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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: 20a: connector coupling portion is missing in figure; 30: sensor recess; 30a: sensor coupling portion. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: 111a. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the c-shaped cut out must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 2 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.
The term “closely” in claim 2 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “closely” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. It is unclear how closely is required, for purposes of examination, the connection contact and the busbar should be in contact with each other.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 7, 10-12 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takahashi et al. (US 20220013867 A1) in view of Emery et al.(2014/0140809 A1) and Muis (US 2010/0062329).
As to claim 1, Takahashi discloses a flat flame-retardant system harness (20 FPC) provided on a plurality of bus bars(10) formed in a battery cell assembly (power storage elements), the flat flame-retardant system harness comprising:
a conductor (conductive wirings-[0036]) including a plurality of connection contacts formed to be electrically connect to the plurality of bus bars (10), a first position formed to be connected to a battery management system (BMS (ECU-[0036]), and a wiring pattern (conductive wirings) formed to electrically connect the plurality of connection contacts to the first position [0036];
a plurality of connecting members (41- first deformable portions-[0036]), wherein each connection contact is electrically connected to the bus bar by a corresponding connecting member [0036]
a lower layer (insulating film-[0036]) provided in contact with a lower portion of the conductor and including a plurality of first bus bar coupling portions having corresponding to the plurality of connection contacts [0042] (first deformable portion is soldered to the bus bar); and
an upper layer(insulating film [ 0036]) provided in contact with an upper portion of the conductor [0036] and including a plurality of second bus bar coupling portions corresponding to the plurality of connection contacts,
Takahashi et al. discloses the FPC as is disclosed above but does not disclose the holes in the upper and lower non-combustible layer corresponding the plurality of connection contacts, the insulating layer is non-combustible or flame retardant material.
Emery discloses a heat protection assembly around a core, the core can be a flexible circuit board [0063]. The heat protection assembly (140) allows for the core to retain flexibility while still ensuring an adequate level of heat protection (abstract). The heat protection assembly can include a layer of silicon which is flame retardant material or a intumescent material [0064].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to replace the insulating material of Takahashi et al. with the heat protection assembly of Emery because this allows for the Flexible circuit board to retain flexibility while still ensuring an adequate level of heat protection.
Thus the heat protection assembly is wrapped about the circuit board thereby having an upper and lower non-combustible which is a flame retardant material.
Modified Takahashi does not disclose the holes.
Muis discloses a battery assembly comprising a printed circuit board 162 and a bus bar 152 and teaches the circuit board having apertures 153 corresponding to bus bars with a connector 142 attaching the bus bar and the circuit board and battery (figure 17 [0118]). Using apertures in the circuit board and bus bars is a known alternative to connect the circuit board and the bus bars.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to include the holes in the circuit board, thus the upper and lower layers, in order to allow connection between the busbar and the circuit board as demonstrated by Muis as this is a known configuration for attachment.
As to claim 2, Modified Takahashi discloses the flat flame-retardant system harness of claim 1, wherein each connecting member passes through a third hole formed at the connection contact, the first hole, the second hole, and the bus bar such that the connection contact and the bus bar is in contact each other. Muis discloses a fastening member 142 entering the holes in the upper, lower layers, circuit board and the bus bar to be connected.
As to claim 3, Modified Takahashi discloses the flat flame-retardant system harness of claim 2, wherein the connecting member is a rivet (142).
As to claim 4, Takahashi discloses the flat flame-retardant system harness of claim 1, wherein the connecting member is a device for welding the connection contact and the bus bar [0034].
As to claim 7, Takahashi discloses the flat flame-retardant system harness of claim 1, wherein the conductor is made of a single conductive material (copper -0036).
As to claim 10. Modified Takahashi discloses the flat flame-retardant system harness of claim 1, Muis further teaches the conductor has a second position at which a temperature sensor is installed, and further comprises a wiring pattern formed so that the second position is electrically connected to the first position [0075] . The temperature sensor is electrically connected to the electronic circuitry provided for monitoring the state of the at least one battery cell connected to the respective metal connection path. The temperature sensor can be very small and surface mountable and thus can be picked and placed and soldered on the printed circuit board as other electronic components. Assembly cost is reduced to a minimum. Further, there is no need for wires or a connector between the temperature sensor and the measuring circuitry. Material cost is also reduced to a minimum. [0077].
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was effectively filed to include the temperature sensor because this would allow the batteries to be monitored if there was an abnormality and also the cost is reduced when the measuring circuitry is on the printed circuit board.
As to claim 11, Takahashi et al. discloses a battery module comprising the flat flame-retardant system harness of claim 1 (figure 1).
As to claim 12, Takahashi et al. discloses the flat flame-retardant system harness of claim 1, wherein the connecting member is a device for fusing the connection contact and the bus bar (soldering –[0042]).
As to claim 14, Modified Takahashi discloses the flat flame-retardant system harness of claim 1, wherein the lower non- combustible layer and the upper non-combustible layer both include a flame-retardant material (silicon or intumescent material are flame retardant materials, which is located around the entirety of the PCB-0064 and figure 15).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 6, 8, 9 and 13 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art discloses materials of the heat protection assembly including an intumescent and silicon [0064] but does not disclose the layers ahs
a bottom layer including a silicone sheet;
a top layer including a silicone sheet; and
a middle layer including a non-combustible fiber material, the middle layer being disposed between the bottom layer and the top layer.
As to claims 8, 9 and 13, None of the prior art cited disclose the addition of a c shaped cutout to the first bus bar coupling portion around each first hole and each second bus bar coupling portion has a cutout cut in a 'c' shape around each second hole; the conductor further comprises a cutout cut in a 'c' shape around a third hole formed in the connection contact. Or the first bus bar coupling portion has a cutout cut in a 'c' shape around each first hole, the second bus bar coupling portion has a cutout cut in a 'c' shape around each second hole, and the conductor further comprises a cutout cut in a 'c' shape around each third hole.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARIA J LAIOS whose telephone number is (571)272-9808. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 10am-6pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Barbara Gilliam can be reached at 571-272-1330. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Maria Laios/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1727
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