DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Japan on 4/17/23. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the JP2023-067130 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 1, “the measured portion” should be changed to --a measured portion-- in line 3 (there is lack of antecedent basis in the claim for “the measured portion”).
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Application Publication 2022/0158310 to Matsushima et al [hereinafter Matsushima].
Referring to claim 1, the Matsushima discloses (figures 2, 5, 6; paragraphs 24, 25, 28, 36-39, 47, 53, 57, 58) a temperature sensor assembly comprising:
a temperature sensor (60) (figure 5); and
a case (70) configured to be attached to a measured portion (battery cell) (BC) while holding the temperature sensor (60) (paragraph 53);
wherein the case (70) includes a facing wall (70c, 70d) configured to face the measured portion (BC), the facing wall (70c, 70d) having a holding hole for the temperature sensor (60) (figure 5; paragraph 57);
wherein the temperature sensor (60) includes:
a flexible printed circuit board (20) (paragraph 28);
a chip thermistor (30) mounted on the flexible printed circuit board (20) via surface mounting (mounted on the surface) (figure 5; paragraph 25);
a metallic heat receiving component (41) configured to come into contact with the measured portion (BC) (paragraphs 25, 37); and
an elastic element integrated to the heat receiving component (40) (figure 5), wherein the elastic element includes:
a press-fit lock portion (62, 63) press-fitted into the holding hole (figure 5; paragraph 47);
a plate portion (61) with the flexible printed circuit board (20) interposed between the plate portion (61) and the heat receiving component (41) (figure 5; paragraphs 38, 39); and
an intermediate portion (curved part on top of the plate portion (61)) between the press-fit lock portion (62, 63) and the plate portion (61) (figure 5);
wherein the case (70) includes a standing wall (73b, 73c) extending from the facing wall (70c, 70d) toward the plate portion (61) (figure 5).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the prior art disclosed by the applicants in paragraphs 2-4 of the specification [hereinafter Prior Art] in view of JP2011017638 to Matsunaga (see the translation in the IDS filed 3/21/24) and Matsushima.
Referring to claim 1, the Prior Art discloses (figure 9; paragraphs 2-4) a temperature sensor assembly comprising:
a temperature sensor (500) (figure 9); and
a case configured to be attached to the measured portion (battery cell) while holding the temperature sensor (500) (paragraph 4);
wherein the temperature sensor (500) includes:
a flexible printed circuit board (503);
a thermistor (504) mounted on the flexible printed circuit board (503) (paragraph 3);
a metallic heat receiving component (505) configured to come into contact with the measured portion (battery cell) (paragraph 3); and
an elastic element integrated to the heat receiving component (505), wherein the elastic element includes:
a press-fit lock portion (561) press-fitted into the case (paragraph 4);
a plate portion (part of 500 on top of 503) with the flexible printed circuit board (503) interposed between the plate portion and the heat receiving component (505) (figure 9); and
an intermediate portion (on top of the plate portion) between the press-fit lock portion (561) and the plate portion (figure 9).
The Prior Art does not explicitly disclose that the case includes a facing wall configured to face the measured portion, the facing wall having a holding hole for the temperature sensor; the thermistor being a chip thermistor and the chip thermistor being mounted on the flexible printed circuit board via surface mounting; the press-fit lock portion being press-fitted into the holding hole of the case; and the case including a standing wall extending from the facing wall toward the plate portion of the elastic element.
However, Matsunaga discloses (figure 3; paragraphs 36-40, 50, 52) a temperature sensor assembly comprising a temperature sensor (21) and a case (28) configured to be attached to a measured portion (battery cell 8) while holding the temperature sensor (21) (paragraphs 38-40); wherein the case (28) includes a facing wall configured to face the measured portion (8), the facing wall having a holding hole (31) for the temperature sensor (21); the temperature sensor includes an elastic element (36) comprising a press-fit lock portion (25) being press-fitted into the holding hole (31) of the case (28) (paragraphs 38-40); and the case (28) includes a standing wall (forming the hole 31) extending from the facing wall toward a plate portion of the elastic element (at 21) in order to improve adhesion of the temperature sensor to the measured portion to improve measurement accuracy (paragraph 52).
Furthermore, Matsushima discloses (figures 2, 5; paragraphs 2, 5, 6, 24, 25, 28, 36-39, 47, 53, 57, 58) a temperature sensor assembly using a temperature sensor (60) having a chip thermistor (30) (paragraph 25) that is surface mounted (mounted on a surface) on a flexible printed circuit board (20) (paragraph 28) for biasing the chip thermistor against a measured portion (battery cell) (BS) (paragraph 25, 46) in order to measure a temperature of the measured portion.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Prior Art by using a case that includes a facing wall configured to face the measured portion, the facing wall having a holding hole for the temperature sensor, wherein the press-fit lock portion is press-fitted into the holding hole of the case, and the case includes a standing wall extending from the facing wall toward the plate portion of the elastic element, as suggested by Matsunaga, in order to improve a thermal connection of the temperature sensor to the measured portion to improve measurement accuracy.
Also, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the thermistor of the Prior Art by using a chip thermistor that is mounted on the flexible printed circuit board via surface mounting, as suggested by Matsushima, in order to improve thermal a connection of the temperature sensor to the measured portion to improve measurement accuracy.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 2 is 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, and amended to overcome the objection set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art of record does not disclose or suggest the following in combination with the remaining limitations of the claims:
A temperature sensor assembly according to claim 1, wherein the plate portion has a lock hole therein, and wherein the attached portion is press-fitted into the lock hole (claim 2).
Conclusion
The references made of record and not relied upon by the examiner are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure by disclosing a temperature sensor assembly, but do not disclose the allowable subject matter stated above.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MIRELLYS JAGAN whose telephone number is (571)272-2247. The examiner can normally be reached Tuesday-Friday 8-6.
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/MIRELLYS JAGAN/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2855
2/17/26