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 claims 10-19 in the reply filed on 8/31/2026 is acknowledged.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: 6018. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: 51 (Fig. 6A), 1048 and 1050 (Fig. 7A-7B), 2050 (Fig. 8A-8B), 4060, 4062, 4064, 4066, and 4068 (Fig. 10A-10C), 7039 (Fig. 19B), 7074, 7078, and 7082 (Fig. 22A), 9038, 9040, and 9058 (Fig. 24A-B, 25A-B), 43O, 43Q, 43R, 43T, 45O, 45P, 64L, 64M, 64N, 64O, 64P, 64Q, 64R, 64S, 64T, 66N, 66O, 66Q, 66R, 66S, and 66T (Fig. 30). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 10 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 10, “electric connector” in line 1 should be amended to read “electrical connector” to align with the later recited term (or vice versa).
Appropriate correction is 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.
Claims 10-19 are 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.
In claims 10 and 18, the limitation “the battery cells” is indefinite because it is unclear whether this limitation is intended to require multiple battery cells or if this limitation is only meant to refer to the “one or more battery cells” previously recited and still allows for a single battery cell.
In claim 12, the limitation “the pair of outer prongs and the pair of inner prongs are both formed from a single piece of monolithic material” is indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation is intended to require that the outer prongs are formed from a monolithic material and the inner prongs are formed from a monolithic material or to require that both inner prongs and both outer prongs are all formed from the same monolithic material.
In claim 15, the limitation “second insertion axis parallel to a direction of insertion” is indefinite because it is unclear whether this direction of insertion is intended to be the same as or different from the direction of insertion recited earlier in claim 15.
In claim 18, the limitation “the first terminal” lacks antecedent basis and thus is indefinite because it is unclear whether this “first terminal” is intended to refer to the “terminal” recited in claim 10 or a different terminal.
Claims 11-19 are indefinite by virtue of depending on an indefinite claim.
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.
Claim(s) 10 and 12-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Wang (US 20260246181 A1).
Regarding claim 10, Wang (US 20260246181 A1) teaches a battery pack 200 for use with a power tool 100 having a male terminal (electrical connector), where the battery pack comprises a housing 230 including a battery cell and a female terminal 300 in electrical communication with the battery pack/cell to supply power to the power tool by receiving the male terminal/electrical connector, where the female terminal includes a first electrical connector 310 having a pair of clamping parts (3110, 3111, 3112) (pair of outer prongs) and a second electrical connector 320 having a pair of second clamping parts (3210, 3211, 3212) (pair of inner prongs) nested within the outer prongs (para 0039, 0042-0047, 0051; Fig. 1-3, 5-6, 9, 14).
Regarding claim 12, Wang teaches the pair of outer prongs and inner prongs are both formed from a sheet shaped conductive material, where both inner prongs (320) and both outer prongs (310) are formed as a monolithic material (para 0046; Fig. 6-7).
Regarding claim 13, Wang teaches the second electrical connector 320 (pair of inner prongs) is electrically isolated from the first electrical connector 310 (pair of outer prongs) (para 0046, claim 1).
Regarding claim 14, Wang teaches the male terminal sequentially enters the first resilient opening 311 in the outer pair of prongs 310 and second resilient opening 321 in the inner pair of prongs 320 in sequence by insertion, where the openings are spaced apart (para 0014, 0019, 0046; Fig. 6), thus indicating that the male terminal reaches the pair of outer prongs at a first insertion depth and reaches the pair of inner prongs at a second insertion depth, where the first insertion depth is less than the second insertion depth.
Regarding claim 15, Wang teaches the pair of outer prongs define a first insertion axis parallel to the direction of insertion and the pair of inner prongs define a second insertion axis parallel to a direction of insertion, where the second insertion axis may be defined as the axis of inserting the male terminal into the second/upper resilient opening 303 and the first insertion axis may be defined as the axis of inserting the male terminal into the first/lower resilient opening 302 (para 0046-0047, 0055; Fig. 9-14, 16), which results in the first insertion axis and second insertion axis not being co-axial.
