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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II (claims 7-10) in the reply filed on April 09, 2026 is acknowledged.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term "means" or "step" or a term used as a substitute for "means" that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term "means" or "step" or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word "for" (e.g., "means for") or another linking word or phrase, such as "configured to" or "so that"; and
(C) the term "means" or "step" or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word "means" (or "step") in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word "means" (or "step") in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
If claim limitations in this application that use the word "means" (or "step"), they are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, if claim limitations in this application that do not use the word "means" (or "step"), they are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In paragraph 31, line 6, number “433” should be changed to – 322 --. See line 3, which referenced the socket adapter as number 322.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 (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 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.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhou et al. (hereinafter “Zhou”) (CN 111261920 A).
Zhou discloses a containment apparatus (fig. 1) for a battery tray rack (2), wherein the containment apparatus is adapted to apply a compressive force to a battery tray rack (2) and to form a containment on the battery tray rack or to release the containment on the battery tray rack to cancel the compressive force (see the abstract of the English translation); the battery tray rack comprises a force-bearing plate (24) and at least one clamping bolt (33) (see figs. 5 and 11); the containment apparatus comprises:
a pressing module (32 and 34) corresponding to the force-bearing plate (24) of the battery tray rack (2) (see page 12, second paragraph of the English translation);
at least one securing module (342) corresponding to the at least one clamping bolt (33) of the battery tray rack (see fig. 11); and
a controller electrically connected to the pressing module and the at least one securing module (see the operation of the apparatus as disclosed on page 11-13 of the English translation); wherein in response to that the containment apparatus is to contain the battery tray rack, the controller controls the pressing module to apply the compressive force to the force-bearing plate (see step 9 on page 11 of the English translation), so that the battery tray rack withstands a clamping pressure (see the last line of step 9 on page 11 of the English translation), and the controller controls the at least one securing module (342) to lock the at least one clamping bolt (33) to maintain the clamping pressure (see step 9 on page 11 of the English translation, which discloses “the second driving assembly 34 drives the lever 33 toward the abutment plate”, it is noted that when the second driving assembly 34 moves, the securing module (342) also moves toward the clamping bolt (33) (see fig. 11)); in response to that the containment apparatus is to release the battery tray rack from the containment, the controller controls the pressing module (34) to apply the compressive force to the force-bearing plate (24) seethe first two lines of step 4 on page 12 of the English translation), and in response to that the controller controls the at least one securing module (342) to unlock the at least one clamping bolt (33), the controller controls the pressing module (32) to cancel the compressive force applied to the force-bearing plate (see “the entire restraining mechanism 3 return to the initial position” in step 5 on page 12 of the English translation).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-10 are 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.
Regarding claim 8, the claim would be allowable because the prior art of record, considered alone or combination, neither anticipated nor renders obvious “the at least one securing module comprises a slidable stage and a locking device, and the locking device is arranged on the slidable stage and coupled to the pressing head; the controller drives the compressive force generator to move the at least one securing module toward the battery tray rack through the pressing head to apply the compressive force to the force-bearing plate, and the controller controls the locking device to lock the at least one clamping bolt to form the containment or to unlock the at least one clamping bolt to release the containment battery tray rack through the pressing head to apply the compressive force to the force-bearing plate”, in combination with the rest of the claimed limitations.
Claims 9-10 would be allowable in virtue of their dependence upon claim 8.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Lev et al. (US 2013/0209857 A1) discloses a battery tray.
Yu et al (CN 113809420 A discloses a battery pressurizing device.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JIMMY T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-4520. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm.
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JIMMY T. NGUYEN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3725
/JIMMY T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3725
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