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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 04/22/2025 was filed after the mailing date of the published application on 05/23/2024. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “a flank of the first component away from the groove is hermetically connected to a mating surface of the second component, a thermal management integration module, and an integrated channel apparatus for a non-heat pump thermal management integrated module, the thermal management integration module is installed on the vehicle body, and the integrated channel apparatus is installed on the thermal management integration module” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
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. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. 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 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 1-20 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.
Claims 1 and 11 recite “a non-heat pump thermal management integrated module”. However, it is unclear what the metes and bounds of the claim are. It is unclear to the Examiner what explicitly is “a non-heat pump thermal management integrated module”. Clarity is advised.
Claim 1 recite “an integrated channel apparatus for a non-heat pump thermal management integrated module, comprising a first component and a second component; the first component is provided with a channel group and a groove; the channel group comprises multiple channels, the channel is used to accommodate a connecting tube”. However, it is unclear what the metes and bounds of the claim are. It is unclear to the Examiner how the integrated channel apparatus fits into the heat pump/non-heat pump modules of figures 7-8, as it is also unclear what the integrated channel apparatus explicitly is. Clarity is advised.
Claim 11 recite “a thermal management integration module, and an integrated channel apparatus for a non-heat pump thermal management integrated module, the thermal management integration module is installed on the vehicle body, and the integrated channel apparatus is installed on the thermal management integration module”. However, it is unclear what the metes and bounds of the claim are. It is unclear to the Examiner how the integrated channel apparatus fits into the heat pump/non-heat pump modules of figures 7-8, as it is also unclear what the integrated channel apparatus explicitly is. Clarity is advised.
Claim 11 recite “an electric vehicle, comprising a vehicle body, a thermal management integration module, and an integrated channel apparatus for a non-heat pump thermal management integrated module, the thermal management integration module is installed on the vehicle body, and the integrated channel apparatus is installed on the thermal management integration module”. However, it is unclear what the metes and bounds of the claim are. It is unclear to the Examiner what is the difference between the thermal management integration module and the non-heat pump thermal management integrated module. Clarity is advised.
Claims 1 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential elements, such omission amounting to a gap between the elements. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted elements are: it appears to the Examiner that an element, such as a valve, should be included with the integrated channel apparatus, as it is unclear how the integrated channel apparatus fits into the claimed invention and what the integrated channel apparatus is connected to in order to function.
Claims 2-10 and 12-20 are rejected based on dependency from a rejected claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1 and 11 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 1, the subject matter which is considered to distinguish from the closest prior art of record, Wang (CN 111029512 A). The prior art of record when considered as a whole, alone, or in combination, neither anticipates nor renders obvious “an integrated channel apparatus for a non-heat pump thermal management integrated module, comprising a first component and a second component; the first component is provided with a channel group and a groove; the channel group comprises multiple channels, the channel is used to accommodate a connecting tube, each channel runs through the first component along a thickness direction of the first component, and the groove is provided on one side of the first component for accommodating the connecting tube; the second component is provided with a strip groove group; the strip groove group comprises multiple strip grooves, each strip groove is provided corresponding to two channels in the multiple channels and is used to connect the two channels, and the channels corresponding to each strip groove are different; a flank of the first component away from the groove is hermetically connected to a mating surface of the second component”. The closest prior art, Wang teaches an embedded liquid cooling integrated battery box, comprising a box body, upper port of the box body is covered with a box cover, the inner side of the box frame is provided with an X inside of the right frame is provided to the beam box X to the girder. X is uniformly connected with multiple Y-directional cross beams, two adjacent Y-direction beam is embedded with a plurality of battery module group along the left and right direction between the girder to the beam into the beam with the X, X is provided with upper and lower two X to the water tank.
Regarding claim 11, the subject matter which is considered to distinguish from the closest prior art of record, Wang (CN 111029512 A). The prior art of record when considered as a whole, alone, or in combination, neither anticipates nor renders obvious “an integrated channel apparatus for a non-heat pump thermal management integrated module, the thermal management integration module is installed on the vehicle body, and the integrated channel apparatus is installed on the thermal management integration module; wherein the integrated channel apparatus comprises a first component and a second component; the first component is provided with a channel group and a groove; the channel group comprises multiple channels, the channel is used to accommodate a connecting tube, each channel runs through the first component along a thickness direction of the first component, and the groove is provided on one side of the first component for accommodating the connecting tube; the second component is provided with a strip groove group; the strip groove group comprises multiple strip grooves, each strip groove is provided corresponding to two channels in the multiple channels and is used to connect the two channels, and the channels corresponding to each strip groove are different; a flank of the first component away from the groove is hermetically connected to a mating surface of the second component”. The closest prior art, Wang teaches an embedded liquid cooling integrated battery box, comprising a box body, upper port of the box body is covered with a box cover, the inner side of the box frame is provided with an X inside of the right frame is provided to the beam box X to the girder. X is uniformly connected with multiple Y-directional cross beams, two adjacent Y-direction beam is embedded with a plurality of battery module group along the left and right direction between the girder to the beam into the beam with the X, X is provided with upper and lower two X to the water tank.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DARIO DELEON whose telephone number is (571)272-8687. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm.
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/DARIO ANTONIO DELEON/Examiner, Art Unit 3763
/JERRY-DARYL FLETCHER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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