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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claims 1-2 and 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Moon et al. (US 2022/0115747; hereinafter “Moon”).
In regard to claims 1-2, Moon discloses a bus bar module (combination of flexible wiring 50 and bus bars B) comprising a circuit body (flexible wiring 50) composed of a flexible substrate provided with a circuit wiring, wherein the circuit body comprises a belt-shaped main body (see Figures 1-2) extending along a predetermined direction and a plurality of bus bar portions (connection members 100) arranged at a distance in an extending direction of the main body, wherein at least a part of the bus bar portions is arranged to overlap with the main body such that the part of the bus bar portions is arranged to straddle the main body in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the main body (see Figures 2 and 6 which depict the connection members 100 straddling the belt-shaped main body of the flexible wiring 50) as recited in claim 2. See Figures 1-2 and 5-8 and paragraphs [0036] and [0050]-[0055].
In regard to claim 4, Moon discloses wherein the bus bar portions (connection members 100) are formed separately from the main body and is thereafter electrically connected to the main body as the connection members are taught to be soldered to the conductive lines C of the flexible wiring 50. See Figure 5 and [0050].
In regard to claim 5, Moon discloses wherein bus bar portions (connection members 100) have a circuit divider (defined by coupling holes 100’) electrically connected to the main body (solder material is added to coupling holes 100’ to connect to the conductive lines C of the flexible wiring 50; see [0050] and Figure 5), an extending portion (the body of the connection member 100 between the coupling holes 100’ and the connection to the bus bar B) extending from one end portion of the circuit divider in the width direction of the main body and extending to straddle from one end side to the other end side in the width direction of the main body (connection members 100 are capable of straddling the entire width of the flexible wiring 50; see Figure 6), and a connection portion (bus bar B) connected to the extending portion and capable of being connected to a terminal portion of a counterpart connection device (one of the electrodes 11,12 of the battery cell 10 as depicted in Figure 1) arranged on the other end side in the width direction of the main body. See Figure 1 and paragraphs [0048]-[0051].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TIMOTHY C CLEVELAND whose telephone number is (571)270-5041. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-5:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Claire Wang can be reached at (571) 270-1051. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TIMOTHY C CLEVELAND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1774
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