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 regarding 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 is in response to applicant’s arguments and remark foiled 05/19/2026.
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
In the response filed on 05/19/2026 none of the claims of the application were amended. The claims of the application are as last filed on 06/30/2023.
Claims 1-11 are currently pending in this application. All pending claims are under full consideration.
Claim Rejections – 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35 U.S. Code not included in this section can be found in the prior Office Action.
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)
This rejection was presented in the previous non-final Office action dated 03/04/2026, and is maintained in this Office action.
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 0062, 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 IC). 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).
Response to Argument
In the response filed on 05/19/2026 applicant traverses the previously presented rejection of claim 1 under 103 over Takahashi et al. (U.S. PG Pub. 2021/0408633) in view of Nakayama (U.S. PG Pub 2015/0357620). Applicant refers to Fig. 4 of Takahashi and notes that the bus-bar side connection part 36 has an upper surface that is positioned vertically above the upper surface of the circuit substrate and concludes that Takahashi fails to disclose, “an upper surface of circuit substrate is disposed above an upper surface of the busbar-side connection.”
Examiner notes that the cited Fig. 4 shows the connection part of the connection protruding portion 36 of the conductive member 30, considered equivalent to the busbar, and the flexible printed circuit 40, wherein the protruding portion of the busbar is inserted into the hole of the flexible printed circuit, and the busbar has a part below the flexible printed circuit and a part that is above the flexible printed circuit. The part above the flexible printed circuit is an uppermost surface, and the part of the protruding portion below or under flexible printed circuit is also an upper surface of the busbar-side connection part. Also, in all the embodiments as shown in the different drawings of Takahashi an upper surface of the flexible printed circuit 40 is disposed above an upper surface of the conductive member 30 such as shown in Fig. 1-3. Both the upper surface of the circuit substrate and the upper surface of the busbar face each other and disposed one on the top of the other at the connection portion that also includes a protruding portion and a hole and the protruding portion is inserted into the hole for fitting the two components into a tight connection, while being disposed one above the other as recited in claim 1.
Having presented the disclosure of Takahashi examiner notes that applicant is arguing unclaimed subject matter. Claim 1 recites “…a flexible substrate that is connected to a busbar-side connection part provided on the busbar”, and then later recites, “…wherein an upper surface of the circuit substrate is disposed above an upper surface of the busbar-side connection part”. Therefore, the claim recites, “an upper surface of the busbar-side connection part” and not the uppermost surface. So that while the connection part of the busbar has a surface that is above the circuit substrate, it also has a surface that is below the circuit substrate. The claim allows for more than one “upper surface” and the thus defined busbar-side connection part includes an upper surface that is below the circuit substrate. Thus, Takahashi meets the limitation of claim 1 wherein an upper surface of the circuit substrate is disposed above an upper surface of the busbar-side connection part.
For reasons presented here, and in the previous non-final Office action the combined teaching of the applied references renders the claimed invention obvious. Thus, the previous presented rejection is still considered proper and is maintained in this Office action. The action is made final.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, NIKI BAKHTIARI can be reached at 571-272-3433. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/OMAR M KEKIA/Examiner, Art Unit 1722
/NIKI BAKHTIARI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1722
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