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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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.
Claims 1-4 and 6-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sjodin (US 11,944,855).
[CLAIM 1] Regarding claim 1, Sjodin discloses an electrified vehicle comprising: a chassis (Sjodin FIGS 1-4); a body (Sjodin FIGS 1-4) coupled to the chassis; a battery enclosure (Battery 110) supported by the chassis, the battery enclosure defining an internal volume (Sjodin FIG 3); a battery disposed within the internal volume (Batteries contain charging cells therein); and a flood port (Sjodin at least ports 11-13) accessible from an exterior of the electrified vehicle (Sjodin FIG 3), the flood port being in direct or indirect fluid communication with the internal volume (Sjodin FIG 3), the flood port configured to receive a fluid from a fluid source and supply the fluid to the internal volume to cool the battery (Sjodin discloses a fire suppression system accessed by the ports in FIG 3).
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[CLAIM 2] Regarding claim 2, Sjodin discloses the electrified vehicle of claim 1, wherein the flood port is positioned along the battery enclosure (Sjodin, FIG 3).
[CLAIM 3] Regarding claim 3, Sjodin discloses the electrified vehicle of claim 1, wherein the flood port is accessible through a body panel of body (Sjodin, FIG 3).
[CLAIM 4] Regarding claim 4, Sjodin discloses the electrified vehicle of claim 1, wherein the body includes a cab and a rear section positioned rearward of the cab (Sjodin, FIG 1, the front of the vehicle 1 can be a cab with a rear area behind it).
[CLAIM 6] Regarding claim 6, Sjodin discloses the electrified vehicle of claim 4, wherein the flood port is positioned along the cab or the rear section (Sjodin, FIG 3 is exemplary and ports can be placed as desired along the body or rear area), further comprising a conduit (Sjodin, FIG 3) extending from the flood port to the battery enclosure (110).
[CLAIM 7] Regarding claim 7, Sjodin discloses the electrified vehicle of claim 6, wherein the flood port is positioned along the rear section (Sjodin, FIG 3 is exemplary and ports can be placed as desired along the body or rear area).
[CLAIM 8] Regarding claim 8, Sjodin discloses the electrified vehicle of claim 6, wherein the flood port is positioned along the cab (Sjodin, FIG 3 is exemplary and ports can be placed as desired along the body/chassis).
[CLAIM 9] Regarding claim 9, Sjodin discloses the electrified vehicle of claim 8, wherein the flood port (11) is positioned along or proximate a front bumper of the cab (Sjodin, FIG 3).
[CLAIM 10] Regarding claim 10, Sjodin discloses the electrified vehicle of claim 6, wherein the flood port is a first flood port and the conduit is a first conduit (Sjodin, FIG 3), further comprising: at least one of (a) a valve (Valves 74) coupled to the first flood port and the first conduit or (b) a second flood port accessible from the exterior of the electrified vehicle (Sjodin, FIG 3 at least ports 11-13); and a second conduit extending from the at least one of the valve or the second flood port to a compartment of the rear section (Sjodin, FIG 3 is exemplary and can be plumbed for the most efficient suppressing system).
[CLAIM 11] Regarding claim 11, Sjodin discloses the electrified vehicle of claim 10, further comprising an on-board agent distribution system (Manifolds 61-63 can have residual suppressant therein) coupled to the second conduit (Sjodin, FIG 3 illustrates suppressing system conduit and manifolds) wherein the on-board agent distribution system is configured to provide a fire fighting agent to the fluid flowing through the second conduit (Sjodin can receive external fluid and it would combine with on-board suppressant when pressure is applied).
[CLAIM 12] Regarding claim 12, Sjodin discloses an electrified vehicle comprising: a chassis (Sjodin, FIG 3); a cab (Sjodin, FIG 3, front area of the vehicle) coupled to the chassis; a rear section (Sjodin, FIG 3) coupled to the chassis, the rear section positioned rearward of the cab (Sjodin, FIG 3 is exemplary and includes front and rear areas), the rear section defining a compartment (Sjodin, FIG 3, vehicle 1 is a compartment/body); a battery enclosure (110) supported by the chassis (Sjodin, FIG 3), the battery enclosure defining an internal volume (Sjodin, FIG 3); a battery (Battery enclosures contain power cells for energy storage); a flood port (Ports 11-13 ) accessible from an exterior (Sjodin, FIG 3) of the electrified vehicle; and a conduit (Sjodin, FIG 3) extending from the flood port (11-13) to at least one of (a) the internal volume of the battery enclosure (Battery 110) or the compartment of the rear section; wherein the flood port (Ports 11-13) is configured to receive a fluid from a fluid source to facilitate supplying the fluid to the at least one of (a) the internal volume of the battery enclosure or (b) the compartment of the rear section (Sjodin, FIG 3 illustrates the fluid flow configuration which is exemplary).
