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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 18 March 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that the combination of Umino, Kosuga, and Pouilly does not explicitly disclose newly amended claim 1, which now recites the subject matter of previous claim 3. However, in short, the rejection of claim 3 relied upon Kosuga to teach the capacitor module components and their order, from top to bottom. Specifically, the capacitor module in Fig. 11 teaches the smoothing capacitor (505, 507) atop noise filter (515). It is agreed that Kosuga is silent as to a power module being arranged above the capacitor module. Pouilly is cited to teach a power module arranged above a capacitor module. As Kosuga teaches the capacitor module with the smoothing capacitor above the noise filter, when the power module being above the capacitor of Pouilly is combined with the capacitor module of Kosuga, the skilled artisan would find it obvious to modify Umino to include the feature of the power module, smoothing capacitor, and noise filter being arranged in that order from an upper side to a lower side, as required by claim 1. Thus, the combination of Umino, Kosuga, and Pouilly still disclose claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claims 1-2, 4, 6-10, and 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Umino (US 2019/0159367), in view of Kosuga et al. (“Kosuga”; US 2015/0214857), Pouilly et al. (“Pouilly”; US 2020/0205319), and Yamamoto (JP 2019-33587 A, English translation attached).
Regarding claim 1: Umino discloses a busbar unit (Fig. 2) comprising:
a busbar (40) through which an electric current flows (as this is the purpose of a busbar); and
a cover (10) covering an intermediate part of the busbar (at 13),
wherein the cover comprises a passage (80) along the intermediate part of the busbar (paragraph 0058, shown in Fig. 2),
a coolant for a vehicle (paragraph 0001) flowing in the passage (paragraph 0058).
the busbar unit is used in an inverter (A) used for controlling a drive motor (M) of the vehicle (shown best in Fig. 1),
the inverter comprises a power module (30) including a plurality of switching elements (paragraph 0042), a smoothing capacitor (20, paragraph 0043),
the passage is arranged to extend from the one side (281, on the power module 30 side) toward another side (282, on the capacitor 20 side, Fig. 13; “upper” and “lower” are not provided with any further context, thus in this case, the power module is “upper” and the capacitor is “lower”).
Umino does not explicitly disclose a noise filter, the power module, the smoothing capacitor, and the noise filter are arranged in this order from an upper side to a lower side in an installed position on the vehicle, and the passage is arranged to extend from the upper side to the lower side in the installed position on the vehicle.
However, Kosuga discloses a capacitor module comprising a smoothing capacitor (505, 507) and a noise filter (515) arrange from top to bottom in that order (see Fig. 11) in an installed position on the vehicle.
And, Pouilly discloses a capacitor module (30),
the power module (20), the smoothing capacitor (30), and the noise filter (also 30) are arranged in this order from an upper side to a lower side (Fig. 2).
And, Yamamoto discloses a cooling passage (via inlet 151 and outlet 151, Fig. 1) is arranged to extend from the upper side to the lower side in the installed position on the vehicle (as inlet/outlet 151 are arranged in the upper and lower side).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the arrangement of the power module and the capacitor(s) of Umino to be in the order of power module, smoothing capacitor, and noise filter, as disclosed by Kosuga and Pouilly, in order to provide a more compact configuration, to the modify the passage of Umino to flow from an upper side to a lower side in order to better disperse coolant among the vertical components.
Regarding claim 2: Umino discloses the coolant flowing in the passage is used for cooling a power module (30) mounted on the vehicle.
Regarding claim 4: Umino discloses the busbar unit is housed in a casing (70) that covers the inverter (20), and an outlet (W2, Fig. 8) through which the coolant flows out from the passage is open to an outside of the casing (paragraph 0112).
Regarding claim 6: Umino discloses the passage for the coolant is integrally formed with the cover (at 13, paragraph 0060).
Regarding claim 7: Umino discloses the cover (at 12) is located in a space between the inverter and the drive motor (as 12 is below inverter 30 and above drive motor M in Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 8: Umino discloses a vehicle (paragraph 0012), comprising:
a drive motor (M, Fig. 1);
an inverter (A) configured to control the drive motor of the vehicle; and
a busbar unit (Fig. 2), comprising:
a busbar (40) through which an electric current flows (inherent); and
a cover (10) covering an intermediate part of the busbar (at 13),
wherein
the cover comprises a passage (80) along the intermediate part of the busbar (paragraph 0058, shown in Fig. 2),
a coolant for the vehicle (paragraph 0001) flowing in the passage (paragraph 0058),
the busbar unit is included in the inverter (Fig. 2),
the inverter comprises:
a power module (30) including a plurality of switching elements (paragraph 0042),
a smoothing capacitor (20, paragraph 0043), and
Umino does not explicitly disclose the inverter comprises a noise filter, and the power module, the smoothing capacitor, and the noise filter are arranged in this order from an upper side to a lower side in an installed position on the vehicle, and the passage extends from the upper side toward the lower side in the installed position on the vehicle.
However, Kosuga discloses a capacitor module comprising a smoothing capacitor (505, 507) and a noise filter (515) arrange from top to bottom in that order (see Fig. 11) in an installed position on the vehicle.
And, Pouilly discloses a capacitor module (30),
the power module (20), the smoothing capacitor (30), and the noise filter (also 30) are arranged in this order from an upper side to a lower side (Fig. 2).
And, Yamamoto discloses a cooling passage (via inlet 151 and outlet 151, Fig. 1) is arranged to extend from the upper side to the lower side in the installed position on the vehicle (as inlet/outlet 151 are arranged in the upper and lower side).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the arrangement of the power module and the capacitor(s) of Umino to be in the order of power module, smoothing capacitor, and noise filter, as disclosed by Kosuga and Pouilly, in order to provide a more compact configuration, to the modify the passage of Umino to flow from an upper side to a lower side in order to better disperse coolant among the vertical components
Regarding claim 9: Umino discloses the coolant flowing in the passage is used for cooling a power module (30) mounted on the vehicle.
Regarding claim 10: Umino discloses the busbar unit is housed in a casing (70) that covers the inverter (20), and
an outlet (W2, Fig. 8) through which the coolant flows out from the passage is open to an outside of the casing (paragraph 0112).
Regarding claim 12: Umino discloses the passage for the coolant is integrally formed with the cover (at 13, paragraph 0060).
Regarding claim 13: Umino discloses the cover (at 12) is located in a space between the inverter and the drive motor (as 12 is below inverter 30 and above drive motor M in Fig. 1).
Claims 5 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Umino, Kosuga, Yamamoto, and Pouilly as applied to claims 1 and 8 above, further in view of Yamada et al. (“Yamada”; US 2016/0218578).
Regarding claim 5: Umino discloses the busbar and the cover, but does not explicitly disclose the busbar and cover are curved along a shaft of a drive motor of the vehicle.
However, Yamada discloses the busbar (17) and cover (as Umino teaches a cover) are curved along a shaft of a drive motor of the vehicle (paragraph 0052).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the busbar and cover of Umino to have the curved shape of Yamada in order to allow for additional configurations.
Regarding claim 11: Umino discloses the busbar and the cover, but does not explicitly disclose the busbar and cover are curved along a shaft of a drive motor of the vehicle.
However, Yamada discloses the busbar (17) and cover (as Umino teaches a cover) are curved along a shaft of a drive motor of the vehicle (paragraph 0052).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the busbar and cover of Umino to have the curved shape of Yamada in order to allow for additional configurations.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/SEAN GUGGER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834