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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is in response to Application No. 18/270,582 to Matsumura et al., assigned to Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd., Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd., Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., Japan, filed 06//30/2023, and published as (U.S. PG Publication 2024/0063497), published 02/22/2024.
This application is a 35 U.S.C. § 371 National Stage entry of International Patent Application PCT/JP2022/000173 filed 01/06/2022. It claims foreign priority from Japanese application Patent Application JP2021-006350 filed 01/19/2021.
Status of the Claims
The status of the claims filed on 06/30/2023 stand as follows:
Original 1-4, 6, 8,
Currently amended 5, 7, 9-11
Claims 1-11 are currently pending in this application. All pending claims are under full consideration.
Foreign Priority Benefit
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim to foreign priority benefit from Japanese Patent Application JP2021-006350 filed 01/19/2021. A certified copy of the priority document has been filed and is made of record.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 06/30/2023 has been placed in the application file and the information referred to therein has been considered by the examiner. A duly initialed and signed copy is attached herewith. Accordingly, information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered if signed and initialed by Examiner.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 06/30/2023 are acceptable for examination purposes
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.
Claim 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takahashi et al. (U.S. PG Publication 2021/0408633) in view of Nakayama (U.S. PG Publication 2015/0357620)
Regarding claim 1 Takahashi discloses a wiring module WM to be attached to an upper side of a plurality of power storage element 21 (Takahashi paragraph 0009, Fig. 15, 19). The wiring module WM comprises a busbar that is connected to the electrode terminals 22N, 22P of the plurality of power storage elements 21 (Takahashi Fig. 1, 2, paragraph 0066).
A flexible printed circuit 40 has a main body 41 including plurality of conductive paths 42 formed using copper foil, and an insulating resin films 43 (Takahashi paragraph 0074); the insulating resin film is equivalent to the flexible substrate; and the conductive paths are equivalent to the circuit substrate that is connected to the flexible substrate.
Takahashi is silent about a protector on which the busbar, the flexible substrate and the circuit substrate are placed.
Nakayama discloses a battery wiring module to be attached to a single cell group in which a plurality of single cells each having a positive electrode section and a negative electrode section are lined up, and to connect the electrode sections to each other; and a protector by which the connecting members are held (Nakayama paragraph 0007). The battery wiring module 20 includes a plurality of busbars 21, that correspond to the connecting members (Nakayama Fig. 1, 2, paragraph 0034), and the protector 30 that is formed of a synthetic resin accommodates the busbar and the voltage detection terminals (Nakayama paragraph 0034); thus, the busbars and the voltage detection terminals are placed on the protector.
Nakayama also discloses that although the busbars 21 serve as the connecting members, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and it is sufficient that the connecting members are electrically connectable members, and may be, for example, electrical wires, flexible printed substrate (FPC) or the like (Nakayama paragraph 0079); thus, the flexible printed substrate, the circuit and circuit substrate are all placed on the protector. Nakayama discloses the protector services to hold the connecting members (Nakayama paragraph 0007), and the configuration allows to improve workability of assembling the battery wiring module to the single cell group (Nakayama paragraph 0008).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the wiring module of Takahashi by the protector of Nakayama to improve workability of assembling the battery wiring module to the single cell group as taught by Nakayama (Nakayama paragraph 0008). According to the MPEP such a modification is considered use of known technique to improve similar devices (methods, or products) in the same way; (MPEP 2143 I C).
An upper surface of the flexible printed circuit 40 is disposed above an upper surface of the conductive member 30 welded to the electrode terminal 22 (Takahashi Fig. 1, paragraph 0137), the conductive member 30 is considered equivalent to the busbar; thus, the flexible printed circuit substrate is disposed on the upper surface of the busbar.
Regarding claim 2 the insulating resin film 43 (Takahashi paragraph 0074) equivalent to the flexible substrate include a plurality of conductive paths (Takahashi paragraph 0074) equivalent to the wiring part, a first connection piece that is overlaid on and connected to the upper surface of the conductive member 30 considered equivalent to the busbar, and a portion called the extension portion 33A that connects the connection part and the wiring part (Takahashi Fig. 9) considered equivalent to the bridge part.
Nakayama discloses the busbars 21 are placed on the protector 30 (Nakayama Fig. 7), equivalent to the protector has a busbar installation part on which the busbar is disposed. Nakayama also discloses electrical wires, flexible printed substrate (FPC) or the like are placed on the protector (Nakayama paragraph 0079) considered equivalent to the protector has a wiring surface on which a wiring part is placed. Nakayama discloses the protector 30 has through hole 22 (Nakayama Fig. 7) considered equivalent to the opening; and bus bar disposed inside the through hole 22 (Nakayama Fig. 7), the busbar having a bridge portion.
