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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claims 6-7 is/are objected to because of the following informalities:
---Claim 6 recite the following:
6. The pressure adjustment valve according to claim 5, wherein the partition wall portion includes: a cover portion body that defines an outline shape of the lid portion; and a rib provided to the cover portion body, and a plurality of the discharging portions are mutually independent due to the cover portion body and the rib.
Notice that claim 6 is dependent on claims 5 and 1 and claim 2, which is not related to claim 5, is the one that first mentions “further comprising a partition wall portion”, as such there is a lack of antecedent basis for this limitation.
The Office suggests that claims 6 is amended as follows:
6. The pressure adjustment valve according to claim 5, further comprising a partition wall portion, wherein the partition wall portion includes: a cover portion body that defines an outline shape of the lid portion; and a rib provided to the cover portion body, and a plurality of the discharging portions are mutually independent due to the cover portion body and the rib.
---Claim 7 recites the following:
7. The pressure adjustment valve according to claim 6, wherein, in a width direction, each discharging portion does not overlap a discharging portion corresponding to another valve body portion.
Notice that intervening claim 1 already recites “each valve body portion having a discharging portion” and as such “a discharging portion corresponding to another valve body portion” is already recited and the indefinite article “a” should be amended to the definite article “the” to indicate that they are the same limitation.
As such, the Office suggests that claim 7 is amended as follows:
7. The pressure adjustment valve according to claim 6, wherein, in a width direction, each discharging portion does not overlap [[a]] the discharging portion corresponding to another valve body portion.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
(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) 1-3, 5-8 and 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1/a2 as being anticipated by Dougherty US-6255014.
Regarding claims 1-3, 5-8 and 11-16, Dougherty US-6255014 teaches in Figs. 1-8 (see at least Figs. 1-2 and 5) the limitations of:
---Claim 1. A pressure adjustment valve (valve bank 14) that can be attached to a power storage module (battery case 12), the pressure adjustment valve comprising: a plurality of valve body portions (vents 18 with valve caps 77 and lids 78) that are opened in accordance with a pressure in the power storage module (valve caps 77 moves from a closed position to an open position when sufficient pressure is built up within the battery module to vent gases and return to the closed position once the pressure was vented out), and release the pressure in the power storage module, each valve body portion having a discharging portion (opening 78’) for releasing the pressure, an inside of each valve body portion being isolated from another adjacent valve body portion (see at least Figs. 1-2 and 5).
---Claim 2. The pressure adjustment valve according to claim 1, further comprising a partition wall portion (see the partition walls of the body 14 between the vents 68 which isolates one vent 68 and their discharge opening 78’ from the others) that isolates a plurality of the discharging portions from each other.
---Claim 3. The pressure adjustment valve according to claim 1, wherein each valve body portion includes: a valve body (valve cap 77) that is opened in accordance with the pressure in the power storage module (valve caps 77 moves from a closed position to an open position when sufficient pressure is built up within the battery module to vent gases and return to the closed position once the pressure was vented out); and a housing chamber (well 72) that houses the valve body, and each discharging portion discharges, to an outside of the housing chamber, an electrolyte that flows into the housing chamber when the valve body is opened (valve caps 77 discharge electrolytic gases that may form and build up within the electrolytic battery while preventing electrolytic liquid from exiting the housing).
---Claim 5. The pressure adjustment valve according to claim 1, wherein each valve body portion includes: a bottom portion (bottom 73); an opening portion (see the opening in vent passage 70 covered by the valve cap 77) provided on a side opposite to the bottom portion; and a lid portion (lid 78) that covers the opening portion, and the discharging portion is provided through the lid portion (see at least Figs. 1-2 and 5).
---Claim 6. The pressure adjustment valve according to claim 5, wherein the partition wall portion (see the partition walls of the body 14 between the vents 68 which isolates one vent 68 and their discharge opening 78’ from the others) includes: a cover portion body (see the portion around lid) that defines an outline shape of the lid portion; and a rib (see the rib portions between vents 68) provided to the cover portion body, and a plurality of the discharging portions are mutually independent due to the cover portion body and the rib (see at least Fig. 1 with each vent 68 having at least one discharge 78’ isolated from the adjacent vent 68).
---Claim 7. The pressure adjustment valve according to claim 6, wherein, in a width direction, each discharging portion does not overlap a discharging portion corresponding to another valve body portion (see at least Fig. 1).
