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 .
2. Claims 1-12 are pending in this office action.
Priority
3. Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) or (f), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
4. Information disclosure statements (IDS), submitted December 13, 2023; October 29, 2024; and, May 15, 2025, have been received and considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Claims 1-2 and 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Park et al. (US 2021/0021007 A1).
With regard to Claim 1, Park et al. disclose in Figures 2, 7, 9 and 11, a rechargeable battery module (200) comprising: a first core pack (210) and a second core pack (210) (paragraph 0099), each of the first core pack (210) and the second core pack (210) comprising: a first holder, called a first frame (212a), and a second holder, called a second frame (212b), coupled to each other in a third direction crossing a second direction and configured to accommodate a plurality of battery cells (100) therebetween to be spaced apart in a first direction and the second direction crossing the first direction (paragraph 0100); a plurality of tabs, called an external busbar (227), electrically connecting the battery cells (100) along the first direction and spaced apart from each other in the second direction (paragraph 0067); and a plurality of bus bars (220) connecting the tabs (227) to a battery management system (paragraphs 0060, 0129), wherein the first core pack (210) further comprises a rib (R1) protruding toward the second core pack (210) and contacting at least one of the bus bars (220) of the second core pack (210) (paragraph 0074).
With regard to Claim 2, Park et al. disclose in Figures 2, 7, 9 and 11, wherein the tabs a plate tab member (227) in the first core pack (210) electrically connecting the battery cells (100) to each other; and a bent tab member in the second core pack (210) having an inner plane portion connected to the battery cells (100) and an inner side portion bent from the inner plane portion and on an outer side of the second holder (212b) (paragraph 0067).
With regard to Claim 11, Park et al. disclose in Figures 2, 7, 9 and 11, wherein each of the first core pack (210) and the second core pack (210) further comprises a first line coupling a first group of the battery cells (100) together in parallel, a second line coupling a second group of the battery cells (100) in parallel and in series, and a third line coupling the remaining ones of the battery cells (100) in parallel and in series, and wherein the first line, the second line, and the third line are coupled together in series and connected to the battery management system (paragraphs 0060-0066, 0129-0130).
With regard to Claim 12, Park et al. disclose in Figures 2, 7, 9 and 11, wherein the bus bars (220) comprise a first bus bar member (220) and a second bus bar member (220), and wherein the second bus bar member (220) of the first core pack (210) and the first bus bar member (220) of the second core pack (210) are adjacent to each other and have different polarities from each other (paragraphs 0060-0066).
Allowable Subject Matter
8. Claims 3-10 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.
9. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the closest prior art, Park et al. (US 2021/0021007 A1), do not teach or fairly suggest the rechargeable battery module wherein the bus bars comprise a first bus bar member and a second bus bar member, wherein the second bus bar member in the first core pack has a plane portion spaced apart from the plate tab member and a side portion connected to the plane portion and on the outer side of the second holder, and wherein the first bus bar member in the second core pack has an outer plane portion facing the inner plane portion of the bent tab member and an exterior side portion bent from the outer plane portion and connected to the inner side portion; wherein the rib pushes the exterior side portion of the first bus bar member of the second core pack; wherein the rib is provided in a pair on the second holder of the first core pack, and wherein the ribs are on opposite sides of the second bus bar member in a width direction thereof and push the exterior side portion of the first bus bar member; wherein the second bus bar member has a vertical portion extending from the side portion in the third direction and a horizontal portion connected to the vertical portion; wherein the rib is provided in a pair on the second holder of the first core pack, and wherein the ribs are on opposite sides of the vertical portion of the second bus bar member in a width direction thereof to align the vertical portion; wherein the side portion of the second bus bar member is greater than a height of the sum of the first holder and the second holder of the first core pack, and wherein the exterior side portion of the first bus bar member is above a bottom of the second holder in the first core pack; wherein the first bus bar member extends along the outer side of the second holder of the second core pack from the exterior side portion; and, wherein the ribs supports the exterior side portion and the inner side portion stacked against each other.
Conclusion
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KARIE O APICELLA whose telephone number is (571)272-8614. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 5:00PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nicole Buie-Hatcher can be reached at 571-270-3879. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KARIE O'NEILL APICELLA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
