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
Restriction to one of the following inventions is required under 35 U.S.C. 121:
I. Claim 1-15, drawn to an electrical connection system for a traction battery pack, classified in H01M 50/503.
II. Claims 16-19, drawn to a method of electrically connecting battery arrays of a traction battery, classified in H01M 50/514.
The inventions are independent or distinct, each from the other because:
Inventions I and II are related as product and process of use. The inventions can be shown to be distinct if either or both of the following can be shown: (1) the process for using the product as claimed can be practiced with another materially different product or (2) the product as claimed can be used in a materially different process of using that product. See MPEP § 806.05(h). In the instant case, the process as claimed can be practiced with another materially different product such as an electrically connected battery array wherein the first and second battery arrays are not connected in a sequential order.
Restriction for examination purposes as indicated is proper because all the inventions listed in this action are independent or distinct for the reasons given above and there would be a serious search and/or examination burden if restriction were not required because one or more of the following reasons apply:
the inventions have acquired a separate status in the art in view of their different classification;
the inventions require a different field of search (e.g., searching different classes/subclasses or electronic resources, or employing different search strategies or search queries).
Applicant is advised that the reply to this requirement to be complete must include (i) an election of an invention to be examined even though the requirement may be traversed (37 CFR 1.143) and (ii) identification of the claims encompassing the elected invention.
The election of an invention may be made with or without traverse. To reserve a right to petition, the election must be made with traverse. If the reply does not distinctly and specifically point out supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election shall be treated as an election without traverse. Traversal must be presented at the time of election in order to be considered timely. Failure to timely traverse the requirement will result in the loss of right to petition under 37 CFR 1.144. If claims are added after the election, applicant must indicate which of these claims are readable upon the elected invention.
Should applicant traverse on the ground that the inventions are not patentably distinct, applicant should submit evidence or identify such evidence now of record showing the inventions to be obvious variants or clearly admit on the record that this is the case. In either instance, if the examiner finds one of the inventions unpatentable over the prior art, the evidence or admission may be used in a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) of the other invention.
During a telephone conversation with Benjamin Coon on December 10, 2025 a provisional election was made without traverse to prosecute the invention of Group I, claims 1-15. Affirmation of this election must be made by applicant in replying to this Office action. Claims 16-19 are withdrawn from further consideration by the examiner, 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a non-elected invention.
Applicant is reminded that upon the cancelation of claims to a non-elected invention, the inventorship must be corrected in compliance with 37 CFR 1.48(a) if one or more of the currently named inventors is no longer an inventor of at least one claim remaining in the application. A request to correct inventorship under 37 CFR 1.48(a) must be accompanied by an application data sheet in accordance with 37 CFR 1.76 that identifies each inventor by his or her legal name and by the processing fee required under 37 CFR 1.17(i).
The examiner has required restriction between product or apparatus claims and process claims. Where applicant elects claims directed to the product/apparatus, and all product/apparatus claims are subsequently found allowable, withdrawn process claims that include all the limitations of the allowable product/apparatus claims should be considered for rejoinder. All claims directed to a nonelected process invention must include all the limitations of an allowable product/apparatus claim for that process invention to be rejoined.
In the event of rejoinder, the requirement for restriction between the product/apparatus claims and the rejoined process claims will be withdrawn, and the rejoined process claims will be fully examined for patentability in accordance with 37 CFR 1.104. Thus, to be allowable, the rejoined claims must meet all criteria for patentability including the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 101, 102, 103 and 112. Until all claims to the elected product/apparatus are found allowable, an otherwise proper restriction requirement between product/apparatus claims and process claims may be maintained. Withdrawn process claims that are not commensurate in scope with an allowable product/apparatus claim will not be rejoined. See MPEP § 821.04. Additionally, in order for rejoinder to occur, applicant is advised that the process claims should be amended during prosecution to require the limitations of the product/apparatus claims. Failure to do so may result in no rejoinder. Further, note that the prohibition against double patenting rejections of 35 U.S.C. 121 does not apply where the restriction requirement is withdrawn by the examiner before the patent issues. See MPEP § 804.01.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
The term “translating” in [0014], [0016], [0061] and [0062] should be replaced with “moving”.
