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 .
Summary
This is the initial Office Action based on the 18/636,514 application filed on 04/16/2024.
Claims 1-18 are currently pending and have been fully considered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. The claim recites “high-voltage connection member” that renders the claim indefinite when the limitation is read in light of the specification because it is unclear as to the numerical value of a voltage that constitutes “high-voltage”.
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-7, 12 and 14-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Leng et al. (CN106450090 with provided machine English translation).
Addressing claims 1 and 14-15, Leng discloses a battery and an electric apparatus (EV, [0004]) comprising the battery, the battery comprising:
a plurality of battery cells (12, [0039]);
a strap-shaped member (bundling strap 110, [0039]) disposed fixedly relative to the plurality of battery cells (fig. 14);
an electric connection member (power connection piece 16 [0039, 0053]) located adjacent to the strap-shaped member (fig. 16); and
a trough-shaped member (the combination of the brackets 111 and 112 with their corresponding grooves), integrally having at least a first accommodation trough (the grooves within which the bundling straps 110 are positioned) and a second accommodation trough (the grooves within which the power connection pieces 16 are positioned);
wherein the strap-shaped member 110 is accommodated in the first accommodation trough (fig. 14), the electrical connection member is accommodated in the second accommodation trough (fig. 16), and a portion of the trough-shaped member (the brackets 111 and 112) is located between the strap-shaped member 110 and the battery cells 12 (fig. 14).
Addressing claim 2, Leng discloses the trough bottom plate of the first accommodation trough and the trough bottom plate of the second accommodation trough are the same structure (brackets 111 and 112); therefore, they are integrally connected as claimed. Figs. 14 and 16 further show that the brackets 111 and 112 are located between the strap-shaped member and the battery cells and between the electrical connection member 16 and the battery cells.
Addressing claims 3 and 16, fig. 16 shows two troughs on the upper surface of the brackets 111 and 112 for accommodating two bundling straps 110, the leftward bundling strap correspond to the claimed strap-shaped member, the rightward bundling strap 110 corresponds to the claimed wire harness and the groove for accommodating the rightward bundling strap corresponds to the claimed third accommodation trough with its associated bottom plate integrally connected to the bottom plates of the first accommodation trough and the second accommodation trough in a coplanar manner because the same bottom plate (brackets 111 and 112) contain the first, second and third accommodation troughs.
Addressing claim 4, fig. 16 shows the first, second and third accommodation troughs are strip shaped and are disposed parallel to each other as claimed with the first accommodation trough abutting the second accommodation trough.
Addressing claim 5, figs. 15-16 show the first accommodation trough (for containing the bundling strap 110) is disposed on an edge side of the trough-shaped member at one end.
Addressing claim 6, annotated fig. 13 shows the claimed escape portion formed by recessing the first accommodation trough relative to the second accommodation trough in the extension direction.
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Addressing claims 7 and 17, Leng discloses the power connection protective cover 19 as the claimed cover plate covering the trough-shaped member.
Addressing claim 12, Leng discloses the connection pieces 16, as the structural equivalence to the claimed connection member, is used for forming electrical connection between the battery cells that satisfies the claimed high-voltage connection member.
Claim(s) 1-5, 7-12 and 14-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Fujii (US 2015/0144409).
Addressing claims 1, 14 and 15, Fuji discloses an electric apparatus (EV, [0001]), comprising a battery 100, the battery comprising:
a plurality of battery cells 1;
a strap-shaped member (annotated fig. 2 below; the word strap is interpreted to include the definition “ a long narrow strip of material” or “a thin flat metal band” according to www.thefreedictionary.com; in instant situation, the annotated structure 14 is a long narrow strip of material or a thin flat metal band that corresponds to the claimed strap-shaped member) disposed relative to the plurality of battery cells;
a trough-shaped member 8, integrally having at least a first accommodation trough and a second accommodation trough (annotated fig. 2 below);
wherein the strap-shaped member is accommodated in the first accommodation trough, the electrical connection member is accommodated in the second accommodation trough (fig. 4), and a portion of the trough-shaped member 8A is located between the strap-shaped member and the battery cells (fig. 2).
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Addressing claim 2, fig. 2 shows the claimed configuration.
Addressing claims 3-4 and 16, annotated fig. 2 above shows the structural equivalence to the claimed wire harness and the claimed third accommodation trough in the claimed configuration.
Addressing claim 5, fig. 2 shows the first accommodation trough is disposed on the upper edge side of the trough-shaped member at one end.
Addressing claims 7 and 17, fig. 2 shows the claimed cover plate 20 covering the trough-shaped member.
Addressing claims 8-9 and 18, annotated fig. 5 below shows the claimed structures.
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Addressing claim 10, figs. 2 and 5 of Fujii show the cover plate has rivet holes and is fastened to a bracket (the corresponding receiving holes in the trough-shaped member) on a side with the trough-shaped member via rivets (the fasteners or screws).
Addressing claim 11, paragraph [0089] discloses the trough-shaped member is an insulating material.
Addressing claim 12, Fujii discloses the bus bars 14, as the structural equivalence to the claimed connection member, is used for forming electrical connection between the battery cells that satisfies the claimed high-voltage connection member.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Leng et al. (CN106450090 with provided machine English translation).
Addressing claim 13, figs. 16-18 show the high-voltage connection member 16 electrically connects the battery cells with an electric box 18 (BIC module 18); however, Leng is silent regarding the plurality of battery cells are an odd number of battery cells. At the time of the effective filing date of the invention, one with ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to modify the battery cells of Leng to have an odd number of battery cells because there are only two finite choices of the number of battery cells, i.e. odd or even, and choosing an odd number of battery cells to obtain the predictable result of storing electrical power would have been obvious and well within the technical grasp of one of ordinary skill in the art (Rationale E, KSR decision, MPEP 2143).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BACH T DINH whose telephone number is (571)270-5118. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Friday 8:00 - 4:30 EST.
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/BACH T DINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1726 07/29/2026
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