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 .
2. Claims 1-8 are pending in this office action.
Priority
3. Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) or (f), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
4. Information disclosure statements (IDS), submitted January 11, 2024, and November 7, 2024, have been received and considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kakegawa et al. (JP 2020-162224).
With regard to Claim 1, Kakegawa et al. disclose in Figures 2-3, a battery pack (11) comprising: a first module block (40) and a second module block (41) arranged side-by-side, the first (40) and second module blocks (41) being separate module blocks each including a plurality of modules (12) electrically connected to one another, the plurality of modules (12) each including a plurality of cells electrically connected to one another (paragraph 0038); and a connection switching circuit (30) including a series-connection switching element, called a busbar (39), and a parallel-connection switching element, called a switches (35, 36, 37), configured to selectively switch connection between the first (40) and second module blocks (41) between a series connection and a parallel connection during charging and discharging (paragraphs 0038-0039, 0053), wherein in the connection switching circuit (30), the series-connection switching element (39) is provided at a midpoint in the series connection and located at an inner side of an area where the module blocks (40, 41) are disposed in the battery pack (11) in a top view of this area (paragraph 0053; See Figure 3), and terminals (shown as + and -) of the modules (12) in the first and second module blocks (40, 41) are connected to the connection switching circuit (30) and located close to the connection switching circuit (30).
With regard to Claim 2, Kakegawa et al. disclose in Figure 2, wherein the first and second module blocks (40, 41) include a switching-side module group, including the negative electrode of the first module block (40) connected by connection line (69) and the positive electrode of the second module block (41) connected by connection line (60), which is a group of modules each having a terminal (+, -) serving as a switching terminal connected to the connection switching circuit (30) among the plurality of modules (12) (paragraph 0044), and a total-power-output-side module group, including the positive electrode of the first module block (40) connected by connection line (51) and the negative electrode of the second module block (41) connected by connection line (52), which is a group of modules each having a terminal (+, -) serving as a total-power output terminal to which a total power outputted from the first and second module blocks (40, 41) is directed among the plurality of modules (12) (paragraph 0043), the switching terminals (+, -) are located in respective module end sections closer to the total-power-output-side module group in the modules belonging to the switching-side module group, and the total-power-output terminals are located in respective module end sections closer to the switching-side module group in the modules belonging to the total-power-output-side module group (paragraphs 0043-0044; See Figure 2).
With regard to Claim 3, Kakegawa at al. disclose in Figure 2, wherein the total-power-output terminals (+, -) are electrically connected to a junction board, called an external connection section (24), for the battery pack (11), and the total-power-output terminals (+, -) in the first and second module blocks (40, 41) are respectively provided in module end sections at neighboring sides of the mutually neighboring modules belonging to the total-power-output-side module group (paragraph 0047; See Figure 2).
With regard to Claim 4, Kakegawa at al. disclose in Figures 2-3, wherein the connection switching circuit (30) includes a series connection contactor, called a busbar (39), as the series-connection switching element, the switching terminals (+, -) are respectively provided in module end sections at neighboring sides of the mutually neighboring modules belonging to the switching-side module group, including the negative electrode of the first module block (40) connected by connection line (69) and the positive electrode of the second module block (41) connected by connection line (60), the series-connection contactor (39) is disposed between the switching terminal (+, -) in the first module block (40) and the switching terminal (+, -) in the second module block (41), and the series-connection contactor (39) is electrically connected to each of the switching terminals (+, -) (paragraph 0053; See Figure 3).
With regard to Claim 5, Kakegawa et al. disclose in Figure 2, as the parallel-connection switching element, switches (35, 36, 37), a plurality of parallel-connection contactors (84, 85, 90, 91) disposed between the switching terminals (+, -) and the total-power-output terminals, including the positive electrode of the first module block (40) connected by connection line (51) and the negative electrode of the second module block (41) connected by connection line (52), and electrically connected to the total-power-output terminals (+, -) and the switching terminals (+, -) (paragraphs 0042-0044, 0053).
With regard to Claim 6, Kakegawa et al. disclose in Figure 3, wherein the series-connection switching element (39), a conductor (not shown) connecting the series-connection switching element (39) and the first module block (40), and a conductor (not shown) connecting the series connection switching element (39) and the second module block (41) are configured as a single module (paragraph 0053; See Figure 3).
With regard to Claim 7, Kakegawa et al. disclose in Figures 2-3, two parallel-connection switching elements (36, 37) as the parallel connection switching element, wherein the series-connection switching element (39), the two parallel connection switching elements (36, 37), a conductor (not shown) connecting the series-connection switching element (39) and the first module block (40), a conductor (not shown) connecting the series-connection switching element (39) and the second module block (41), a conductor (91) connecting one of the parallel-connection switching elements (36) and the first module block (40), and a conductor (90) connecting the other parallel-connection switching element (37) and the second module block (41) are configured as a single module (paragraphs 0042-0044, 0053; See Figures 2-3).
With regard to Claim 8, Kakegawa et al. disclose in Figures 2-3, two parallel-connection switching elements (36, 37) as the parallel connection switching element, wherein the series-connection switching element (39), the two parallel connection switching elements (36, 37), a conductor (not shown) connecting the series-connection switching element (39) and the first module block (40), a conductor (not shown) connecting the series-connection switching element (39) and the second module block (41), a conductor (91) connecting one of the parallel-connection switching elements (36) and the first module block (40), a conductor (90) connecting the other parallel connection switching element (37) and the second module block (41), and a junction board (24) located on adjacent portions of the first and second module blocks (40, 41) are configured as a single contactor-bus bar module, or vehicle (20) (paragraphs 0042-0044, 0053; See Figures 2-3).
Conclusion
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KARIE O APICELLA whose telephone number is (571)272-8614. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 5:00PM EST.
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/KARIE O'NEILL APICELLA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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