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 .
Summary
This is the second Office Action based on Application 18/308,354 and is in response to Applicant Arguments/Remarks filed 02/18/2026.
Claims 1-5 are currently pending, no claims have been amended. Claims 1-5 are currently pending and have been fully considered.
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) 1-3 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over FUKISHIMA (US 2023/0261332 A1) in view of KATAOKA (US 2018/0164382 A1) and TAKAHASHI (US 2022/0021083 A1).
With respect to claim 1. FUKISHIMA teaches a battery module 1 including a wiring module 10 (paragraph 0037). The wiring module 10 includes bus bars 30 connected to the electrode tabs 21, a flexible printed circuit board 60 connected to the bus bars 30, and a protector 70 that holds the bus bars 30 and the FPC 60 (paragraph 0042). A relay flexible printed circuit 50 and counterpart connectors 51 are proved at the end portions of the FPC 50 and fitted to the connectors 41 (paragraph 0042). The relay FPC 50 includes a base film 52A, and a plurality of conductive paths 53 (paragraph 0052). The FCP 40 includes a base film with a plurality of conductive paths 43 (paragraph 0047). The conductive parts then connect to the bus bar 30 (paragraph 0049). The conductive paths 43 and 53 then are taken to be the claimed electric wires on the main line circuit body and relay circuit body respectively.
FUKISHIMA does not explicitly teach an electronic component attached to a mounting face of the relay circuit body to connect the wiring pattern to the busbar.
KATAOKA teaches a connection conductor and a relay terminal that are electrically connected together (abstract). The relay terminal has a fusible part operable to fuse and break when an overcurrent flows through the fusible part (abstract). In response to overcurrent that flows when a voltage generated by the battery cell 2 is not less than the rated voltage value, the fusible part 52 blocks the overcurrent between the busbar 3 and the relay terminal 5, thus functioning as a fuse (paragraph 0025). That is the fusible part 52 is an extremity of the relay terminal 5 (paragraph 0025). The fusible part 52 is physically connected to the busbar 3 (paragraph 0025).
At the time the invention was filed one having ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the fusible part 52 of KATAOKA connected to the relay for the relay FPC 50 of FUKISHIMA, as this is a combination of known prior art elements in order to achieve predictable results. Specifically KATAOKA teaches the benefits of the fusible part is to in response to heat, the fuse breaks, and the overcurrent is blocked (paragraph 0032-0033).
FUKISHIMA teaches a protector 70 that holds the bus bars 30 and the FPC 60 (paragraph 0042). However, FUKISHIMA does not explicitly teach that the protector is extendable and contractable along the stacking direction.
TAKAHASHI teaches a connection module which includes a flexible printed circuit and bus bars connected to the electrode terminals of the power storage elements (abstract). The FPC includes wiring portions, and the FPC includes expandable/contractable portions (abstract). Such expandable/contractable elements the accumulation of the dimension errors and mounting errors of the power storage elements can be made smaller, as the distance between the connection member mount portions are changed by expansion or contraction of the expandable/contractable portion to deal with the position displacement of the electrode terminals (paragraph 0006).
At the time the invention was filed one having ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the expandable/contractable portions of TAKAHASHI for the wiring module of FUKISHIMA, as this is a combination of known prior art elements in order to achieve predictable results, as TAKAHASHI teaches these elements are beneficial in order to compensate for the optional relationship of the electrode terminals of the power storage elements.
With respect to claim 2. FUKISHIMA teaches the relay FPC is a flexible printed circuit board (paragraph 0042).
With respect to claim 3. FUKISHIMA teaches the relay FPC 50 that includes a portion that overlaps itself (paragraph 0059) and is taken to be the rigid board portion.
With respect to claim 4. FUKISHIMA does not explicitly teach the wiring pattern of the relay circuit body is directly connected to a conductor core wire.
KATAOKA teaches a wire connected to the relay terminal 5 (paragraph 0023). The conductor includes a plurality of bundled conducting wires 41a with a covering member formed of an insulative material (paragraph 0022). The bare wires then are connected to the main body part of the relay terminal 5 (paragraph 0026).
At the time the invention was filed one having ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to attached the relay of FUKISHIMA to the bare core wires of the electric wires as taught by KATAOKA as this is a simple combination of known prior art elements in order to achieve predictable results.
With respect to claim 5. FUKISHIMA teaches ta counterpart connector 51 connected to the relay 50 (paragraph 0044). The connector 51 then connects to the connector 41 of the FPC 40 (paragraph 0042).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 2-5 of Applicant Arguments/Remarks, filed 02/18/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-5 under 35 U.S.C. 103 in view of KUBOKI, YASUDA, and TAKAHASHI have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of FUKISHIMA (US 2023/0261332 A1) in view of KATAOKA (US 2018/0164382 A1) and TAKAHASHI (US 2022/0021083 A1).
On page 4 of Applicant Arguments/Remarks, Applicant argues that the circuit board with the wiring pattern is part of the relay circuit body. In contrast Applicant argues that the relay member 50 of KUBOKI does not include a circuit board having a wiring pattern. Applicant argues that the circuit board 30 is not part of the relay member 50. This argument is persuasive. Specifically the circuit board of KUBOKI would be part of the claimed main line circuit body, and could not be considered part of the relay circuit body.
New grounds of rejection are made in view of FUKISHIMA, KATAOKA, and TAKAHASHI. Specifically FUKISHIMA teaches a relay flexible printed circuit 50 (paragraph 0042) that includes a base film, taken to be the claimed circuit board and a plurality of conductive paths 53 which are taken to be the claimed wires. Therefore FUKISHIMA specifically teaches a relay member that includes a circuit board with a wiring pattern.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JONATHAN G JELSMA whose telephone number is (571)270-5127. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM EST.
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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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/JONATHAN G JELSMA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1722
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