[CLAIM 13] Regarding claim 13, Sjodin discloses the electrified vehicle of claim 12, wherein the flood port is positioned along at least one of the rear section/cab (Sjodin, FIG 3) or the battery enclosure (110).
[CLAIM 14] Regarding claim 14, Sjodin discloses the electrified vehicle of claim 13, wherein the flood port (11) is positioned along or proximate a front bumper of the cab (Sjodin, FIG 3).
[CLAIM 15] Regarding claim 15, Sjodin discloses the electrified vehicle of claim 12, further comprising an on-board agent distribution system (Manifolds 61-63 can have residual suppressant therein) coupled to the conduit (Sjodin, FIG 3), wherein the on-board agent distribution system is configured to provide a fire fighting agent to the fluid flowing through the conduit (The residual agent in the manifolds would incorporate with external fluid under pressure in a thermal anomaly).
[CLAIM 16] Regarding claim 16, Sjodin discloses the electrified vehicle of claim 12, wherein the conduit is a first conduit extending from the flood port (Ports 11-13) to the internal volume of the battery enclosure (110) further comprising: a second conduit (Sjodin, FIG 3) extending from the flood port (Ports 11-13) to the compartment of the rear section; and a valve (Sjodin has valves 74) positioned between (a) the flood port and (b) the first conduit and the second conduit (74 is exemplary and positioned within the conduit system for safety).
[CLAIM 17] Regarding claim 17, Sjodin discloses the electrified vehicle of claim 12, wherein the flood port is a first flood port (Ports 11-13) and the conduit (Sjodin, FIG 3 illustrates the suppressing system plumbing) is a first conduit extending from the flood port to the internal volume of the battery enclosure (110), further comprising: a second flood port (Ports 11-13) accessible from the exterior of the electrified vehicle (Sjodin, FIG 3); and a second conduit (Sjodin, FIG 3 illustrates the suppressing system plumbing) extending from the flood port to the compartment of the rear section (Sjodin, FIG 3).
[CLAIM 18] Regarding claim 18, Sjodin discloses a vehicle (1) comprising: a chassis (Sjodin, FIG 1, vehicle base); a cab (Sjodin, FIG 3 front portion of the vehicle) coupled to the chassis, the cab including a front bumper (Bodies inherently have bumpers or energy absorbers in the event of a crash); a rear section coupled to the chassis (Sjodin, FIG 1), the rear section positioned rearward of the cab (A cab is conventionally forward and the rear space therebehind) the rear section defining a compartment; a flood port (11) positioned along or proximate the front bumper (Sjodin, FIG 3); and a conduit (Sjodin, FIG 3illustrates the plumbing for the fire suppressor system) extending from the flood port (11), along the chassis, to the compartment of the rear section (Sjodin, FIG 3 and the body is a compartment structure); wherein the flood port (Port 11) is configured to receive a fluid from a fluid source to facilitate supplying the fluid to the compartment of the rear section (Sjodin, FIG 3 discloses a fluid delivery structure in case of a thermal anomaly).
[CLAIM 19] Regarding claim 19, Sjodin discloses the vehicle of claim 18, further comprising an on-board agent distribution system (Manifolds 61-63 can have residual suppressant therein) coupled to the conduit, wherein the on-board agent distribution system is configured to provide a fire fighting agent to the fluid flowing through the conduit (The residual agent in the manifolds would incorporate with external fluid under pressure in a thermal anomaly).
[CLAIM 20] Regarding claim 20, Sjodin discloses the vehicle of claim 18, wherein the flood port is a first flood port (Ports 11-13) and the conduit is a first conduit, further comprising: a battery enclosure (110) supported by the chassis (Sjodin, FIG 3), the battery enclosure (110) defining an internal volume; a battery (Batteries include cells for energy storage) disposed within the internal volume; at least one of a valve (Valves 74) coupled to the first flood port and the first conduit (Sjodin, FIG 3) or a second flood port accessible from the exterior of the vehicle; and a second conduit (Sjodin, FIG 3 illustrates the plumbing route and connections) extending from the at least one of the valve (74).
Allowable Subject Matter
1. Claim 5 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Sjodin (US 11,944,855) fails to disclose the additional limitations in dependent claim 5.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and can be found on the attached Notice of References Cited.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to whose telephone number is (571)270-3411. The examiner can normally be reached on 9AM-6PM PST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Marc Jimenez can be reached on (571)272-.4530. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JAMES J TRIGGS/Examiner, Art Unit 3615
/MARC Q JIMENEZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3615