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 1/31/2024 and 4/22/2025 in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the examiner has considered the information disclosure statement.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shinohara et al. (Japanese Patent Application Publication # JP2013-046447A) in view of Fujimura et al. (US Patent Application Publication # 2022/0255304).
Regarding Claim 1, Shinohara discloses a power converter assembly, comprising:
a casing (i.e. housing 10);
a power converter (i.e. power converter 200) in the casing;
a first connection post (i.e. DC power terminal 509) and a second connection post (i.e. DC power terminal 508) in the casing and electrically connected to the power converter;
a gland housing (i.e. DC connector 138 w/ fuse cover 8b) on the casing defining a cable gland; and
a fuse group assembly (i.e. fuses 511), disposed in the gland housing, comprising:
a first bus bar (i.e. branching section 509a) electrically connected to the first connection post;
a second bus bar (i.e. branching section 508a), in a stepped arrangement with the first bus bar, electrically connected to the second connection post;
a first fuse (i.e. one of fuses 511); and
a second fuse (i.e. another one of fuses 511) (Fig. 3, 4, 6-9; Abstract; Paragraphs 0014-0058).
Shinohara does not explicitly disclose a first support plate arranged on the second bus bar;
a second support plate in a stepped arrangement with the first support plate;
a first fuse having a first end electrically connected to the first bus bar and a second end supported by the first support plate; and
a second fuse having a first end electrically connected to the second bus bar and a second end supported by the second support plate.
Fujimura teaches a first support plate (i.e. member placement portion 51 w/ fixing portion 53 (upper base 50)) arranged on the second bus bar (i.e. positive electrode branch bus bar 72/ first negative electrode branch bus bar 73);
a second support plate (i.e. lower case 30) in a stepped arrangement with the first support plate;
a first fuse (i.e. fuse F (70U) in Fig. 8) having a first end electrically connected to the first bus bar (i.e. second negative electrode branch bus bar 75) and a second end supported by the first support plate; and
a second fuse (i.e. fuse F (70L) in Fig. 8) having a first end electrically connected to the second bus bar and a second end supported by the second support plate (Fig. 1-14; Abstract; Paragraphs 0046-0053, 0064-0067, 0083-0093).
Fujimura teaches a fuse and circuit case configuration which facilitates replacing a fuse while maintaining or increasing waterproofness of the case. Shinohara also teaches a power converter assembly which includes a casing/housing/box with fuses and bus bars inside, but does not provide much detail about how the fuses are arranged. It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to use such a configuration in the power converter assembly of Shinohara, as taught by Fujimura, in order to facilitate replacing fuses while maintaining the integrity of the housing. It has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Claim 11 includes the limitations of claim 1 (the fuse group assembly) and is analyzed as such with respect to that claim. Claim 16 includes the limitations of claim 1 (a machine (i.e. vehicle) w/ a power source (i.e. battery 136)) and is analyzed as such with respect to that claim.
Regarding Claim 2, Shinohara in view of Fujimura discloses that the first fuse (i.e. one of fuses 511) is attached to a first side of the first bus bar (i.e. branching section 509a) and the first connection post (i.e. DC power terminal 509) is attached to a second side of the first bus bar that is opposite the first side of the first bus bar, and
wherein the second fuse (i.e. another one of fuses 511) is attached to a first side of the second bus bar (i.e. branching section 508a) and the second connection post (i.e. DC power terminal 508) is attached to a second side of the second bus bar that is opposite the first side of the second bus bar (Fig. 3, 4, 6-9; Abstract; Paragraphs 0014-0058).
Regarding Claim 3, Shinohara in view of Fujimura does not explicitly disclose a third connection post attached to the first bus bar and a fourth connection post attached to the second bus bar. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have a third connection post attached to the first bus bar and a fourth connection post attached to the second bus bar, since it has been held that a mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
Regarding Claim 4, Shinohara in view of Fujimura discloses that the first bus bar (i.e. second negative electrode branch bus bar 75) and the first support plate (i.e. member placement portion 51 w/ fixing portion 53 (upper base 50)) have a stepped arrangement, the first support plate and the second bus bar (i.e. positive electrode branch bus bar 72/ first negative electrode branch bus bar 73) have a stepped arrangement, and the second bus bar and the second support plate (i.e. lower case 30) have a stepped arrangement (Fujimura: Fig. 1-14; Abstract; Paragraphs 0065, 0067, 0082).
Claim 18 includes the limitations of claim 4 (a machine (i.e. vehicle) w/ a power source (i.e. battery 136)) and is analyzed as such with respect to that claim.
Regarding Claim 5, Shinohara discloses that the casing (i.e. housing 10) comprises a housing base (i.e. fuse cover 8b), and
wherein the gland housing (i.e. DC connector 138) and the fuse group assembly (i.e. fuses 511) are mounted to the housing base (Fig. 3, 4; Paragraphs 0057-0058).