Regarding claim 16, Wang teaches pin pieces (312, 322) connected to the inner (320) and outer (310) prongs are inserted into (coupled to) a circuit board, where the first insertion axis at the first opening 302 is at a first distance from the circuit board and the second insertion axis at the second opening 303 is at a second distance from the circuit board that is greater than the first distance (para 0055-0056; Fig. 6, 8, 12, 16).
Regarding claim 17, Wang teaches the male terminal enters the first resilient opening 311 in the outer pair of prongs 310 and second resilient opening 321 in the inner pair of prongs 320 by insertion, where the openings are spaced apart by a distance (para 0014, 0019, 0046; Fig. 6, 9), thus indicating that the male terminal reaches the pair of outer prongs at a first insertion depth and reaches the pair of inner prongs at a second insertion depth, where the first insertion depth is less than the second insertion depth (pair of outer prongs has a different insertion depth than the pair of inner prongs).
Regarding claim 18, Wang teaches at least two female terminals 300 in electrical communication with the positive and negative poles of the battery pack/cell to form a positive and negative female terminal (second terminal different than the first terminal) (para 0043; Fig. 5).
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.
Claim(s) 11-12 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (US 20260246181 A1), as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Kim (US 20230091858 A1).
Regarding claim 11, Wang fails to explicitly teach the pair of outer prongs have a different shape than the pair of inner prongs. However, Kim (US 20230091858 A1), in the analogous art of battery pack terminals/connectors, teaches a connector/terminal may include a clip portion 111 (pair of outer prongs) and a contact arm 112 (pair of inner prongs) for receiving a device pin P, where the inner and outer prongs have different shapes (para 0034; Fig. 4). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the female terminal shape of Wang with the connector/terminal of Kim because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results of connecting a battery pack to an external device. See MPEP 2143(I)(B).
Regarding claim 12, Wang fails to explicitly teach the pair of outer prongs and the pair of inner prongs are both formed from a single piece of monolithic material. However, Kim (US 20230091858 A1), in the analogous art of battery pack terminals/connectors, teaches a connector/terminal may include a clip portion 111 (pair of outer prongs) and a contact arm 112 (pair of inner prongs) for receiving a device pin P, where the inner and outer prongs are formed from a single piece of monolithic material (para 0034; Fig. 4). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the female terminal shape of Wang with the connector/terminal of Kim because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results of connecting a battery pack to an external device. See MPEP 2143(I)(B).
Regarding claim 14, Wang fails to explicitly teach the pair of outer prongs has a first insertion depth, the pair of inner prongs has a second insertion depth, and the first insertion depth is less than the second insertion depth. However, Kim (US 20230091858 A1), in the analogous art of battery pack terminals/connectors, teaches a connector/terminal may include a clip portion 111 (pair of outer prongs) and a contact arm 112 (pair of inner prongs) for receiving a device pin P, where the device pin enters the pair of outer prongs at a first contact point C1 after the pin is inserted to a first insertion depth and enters the pair of inner prongs at a second contact point C2 reached after the pin is inserted further to a second insertion depth (second insertion depth greater than the first insertion depth) (para 0034; see annotated Fig. 4).
Annotated Fig. 4 (Kim)
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596
600
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Claim(s) 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (US 20260246181 A1), as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Rathburn (US 20050221675 A1).
Regarding claim 19, Wang fails to explicitly teach the pair of inner prongs are interdigitated. However, Rathburn (US 20050221675 A1), in the analogous art of electrical connections, teaches electrical coupling of circuit members may include an interconnect with interface portions 318 (prongs) for receiving another member, where the interconnect/contact member 1010 may also include two ends that flex/bend across each other (interdigitated) to trap the other member with an optimum electrical interface (para 0085, 0103; Fig.12, 20). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the shape of the inner prongs of Wang with the interdigitated/overlapping shape of Rathburn to improve the contact between the inner prongs and the male terminal/electrical connector because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results of forming electrical connections. See MPEP 2143(I)(B).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PATRICK S OTT whose telephone number is (571)272-2415. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James Lin can be reached at (571) 272-8902. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PATRICK S OTT/Examiner, Art Unit 1794
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