The term “were” in [0051] should be corrected to “where.”
Appropriate corrections are required.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 9, 12 and 14-15 objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 1, “when in an engaged position” does not specify what is in the engaged position – the two battery arrays or the plug-and-socket coupler.
In claim 9, the phrase “from the first battery array” should be inserted between “upward” and “and” in line 2 of said claim.
In claim 12, “is configured” should be inserted between “coupler” and “to be” in line 1 of said claim.
In claims 12 and 14, the term “translating” should be replaced with “moving.”
Appropriate corrections are required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 11 is indefinite as it is not clear whether “an engaged position” recited in line 2 of said claim is the same or different from “an engaged position” recited in line 5 of claim 1. For the purpose of this Office action “an engaged position” in claim 11 is interpreted as “the engaged position”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fees (WO 2018071850 A1) in view of Rath (DE 102020006705 A1, see attached machine translation).
Regarding Claim 1, Fees discloses an electrical connection system (see annotated Figure 3B and [0036]-[0038]); for a traction battery pack (battery cells grouped within battery modules and mounted into a battery housing wherein the battery modules are electrically connected via busbars; see [0002]); comprising a first battery array (first set of battery module compartments arranged along a first lateral side of the battery module mounting area, see [0004] and annotated Figure 3B); a second battery array (second set of battery module compartments arranged along a second lateral side of the module mounting area, see [0004] and annotated Figure 3B, Fees further discloses that the first battery array is electrically connected to the second battery array by disclosing a module-to-module power connector configured to form an electrical connection between battery modules, see [0038] – [0039] and 325B of annotated Figure 3B).
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Fees is silent on a plug-and-socket coupler configuration to electrically connect the first battery array to the second battery array when in engaged position.
Rath discloses a traction battery pack (modular traction battery 1 comprised of battery module 2 wherein each battery module comprises galvanic cells 4 (see [0019] – [0020] and Figure 1-2). Rath further discloses that the battery modules are interconnected via contact elements 5 which are designed as plugs and sockets which reads on the plug-and-socket coupler (see [0009] & [0020]) and teaches that fixing the plugs into the socket results in connecting the battery modules which reads on an engaged position (see [0024])Rath further discloses that the contact elements can have various configurations such as circular, square, rectangular, triangular, star-shaped, elliptical, or any other cross-sectional shape (see [0024]).
KSR Rationale B (MPEP § 2141) states that it is obvious to perform “simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results”. In the instant case, both couplers, module-to-module power connector of Fees and plug and socket contact elements of Rath are known to electrically couple battery modules in a traction battery pack (see Fees [0003] and Rath [0009] & [0020]). Fees and Rath are analogous art to the claimed invention as both references are in the same field of traction battery pack for electric vehicles. It would therefore have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the module-to-module power connector 325B which connects laterally-adjacent battery module compartments in series of Fees with the contact element having a plug and socket configuration of Rath and obtain the predictable result of electrically connecting battery modules in a traction battery pack.
Regarding Claim 2, modified Fees discloses the limitations as set forth above and further discloses an electrical connection system (see annotated Figure 3B and [0036]-[0038] of Fees), the plug-and-socket coupler (contact elements 5, see Rath [0020]); a first connector assembly (socket, see Rath [0020]) and a second connector assembly (plug, see Rath [0020]).
the first connector assembly electrically connected to a first busbar of the first battery array, the second connector assembly is electrically connected to a second busbar of the second battery array, Fees discloses a busbar 365B which connects module A to module B of the first battery array, therefore, by replacing 325B with a plug-and-socket connector where socket is the first connector assembly connected to module A, an electrical connection to busbar 365B is established and thus to the other busbars and modules of the first array. Accordingly, Fees discloses another busbar 360B, wherein busbar 360B connects module F to module G of the second battery array and thus by replacing 325B with a plug-and-socket connector where plug is the second connector assembly connected to module F, an electrical connection to 360B is established and thus to the other busbars of the second battery array.
