DETAILED ACTION
This is the first Office action on the merits of Application No. 18/572,797. Claims 1-16 and 18-21 are pending. By preliminary amendment, claims 17 and 22 are canceled.
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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 3/31/2024 and 8/11/2025 has been considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 20-21 objected to because of the following informalities:
in claim 20, it appears “a longitudinal beam”, “a vehicle body”, and “a locking mechanism” should be --the longitudinal beam--, --the vehicle body--, and --the locking mechanism--; and
in claim 21, it appear the two instances of “a plurality of locking shafts” should be –a plurality of the locking shaft— or similar as the locking shaft was already recited.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 3 and 5-18 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.
Regarding claim 3, the phrase “both ends of the locking shaft are connected to the mounting plate” renders the claim indefinite because it is not understood relative the disclosure. For example, Fig. 4 does not appear to have both ends of the locking shaft connected to the mounting plate, unless there is an interpretation that is not clear to the examiner at first glance. In Fig. 17, this does show both ends connected to mounting plates (note plural). This is consistent with paragraph [0128], “two ends of the locking shaft 3 are respectively connected to the mounting plates 4” (note plural). It appears it could be amended to --both ends of the locking shaft are connected to another mounting plate and the mounting plate respectively—or similar.
Regarding claims 5, 9, 15, 16 (two instances), 18, 19, and 21, the phrase “preferably” renders the claims indefinite because a broad range or limitation together with a narrow range or limitation that falls within the broad range or limitation (in the same claim) may be considered indefinite if the resulting claim does not clearly set forth the metes and bounds of the patent protection desired. See MPEP § 2173.05(c). The claim(s) are considered indefinite because there is a question or doubt as to whether the feature introduced by such narrower language is (a) merely exemplary of the remainder of the claim, and therefore not required, or (b) a required feature of the claims. However, it appears in some of the claims the applicant may be using ‘preferably” instead of the more typical language of –wherein--.
Claims 6-19 are also rejected as being dependent upon a rejected base claim.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-5, 8, and 20-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Horder (US Patent Publication 20230173904).
Regarding claim 1, Horder discloses a battery pack for an electric vehicle (Fig. 1), which is installed on a vehicle body longitudinal beam of the electric vehicle (Fig. 1), wherein the battery pack for the electric vehicle comprises: a box (Fig. 2), the box comprising at least two box units (shown in Fig. 2), and the box unit being provided with a battery module (paragraph [0028]) for external charging and discharging; a locking shaft (e.g. 52) arranged horizontally (interpreted as 52 is arranged in a horizontal direction apart from the bracket 51), the locking shaft being provided on upper part between two adjacent box units (Fig. 2 and paragraph [0028], “The ESS bracket assembly comprises a bracket frame 51 arranged to be fasted to the ESS”) and corresponding to the location of a locking mechanism on the vehicle body longitudinal beam (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 2, Horder discloses the battery pack for the electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a mounting plate (51) is provided on the box, and one end of the locking shaft is connected to the mounting plate.
Regarding claim 3, Horder discloses the battery pack for the electric vehicle according to claim 2, wherein both ends of the locking shaft are connected to the mounting plate (Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 4, Horder discloses the battery pack for the electric vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the mounting plate is at least partially provided between two adjacent box units (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 5, Horder discloses the battery pack for the electric vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the mounting plate extends along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body longitudinal beam; preferably, there are a plurality of locking shafts, and the plurality of locking shafts are sequentially distributed on an end surface of the mounting plate close to the locking mechanism along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body longitudinal beam (e.g. Figs. 2 and 7).
Regarding claim 8, Horder discloses the battery pack for the electric vehicle according to claim 5, wherein each of the box units comprises: a box body, the box body being provided with a battery cell accommodating groove for placing a battery module; a box cover plate, the box cover plate being detachably connected to a notch of the battery cell accommodating groove of the box body and closing the notch (Figs. 5 and 7).
Regarding claim 20, Horder discloses an electric vehicle, wherein, it comprises a longitudinal beam and the top hanging type battery pack according to claim 1,the locking mechanism is arranged on the longitudinal beam, and the top hanging type battery pack is detachably connected to the locking mechanism by means of the lock connecting structure (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 21, Horder discloses the electric vehicle according to claim 20, wherein the electric vehicle further comprises a vehicle body bracket, the locking mechanism is provided on the vehicle body bracket, and the vehicle body bracket is provided on the vehicle body longitudinal beam; preferably, wherein a height of a connection point between the locking mechanism and the locking shaft is higher than a height of a lower end of the vehicle body bracket or the longitudinal beam of the vehicle body (e.g. Fig. 6); and/or, the battery pack for the electric vehicle has a plurality of locking shafts, the locking shafts are symmetrically distributed on the box, and free ends of the locking shafts are oppositely arranged, and the locking mechanism is arranged on a back side of the vehicle body bracket; or, the battery pack for the electric vehicle has a plurality of locking shafts, the locking shafts are symmetrically distributed on the box, and the free ends of the locking shafts are arranged back to back, and the locking mechanism is arranged on an opposite side of the vehicle body bracket.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-7 and 9-19 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Reasons for allowance, if applicable, will be the subject of a separate communication to the Applicant or patent owner, pursuant to 37 CFR § 1.104 and MPEP § 1302.14.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Horder (US Patent Publication 20210380001) discloses a battery pack arrangement for a vehicle.
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/LORI WU/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655