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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1-7 are pending in the current application.
Claims 13-15 are withdrawn from consideration in the current application.
Claims 1, 6, 7 are amended or new in the current application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s amendments and remarks filed on July 29, 2026 have been fully considered.
Applicant argues that the applied prior art of record does not meet the claim limitations because the support bracket 50 does not extend upward from an edge of the lower case bottom surface (Claim 1). Moreover, Applicant argues that the connector 14 and the inclined surface 13 are provided on the upper case 11 and are not provided on the lower case side surface (Claim 2).
This is not persuasive for the following reasons. During patent examination, the pending claims must be “given the broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the specification” by giving words their plain meaning unless the specification provides a clear definition. See In re Prater 415 F.2d 1393 1404-05 162 USPQ 541 and In re Zletz 893 F.2d 319, 321, 13 USPQ2d 1320. The support bracket, fixing part and lower case side surface constitute the lower case side surface in claim 1 (ninth full paragraph of Page 4). The support bracket 50 does extend upward from an edge of the lower case bottom surface, as illustrated in Fig. 1 below, and the connector 14 and the inclined surface are provided on the lower case side surface, even if the lower case side surface extends into the upper case. The limitation regarding the lower case side surface is that it extends upward from an edge of the lower case bottom surface (Claim 1 of Applicant); the claims do not require that the lower case side surface is constrained to the lower case only. Thus, under Broadest Reasonable Interpretation, Hoon does meet the limitations of Claim 2.
Applicant’s remaining arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 6-7 are considered moot in light of the new grounds of rejection, which were necessitated by Applicant’s amendments.
Examiner Note
It is noted that aII references hereinafter to Applicant's specification ("spec") are to the published application US-2024-0106049-A1 unless stated otherwise. Further, any italicized text utilized hereinafter is to be interpreted as emphasis placed thereupon.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) filed 06 September 2023, 07 February 2024, and 31 December 2025 are in compliance with 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 and have been considered.
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.
Claims 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hoon (KR-20190101263-A; “Hoon”) (copy and machine translation provided herewith; translation relied upon).
Regarding claim 1, Hoon teaches an upper (last paragraph of Page 2) and lower case for housing a battery (first full paragraph of Page 1). From the annotated Fig. 1 below, part 10 (the lower case) has an upper side that is open (please see Drawing 2 on Page 28, reproduced below as Fig. 1). The upper case is assembled on the upper side of the lower case (please see first paragraph of Page 3 and Fig. 1 below, which is an annotated reproduction of Drawing 2 on Page 28). Moreover, Hoon teaches a bottom surface in the lower case where the batteries are mounted (first full paragraph of Page 1). The bottom surface is part 17 of Fig. 1 (please see Drawing 2 of Page 28). Hoon indicates a support bracket 50 connected downwards from ends of the support 52 (please see Drawing 2 on Page 28 and the seventh full paragraph of Page 4). The ends are fixed to the case surface extending upward from the bottom case surface (ninth full paragraph of Page 4). The image shows that the ends of the support bracket would pass below a position in the disposed battery module, cut downward in such a way that a height of the lower case side surface becomes lower than a height of a module terminal of the battery (please see Drawing 5 on Page 30 for the support bracket and Drawings 2 and 3 on Pages 28 and 29, respectively, for its location in the battery case). The support bracket, fixing part and lower case side surface constitute the lower case side surface in claim 1 (ninth full paragraph of Page 4), while the side is a side where the module terminal is disposed (see Fig. 1 below). Moreover, as shown in Fig. 1 below, the lower case side surface does form an outer shell of the battery case, even if only partly. During patent examination, the pending claims must be “given the broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the specification” by giving words their plain meaning unless the specification provides a clear definition. See In re Prater 415 F.2d 1393 1404-05 162 USPQ 541 and In re Zletz 893 F.2d 319, 321, 13 USPQ2d 1320. Even if part of the lower case side surface extends into the interior of the battery, Fig. 1 below shows that the lower case side surface does include a segment that forms an outer shell of the battery case.
