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 .
Claims 1-20 are pending.
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 6 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent No. 10,632,857 to Matecki et al.
Regarding claim 1, the Matecki patent teaches an apparatus for affixing a battery system component to a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a mounting plate 18 configured to be removably affixed to the vehicle, wherein the battery system component (this is interpreted as the battery which goes in the battery containment area 24, Fig. 3, column 3, lines 60-67) is affixed to the mounting plate; and a mounting plate hanger affixed to the mounting plate, wherein the mounting plate hanger 20 is configured to be removably affixed to the vehicle. See Figs. 1-15.
Regarding claim 2, the mounting plate further comprises: one or more attachment features configured to be affixed to the vehicle using a removable fastener 82. See Figs. 11 and 12.
Regarding claim 3, the one or more attachment features are affixed to a vehicle body cross member of the vehicle using the removable fastener. The term cross member as broadly recited in the claims is interpreted as parts 14 that span from the wheels of the vehicle in Figs. 1-13.
Regarding claim 4, the battery system component further comprises: a battery module including one or more battery cells. See column 3, line 60-67.
Regarding claim 6, the mounting plate hanger further comprises: a rigid support member 22b affixed to the mounting plate and removably affixed to the vehicle. See Fig. 12.
Regarding claim 18, an apparatus for affixing a battery system component to a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a mounting module including: a mounting plate 18 having a first surface, wherein the battery system component is affixed to the first surface; and a mounting plate hanger 20 having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is affixed to the first surface of the mounting plate, and wherein the second end is configured to be removably affixed to a vehicle body floor pan. The term vehicle body floor pan as broadly recited in the claims is interpreted as the rocker 14 that forms the frame or floor of the vehicle. See Figs 12.
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 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent No. 10,632,857 to Matecki et al.
Regarding claim 5, the Matecki patent teaches all of the elements of the claim except for the explicit teaching of a battery disconnect unit.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the subject invention to modify the Matecki patent to have a battery disconnect unit, as it would have been combining known prior art elements using known methods to provide the predictable result of having a way to connect the battery to the vehicle and battery disconnect units are known in the art as a way to connect a battery pack to a vehicle.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-10, 19 and 20 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.
Claims 11-17 are allowed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent No. 11,637,346 to Kaita et al. teaches a battery box.
Chinese Patent No. CN106794751 to Kotik et al. teaches a battery box.
Chinese Patent No. CN113665684 to Guo et al. teaches a battery box.
Chinese Patent No. CN116805746 to Chang et al. teaches a battery box.
Chinese Patent No. CN216120549 to Miao et al. teaches a battery box.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN HOLMES whose telephone number is (571)272-3448. The examiner can normally be reached 10AM-6PM EST M-F.
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/JUSTIN HOLMES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655