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
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 -7, 9-10 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cleaver, et. al. (EP3872890A1; the Office notes that the attached document does not have a listed author, but the 09-02-2021 publication of this application, WO2021170857A1, indicates the first author is Cleaver, Tom. The WO publication, which is substantially identical in disclosure, is also attached with this action).
Regarding Claim 1, Cleaver teaches a temperature measurement apparatus for measuring a temperature of a battery cell (“[0037] An array of sensors 290, such as temperature sensors, may be provided in various locations in order to improve the measurement of average conditions within the battery pack too or to improve understanding of particular locations within the pack too”), the temperature measurement apparatus comprising: a temperature measurement board (sensor tracks 240) including at least one temperature sensor (“[0036] The top face 210 of circuit board 220 also comprises sensor tracks 240, as mentioned above. As illustrated each track 240 is coupled to a respective conductive region 220 in order to facilitate measurement of the potential thereof. The sensor tracks 240 run alongside the conductive regions 220 in order to reach the appropriate region and provide measurement terminals 242 . . .Additional sensor tracks 240 may be provided for coupling to further sensing elements . . . An array of sensors 290, such as temperature sensors, may be provided in various locations in order to improve the measurement of average conditions within the battery pack too or to improve understanding of particular locations within the pack too. Where an array of sensors is provided, multiple sensors may share sensor tracks 240 where appropriate; for example, a set of thermistors may share a common track 240 on one pad with an individually routed return track 240 for measurement purposes”), the temperature measurement board being on an integrated circuit board (See above; to the extent this is not a direct teaching of integration, the temperature measurement board is a “component serving electrical purposes” discussed in “[0039] Additional components may also be integrated on to the circuit board 200. For example, fuses or other components serving electrical purposes may be integrated into or mounted onto the board 200” ; a plating layer on a first surface of the temperature measurement board and electrically connected to the battery cell to allow a charging/discharging current of the battery cell to flow therethrough, the plating layer being a metal layer (“[0031] In some implementations, coatings may be provided for the wire connections to the conductive regions 220. In the preferred embodiment, the wires are formed of aluminum and an Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold (ENIG) layer is coated on the conductive region 220 (typically formed of copper) where the wire is connected The ENIG layer provides an electroless nickel plating covered with a thin layer of immersion gold for better interface with the aluminum wire”); and at least one temperature measurement pattern on a second surface of the temperature measurement board (each sensor track is a current / conductive path, which is a “pattern,” wherein “[0016] In some preferred embodiments, the sensor tracks and conductive regions are coplanar. For example, they may be provided on a first face of the circuit board. This may be an exterior face, or where the board is a multi-layer board, an interior face of the board. Optionally, the sensors comprise sensors mounted on a second face of the circuit board opposite to the first face.”) and electrically connected to the at least one temperature sensor (see above), the second surface being opposite the first surface, and the at least one temperature measurement pattern being a conductive pattern. Cleaver at [0016, 31-37], Fig. 1.
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Fig. 1 of Cleaver.
For the foregoing reasons, Claim 1 is anticipated by Cleaver.
Regarding Claim 2, Claim 2 relies upon Claim 1. Claim 1 is anticipated by Cleaver.
Cleaver teaches “[0031] In some implementations, coatings may be provided for the wire connections to the conductive regions 220. In the preferred embodiment, the wires are formed of aluminum and an Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold (ENIG) layer is coated on the conductive region 220 (typically formed of copper) where the wire is connected The ENIG layer provides an electroless nickel plating covered with a thin layer of immersion gold for better interface with the aluminum wire.” Cleaver at [0031]. This recites “the plating layer includes a copper foil plating layer.” Id.
Claim 2 is anticipated by Cleaver.
Regarding Claim 3, Claim 3 relies upon Claim 2. Claim 2 is anticipated by Cleaver.
Cleaver teaches “[0031] In some implementations, coatings may be provided for the wire connections to the conductive regions 220. In the preferred embodiment, the wires are formed of aluminum and an Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold (ENIG) layer is coated on the conductive region 220 (typically formed of copper) where the wire is connected The ENIG layer provides an electroless nickel plating covered with a thin layer of immersion gold for better interface with the aluminum wire.” Cleaver at [0031]. This recites “wherein the plating layer further includes a nickel and gold plating layer.” Id.
Claim 3 is anticipated by Cleaver.
Regarding Claim 4, Claim 4 relies upon Claim 1. Claim1 is anticipated by Cleaver.
