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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on July 1, 2026 has been entered.
If the conditions for filing an RCE have been satisfied, the technical support personnel will process the proper RCE. Any previously filed unentered amendments, and amendments filed with the RCE will normally be entered. Such amendments will be entered in the order in which they were filed in the absence of any specific instructions for entry. For example, if applicant files an amendment after final rejection that is denied entry by the examiner, and applicant subsequently files an RCE with an amendment, but the RCE is silent as to whether or not the previously filed after-final amendment should be entered, then the Office will enter both amendments in the order in which they were filed. If, however, applicant files an amendment after final rejection that is denied entry by the examiner, and applicant subsequently files an RCE with an amendment including specific instructions that the previously filed after-final amendment is not to be entered, then the Office will enter the amendment filed with the RCE but will not enter the after-final amendment. If conflicting amendments have been previously filed, applicant should clarify which amendments should be entered upon filing the RCE (and fee). MPEP 706.07(h).III.D.
The amendment, especially the listing of the claims, appears to be a duplicate of the after final response filed on June 1, 2026. Yet, the RCE does not address the treatment of the June 1, 2026 response. Therefore, the June 1, 2026 and the July 1, 2026 amendments have been entered in turn as filed. Therefore, the July 1, 2026 amendment to the claims fails to comply with 37 CFR 1.121(c) because it does not reflect the changes relative to the June 1, 2026 amendment. Normally, Applicant’s failure to follow the MPEP would be held non-responsive, but in the interest of compact prosecution, the current examination is based on the amendment filed on July 1, 2026. Any future response failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.121(c) will be held non-responsive. Duplicative amendments only confuse the record and delay prosecution. They are neither helpful nor invited.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed November 25, 2025 (foreign references filed on July 1, 2026) fails to comply with 37 CFR 1.98(a)(2), which requires a legible copy of each cited foreign patent document; each non-patent literature publication or that portion which caused it to be listed; and all other information or that portion which caused it to be listed. It has been placed in the application file, but the information referred to therein has not been considered. At the time of this Office action, no foreign reference can be found in the application file.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 1-4, 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “at least one fire detector for performing a fire detection inside each of the plurality of battery boxes” in lines 30-31. The specification discloses a PACK-level fire detector 16 located in each batter box (see figure 3). There appears to be no disclosure of how “at least one fire detector” (one fire detector) can perform a fire detection inside each of the plurality of battery boxes.
Claims 1-4, 6 and 7 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.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “a multi-component fire extinguishing agent” in line 3. The multiple limited by the claim is uncertain. Every word in a claim must be given meaning. An interpretation of a multiple of 1 would obfuscate the term “multi,” rendering the term meaningless. Therefore, an interpretation of a multiple of 1 is not permitted.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the fire control main engine is configured to implement spray controls of the at least one perfluorohexanone nozzle an the at least one spray nozzle" in lines 36-37. The claim fails to recite a configuration. The function “configure to implement spray controls…” is not commensurate in scope with the structure required by the claim.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-4, 6 and 7 have been considered but are moot based on the new grounds of rejections.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER S KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-4905. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-3:30.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Arthur O Hall can be reached at (571) 270-1814. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHRISTOPHER S KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752 CHRISTOPHER S. KIM
Examiner
Art Unit 3752
CK
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