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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 09/10/2024 and 07/04/2025 have been considered by the examiner.
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.
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yoo et al. (US20200168887A1)
Regarding claim 1 Yoo discloses a bus bar assembly [abstract] comprising:
a bus bar support (the bus bar frame 230 is shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and described in Para. 0114);
an output terminal bus bar disposed on the bus bar support the bus bar 240 is shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and described in Para. 0114),
wherein the output terminal bus bar comprises a cell connection portion and an output connection portion (the fixing hole 240 I and the fixing groove 240 g is shown in Figs. 6 and described in Para. 0118),
and a fuse portion (a current breaking portion 244 [Para. 0018]), and
the cell connection portion and the output connection portion are connected through the fuse portion (Fig. 6 shows the fixing hole 240 I and the fixing groove 240 g connected through a current breaking portion 244); and
a fireproof sleeve sleeved on the output terminal bus bar, and at least covering the fuse portion, and located at one side of the bus bar support facing away from a cell (the covering member 245 may include a material having high insulation and excellent heat resistance [Para. 0093, FIG. 2] Shown in FIG. 7, the bus bar 240 may include the covering member 245 configured to surround the current breaking portion 244 and a part of the outer surface of the main body portion 241 [Para. 0094]).
Regarding claim 2, Yoo teaches the bus bar assembly of claim 1. Yoo further discloses a blasting guide structure is disposed on the fireproof sleeve (the covering member may include a discharge hole perforated [Para. 0023]. By forming a discharge hole at the covering member, the melted current breaking portion or the melted stepped region of the stepped structure of the main body portion can be smoothly discharged to the outside through the discharge hole [Para. 0036]).
Regarding claim 3 Yoo teaches the bus bar assembly of claim 2. Yoo further discloses a blasting avoidance region corresponding to the fireproof sleeve is disposed between the cell connection portion and the output connection portion, and the blasting guide structure faces the blasting avoidance region (FIG 2 shows a recessed region corresponding to the covering member, located between an upper wall and a lower wall of the space of the stepped structure, that could form the blasting avoidance region)
Regarding claim 4 Yoo teaches the bus bar assembly of claim 3. Yoo further discloses a width of the fuse portion is smaller than a width of the cell connection portion and a width of the output connection portion, and a recess is provided between and encircled by the fuse portion, the cell connection portion and the output connection portion, an opening of the recess faces away from the bus bar support, and the recess forms the blasting avoidance region (FIG. 2 shows the width of the current breaking portion is smaller than the width of main body part. There is also recess in the current breaking portion that forms the blasting avoidance region)
Regarding claim 5, Yoo teaches the bus bar assembly of claim 2. Yoo further discloses the blasting guide structure is formed by thinning a part of the fireproof sleeve (FIG. 10, the covering member 245E may include five discharge holes 245 h. There among, two discharge holes 245 h may be configured to face the stepped region 242 f of the stepped structure 242 of the main body portion 241. [Para. 0103]).
Regarding claim 6, Yoo teaches the bus bar assembly of claim 5. Yoo further discloses the blasting guide structure is a notch (discharged through a plurality of micropores provided in the covering member 245 [Para.0080] FIG. 10 shows discharge hole 245h.)
Regarding claim 7, Yoo teaches the bus bar assembly of claim 1. Yoo further discloses one end of the fireproof sleeve extends toward the cell connection portion and at least covers a part of the cell connection portion; another end of the fireproof sleeve extends toward the output connection portion and at least covers a part of the output connection portion (the covering member 245 may be configured to surround at least a part of the outer surface of the stepped structure 242 of the main body portion [Para. 0094] The term portion does not distinguish any particular section and since the covering member extends between the two sections it can be considered to cover at least some portion).
Regarding claim 8, the Applicant is advised that the limitation “wherein the fireproof sleeve is fixed on the output terminal bus bar by hot pressing” is a product-by-process limitation. Product-by-process claims are not limited by recited steps of manufacturing, but only by the structure implied by the steps. There is no apparent difference between the apparatus as claimed and the prior art as taught by Yoo, therefore the structural limitations are anticipated by Yoo. See MPEP 2113.
Regarding claim 9, Yoo discloses a battery module comprising the bus bar assembly according to claim 1 (A battery module including the bus bar [Abstract] according to claim 1, as discussed above).
Regarding claim 10, Yoo teaches the bus bar assembly of claim 9. Yoo further discloses the battery module according to claim 9, further comprising a cell, wherein the cell and the fireproof sleeve are respectively located at two opposite sides of the bus bar support (the bus bar is connected to electrode terminals of a plurality of unit cells and is connected to a power cable [Para. 0010]. FIG. 2 shows cell connection portion and the fireproof sleeve are respectively located at two opposite sides of the bus bar frame)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CALEB UCHECHUKWU ORJI whose telephone number is (571)270-3370. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00am- 5:00pm ET Mon-Thur.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joshua Allen, can be reached at telephone number 5712703176. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from Patent Center. Status information for published applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Patent Center to authorized users only. Should you have questions about access to the USPTO patent electronic filing system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
/CALEB U ORJI/
Examiner, Art Unit 1713
/JOSHUA L ALLEN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1713
Prosecution Insights