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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-4, 14 and 15 in the reply filed on 11/14/2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 5-13 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 11/14/2025.
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 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(s) 1-4, 14 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park (U.S. Patent Publication 2020/0280035) in view of Takanashi (JP Publication 2005-295628).
Regarding claims 1 and 14, Park discloses a battery pack including: at least one battery module including a plurality of battery cells and a module case having an accommodating space to accommodate the plurality of battery cells therein; and a pack housing including an upper case and a lower case, wherein the upper case and the lower case are combined with each other and sealed to maintain the inside thereof in a negative pressure state (Paragraph 0013). Park also discloses that an insert nut is provided in the lower case to help combine and seal the upper and lower cases together (Paragraph 0091).
Park fails to disclose that a pinhole is formed at a position adjacent to the insert nut and the pinhole is blocked, that the pinhole is formed by a pin for supporting the insert nut, and that the upper or lower case includes an injected molded plastic with the insert nut, the pin is formed in a mold used to form the injected molded plastic, and the insert nut is formed of a metal material, that the pinhole is formed in a protrusion from an inner surface of the case and is sealed at the end of the protrusion, and that the end of the pinhole away from the nut is sealed.
Regarding claims 2 and 3, Takanashi discloses a case 10 for holding electrical components comprising a body and a cover, and a functional part 20 made of synthetic resin on the peripheral wall of the case, with a fastening nut 30 made of metal embedded in the functional part (Paragraphs 0011-0013). Takanashi also discloses that when insert molding is performed using the nut as the insert, a slide pin 70 in engaged with a key groove 31 of the nut to position and hold the nut in place, then the pin is removed after molding to leave a pin removal hole 27, which is closed by a sealing member 90 (Paragraphs 0015, 0017, 0022). As to claim 4, Takanashi teaches that the functional part has different tubular parts 22, 24 that protrude away from the area where the nut is located and the pin removal hole is formed in the side of one tubular part, with the sealing member being formed at the end of the pin removal hole, or tubular part (Paragraph 0013 and Fig. 4). Regarding claim 15, Takanashi shows in Fig. 4 that the sealing member is placed at the end of the pin removal hole away from the nut.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention that the insert nut could be placed in the case of Park using the molding technique of Takanashi because Takanashi teaches that this method is commonly used for placing insert nuts into casings for electrical components. It also would have been obvious to have sealed the pin removal hole formed during the molding process because Takanashi teaches this allows for a tight seal of the casing so that nothing exits or enters the case. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that the case of Park could have the functional part arrangement of Takanashi within the inner part of the case with the pin removal hole being formed in a protrusion from the nut and sealed at the opposite end of the pin removal hole because Takanashi teaches that this arrangement prevents the need for a potting process to fill the hole and allows for several steps to be combined into one when inserting the nut and pin and removing the pin.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRITTANY L RAYMOND whose telephone number is (571)272-6545. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9 am-6 pm.
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BRITTANY L. RAYMOND
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1722
/BRITTANY L RAYMOND/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1722