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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In paragraph [0035], 7th line, replace “32” with “33” after “overlap section”.
In paragraph [0036], 9th line, replace “34” with “33” after “overlap section”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 11 and 12 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.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the printed circuit board edge section" in the 11th line. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. In this instance, it is suggested to replace "the printed circuit board edge section" with "the at least one printed circuit board edge section" to obtain proper antecedent basis with "at least one integrated printed circuit board edge section" bridging the 10th and 11th lines of claim 11. Since claim 12 depends from claim 11, claim 12 is rejected under 35 USC 112(b) for the same reason.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the respective cell connector" in the 12th line. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. In this instance, it is suggested to replace “the” with “a” to obtain proper antecedent basis. Since claim 12 depends from claim 11, claim 12 is rejected under 35 USC 112(b) for the same reason.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the printed circuit board edge section" in the 15th line. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. In this instance, it is suggested to replace "the printed circuit board edge section" with "the at least one printed circuit board edge section" to obtain proper antecedent basis with "at least one integrated printed circuit board edge section" bridging the 10th and 11th lines of claim 11. Since claim 12 depends from claim 11, claim 12 is rejected under 35 USC 112(b) for the same reason.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the printed circuit board edge section" in the 20th line. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. In this instance, it is suggested to replace "the printed circuit board edge section" with "the at least one printed circuit board edge section" to obtain proper antecedent basis with "at least one integrated printed circuit board edge section" bridging the 10th and 11th lines of claim 11. Since claim 12 depends from claim 11, claim 12 is rejected under 35 USC 112(b) for the same reason.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the printed circuit board edge section" bridging the 20th and 21st lines. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. In this instance, it is suggested to replace "the printed circuit board edge section" with "the at least one printed circuit board edge section" to obtain proper antecedent basis with "at least one integrated printed circuit board edge section" bridging the 10th and 11th lines of claim 11. Since claim 12 depends from claim 11, claim 12 is rejected under 35 USC 112(b) for the same reason.
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 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by DE 10 2020 209 284 A1, of which a complete copy of the German document was provided with the Information Disclosure Statement dated April 23, 2024, and with a machine translation provided with this Office Action.
Regarding independent claim 1 and claim 10, DE ‘284 discloses a battery module (40) and a cell-contacting system (10) for a battery module (40) having a plurality of battery cells with cell terminals (see abstract; paragraphs [0020]-[0030] of the German document that correspond to pages 3-5 of the machine translation, wherein page 3 of the translation begins at the last paragraph starting with “The battery module 40 has a multiplicity of battery cells…”; and Figures 1-4), in which the cell-contacting system (10) comprises the following structural features:
a plurality of cell connectors (12) for electrically conductively connecting the cell terminals of different battery cells (not shown), said plurality of cell connectors (12) each having a top side (see abstract; pages 3 and 4 of translation; and Figure 1);
a signal management circuit (20), as shown in Figures 1 and 2 (see page 4 of translation);
a connecting interface (21), as shown in Figures 1 and 2 (see page 4 of translation;
a printed circuit board (14) having a plurality of signal lines (18) each configured for passing measurement values from one of said plurality of cell connectors (12) to said signal management circuit (20) or said connecting interface (21), said printed circuit board (14) having a top side (see page 4 of translation; and Figures 1 and 2); and
at least one temperature detection device for measuring a temperature of the battery cells at one of said plurality of cell connectors (12), in which said at least one temperature detection device is formed of the following (see pages 4 and 5 of translation; and Figures 1-4):
a printed circuit board edge section (16) integrated with said printed circuit board (14) and projecting from said printed circuit board (14) into a region of a respective one of said plurality of cell connectors (12), said printed circuit board edge section (16) having a top side (see pages 4 and 5 of translation; and Figures 1-4),
a temperature sensor (34) mounted on said top side of said printed circuit board edge section (16), as shown in Figure 4 (see pages 4 and 5 of translation),
said top side of said printed circuit board edge section (16) being positioned deeper than said top side of said printed circuit board (14) and deeper than said top side of a respective one of said plurality of cell connectors (12), as shown in Figures 2 and 4 (see pages 4 and 5 of translation), and
a cell connector overlap section (adjacent a region bounded by contact pads (30) and thermal contact elements (36) – see Figure 4) of a respective one of said plurality of cell connectors (12), said cell connector overlap section (adjacent elements (30,36)) overlapping said temperature sensor (34) on said printed circuit board edge section (16) at said top side of said printed circuit board edge section (16), as shown in Figures 1-4 (see pages 4 and 5 of translation).
