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 .
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.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “the corresponding” multiple times (lines 6, 8, and 12). There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Objections
4. Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Re claim 1, lines 2-3: replace, “a terminal channels” with --terminal channels--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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.
6. Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fuehrer (2024/0136748) in view of Melgaard (2011/0188538).
With respect to claim 1, Fuehrer teaches a power connector comprising: a housing extending between a front and a rear, the housing having terminal channels between the front and the rear (electrical plug-in connector 100/figures 4A-4D; contact assembly 1/figures 1A-2B; contact element 3 having first end region 31 and second end region 33/paragraphs 0017-0019 and 0049); charging terminals coupled to the housing (contact element 3/paragraphs 0017-0020 and 0049-0053/figures 1A, 1B, and 4A-4D), each charging terminal including a mating pin at a front of the charging terminal (first end region 31/paragraph 0019/figure 1A) and a cable connector at a rear of the charging terminal (second end region 33 configured to connect to load line/paragraphs 0017 and 0019/figures 1A and 1B), the mating pin positioned in the corresponding terminal channel for mating with a charging connector (first end region 31 configured to connection to a corresponding plug-in connector/paragraphs 0017 and 0019/figures 4A-4D); the cable connector positioned at the rear of the housing (second end region 33 connected to load line 200/paragraph 0053/figure 1B); power conductors terminated to the cable connectors of the corresponding charging terminals (load line 200 connected to second end region 33/paragraphs 0019, 0049, and 0053); and a cooling module thermally coupled to the charging terminals (heat capacity element 7/insulating material 5 thermally coupling the heat capacity element to the contact element/paragraphs 0018-0026 and 0051-0053).
With respect to claim 5, Fuehrer teaches the power connector, wherein the phase change elements are configured to directly engage the charging terminals (paragraph 0020).
With respect to claim 6, Fuehrer teaches the power connector, wherein the cooling module further comprises at least one thermal interface element (insulating material 5 positioned between the heat capacity element and the contact element/paragraphs 0018, 0021, 0022, figures 1A-3D) between the phase change elements (heat capacity element 7 may comprise a phase-change material/paragraphs 0041-0044) and the charging terminals (contact element 3, insulating material 5 is disposed between the contact element and the heat capacity element/paragraphs 0018-0023, figures 1A-3D).
With respect to claim 9, Fuehrer teaches the power connector, wherein the cooling module further comprises a shell having a chamber, the carrier being received in the chamber, the shell configured to be coupled to the charging terminals to secure the cooling module to the charging terminals (retaining element 7, paragraph 0052).
With respect to claim 10, Fuehrer teaches the power connector, wherein the cable connectors of the charging terminals are received in the chamber (paragraphs 0035-0036).
With respect to claim 11, Fuehrer teaches the power connector, wherein the shell, the carrier, the phase change elements, and the charging terminals are configured to be loaded into the housing and removed from the housing as a unit (paragraphs 0035-0036).
With respect to claim 12, Fuehrer teaches the power connector, wherein the shell includes a first shell member and a second shell member, the first and second shell members and coupled together to compress the thermal interfaces between the phase change elements and the charging terminals (paragraphs 0035-0036 and 0038-0039).
With respect to claim 14, see about with regards to claim 1. Fuehrer teaches a charging inlet assembly for an electric vehicle comprising (electrical plug-in connector 100, 100’ configured as a charging device for charging an electric vehicle/paragraphs 0047-0048, 0066-0068, and figures 4A-4D): a housing extending between a front and a rear (connector 100 including a housing/figures 4A-4D), the housing having a mounting flange configured to be mounted to the electric vehicle (paragraphs 0021 and 0066), the housing having a power connector with a receptacle at the front for receiving a charging connector (paragraphs 0017-0019 and 0066-0068), the power connector including terminal channels between the front and the rear (figures 4A-4D); charging terminals coupled to the housing (contact elements 3/paragraphs 0017-0020), each charging terminal including a mating pin at a front of the charging terminal and a cable connector at a rear of the charging terminal (first end region 31/paragraph 0019 and second end region 33 configured for connection to load line 200/paragraphs 0017 and 0019), the mating pin positioned in the receptacle for mating with a charging connector, the cable connector positioned at the rear of the housing; power conductors terminated to the cable connectors of the corresponding charging terminals (paragraphs 0019 and 0053), the power conductors being electrically connected to a battery system of the electric vehicle (paragraph 0066); and a cooling module thermally coupled to the charging terminals (paragraphs 0018-0023), the phase change elements being thermally coupled to the corresponding cable connectors to lower operating temperatures of the charging terminals during charging of the electric vehicle (paragraphs 0004-0010, 0016-0023, 0041-0044, and 0047).
With respect to claim 16, Fuehrer teaches the charging inlet assembly, wherein the cooling module further comprises a shell having a chamber, the cable connectors of the charging terminals being received in the chamber, the carrier being received in the chamber to interface with the phase change elements with the charging terminals, the shell configured to be coupled to the charging terminals to secure the cooling module to the charging terminals (retaining element 7, paragraphs 0035-0036 and 0052).