Regarding Claim 6, Shinohara discloses that the cable gland (i.e. DC wiring 138a) projects from an exterior of the gland housing (i.e. DC connector 138) (Fig. 3, 4, 8; Paragraphs 0038-0042).
Regarding Claim 7, Shinohara discloses that the cable gland (i.e. DC wiring 138a) is one of a plurality of cable glands (i.e. at least 2) defined in the gland housing (i.e. DC connector 138) (Fig. 3, 4, 8; Paragraphs 0038-0042).
Regarding Claim 8, Shinohara discloses that the first connection post (i.e. negative DC power terminal 509) is electrically connected to one of a positive terminal or a negative terminal of the power converter, and the second connection post (i.e. positive DC power terminal 508) is electrically connected to the other of the positive terminal or the negative terminal (Paragraphs 0028-0029, 0053).
Regarding Claim 9, Shinohara discloses that the first fuse (i.e. one of fuses 511) is configured to interrupt a first current path on a positive side of a machine accessory, and the second fuse (i.e. another one of fuses 511) is configured to interrupt a second current path on a negative side of the machine accessory (Paragraphs 0028-0029, 0053, 0057).
Regarding Claim 10, Shinohara discloses that the power converter includes an inverter (i.e. inverter circuit 140) (Fig. 1; Paragraphs 0009, 0011, 0017, 0019-0021, 0024, 0028-0029).
Regarding Claim 12, Shinohara discloses that the first fuse (i.e. one of fuses 511) is attached to the first bus bar (i.e. branching section 509a) and the second fuse (i.e. another one of fuses 511) is attached to the second bus bar (i.e. branching section 508a) (Fig. 6, 9; Paragraphs 0053).
Regarding Claim 13, Shinohara in view of Fujimura discloses a first insulating pillar (i.e. bolt fixing portion 37) projecting from the first support plate,
wherein the first fuse is supported on the first insulating pillar; and
a second insulating pillar (i.e. another bolt fixing portion 37) projecting from the second support plate,
wherein the second fuse is supported on the second insulating pillar (Fujimura: Fig. 8-10; Paragraphs 0080, 0082, 0085, 0088, 0089).
Regarding Claim 14, Shinohara in view of Fujimura discloses that the first bus bar (i.e. second negative electrode branch bus bar 75) is positioned at a first height, the first support plate (i.e. member placement portion 51 w/ fixing portion 53 (upper base 50)) is positioned at a second height lower than the first height, the second bus bar (i.e. positive electrode branch bus bar 72/ first negative electrode branch bus bar 73) is positioned at a third height lower than the second height, and the second support plate (i.e. lower case 30) is positioned at a fourth height lower than the third height (Fig. 8-9; Paragraphs 0066, 0087-0089). The cited figures show the different heights of the respective elements.
Regarding Claim 15, Shinohara in view of Fujimura discloses that the first fuse is one of a plurality of first fuses (i.e. fuses 511) electrically connected to the first bus bar (i.e. branching section 509a) and supported on the first support plate (i.e. member placement portion 51 w/ fixing portion 53 (upper base 50)), and
wherein the second fuse is one of a plurality of second fuses (i.e. fuses 511) electrically connected to the second bus bar (i.e. branching section 508a) and supported on the second support plate (i.e. lower case 30) (Shinohara: Fig. 3, 4, 6-9; Abstract; Paragraphs 0014-0058; Fujimura: Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 17, Shinohara in view of Fujimura discloses that the power source includes an internal combustion engine (i.e. engine EGN) and an electrical generator (i.e. motor generator MG1) coupled to the internal combustion engine (Paragraph 0011, 0014-0018, 0020, 0022, 0025, 0030-0032).
Regarding Claim 19, Shinohara discloses a casing (i.e. housing 10), wherein the power converter (i.e. power converter 200) is in the casing, and wherein the fuse group assembly (i.e. fuses 511) is mounted to the casing (Fig. 3, 4; Paragraphs 0036-0038, 0043, 0045).
Regarding Claim 20, Shinohara discloses that the casing (i.e. housing 10) comprises a housing base (i.e. fuse cover 8b), and wherein the fuse group assembly (i.e. fuses 511) is disposed in a gland housing (i.e. DC connector 138) mounted to the housing base (Fig. 3, 4; Paragraphs 0057-0058).
Relevant Cited Art
The cited art in PTO-892 was found during the examiner's search, but was not relied upon for this office action. However, it is still considered pertinent to the applicant's disclosure.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RHADAMES J ALONZO MILLER whose telephone number is (571)270-7829. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10am-6pm PST.
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/RJA/ Examiner, Art Unit 2847
/TIMOTHY J THOMPSON/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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