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 .
Summary
This is the initial Office Action based on the 18/580,455 application filed on 01/18/2024.
Claims 1-6 are currently pending and have been fully considered.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1-3 and 5-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Sauerteig et al. (US 2020/0358054).
Addressing claim 1, Sauerteig discloses a battery pack (fig. 2) comprising:
a battery module configured to include a battery module frame 10 including a cell mounting portion 13 formed therein on which a plurality of battery cells 21 is disposed on and a control module mounting portion (annotated fig. 2 below) formed on one outer side surface thereof
a control module (annotated fig. 2 below) configured to be coupled to the control module mounting portion (fig. 8) and control operations of the battery cell [0050]; and
a thermistor unit 36 (inner temperature sensor 36 is a thermistor [0019]) configured to be connected to the control module [0069], to come into contact with the battery cell (fig. 4, [0066-0067]), and to measure a temperature of the battery cell [0066].
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Addressing claim 2, in annotated fig. 2 below, Sauerteig discloses the control module comprises a control module frame (the combination of the module frame in annotated fig. 2 below and the contact holder 70 shown in fig. 10 correspond to the claimed control module frame because the contact holder 70 also supports the outer temperature sensor 37 along with other electrical wires that are electrically connected to the circuit boards that are supported on the module frame; therefore, the contact holder 70 is part of the structure that is the structural equivalence to the claimed module frame), a main circuit board and a sub-circuit board in the claimed configuration.
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Addressing claim 3, Sauerteig discloses wherein one or more cut portions are formed by being cut in an inward direction of the cell mounting portion (fig. 12 shows the compensation spacer 32, which is interpreted as part of the claimed cell mounting portion of the frame because the spacers form part of the frame surrounding the corresponding battery cell; the spacer is shown having recess 38 formed in an inward direction from the cell mounting portion),
wherein one or more protrusions (the protrusion shown in annotated fig. 4) are formed at positions corresponding to the cut portions in the control module frame in such a way as to protrude toward the cut portions (fig. 4),
wherein the sub-circuit board is formed with a circuit extension part which extends to the protrusion (fig. 4 shows the annotated protrusion has an electrical terminal at one end; fig. 8 implies that the electrical terminal of the annotated protrusion engages with a corresponding electrical terminal of the sub-circuit board; therefore, the corresponding electrical terminal of the sub-circuit board corresponds to the claimed circuit extension part which extends to the protrusion),
wherein the thermistor unit 36 is electrically connected to the circuit extension part is disposed at the an end of the protrusion (fig. 4),
and wherein, when the protrusion is inserted into the cut portion, the thermistor unit comes into contact with the battery cell (fig. 4).
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Addressing claim 5, annotated fig. 12 below shows the structural equivalence of the insertion portion and insertion protrusion in the claimed configuration.
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Addressing claim 6, Sauerteig discloses the battery module (annotated figures below) further comprises:
a support block (annotated fig. 7) configured to arrange to protrude outward from the control module portion and has a fastening hole formed therein;
a stepped portion configured to be formed inward at both ends of the control module mounting portion (annotated fig. 7) and to allow the control module frame to be inserted thereinto (fig. 8 shows the elongated side panels of the pack contact holder portion of the module frame, as discussed above, are inserted into the stepped portion; and
a fitting piece configured to be formed to protrude outward from the control module mounting portion (annotated fig. 7),
and wherein the control module comprises:
a piece contact portion configured to be formed in the control module frame, to allow the support block to contact, to support the control module frame, and to have a through hole that is bolted to the fastening hole (annotated fig. 8); and
a fitting recess configured to be formed in the control module frame, to allow the fitting piece to be inserted thereinto, and to support the control module frame (annotated fig. 8).
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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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sauerteig et al. (US 2020/0358054) in view of Kumano et al. (CN101907497 with provided machine English translation).
Addressing claim 4, Sauerteig discloses the thermistor unit comprises the thermistor chip 36 (fig. 4 shows the shape of the thermistor that corresponds to the claimed chip). Sauerteig is silent regarding a heat conduction pad configured to be disposed on the end surface of the protrusion and to surround the thermistor chip.
Kumano discloses a temperature sensor comprises a thermistor chip 2 [0057] surrounded by a heat conduction pad 4 (made of heat conducting material [0066]).
At the time of the effective filing date of the invention, one with ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to modify the thermistor unit of Sauerteig with the heat conduction pad 4 surrounding the thermistor chip as disclosed by Kumano in order to protect the thermistor chip as well as improving thermal conductivity of the thermistor (Kumano, [0068-0070]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BACH T DINH whose telephone number is (571)270-5118. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Friday 8:00 - 4:30 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeffrey Barton can be reached at (571)-272-1307. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BACH T DINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1726 06/26/2026
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