With respect to claim 17, see Fuehrer’s teachings above with respect to claims 1 and 14. Fuehrer further teaches a cooling module for a power connector of a charging inlet assembly, the cooling module comprising (paragraphs 0017-0018 and 0047-0048); the first phase change element being thermally coupled to a first charging terminal of the power connector (paragraph 0024-0026); the second phase change element being thermally coupled to a second charging terminal of the power connector (paragraphs 0024-0026); wherein the carrier is configured to be positioned between the first and second charging terminals of the power connector (paragraphs 0024-0026 and figures 2A-2B) such that the first side faces the first charging terminal and the second side faces the second charging terminal, the carrier holding the first and second phase change elements relative to each other to position the first and second phase change elements for thermally coupling to the first and second charging terminals (paragraphs 0024-0026).
With respect to claim 19, Fuehrer teaches the cooling system, wherein the cooling module further comprises at least one thermal interface element (insulating material 4 positioned between the heat capacity element and the contact element/paragraphs 0018, 0021, 0022, figures 1A-3D), covering the first and second phase change elements (heat capacity element 7 is arranged on the two contact elements 3A’ and 3B’, insulating material 5’ extends over both contact elements and interfaces with the common heat capacity element/paragraphs 0024-0026, 0059, and figures 2A and 2B), the at least one thermal interface element defining thermal interfaces (paragraphs 0018 and 0021-0023) between the first and second phase change elements and the charging terminals (paragraphs 0024-0026 and 0041-0044 and figures 2A and 2B).
With respect to claim 20, Fuehrer teaches the cooling system, further comprising a shell having a chamber, the carrier being received in the chamber, the shell configured to be coupled to the first and second charging terminals to secure the carrier to the charging terminals (paragraphs 0035-0036 and 0038-0039).
Fuehrer’s teachings above fail to specifically teach the cooling module including a carrier having pockets (which are further defined in the claims below); wherein the cooling module includes phase change elements received in the corresponding pockets and are held relative to each other by the carrier and further fails to teach the carrier including a separating wall between the pockets to isolate the phase change elements from each other.
With respect to claims 1, 14, and 17, Melgaard teaches the cooling module including a carrier having pockets (housing 20 including compartment 30 and sub-compartments, figure 4, 30A-30C/paragraph 0030), the cooling module including phase change elements received in the corresponding pockets and held relative to each other by the carrier (compartment 30 retains the phase change elements within fixed pocket 30A and 30C surrounding the device in pocket 30B/paragraph 0030), the phase change elements being thermally coupled to the corresponding cable connectors to lower operating temperatures of the charging terminals during charging (paragraph 0033).
With respect to claim 2, Melgaard discloses the power connector, wherein the carrier includes a separating wall between the pockets to isolate the phase change elements from each other (paragraph 0030, pockets are separated by walls).
With respect to claim 3, Melgaard teaches the power connector, wherein the pockets are open at sides of the carrier to allow the phase change elements to interface with the charging terminals (paragraph 0030).
With respect to claim 4, Melgaard teaches the power connector, wherein the carrier has a volume, the phase change elements occupying at least 50% of the volume (figure 3 and paragraphs 0030-0031).
With respect to claim 7, Melgaard teaches in paragraph 0033, the power connector, wherein the at least one thermal interface element is secured to the carrier to cover the corresponding pockets.
With respect to claim 8, Melgaard teaches the power connector, wherein each phase change element includes a cover enclosing phase change material, the cover having a shape complementary to a shape of the pocket (package described in paragraph 0033).
With respect to claim 13, Melgaard teaches the power connector, wherein the carrier extends between a front and a rear, the carrier having a side wall between the front and the rear, the side wall extending along a first side, a second side, a first end and a second end, the pockets including a first pocket at the first side and a second pocket at the second side, the carrier including a separating wall between the first pocket and the second pocket (paragraph 0030 and figure 4).
With respect to claim 15, Melgaard teaches the charging inlet assembly, wherein the carrier includes a separating wall between the pockets to isolate the phase change elements from each other (paragraph 0030, pockets are separated by walls).
With respect to claim 18, Melgaard teaches the cooling system, wherein the first pocket is open at the first side of the carrier and the second pocket is open at the second side of the carrier to allow the first and second phase change elements to interface with the first and second charging terminals (paragraph 0030).
In view of Melgaard’s teachings, it would have been obvious to an artisan of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the contact assembly of Fuehrer to include a carrier having pockets for receiving the phase change elements as is taught by Melgaard. One would be motivated to modify the assembly in order to maintain the phase change elements in predetermined positions relative to the charging terminals to facilitate heat transfer from the charging terminals to the phase change elements, thereby cooling the charging terminals.
Conclusion
7. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure: See attached PTO form 892, Refence Cited.
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Allyson N. Trail whose telephone number is (571) 272-2406. The examiner can normally be reached between the hours of 7:30AM to 4:00PM Monday thru Friday.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thomas Pham, can be reached on (571) 272-3689. The fax phone number for this Group is (571) 273-8300.
Communications via Internet e-mail regarding this application, other than those under 35 U.S.C. 132 or which otherwise require a signature, may be used by the applicant and should be addressed to [allyson.trail@uspto.gov].
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/ALLYSON N TRAIL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
July 8, 2026
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