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 third Office Action based on Application 18/308,354 and is in response to Applicant Arguments/Remarks filed 07/16/2026.
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 § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by TAKAMATSU (US 2020/0022260 A1).
With respect to claims 1-2. TAKAMATSU teaches a bus bar module 10 for a battery assembly 1 (paragraph 0045). The battery assembly includes a plurality of single cells 2 arranged in a stacking direction (paragraph 0046). The bus bar module 10 has a circuit body 20 formed of a flexible board (FPC) and to which bus bars 25 connected to the electrodes of the cells, and a holder, a wire routing member 30 for accommodating and holding the circuit body 20 and for attachment to the battery assembly 1 (paragraph 0047). The circuit body 20 has a main line 21 having a plurality of wiring patterns (paragraph 0048) these wiring patterns extend along the stacking direction (Figure 14A and paragraph 0071) and are taken to be the claimed main line circuit body. The main line 21 has a plurality of branch portion 22 and 23 (paragraph 0049) which are taken to be the claimed relay circuit body also having the wiring pattern 204a (0074 and Figure 14a). The branch portions are formed of the flexible circuit board (paragraph 0049). The branch portions then have a connection portion 24 connected to the bus bar 25 (paragraph 0052). There is a holder 30 which has a main line accommodating portion 31 for holding the main line 21, and support members to accommodate the branch portions and accommodating portions for accommodating the bus bar 25 (paragraphs 0055-0056). The accommodation space 33 has walls, and stretching and shrinking portion 35, consequently, the accommodation space 33 is stretchable and shrinkable in the assembled, or stacking, direction (paragraph 0057). Therefore due to the stretching and shrinking portions 35 the holder is extendable and contractible along the stacking direction. The busbar 25 is connected to a connection portion 24 of the branch portions and a chip fuse is disposed so as to bridge between the end portion and the connection of the bus bar (paragraph 0080). The chip fuse 50 is taken to be the claimed electronic component (paragraphs 0080-0086 and Figure 5).
With respect to claim 3. TAKAMATSU teaches a potting member 28 covering the chip fuse, the potting member solidifying to have intimate contact with the end portion of the branch (paragraph 0090). Therefore this makes the end portion 232 be the claimed rigid board, due to the presence of the potting member 28.
With respect to claim 4. TAKAMATSU teaches the wiring patterns 204a which are included in the connection portion of the branch portions (paragraphs 0071-0074). As seen in Figure 14a the wiring pattern 204a of the relay circuit body, being the branch portions, is directly conducted to the wires of the main line circuit body 21.
With respect to claim 5. TAKAMATSU teaches the connection portion includes a tail end portion 26 that connects to the wiring pattern 204a (paragraph 0080). The tael end portion 26 is taken to be the claimed terminal. The end portion 26 connects to the connection portion 24 of the branch portions. In this case the connection portion 24 is taken to be the claimed wiring pattern of the relay circuit body.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 2-6 of Applicant Arguments/Remarks, filed 07/16/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-5 under 35 U.S.C. 103 in view of FUKISHIMA, KATAOKA, 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 TAKAMATSU (US 2020/0022260 A1).
Applicant argues on pages 2-4 of Applicant Arguments/Remarks that the fusible part 52 of KATAOKA is not a discrete electronic component. In contrast TAKAMATSU teaches a chip fuse 50 which is a discrete electronic component (see Figure 11).
Applicant argues on pages 5-6 of Applicant Argument/Remarks that claim 1 recites the holder holding the bus bar having the extendable and contractable along the stacking direction. In contrast Applicant argues that TAKAHASHI teaches a FPC which is expandable/contractable, and then argues that TAKAHASHI does not teach these elements as part of the holder. This argument is persuasive. However, new grounds of rejection are made in view of TAKAMATSU. TAKAMATSU teaches a holder 30 which includes stretching and shrinking portions 35, which extend and shrink in the stacking direction (paragraph 0057 and Figures 6-7).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. INAMURA (US 2023/0170575 A1) – INAMURA teaches a battery stack and a plurality of bus bars and a bus bar holder (abstract). The bus bar holder includes a portion which allows the sub-holders to expand and contract with the battery stack (paragraph 0081).
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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