DETAILED ACTION
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)(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 and 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Maeda et al. (US 2023/0364969).
Regarding claim 1, Maeda discloses a thermal management system comprising:
a first flow path, a second flow path, a third flow path, and a fourth flow path, each configured to allow a heat medium to flow through;
a battery 51 (energy storage device);
high-voltage instrument 50 (drive device) as a generic term for the inverter 52, the motor generator 53, and the ADAS controller 54;
a low-temperature-side radiator 423;
a chiller 20; and
a five-way valve 422 (switching device);
wherein the switching device is configured to cause a switching circuit formed, the switching circuit being a circuit in which the first flow path is disconnected from and independent of the second flow path, the third flow path, and the fourth flow path, the second flow path is connected to the third flow path and the fourth flow path, and the third flow path is connected to the fourth flow path. (Figs. 1-4).
Figure 1 to Maeda provided below.
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Regarding claim 2, Maeda discloses an electric vehicle (para 0041).
Regarding claim 3, Maeda discloses a heating medium circuit (abstract) wherein the switching device is configured to cause the switching circuit formed when performing heating of the energy storage device by causing a current to flow through the energy storage device (Figs. 7-12).
Regarding claim 4, Maeda discloses wherein the energy storage device is heated after a traction system of the electrified vehicle is activated (Figs. 7-12).
Regarding claim 5, Maeda discloses he battery 51 is being charged from an external power source (para 0223) and the control program for temperature adjustment references the control map previously stored in the controller 60 and switches the operation modes for temperature adjustment based on the battery temperature TB detected by the battery temperature sensor 68 and the second low-temperature-side heating medium temperature TWL2 detected by the second low-temperature-side heating medium temperature sensor 67b (para 0225).
Regarding claim 9, Maeda discloses heating circuit via the chiller 20 (Figs. 1).
Regarding claim 10, Maeda discloses a battery temperature sensor 68 and a heating medium temperature sensor 67b (para 0134; Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 11, Maeda discloses controller 60 (Fig. 5), wherein the control device is configured to control the switching device to cause the switching circuit formed.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-8 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Kim et al. (US 2022/0001717). Kim teaches a heat pump system for an (electric) vehicle including multiple connections lines (abstract) configured to allow a heat medium to flow through; and a battery 24, an electrical component 15 (e.g., an electric power control unit or a motor or an inverter), a radiator 120, a chiller 30, and valve V1 (switching device) (Fig. 1).
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/CARLOS BARCENA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1723
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