at least two terminals. Claim 4 is interpreted as “wherein a first terminal that electrically connects to a second positive terminal of the battery cell is provided on a bottom side of the insulation, and wherein the first terminal bends and is provided through a gap of the insulation layer to contact the first PCB”.
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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
Claims 1, 4, and 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ke (CN-113571828-A) in view of Jiang (CN-216958173-U) (refer to enclosed translations for citations).
Regarding claim 1,
Ke teaches a battery pack (see Fig. 1) comprising:
a housing (Fig. 1, 10 [0094]);
a battery cell (Fig. 2, 20; [0094]) contained within the housing 10;
a first printed circuit board (PCB) (Fig. 2. 40a; [0096]) within the housing 10;
an output interface (Fig. 2, ports 70a/b) provided on the first PCB 40a;
a second PCB within the housing (Fig. 2, 40b; [0094]);
a switch (Fig. 2, 40 b-1; [0096]) provided on the second PCB (Fig. 2, 40 b-1);
a temperature sensor (Fig. 1, 70; [0092]) provided on (see https://www.thefreedictionary.com/ON; used to indicate proximity) the second PCB 40b;
and a controller (Fig. 1, wherein 40a must have circuit dedicated to controlling the battery functions described in [0070]) positioned on the first PCB 40a and operable to: receive an input signal from the the switch [0070], determine a condition based on the input signal, and provide, in response to determining the condition, a visual indication via the indicator
Ke fails to teach an indicator provided on the first PCB; the controller operable to determine a condition based on the input signal, and provide, in response to determining the condition, a visual indication via the indicator
Jiang teaches an indicator (Fig. 4, 351; [0202], “indicator light…may display different colors”) provided on a first PCB (Fig. 4, 350; [0202]);
a controller (Fig. 4, circuit on 350 responsible for determining color as described in [020]) operable to determine a condition based on the input signal ([0201], signal from button press actuated by user), and provide, in response to determining the condition ([0202], “display different colors …to display power level of battery cell”, wherein a power level is a condition), a visual indication ([0202], “color”) via the indicator 351. It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to incorporate the indicator, and the corresponding control circuit for operating the indicator, to display to the user, via colors, the charge status of the device, as suggested by Jiang [0202], to improve human-computer interaction experience (Jiang, [0202]).
Regarding claim 4,
Ke in view of Jiang teaches the battery pack of claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above), wherein an insulation layer (Fig. 3, frame 30; [0080], “frame”; [0082], “insulating material”) provided parallel to the first PCB (Fig. 3, 40a, wherein 30 is parallel to 40a), wherein a terminal (Fig. 3, 50; [0076]) that electrically connects [0076] to a positive terminal of the battery cell (Fig. 3, leftmost side of 20; [0076]) is provided on a bottom side of the insulation (Fig. 3, wherein the left side of 30 may be the bottom side, and wherein 50 is provided on the left side of 30), and wherein the terminal bends (Fig. 3, wherein 50 is bent) and is provided through a gap (Fig. 3, O1; [0080]) of the insulation layer 30 to contact (see Fig. 3 and [0076]) the first PCB (Fig. 3, 40a; [0076]).
Regarding claim 6,
Ke in view of Jiang teaches the battery pack of claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above), wherein the output interface 70a/yb is a universal serial bus (USB) port (see Fig. 1, wherein 70a/70b are USB ports).
Regarding claim 7,
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Ke in view of Jiang teaches the battery pack of claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above), wherein the housing 1 is provided within a first end face (annotated Fig. 1, first end face), a second end face (annotated Fig. 1, second end face ), a curved surface (annotated Fig. 1, curved surface), and a flat surface (annotated Fig. 1, flat surface ), and wherein the curved surface (annotated Fig. 1, curved surface) and the flat surface (annotated Fig. 1, flat surface) are provided between (annotated Fig. 1, wherein curved and flat surfaces are between the end faces) the two end faces (annotated Fig. 1, first and second end face).