Regarding claim 3 Takahashi discloses in one embodiment the conductive member 30 and the flexible printed circuit 40 correspond a wiring member (Takahashi paragraph 0062), and discloses the flexible printed circuit 40 considered equivalent to the wiring surface is disposed on the upper surface of the busbar-side connection part (Takahashi Fig. 1, 2).
Regarding claim 4 Takahashi discloses a portion called the extension portion 33 that connects the connection part and the wiring part (Takahashi Fig. 9) considered equivalent to the bridge part and has a cutout part (i.e. from the main body 33).
Regarding claim 5 and 6 Nakayama discloses the protector 30 that is formed of a synthetic resin accommodates the busbar and the voltage detection terminals (Nakayama paragraph 0034) and flexible printed substrate (FPC) or the like are placed on the protector (Nakayama paragraph 0079) considered equivalent to the protector has a wiring surface on which a wiring part is placed.; thus, has an attachment part to which the flexible printed substrate is attached.
Nakayama discloses the protector by which the connecting members are held has a positioning section for positioning the connecting members (Nakayama paragraph 0007), considered equivalent to the claimed partition wall and the recessed part for holding the circuit substrate, and also blocking any inward flowing liquid.
Takahashi discloses the insulting resin film 43 (Takahashi paragraph 0074) equivalent to the flexible substrate include a plurality of conductive paths (Takahashi paragraph 0074) equivalent to the wiring part, a first connection piece that is overlaid on and connected to the upper surface of the conductive member 30 considered equivalent to the busbar, and a portion called the extension portion 33A that connects the connection part and the wiring part (Takahashi Fig. 9) the extension part is considered equivalent to the bridge part, and the wiring part is considered equivalent to the second connection piece.
Regarding claim 7, 8 and 9 Takahashi discloses the flexible printed circuit 40, FPC, include a main body portion 41 provided with joining portions 45 to which the conductive members are connected (Takahashi Fig. 12, paragraph 0076, 0077), the joining portions 45 are considered equivalent to the attachment part of claim 7. Takahashi discloses an insulating resin film 43 covering the two surfaces of FPC 40 including the conductive paths 42 in the body 41 of the flexible printed circuit 40, FPC, and the joining portions 45 equivalent to the attachment part (Takahashi Fig. 7, paragraph 0074) recited in claim 7; the insulating resin firm 43 is considered equivalent to a cover to cover the circuit from above. Thus, the insulating resin film is attached to the attachment part, and covers the circuit substrate from above. The insulating resin film is considered to be elastic material and cover the recessed portion as recited in claim 8.
Takahashi is silent about the cover provided with a closure part recited in claim 8. However, including a closure part would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill for a better protection of the conductive paths. Such a modification can be considered the use of known technique to improve similar devices (methods, or products) in the same way (MPEP 2143 I C).
The resin film equivalent to the cover has a main body (Takahashi Fig. 7), but is silent it has an overhang part having an upper part that is inclined so as to have a decreased heigh extending outward from the main body recited in claim 9. However, including an overhang part would provide a better covering of the conductive paths on the edge part and, therefore, would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art since it is considered the use of known technique to improve similar devices (methods, or products) in the same way (MPEP 2143 I C). Furthermore, having an inclined upper part is considered a mere change is shape , and according to the MPEP a change in shape is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. See MPEP 2144.04(IV).
Regarding claim 10 Takahashi discloses the insulting resin film 43 (Takahashi paragraph 0074) equivalent to the flexible substrate include a plurality of conductive paths (Takahashi paragraph 0074) equivalent to the wiring part, and has a first connection piece that is overlaid on and connected to the upper surface of the conductive member 30 considered equivalent to the busbar, and a portion called the extension portion 33A that connects the connection part and the wiring part (Takahashi Fig. 9) the connection part considered equivalent to the bridge part, and the wiring part considered equivalent to the second connection part; and the substrate-side connection is connected to the second connection since the wiring part is disposed on the flexible substrate (Takahashi paragraph 0074), and the two surfaces are flush with each other.
Regarding claim 11 Takahashi discloses a wiring module WM to be attached to an upper side of a plurality of power storage element 21 group in which a plurality of power storage elements each including two electrode terminals (Takahashi paragraph 0009, Fig. 15, 19), and the wiring module employed in a power storage module (Takahashi paragraph 0008) used as a driving source for a vehicle such as an electric car or a hybrid car (Takahashi paragraph 0062).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OMAR M KEKIA whose telephone number is (571)270-5918. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00am-5:00 pm,.
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/OMAR M KEKIA/Examiner, Art Unit 1722
/ANCA EOFF/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1722