Cleaver teaches “[0031] In some implementations, coatings may be provided for the wire connections to the conductive regions 220. In the preferred embodiment, the wires are formed of aluminum and an Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold (ENIG) layer is coated on the conductive region 220 (typically formed of copper) where the wire is connected The ENIG layer provides an electroless nickel plating covered with a thin layer of immersion gold for better interface with the aluminum wire.” Cleaver at [0031]. Cleaver also specifies the sensor tracks 240 “facilitate measurement of the potential thereof . . . An array of sensors 290, such as temperature sensors, may be provided in various locations in order to improve the measurement of average conditions within the battery pack too . . . Where an array of sensors is provided, multiple sensors may share sensor tracks 240 where appropriate; for example, a set of thermistors may share a common track 240 on one pad with an individually routed return track 240 for measurement purposes. Multiple different sensor types may be provided . . . Hall-effect sensors (to measure current) . . . shunt resistors (to measure current).” Id. at [0036 - 39]. These recites “wherein the plating layer is configured to allow the charging/discharging current for measuring a voltage and a current of the battery cell to flow therethrough” because the “potential” strongly implies a voltage potential. Id. This is supported by the prior statement “[f]or this reason, it is often the case that as well as voltage sensors, batteries may be implemented with one or more temperature sensors.”
Claim 4 is anticipated by Cleaver.
Regarding Claim 5, Claim 5 relies upon Claim 1. Claim 1 is anticipated by Cleaver.
Cleaver teaches “[0031] In some implementations, coatings may be provided for the wire connections to the conductive regions 220. In the preferred embodiment, the wires are formed of aluminum and an Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold (ENIG) layer is coated on the conductive region 220 (typically formed of copper) where the wire is connected The ENIG layer provides an electroless nickel plating covered with a thin layer of immersion gold for better interface with the aluminum wire.” Cleaver at [0031]. Cleaver also specifies the sensor tracks 240 “facilitate measurement of the potential thereof . . . An array of sensors 290, such as temperature sensors, may be provided in various locations in order to improve the measurement of average conditions within the battery pack too . . . Where an array of sensors is provided, multiple sensors may share sensor tracks 240 where appropriate; for example, a set of thermistors may share a common track 240 on one pad with an individually routed return track 240 for measurement purposes. Multiple different sensor types may be provided . . . Hall-effect sensors (to measure current) . . . shunt resistors (to measure current).” Id. at [0036- 39]. These recites “wherein an end of the at least one temperature measurement pattern is electrically connected to the at least one temperature sensor to allow a temperature sensing current for measuring the temperature of the battery cell to flow therethrough” because this recites, for example, a set of thermistors on a common sensor 240 at one end, wherein either the “temperature sensing current’ is the thermistor, which measures temperature via resistance varying with current, or wherein the current is instead the current which travels along the current path which is represented by the common track. Id. This is supported by the prior statement “[f]or this reason, it is often the case that as well as voltage sensors, batteries may be implemented with one or more temperature sensors.”
Claim 5 is anticipated by Cleaver.
Regarding Claim 6, Claim 6 relies upon Claim 5. Claim 1 is anticipated by Cleaver.
Cleaver teaches “[0031] In some implementations, coatings may be provided for the wire connections to the conductive regions 220. In the preferred embodiment, the wires are formed of aluminum and an Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold (ENIG) layer is coated on the conductive region 220 (typically formed of copper) where the wire is connected The ENIG layer provides an electroless nickel plating covered with a thin layer of immersion gold for better interface with the aluminum wire.” Cleaver at [0031]. Cleaver also specifies the sensor tracks 240 “facilitate measurement of the potential thereof . . . An array of sensors 290, such as temperature sensors, may be provided in various locations in order to improve the measurement of average conditions within the battery pack too . . . Where an array of sensors is provided, multiple sensors may share sensor tracks 240 where appropriate; for example, a set of thermistors may share a common track 240 on one pad with an individually routed return track 240 for measurement purposes. Multiple different sensor types may be provided . . . Hall-effect sensors (to measure current) . . . shunt resistors (to measure current).” Id. at [0036- 39]. These recites “wherein the at least one temperature measurement pattern includes a plurality of temperature measurement patterns on the second surface of the temperature measurement board, and the at least one temperature sensor include a plurality of temperature sensors, the plurality of temperature measurement patterns being electrically connected to corresponding ones of the plurality of temperature sensors” because the patterns are the sensor tracks 240 comprising sensor arrays, the sensor arrays are a “plurality of temperature sensors” and are electrically connected to a common track 240. Id.
Claim 6 is anticipated by Cleaver.
Regarding Claim 7, Claim 7 relies upon Claim 1. Claim 1 is anticipated by Cleaver.