[AltContent: textbox (Upper Extension Surface (part 13 of Hoon))][AltContent: textbox (Upper Case Side Surface (parts 11a and 13 of Hoon))][AltContent: textbox (Cut Part Side Surface)]
[AltContent: arrow]
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (14: Connector)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: connector][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]
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media_image1.png
200
400
media_image1.png
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[AltContent: textbox (Inclined part that is connected to a cut part side surface (50 – supporting member) )]
[AltContent: textbox (Connector side surface )]
[AltContent: textbox (Cut Parts)]
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (10: enclosure; 11: upper case; 12, 16: flange portions; 11a: higher step; 13: inclined surface
14: connector; 14a: support panel; 15: lower case
17: bottom surface; 20: middle panel
21: Center Bead; 23: Mounting Bead
25: Supporting Bead; 27: Stud Bolt
30: battery module; 32: plurality of battery cells; 35: hold down bracket
38: combined beads; 39: bolt hole
40: electrical components; 50: support bracket
60: cooling plate;
Z1: first space to mount battery module
Z2: second space to mount battery module)]
[AltContent: arrow]
[AltContent: textbox (Edge of Lower Case Bottom Surface)]
Fig 1. Battery Case Parts
[AltContent: textbox (Lower case side surface)]
Regarding claim 2, Hoon teaches a connector panel (14a) that is supported by a fixing part (55), which is configured to the shape of the upper inner surface of the lower case and is welded to the lower case surface (sixth full paragraph of Page 4). The lower case side surface, which is the support 52 in Fig. 2, thus includes a connector side surface and connector (please see Fig. 1 below). Hoon teaches an incline present in the upper case cover, along which the connector is disposed (eighth full paragraph of Page 4 and second full paragraph of Page 3). Hoon teaches a means of connection to the battery module that is disposed outside the terminal (eighth full paragraph of Page 4)
Regarding claim 3, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the height of the connector side surface is higher than the height of the cut surface (see Fig. 1 below). Moreover, the inclined side surface is angled away from the cut side surface toward an upper end of the connector side surface (the fixed part 55 and support 50 – please see Drawing 5 on Page 30 for the support, reproduced as Fig. 2 below, and Fig. 1 below).
Regarding claim 4, the connector side surfaces are also angled such that the inclined part approaches both the connector and the connector side surface (please see Drawing 2 on Page 28) and the width of the connector side surface is larger than the width of battery pack (please see Drawing 2 on Page 28, reproduced below in Fig. 1). Moreover, Hoon shows in Fig. 2 below that a plurality of cut parts are joined to form a bridge that supports the connector side surface, which is between the ends of the cut parts in the lower case (the fixing part 55).
Regarding claim 5, Hoon teaches a means of connection to the battery module that is disposed outside the terminal (eighth full paragraph of Page 4). Furthermore, the inclined part connected to a cut part side surface provided with the cut part is shown in the annotated figure, Fig. 1.
[AltContent: textbox (Cut Part)][AltContent: textbox (Cut Part)][AltContent: connector][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (50: support bracket; 52: support; 53: boss; 55: fixing part)]
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525
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Fig 2. Supporting member 50 and anchoring and fixing connector panel
Regarding Claim 6, Hoon teaches the lower case bottom surface and the lower case side surface are continuous with each other at the edge of the lower case bottom surface (please refer to Fig. 1 above for these labeled parts).
Regarding Claim 7, Hoon teaches the upper case includes an upper case side surface and an upper extension surface, wherein the extension surface is part of the upper case side surface and extends downward so as to match the cut part of the lower case (please refer to the labeled Fig. 1 above which shows these features).
Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
• KR-20190118571-A to MOTOYAMA SHIGEKI – Battery and Accessory
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM FADDOUL SAVAGE whose telephone number is (571)270-0315. The examiner can normally be reached 8a.m.-5p.m..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Aaron Austin can be reached on 571-272-8935. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WILLIAM FADDOUL SAVAGE/
Examiner, Art Unit 1782
/AARON AUSTIN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1782
