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, Species A in the reply filed on 22 May 2026 is acknowledged. Method claims 19 and 20 are withdrawn as a result of the election of Group I.
As noted in the restriction, the elected Species A requires the resistor includes the resistor has a bar shape extending along a first direction, the plurality of first measurement points face each other in the first direction, the plurality of second measurement points face each other in a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction are orthogonal to each other which is mutually exclusive from Species B (claims 4-7 and 13-16) which requires a first portion of a bar shape extending in a first direction and a second portion extending along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the plurality of first measurement points are electrically connected to the first portion and face each other in the first direction, and the plurality of second measurement points are electrically connected to the second portion and face each other in the first direction. Therefore, claims 4-7 and 13-16 are withdrawn from consideration as a result of the species election.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 10 are objected to because of the following informalities: These claims require a “strain gage”, however, this appear to be a typographical error that is repeated throughout the specification which is intended to recite “strain gauge”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
(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.
Claims 1-3, 8-12, 17 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1 or 2) as being anticipated by Engle et al. (US Pub 2011/0039137 newly cited).
In regard to claims 1 and 10, Engle et al. teach a battery pack, comprising: a case (outer structure 120) accommodating at least one cell 100 therein; a strain gage (sensing platform 134) disposed at a surface of the case 120 and having a resistance value varied by a case displacement and a case temperature change (see paragraphs [0032-0033] – “resistance temperature detection (RTD) elements”), the strain gage including a single resistor (sensing platform including interconnect layer 916 such as copper – paragraph [0067]) having the resistance value varied by the case 120 displacement and the case temperature change; a plurality of first measurement points (sensing elements 138, including sensing layer 914) electrically connected to the resistor and used to detect a change in the resistance value of the resistor according to the case displacement; a plurality of second measurement points (sensing elements 138, including sensing layer 914) electrically connected to the resistor and used to detect a change in the resistance value of the resistor according to the case temperature change; and the plurality of first measurement points and the plurality of second measurement points being spaced apart from each other (see paragraphs [0041-0067], figure 1 annotated below, figure 9 showing detailed structure of Cu/Ni elements for resistance strain gauge elements).
In regard to claim 2 and 11, Engle et al. teach the resistor (interconnect layer 916 within sensing platform 134) has a bar shape extending along a first direction, the plurality of first measurement points face each other in the first direction, the plurality of second measurement points face each other in a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction are orthogonal to each other (see figure 1 annotated below, paragraph [0044]).
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In regard to claim 3 and 12, Engle et al. teach the plurality of second measurement points are adjacent to an electrode tab (terminals 106, 108) of the battery pack (annotated figure 1 above, paragraph [0043]).
In regard to claim 8 and 17, Engle et al. teach the battery pack comprises a protection circuit detecting a displacement amount of the case based on first resistance values measured through the plurality of first measurement points and detecting the temperature based on second resistance values measured through the plurality of second measurement points (data receiving structure 428 - “external device configured to process data collected by the sensing elements 416” – paragraph [0056-0060]).
In regard to claims 9 and 18, “the protection circuit uses a value obtained by subtracting a change amount of the second resistance values from a change amount of the first resistance values to correct the displacement amount” relates to an intended operation of the claimed device, as the prior art teaches a patentably indistinct data processing controller (see functionality described in paragraphs [0037-0038]), the device of the prior art is reasonably presumed to be capable of performing the claimed function (see MPEP 2114).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US Pub 2008/0097704 (newly cited) teaches additional strain gauge arrangements.
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/NICHOLAS P D'ANIELLO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1723
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