Regarding Claim 3, modified Fees discloses the limitations as set forth above and further discloses an electrical connection system (see Figure 3B and [0036]-[0038] of Fees); a first connector assembly (socket, see Rath [0020]) and a second connector assembly (plug, see Rath [0020]).
wherein the first connector assembly comprises a cylindrical terminal that receives a pin-style terminal of the second connector assembly when the plug-and-socket coupler is in the engaged position, modified Fees further discloses that the contact elements 5 comprising of the plug and sockets are cylindrical in shape (see [0024] and Figure 6 of Rath) wherein the cylindrical socket reads on the cylindrical terminal of the first connector assembly and the cylindrical plug reads on the pin-style terminal of the second connector assembly.
Claims 4-7, 10, 13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fees (WO 2018071850 A1) in view of Rath (DE 102020006705 A1, see attached machine translation) as applied to claims 1-3 above, and further in view of Silk (WO 2014066601 A1) as evidenced by Amphenol ‘20.
Regarding Claims 4-5, modified Fees discloses the limitations as set forth above but does not explicitly disclose any specific structure of the plug and socket connector, such as a guard of the first connector assembly, the guard extending into an opening of the cylindrical terminal and wherein the guard is pin-shaped.
Silk discloses a plug-and-socket connector ([0048]) used for electrical connections in a traction battery pack (battery assembly 1000 comprising of a plurality of battery cells 104 housed in support structure 1002 and stacked to form a battery module 1500; see [0020] – [0021] & [0036]) comprising a coupler (pin 1518 and socket 1550, see lines 1-2 of [0048]). Silk further teaches that disclosed plug & socket connector can be a SurLok™ type RADSOK® connector available from Amphenol (see lines 2-5 of [0048]) and as such, the plug and socket connector of Silk comprises a first connector assembly comprising a pin-shaped guard and a cylindrical terminal (see annotated Figure 1 from Amphenol ’20 included below) and a second connector assembly comprising of a hollow pin-style terminal (see annotated Figure 1 from Amphenol ’20 included below). When electrically coupled, the plug-and-socket connector of Silk are locked via a locking mechanism between positive pin and socket components - internal protrusion and engraved groove (see Silk, lines 8-11 of [0051]). Silk further teaches that the design of the pin of the plug-and-socket connector ensures protection against accidental contact by a user (see lines 1-2 of [0052] of Silk).
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KSR Rationale B (MPEP § 2141) states that it is obvious to perform “simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results”. In the instant case, both plug and socket contact elements of modified Fees and plug-and-socket connector of Silk are known to effectively establish electrical connections in battery modules (see Rath [0009] and [0020] and Silk [0048]). Fees and Silk are analogous art to the claimed invention as both references are in the same field of traction battery pack for electric vehicles. It would therefore have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the plug and socket contact element of modified Fees with the plug-and socket connector with a specific guard structure of Silk, and obtain the predictable result of effectively connecting battery modules.
Regarding claims 6 & 7, modified Fees discloses all of the limitations as set forth above and further discloses a pin-style terminal (see second connector assembly in Annotated Fig. 1 from Amphenol ‘20).
when the plug-and-socket coupler is in the engaged position, the guard is received within an opening of the pin-style terminal such that the pin-style terminal is radially between the guard and the cylindrical terminal; when the first connector assembly and second assembly of Figure 1 of Amphenol ’20 are coupled together, this would ultimately result in the pin-style terminal to be radially between the guard and the cylindrical terminal.
wherein the cylindrical terminal is a radial socket, first connector assembly of Annotated Figure 1 teaches a cylindrical terminal which extends radially inside the first connector assembly and is designed to receive the pin-style terminal of the second connector assembly. Modified Fees further teaches a cylindrical terminal disclosed as socket (1550 in Silk) which is designed to receive positive pin (1518 in Silk) which has an engraved annular groove (1574; see Silk [0051]).
