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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 – 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kuboki (US 2022/0344790 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Kuboki (US 2022/0344790 A1)discloses a conductive module (Fig 8,2-6) comprising: a flexible printed wiring board (30; [0038]); an electronic component (26; [0039]) that is mounted on the flexible printed wiring board (30) and connected to a circuit pattern (31,32; [0038-0040]) of the flexible printed wiring board (30); a metal plate (21; [0035]) that includes a frame part (23,25; [0035]; part or portion of region of 21 with 23 has a frame around 25; note that the claim has not structurally defined nor limited this claimed part) surrounding the electronic component (26) and being fixed ([0036,0051-0058]) to the flexible printed wiring board; and a potting agent (29; [0051-0058]) that is filled (at least partially) in a region (portion about 25; note that the claim has not structurally defined nor limited this claimed region) surrounded by the frame part (portion of 23 around 25) to cover the electronic component (26).
Regarding Claim 2, Kuboki further discloses the conductive module (Fig 8, 2-6) according to claim 1, wherein the metal plate (21) is a conductive busbar ([0035]) including a connection part (22; note that the claim has not structurally defined nor limited this claimed part) fixed ([0036,0051-0058]) to a battery cell (11,13; [0035-0036]), the connection part (22) projects from the frame part (portion about 23,25) toward a lateral side (side of 30 towards left side of Fig 2) of the flexible printed wiring board (30), and the frame part is connected to the circuit pattern (31,32).
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) 3 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuboki (US 2022/0344790 A1) as applied to claims 1 and 2 above, and further in view of Takamatsu (US 2020/0022260 A1).
Regarding Claims 3 and 4, Kuboki further discloses the conductive module (Fig 8, 2-6) according to claim 1, wherein the flexible printed wiring board (30) includes a base film (35; [0038]), a first conductive layer (31,32; [0039]) formed on a first surface (upper or lower surface of 35; [0039]) of the base film (35), a first coverlay ([0038] “coverlay”) that covers the first conductive layer (31,32).
Kuboki does not explicitly disclose a second conductive layer formed on a second surface of the base film, and a second coverlay that covers the second conductive layer, the first surface is a surface opposed to the frame part, and the second surface is a surface on the opposite side of the first surface, the circuit pattern includes a first wiring part, a second wiring part, and a third wiring part, the first wiring part is constituted of the second conductive layer, and extends from a region on an outside of the frame part to an inside region surrounded by the frame part, the second wiring part is constituted of the first conductive layer, arranged in the inside region, and connects the first wiring part to a first terminal part of the electronic component, and the third wiring part is constituted of the first conductive layer, and connects a second terminal part of the electronic component to the frame part.
Takamatsu (US 2020/0022260 A1) teaches of a conductive module (Fig 12B,1-11), wherein a flexible printed wiring board (20) includes a base film (central layer of 201 as seen in Fig 11B; [0069-0070]), a first conductive layer (203b) formed on a first surface (lower surface of central 201) of the base film (201), a first coverlay (lower 201 as seen in Fig 11B) that covers the first conductive layer (203b), a second conductive layer (203a) formed on a second surface (upper surface of central 201 in Fig 11B) of the base film, and a second coverlay (upper 201 seen in Fig 11B) that covers the second conductive layer (203a), the first surface is a surface opposed to a frame part (252; see Fig 11,12B; [0071-0072]), and the second surface (upper surface of central 201 in Fig 11B) is a surface on the opposite side of the first surface (lower surface of central 201 in Fig 11B), the circuit pattern (203) includes a first wiring part (24 about 252 as seen in Fig 11B; note that the claim has not structurally defined nor limited this claimed part), a second wiring part (portion of 24 interfacing with 50 in Fig 11,12B; note that the claim has not structurally defined nor limited this claimed part), and a third wiring part (portion about 27 or 204a; note that the claim has not structurally defined nor limited this claimed part), the first wiring part (24 about 252 as seen in Fig 11B; note that the claim has not structurally defined nor limited this claimed part) is constituted of the second conductive layer (203a), and extends from a region on an outside of the frame part (252a-d; note that the claim has not structurally defined nor limited this claimed part) to an inside region (see portion of 24 within 252 in Fig 12B) surrounded by the frame part (252), the second wiring part (portion of 24 interfacing with 50 in Fig 11,12B; note that the claim has not structurally defined nor limited this claimed part) is constituted of the first conductive layer (203a), arranged in the inside region, and connects the first wiring part (24 about 252 as seen in Fig 11B) to a first terminal part (portion of 50 interfacing with 24; [0080-0089] ; note that the claim has not structurally defined nor limited this claimed part) of an electronic component (50), and the third wiring part (portion about 27 or 204a; note that the claim has not structurally defined nor limited this claimed part) is constituted of the first conductive layer (203b), and connects a second terminal part (portion of 50 interfacing with 27; [0080-0089] ; note that the claim has not structurally defined nor limited this claimed part) of the electronic component (50) to the frame part (252).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the module as disclosed by Kuboki, comprising a second conductive layer formed on a second surface of the base film, and a second coverlay that covers the second conductive layer, the first surface is a surface opposed to the frame part, and the second surface is a surface on the opposite side of the first surface, the circuit pattern includes a first wiring part, a second wiring part, and a third wiring part, the first wiring part is constituted of the second conductive layer, and extends from a region on an outside of the frame part to an inside region surrounded by the frame part, the second wiring part is constituted of the first conductive layer, arranged in the inside region, and connects the first wiring part to a first terminal part of the electronic component, and the third wiring part is constituted of the first conductive layer, and connects a second terminal part of the electronic component to the frame part as taught by Takamatsu, in order to effectively release heat, provide circuit density, control wire pattern melting and enhance stiffness (Takamatsu, [0004,0005,0014-0016,0078-0081,0108).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Ichikawa (US 2021/0151915 A1) teaches of a conductive module (Fig 4-5) comprising: a flexible printed wiring board (2); an electronic component (40) that is mounted on the flexible printed wiring board and connected to a circuit pattern of the flexible printed wiring board; a metal plate (31-33) that includes a frame part (33,34) surrounding the electronic component and being fixed to the flexible printed wiring board; and a potting agent (50) that is filled in a region surrounded by the frame part to cover the electronic component (40). This could be used in a 102 Rejection.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROSHN K VARGHESE whose telephone number is (571)270-7975. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th: 900 am-300 pm.
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/ROSHN K VARGHESE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896