Regarding claims 2 and 3, DE ‘284 discloses that said temperature sensor (34) has a top side, and said at least one temperature detection device has a heat-conducting layer (thermal contact pads (36)) disposed between said top side of said temperature sensor (34) and said cell connector overlap section (adjacent elements (30,36)) of a respective one of said plurality of cell connectors (12), wherein said heat-conducting layer (36) of said temperature detection device is attached to said temperature sensor (34) or is attached to said cell connector overlap section (adjacent elements (30,36)) of a respective one of said plurality of cell connectors (12), as shown in Figure 4 (see pages 4 and 5 of translation).
Regarding claim 4, DE ‘284 discloses that said cell connector overlap section (adjacent elements (30,36)) of said temperature detection device entirely overlaps said printed circuit board edge section (16) of said temperature detection device (see pages 4 and 5 of translation; and Figures 1-4).
Regarding claim 5, DE ‘284 discloses that said plurality of cell connectors (12) each have contact regions (thermal contact pads (36)), and said cell connector overlap section (adjacent elements (30,36)) of said temperature detection device extends higher than any other of said contact regions of a respective one of said plurality of cell connectors (12), as shown in Figure 4 (see pages 4 and 5 of translation).
Regarding claim 6, DE ‘284 discloses that said printed circuit board (14) is disposed in a plane (see Figures 1 and 2), and said printed circuit board edge section (16) of said temperature detection device is positioned in said plane of or deeper than said printed circuit board (14), as shown in Figures 1-4 (see pages 4 and 5 of translation).
Regarding claim 7, DE ‘284 discloses that a respective one of said plurality of cell connectors (12) is disposed in a plane (see Figures 1 and 2), and said printed circuit board edge section (16) of said temperature detection device is positioned in said plane of or deeper than said respective one of said plurality of cell connectors (12), as shown in Figures 1-4 (see pages 4 and 5 of translation).
Regarding claim 8, DE ‘284 discloses that said printed circuit board (14) has a layer thickness, and said printed circuit board edge section (16) of said temperature detection device has a layer thickness equal to or lower than said layer thickness of said printed circuit board (14), as shown Figures 1-4 (see pages 4 and 5 of translation).
Regarding claim 9, DE ‘284 discloses that said plurality of cell connectors (12) each have two contact regions (36) each associated with a cell terminal of a battery cell, and a compensation region disposed between said two contact regions (36), wherein said temperature detection device is disposed in a region of one of said two contact regions (36) of a respective one of said plurality of cell connectors (12), as shown in Figure 4 (see pages 4 and 5 of translation).
Regarding independent claim 11, DE ‘284 discloses a method for furnishing a cell-contacting system (10) for a battery module (40) having a plurality of battery cells (see abstract; paragraphs [0020]-[0030] of the German document that correspond to pages 3-5 of the machine translation; and Figures 1-4), in which the method comprises the following process steps:
providing a cell-contacting system (10) including a plurality of cell connectors (12) for electrically conductively connecting cell terminals of different battery cells (not shown), a printed circuit board (14) having a plurality of signal lines (18) each configured for passing measurement values from one of the plurality of cell connectors (12) to a signal management circuit (20) or a connecting interface (21), and at least one temperature detection device for measuring a temperature of the battery cells at one of the plurality of cell connectors (12), as shown in Figures 1-4 (see abstract; and pages 3-5 of translation);
providing the printed circuit board (14) with at least one integrated printed circuit board edge section (16), the at least one printed circuit board edge section (16) projecting from the printed circuit board (14) into a region of a respective cell connector (12) upon the cell-contacting system (10) being in an assembled state (see pages 4 and 5 of translation; and Figures 1-4);
mounting a temperature sensor (34) on a top side of the printed circuit board edge section (16), the top side of the at least one printed circuit board edge section (16) being positioned deeper than a top side of the printed circuit board (14) and deeper than a top side of the respective cell connector (12), as shown in Figures 1-4 (see pages 4 and 5 of translation); and
providing the respective cell connector (12) with a cell connector overlap section (adjacent elements (30,36)), the cell connector overlap section (adjacent elements (30,36)) overlapping the temperature sensor (34) on the at least one printed circuit board edge section (16) at the top side of the at least one printed circuit board edge section (16) upon the cell-contacting system (10) being in the assembled state (see pages 4 and 5 of translation; and Figures 1-4).
Regarding claim 12, DE ‘284 discloses the step of inserting a heat-conducting layer (thermal contact pads (36)) between a top side of the temperature sensor (34) and the cell connector overlap section of the respective cell connector (12), as shown in Figure 4 (see pages 4 and 5 of translation).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN P KERNS whose telephone number is (571)272-1178. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-430pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Keith Walker can be reached at (571)272-3458. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/KEVIN P KERNS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1735 September 2, 2026
Prosecution Insights