Regarding Claim 10, modified Fees discloses the limitations as set forth above and further discloses a first housing (see Silk, insulating housing 1558 covers socket 1550; see [0049] of Silk) and a second housing (see Silk cover 1530 may serve as a covering means for positive pin 1518; see [0051] of Silk).
wherein the first housing and the second housing are snap-fit to each other when the plug-and-socket coupler is in the engaged position, modified Fees discloses that coupling between a first connector assembly (Silk, positive terminal connector 1516 enclosure) and a second connector assembly (Silk, positive pin 1518) occurs within the second housing (Silk, cover 1530). In particular, the couplings occur when first housing (Silk, insulating cover 1558) of first connector assembly (Silk, positive terminal connector 1516) is keyed to first and second openings (Silk, 1532, 1534) of second housing (Silk, cover 1530). With this keyed configuration, positive terminal connector is prevented from spinning or separating from the second housing (see Figure 3 and [0045] of Silk).
Regarding Claim 13, modified Fees discloses the limitations as set forth above and further discloses a wedge (side-mounted bars 620C-625C; see [0084] and Figure 6C of Fees) and an enclosure (battery housing 305A; see [0027] of Fees).
the wedge inhibiting movement of the first battery array away from the second battery array, modified Fees further teaches side-mounted bars which act as reinforcement for the battery module mounting area, see [0084] of Fees). Accordingly, these side-mounted bars which support the sides of each lateral battery array will keep the first and second battery arrays in a fixed position thus preventing movement of the first battery array from the second battery array.
Regarding Claim 15, modified Fees discloses the limitations as set forth above and further discloses an enclosure (battery housing 305A; see [0027] of Fees) of the traction battery pack enclosing the first battery array, the second battery array, and the plug-and-socket coupler (Fees discloses that the battery cells grouped within battery modules (arrays) and their connectors are mounted into a battery housing; see [0002] of Fees).
Claims 8, 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fees (WO 2018071850 A1) in view of Rath (DE 102020006705 A1, see attached machine translation) as applied to claims 1-3 above, and further in view of Kim (KR 20170073331 A, see attached machine translation).
Regarding Claims 8, 11 and 12, modified Fees discloses the limitations as set forth above but does not explicitly disclose the connection system wherein the first connector assembly faces horizontally outward from the first battery array and is configured to receive the second connector assembly horizontally (as required by Claim 8) and wherein the plug-and-socket coupler is configured to be transitioned from a disengaged position to an engaged position by moving the first battery array and the second battery array relative to each other (as required by claim 11) and wherein the plug-and-socket coupler to be transitioned from a disengaged position to the engaged position by translating the second battery array horizontally relative to the first battery array (as required by claim 12).
Kim discloses a battery rack system comprising a guide rail 100, a plurality of battery modules 220, a connector device 300 for electrically connecting the plurality of battery rack devices 200, battery control unit 230 for controlling the battery modules 220, bus bar units 240 electrically connected to the battery control unit 230, rack housing 210, positive electrode terminal 231, negative electrode terminal 232, positive bus bar 241 and negative busbar 242 wherein the busbars are used for connecting the battery control unit 230 and the battery modules 220 (see [0028] – 0037]). Kim further teaches connector device comprising of male connector portions 310 and 320 for electrically connecting neighboring battery devices which read on the plug-and-socket coupler (see [0040], Figure 1 of Kim). Accordingly, these male connector portions face horizontally outward form their respective battery array (see Figure 1 of Kim) and are configured to be coupled horizontally as required by Claim 8. In addition, the connector device 300 which includes a plurality of battery rack devices 200 mounted on the guide rail 100 are electrically connected to each other without a separate cable so that the battery rack devices 200 mounted on the guide rails 100 are connected to adjacent battery rack devices 200 (see [0040] of Kim). Accordingly, the guide rails 100 which have a predetermined width, predetermined length and moving wheels 211 are installed on the bottom of the battery assembly to help facilitate the installation and movement of the battery rack apparatus for ease of operation and maintenance (see [0029] – [0030], [0039] of Kim). As a result, the configuration of the guard rails would ensure that the transition of the plug-and-socket coupler from a disengaged position to an engaged position would require the horizontal movement of a second battery array relative to a first battery array as required by Claims 11 and 12.