---Claim 8. The pressure adjustment valve according to claim 2, wherein each valve body portion includes: a valve body (valve cap 77) that is opened in accordance with the pressure in the power storage module (valve caps 77 moves from a closed position to an open position when sufficient pressure is built up within the battery module to vent gases and return to the closed position once the pressure was vented out); and a housing chamber (well 72) that houses the valve body, and each discharging portion discharges, to an outside of the housing chamber, an electrolyte that flows into the housing chamber when the valve body is opened (valve caps 77 discharge electrolytic gases that may form and build up within the electrolytic battery while preventing electrolytic liquid from exiting the housing).
---Claim 11. The pressure adjustment valve according to claim 2, wherein each valve body portion includes: a bottom portion (bottom 73); an opening portion (see the opening in vent passage 70 covered by the valve cap 77) provided on a side opposite to the bottom portion; and a lid portion (lid 78) that covers the opening portion, and the discharging portion is provided through the lid portion (see at least Figs. 1-2 and 5).
---Claim 12. The pressure adjustment valve according to claim 3, wherein each valve body portion includes: a bottom portion (bottom 73); an opening portion (see the opening in vent passage 70 covered by the valve cap 77) provided on a side opposite to the bottom portion; and a lid portion (lid 78) that covers the opening portion, and the discharging portion is provided through the lid portion (see at least Figs. 1-2 and 5).
---Claim 13. The pressure adjustment valve according to claim 4, wherein each valve body portion includes: a bottom portion (bottom 73); an opening portion (see the opening in vent passage 70 covered by the valve cap 77) provided on a side opposite to the bottom portion; and a lid portion (lid 78) that covers the opening portion, and the discharging portion is provided through the lid portion (see at least Figs. 1-2 and 5).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 9-10 are 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The closest prior art are as follows:
---References A (Battery Relief Valves):
Shibaoka US-12573693, Wang US-12322828, Hamaoka US-11909064, Clericus US-11796076, Hamaoka US-11476538, Tamaru US-11404742, Dao US-11374284, Hamaoka US-11355785, Nakayama US-11226044, Inoue US-11189858, Sanders US-11047508, Ogawa US-10529969, Dougherty US-6255014,
Hamaoka US-20200067044, Takemura US-20120176730,
Hamaoka WO-2019064843, Morisaku JP-2019185925, Inoue JP-2021118087, Hamaoka JP-2020077549, Matsushiro JP-2018018674, Tamaru JP-2018018673, Chen CN-206478269 and Eto JP-2001057198.
References A teaches of various examples of electrolytic batteries including some form of relief valve that allows gasses that may build up within the battery to vented to the atmosphere preventing damage to the battery and/or surrounding structure when an overpressure event within the battery occurs similar to applicant’s general invention. As it was noted in the rejections above, at least Dougherty US-6255014 shows a valve assembly comprising multiple of these relief valves wherein each valve is isolated from the other similar to a key feature of the claimed invention. However, notice that the particular structure of the valve body portion 20 is different to the one as claimed, in particular, notice that the discharging portion 218 is provided on a side surface 212 between the bottom portion 211 and the opening portion 213 as shown in at least Fig. 8-9 of the application whereas Dougherty’s discharging portion 78’ is provided on the lid portion 78 similar to the embodiment of Figs. 2 and 6 of the application. As such, the closest prior art fails to disclose or render obvious the particular structure and function of the pressure adjustment valve 2 having the plurality of valve body portions 20, the discharging portion 218, wherein the valve body portion includes the bottom surface 211, the opening portion 213 and the side surface 112, wherein the side surface is provided between the bottom portion and the opening portion, and the discharging portion is provided through the side surface in combination with all the limitations as claimed in claims 4 and 9-10 and as shown in at least Figs. 8-9 of the application.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID COLON-MORALES, whose telephone number is 571-270-1741 and fax number is 571-270-2741. If the applicant has authorized internet communications via the filling of form PTO/SB/439, the examiner can be reached via email at david.colon-morales@uspto.gov , email communication is not permitted if the applicant has not filed an authorization for internet communication (see MPEP 502.03 for more details on internet communications). The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday (7:30AM-3:30PM EST).
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/DAVID COLON-MORALES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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