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 18/718,011 application filed on 06/07/2024.
Claims 1-16 are currently pending and have been fully considered.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 objected to because of the following informalities: in line 3 “to to” between “coupled” and “a top surface” is redundant. Additionally, the claim ends with “;” that is incorrect. 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 1-14 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 1 recites “an extension terminal electrically connected to the positive or negative terminals” (plural, emphasis added) in line 12 that renders the claim indefinite because the extension terminal of the T-shaped terminal structure, as disclosed in the originally filed disclosure, is only electrically connected to one terminal, either negative or positive terminal but not a plurality of terminals within the same secondary battery. This is because the W-shaped terminal structure already has a corresponding extension terminal electrically connected to the other positive or negative terminal as recited earlier in the claim. Claims 2-14 are rejected as dependents of claim 1.
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) 1-6 and 8-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Miyawaki et al. (US 2012/0251873).
Addressing claim 1, Miyawaki discloses a secondary battery (figs. 13-16) comprising:
a secondary battery 2 with a positive terminal 7A and a negative terminal 7B spaced apart on the top surface of a hexahedral shape battery case 3 (fig. 5, [0046]); and
a W-shaped terminal structure (terminal structure 21 covering the annotated terminal 7B of battery 2 in fig. 13 as the claimed W-shaped terminal structure because the terminal structure 21 connects adjacent batteries in the width wise direction) coupled to a top surface of the battery case and one or more faces (walls 21b, 21c, 21d and 21e, fig. 8B, [0050]) extending from the top surface while enclosing the negative terminal (negative terminal 7B, fig. 16) so that it is not exposed, and an extension terminal (the portion of the conductive member 8 that protrudes outside of the upper cap 21) electrically connected to the negative terminal 7B and exposed on an one side of the terminal body other than the top surface (fig. 10), and having a binding member 8a on the extension terminal; and
a T-shaped terminal structure (the terminal structure 21 covering the annotated terminal 7A of the battery in fig. 13 as the claimed T-shaped terminal structure because the terminal structure 21 connects adjacent batteries in the thickness direction) coupled to the top surface of the battery and one or more faces (walls 21b, 21c, 21d and 21e, fig. 8B, [0050]) extending from the top surface while enclosing the positive terminal 7A while enclosing the positive terminal so that it is not exposed, and an extension terminal (the portion of the conductive member 8 that protrudes outside of the upper cap 21) electrically connected to the positive terminal and exposed on any one side of the terminal body other than the top surface, and having a connection terminal (annotated fig. 10 below) facing the thickness direction of the secondary battery on the extension terminal (fig. 10).
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Addressing claim 2, the portion of the conductive member 8 that is housed within the upper cap corresponds to the claimed extension wire electrically connecting the extentsion terminal (the protruding portion of the conductive member 8 as discussed above) to the positive or negative terminal is insulated from the outside (it is covered by the upper cap; therefore, it is insulated from the outside).
Addressing claim 3, fig. 10 shows the terminal body 21 is coupled to the top surface of the battery case and a side surface extending from the top surface and the extension terminal (the protruding portion of the conductive member 8) is exposed on the side surface as claimed.
Addressing claim 4, fig. 10 shows the binding member is an opening; therefore, it is the claimed female binding member of a complementary shape provided at each of the positive and negative terminals.
Addressing claim 5, fig. 11 shows the connection between the opening (the female binding member) of the extension terminal and the corresponding protruding terminal structure as the complementary male binding member is provided at the negative and positive terminals of another adjacent secondary battery (fig. 13).
Addressing claim 6, figs. 13 and 16 show the claimed configuration.
Addressing claims 8-9, figs. 6, 13 and 16 show a plurality of secondary batteries 2 is aligned in the width direction, and the male binding member (protrusion 7A or 7B) and female binding member (opening 8a) provided in each secondary battery are male and female coupled along the height direction with respect to the male and female binding members of an adjacent secondary battery). The female binding member comprises a slot (opening 8a) in the height direction, and the male binding member comprises an insert (protrusion 7A or 7B) extending in the height direction).
Addressing claim 10, annotated fig. 10 shows the connection terminal extends in one direction along the thickness direction.
Addressing claim 11, fig. 13 shows the connection terminal is electrically connected to connection terminal or extension terminal of other adjacent secondary batteries as claimed.
Addressing claim 12, figs. 13 and 16 show the claimed configuration.
Addressing claim 13, the opening 8a in fig. 10 corresponds to the claimed a slot open in the thickness direction formed at an end of the connection terminal.
Addressing claim 14, fig. 6 shows a connection terminal (7A or 7B) of an adjacent battery is inserted into the slot (opening 8a) of the connection terminal.
Addressing claim 15, figs. 13 and 16 show the claimed configuration.
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) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Miyawaki et al. (US 2012/0251873) in view of Kim et al. (US 2011/0081569).
Addressing claim 16, Miyawaki discloses a plurality of secondary batteries (figs. 13 and 16) arranged in the thickness direction is provided with a plurality of parallel battery groups connected in series by the connection terminal of the T-shaped terminal structure and the plurality of parallel battery groups is connected in series by the connection terminal of the T-shaped terminal structure.
Miyawaki is silent regarding the parallel connection.
Kim discloses battery module comprises a plurality of secondary batteries that are parallel to each other and are electrically connected in series (fig. 1), similarly to the configuration of Miyawaki, or parallel [0037].
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 secondary battery of Miyawaki by interconnecting the batteries arranged in parallel to each other in the known parallel electrical connection as disclosed by Kim in order to obtain the predictable result of electrically connecting a plurality of batteries (Rationale B, KSR decision, MPEP 2143).
Allowable Subject Matter
Pending the 35 USC 112, second paragraph, rejection above, claim 7 would be 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 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 09/26/2026