Fees and Kim are analogous art to the claimed invention as both references are in the same field of electrical connection for traction battery systems. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the battery electrical connection system of Fees such that the guide rails of Kim are incorporated to facilitate the horizontal movement of battery arrays to transition from a disengaged state to an engaged state and to facilitate easy installation and movement of the battery arrays for ease of operation and maintenance.
Claims 9 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fees (WO 2018071850 A1) in view of Rath (DE 102020006705 A1, see attached machine translation) as applied to claims 1-3 above, and further in view of Grass (DE 102022123879 A1, see attached machine translation).
Regarding Claims 9 and 14, modified Fees discloses the limitations as set forth above but does not explicitly disclose the connection system wherein the first connector assembly faces vertically upward and is configured to receive the second connector assembly vertically (as required by claim 9) and wherein the plug-and-socket coupler is configured to be transitioned from a disengaged position to the engaged position by translating the second battery array vertically relative to the first battery array (as required by claim 14).
Grass teaches a traction battery module 10 with a housing in which cell packs 20 are accommodated. The cell packs are electrically connected via an electrical plug arrangement 430 comprising of a plug 30 of one cell pack 20 and a complementary mating plug 40 of another cell pack 20 (see [0016]). Grass further teaches the mating pug 40 has a body 42 which has a hollow cylindrical bore 44 (see [0018]). Upon coupling the plug 30 with the mating plug 40 a reliable electrical connection between two cell packs is created (see [0022]). According to Figure 2, the plug 30 and mating plug 40 are aligned in a vertical (y-axis) orientation (as required by claim 9) and further implying that a transition from a disengaged to an engaged position would require a vertical moving of the second battery array relative to the first battery array (as required by claim 14). Grass further teaches that a plug contact body defines a plug axis that is parallel to the plug axis of a plug mating contact body. The plug contact body is guided in a plug holder which is transverse to the plane of the plug axis and ensures that the plug contact body is laterally movable but immovable in the direction of the plug axis with respect to the cell pack (see [0007]). Such configuration would ensure exact alignment of the plug axis of the plug contact body with the plug axis of the mating plug contact body and thus avoid any bending and tilting of either contact bodies as well as compensate for manufacturing and assembly-related deviations (see [0008]).
KSR Rationale B (MPEP § 2141) states that it is obvious to perform “simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results”. In the instant case, the plug-and socket-couplers of Silk (positive terminal connector 1516 and positive pin 1518, see [0045] and Fig 7) and Grass (plug 30 and mating plug 40) electrically connect battery arrays when in an engaged position. Fees and Grass are analogous art to the claimed invention as both references are in the same field of electrical connection for traction battery systems. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have substituted the horizontal configuration of the plug-and-socket coupler of Silk which requires a horizontal moving to transition from a disengaged to an engaged position with the vertical configuration of the plug-and-socket coupler of Grass to obtain the predictable result of electrically connected battery arrays wherein the first connector assembly vertically receives the second assembly for electrical connection and avoid bending and tilting of the plug contact body and/or the mating plug contact body.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FIKI V OWHOSO whose telephone number is (571)272-3418. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Basia Ridley can be reached at 5712725453. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/F.V.O./Examiner, Art Unit 1725
/BASIA A RIDLEY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1725