Regarding claim 8,
Ke in view of Jiang the battery pack of claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above), wherein the input signal (Fig. 2, signal from actuating 40b-1; [0096]) is received by the controller (Fig. 2, portion of circuit on 40a responsible for integrating wake-up switch signal from 40b-1; see [0070] and [0096-0098]) from the switch 40b-1 in response to a user actuating ([0096], “user…pressing operation”) an actuator (Fig. 2. 10a-1; [0099]) provided on the housing 10 of the battery pack (see Fig. 1), and wherein the input signal is received by the controller ([0070], circuit responsible for integrating input signal)
However, Wang fails to teach an input signal from the output interface in response to a device being connected to the output interface. Jiang teaches an input signal ([0202], configured to display charge level such that a signal of depletion is obtained from the output interface) from the output interface (Fig. 4, discharge interface 720 wherein discharging produces a signal of depletion; [0204]) in response to a device ([0204], “second device”) being connected to the output interface 720 [0204]. It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to incorporate the control circuit responsible for displaying charge status, as suggested by Jiang, in order to improve human-computer interaction experience (Jiang, [0202]).
Claims 2 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ke (CN-113571828-A) in view of Jiang (CN-216958173-U) and Lecker (JP-2019204770-A) (refer to enclosed translations for citations).
Regarding claim 2,
Ke in view of Jiang teaches the battery pack of claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above), wherein the indicator 351 is a color changing [0202] light (see Fig. 4, lights 351; [0202]). Ke is silent to the light being an LED. Lecker teaches an LED (Fig. 2, 15; [0016], “LED”). It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to use an LED for the light of Ke in view of Jiang, as Lecker teaches an LED as an acceptable embodiment of visual indication [0007].
Regarding claim 3,
Ke in view of Jiang teaches the battery pack of claim 2 (see rejection of claim 1 above), but fails to teach wherein the output interface is surrounded on all sides by a transparent window, and wherein the LED provides the visual indication through the transparent window. Lecker teaches wherein a output interface (Fig. 2, leftmost surface/interface of external connector 1; [0015]) surrounded on all sides (see Fig. 2, leftmost surface of 1 surrounded on all sides by 33) by a transparent window (Fig. 2, 33/77/73; [0015], “window hole”, wherein a hole is transparent, and 33/77/73 define the window light passes through), and wherein a LED (Fig. 2, 15; [0016], “LED”) provides the visual indication ([0007], wherein light source 15 provides visual indication of the position of the external connector 1) through the transparent window (see Fig. 2 and [0023], wherein light from 15 passes through at least a portion of 33/77/73). It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to modify the LED of Ke in view of Jiang and Lecker such that it surrounds the output interface 36 and has a transparent window, as suggested by Lecker, in order to better indicate the position of the output interface to as user (Lecker; [0007]).
Claims 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ke (CN-113571828-A) in view of Jiang (CN-216958173-U) (refer to enclosed translations for citations) and Rejman (US-20190027720-A1).
Regarding claim 5,
Ke in view of Jiang teaches the battery pack of claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above), but fails to teach wherein the second PCB is a flexible PCB, and wherein the second PCB contacts a curved surface of the battery cell. Rejman teaches wherein the second PCB (Rejman, 812) is a flexible PCB (Rejman, 812; [0054], “flexible circuit board 812”), and wherein the second PCB 812 contacts a curved surface of the battery cell (Rejman, 812 wrapping around curved surface of 400) It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to modify the second circuit board of Ke such that it is flexible, as suggested by Rejman, in order to improve mechanical stability, wherein the second circuit board of Ke (see Fig. 2, 40b) is along the curved surface such that Ke in view of Rejman results in the second PCB contacting a curved surface of the battery (annotated Fig. 1, curved surface).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: US-20220285785-A1, relevant to an alternate disclosure of a two circuit board battery pack configuration.
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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/PAUL CHRISTIAN ST WYROUGH/Examiner, Art Unit 1728 /TIFFANY LEGETTE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1723