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 § 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.
Claims 1-3, 5-7 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Waddell et al. (US 2020/0127347 A1) in view of Yanli (US 2016/0336688 A1) and Kim et al. (US 2022/0285779 A1).
Claim 1: Waddell teaches a battery module 1100 comprising an enclosure 1105 including battery submodules 1110 arranged in a side-by-side configuration, each of the battery submodule 1110 having one or more battery cells 910 (Figs. 9 and 11, [0041] and [0044]). The battery module 1110 meets the claimed energy storage system, the enclosure 1105 meets the claimed rack row, the battery submodules 1110 meet the claimed power racks, and the battery cells 910 meet the claimed power modules. Waddell teaches an electrical bus 102 to connect the battery modules [0021]. The electrical bus 102 meets the claimed busbar assembly. Waddell does not teach the electrical bus 102 includes at least two sub-buses. However, Kim teaches a battery rack 300 including battery modules 200 (Fig. 2 and [0054]) and a busbar assembly 280 may include at least one busbar 282 configured to electrically connect secondary batteries 110 and at least two busbar frames 286 configured to mount the at least one busbar 282 on the outside [0071], wherein the busbars 282 are made of a conductive metal [0072]. The busbar assembly 280 meets the claimed busbar assembly and the busbars 282 meet the claimed first and second conductive busbars. Waddell and Kim are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor, that is the battery rack art. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the busbar assembly 280 including the busbar 282 and the busbar frame 286 of Kim with the invention of Waddell, and the motivation for combining would be, as Kim suggested, to electrically connect the battery cells/secondary batteries [0071].
Waddell does not teach the claimed first and second pluggable connectors and the claimed first and second conductive links. However, Yanli teaches a busbar connector assembly 20 comprising an adaptive connector subassembly 26, a static head 24 and a dynamic head 22, wherein the dynamic head 22 is configured to secure a busbar 14 (Figs. 2 and 3 [0032] and [0033]). The adaptive connector subassembly 26 meets the claimed first and second pluggable connectors, and the dynamic head 22 meets the claimed first and second conductive links. Waddell and Yanli are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor, that is the busbar assembly art. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the busbar connector assembly 20 of Yanli with the invention of Waddell, and the motivation for combining would be, as Yanli suggested, to secure busbars [0032].
Claim 2: Kim teaches the busbar assembly 280 including the busbar 282 and the busbar frames 286 are flat bars arranged parallel and spaced apart (Fig. 4).
Claim 3: The dynamic head 22 of Yanli has a flat component (see top arrow on Fig. 5B) and a right angle component (see bottom arrow on Fig. 5B).
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Claim 5: The dynamic head 22 of Yanli has a flat component (see top arrow on Fig. 5B) and a double bend component (see broken arrows on Fig. 5B).
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Claim 6: The busbar frame 286 of Kim meets the claimed support insulator; and Kim teaches the busbar frame 286 is made of an electrically insulating material such as a plastic material [0073].
Claim 7: Kim teaches at least two busbar frames 286 [0071]. One of the at least two busbar frames 286 meets the claimed upper brace, and the other busbar frames 286 meets the claimed lower brace.
Claim 11: Waddell teaches a section 1117 that covers the power electronic (Fig. 11 and [0044]). The section 1117 meets the claimed protective covering.
Claims 12, 13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Waddell et al. (US 2020/0127347 A1) in view of Yanli (US 2016/0336688 A1) and Kim et al. (US 2022/0285779 A1).
Claim 12: Waddell teaches a battery module 1100 comprising an enclosure 1105 including battery submodules 1110 arranged in a side-by-side configuration, each of the battery submodule 1110 having one or more battery cells 910 (Figs. 9 and 11, [0041] and [0044]). The battery module 1110 meets the claimed energy storage system, the enclosure 1105 meets the claimed rack row, the battery submodules 1110 meet the claimed power racks, and the battery cells 910 meet the claimed power modules. Waddell teaches an electrical bus 102 to connect the battery modules [0021]. The electrical bus 102 meets the claimed busbar assembly. Waddell does not teach the electrical bus 102 includes at least two sub-buses. However, Kim teaches a battery rack 300 including battery modules 200 (Fig. 2 and [0054]) and a busbar assembly 280 may include at least one busbar 282 configured to electrically connect secondary batteries 110 and at least two busbar frames 286 configured to mount the at least one busbar 282 on the outside [0071], wherein the busbars 282 are made of a conductive metal [0072]. The busbar assembly 280 meets the claimed busbar assembly and the busbars 282 meet the claimed first and second conductive busbars. Waddell and Kim are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor, that is the battery rack art. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the busbar assembly 280 including the busbar 282 and the busbar frame 286 of Kim with the invention of Waddell, and the motivation for combining would be, as Kim suggested, to electrically connect the battery cells/secondary batteries [0071].
Waddell does not teach the claimed first and second pluggable connectors and the claimed first and second conductive links. However, Yanli teaches a busbar connector assembly 20 comprising an adaptive connector subassembly 26, a static head 24 and a dynamic head 22, wherein the dynamic head 22 is configured to secure a busbar 14 (Figs. 2 and 3 [0032] and [0033]). The adaptive connector subassembly 26 meets the claimed first and second pluggable connectors, and the dynamic head 22 meets the claimed first and second conductive links. Yanli teaches connecting a busbar 14 to the dynamic head 22 and dynamic head 22 is connected to the adaptive connector subassembly (Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and [0032]). Yanli further teaches the adaptive connector assembly 20 side is attached to an electronic device 12 such as a power module via a static head (Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and [0032]).
Waddell and Yanli are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor, that is the busbar assembly art. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the busbar connector assembly 20 of Yanli with the invention of Waddell, and the motivation for combining would be, as Yanli suggested, to secure busbars [0032].
Claim 13: The busbar frame 286 of Kim meets the claimed support insulator; and Kim teaches the busbar frame 286 is made of an electrically insulating material such as a plastic material [0073].
Claim 15: Waddell teaches a section 1117 that covers the power electronic (Fig. 11 and [0044]). The section 1117 meets the claimed protective covering.
Pertinent Prior art
Carignan et al. (US 2022/0109210 A1) teaches conventional energy storage units require installers to handle battery modules near high-voltage points. It also teaches that connecting modules to each other and to the main power terminal often requires access to the rear of the rack, which is inconvenient; and the system aims to reduce that handling burden and make installation less risky. Carignan does not teach the claimed pluggable connectors and conductive links.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 8-10 and 14 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.
Claims 16 and 17 are allowed.
Waddell, Yanli and Kim do not teach or suggest the claimed invention as recited in claims 4, 8-10, 14, 16 and 17.
Correspondence
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BS
October 14, 2026
/BETELHEM SHEWAREGED/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1785
Prosecution Insights