Cleaver teaches “[0031] In some implementations, coatings may be provided for the wire connections to the conductive regions 220. In the preferred embodiment, the wires are formed of aluminum and an Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold (ENIG) layer is coated on the conductive region 220 (typically formed of copper) where the wire is connected The ENIG layer provides an electroless nickel plating covered with a thin layer of immersion gold for better interface with the aluminum wire.” Cleaver at [0036 - 39]. This recites “wherein the plating layer is electrically connected to the battery cell by a wire.”
Claim 7 is anticipated by Cleaver.
Regarding Claim 9, Claim 9 relies upon Claim 1. Claim 1 is anticipated by Cleaver.
Cleaver teaches “[0040] In particular, signals from sensor tracks may be passed to a battery management system (BMS) which may operate to control usage of the battery pack 100 in an optimized manner and/ or to provide diagnostic information regarding the state of the battery pack 100. The BMS may also utilize the sensor tracks 240 to apply the cell balancing currents described above with relation to Figure 2. In the embodiment shown, the BMS is external to the circuit board too, but it will be understood that it could be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC) chip mounted on the circuit board 200 itself.” Cleaver at [0040]. This is a battery management system comprising the temperature measurement apparatus as claimed in claim 1.
Claim 9 is anticipated by Cleaver.
Regarding Claim 10, Claim 10 relies upon Claim 9. Claim 9 is anticipated by Cleaver.
Cleaver teaches “[0040] In particular, signals from sensor tracks may be passed to a battery management system (BMS) which may operate to control usage of the battery pack 100 in an optimized manner and/ or to provide diagnostic information regarding the state of the battery pack 100. The BMS may also utilize the sensor tracks 240 to apply the cell balancing currents described above with relation to Figure 2. In the embodiment shown, the BMS is external to the circuit board too, but it will be understood that it could be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC) chip mounted on the circuit board 200 itself.” Cleaver at [0040]. This is a battery pack comprising the battery management system as claimed in claim 9.
Claim 10 is anticipated by Cleaver.
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 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cleaver, in view of Cheong, et. al. (US2018183112A1).
Regarding Claim 8, Claim 8 relies upon Claim 7. Claim 7 is anticipated by Cleaver.
Cleaver teaches a temperature measurement board (circuit board 200, having conducting regions 220, and having sensor tracks 240). Cleaver at [0031 - 40]. Cleaver is silent as to ribs and grooves.
Cheong teaches a battery 370, having a printed circuit board 360, formed in a parallel manner, such that a “[0060] sub-area . . . may be disposed to overlap [i.e. flush or embedded with the printed circuit board].” Cheong at [0060]. Further, Cheong teaches “ [0094] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the case 530 may include at least one stopper protrusion 5311 (e.g., a hook) protruding from an inner surface of the first plate 531 in the accommodating space 5301 . The stopper protrusion 5311 may be stopped at a stopper recess 5211 formed in a snap-fit structure on the circuit board 521 of the PCM 520 placed to the accommodating space 5301 , so that the circuit board (e.g., the circuit board 521 ) is interrupted not to be deviated inside the accommodating space 5301 . The case 530 may include a plurality of supporting ribs 5321 protruding from an inner surface of the second plate 532 with a specific interval in the accommodating space 5301 . The supporting rib 5321 may support one surface of the circuit board 521 of the PCM 520 placed to the accommodating space 5301 to provide a spacer for minimizing a contact area with respect to an inner portion of the case 530 , thereby facilitating a buffering effect and contributing to allowing the stopper protrusion 5311 to be tightly accommodated in a stopper recess 5211 of the circuit board 521.” This “supporting rib 5321” is a fixing rib, and the “snap fit” structure is a protrusion and recess structure; further, the case includes a terminal guide recess which meets the extending metal plates 523, 524. Id. at [0093-94]. For this reason, this is also a teaching of a protrusion and groove structure, wherein the circuit board 521 includes both recesses and protrusions, and wherein a fixing rib supports a circuit board. This thus teaches “a fixing rib [support rib 5321] at a side of an integrated circuit board [circuit board 521], a fixing rib including at least one groove [for example, a guide recess] fixed to a protrusion of an integrated circuit board.” Further, Cheong teaches a “buffering effect” through the use of protrusion and recess structure. Id. However, Cheong is silent as to a temperature measurement board.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would find it obvious to modify the temperature measurement apparatus of Cleaver, such that it comprises a fixing rib at a side of the temperature measurement board, the fixing rib including at least one groove fixed to a protrusion of the integrated circuit board, because Cheong teaches a benefit to a “buffering effect” through the use of protrusion and recess structure.
Claim 8 is obvious over Cleaver, in view of Cheong.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KRISHNA RAJAN HAMMOND whose telephone number is (571)272-9997. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 - 6:30 PM M-F.
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/K.R.H./Examiner , Art Unit 1725
/NICOLE M. BUIE-HATCHER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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