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 Objections
Claims 1 and 20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 1 and 20 recite the structure of “two FPCs” and “two connectors […] electrically connected to one piece of the FPC respectively”; it is unclear from the wording of this claim whether “the FPC” refers to a single FPC of the two recited FPCs or to a single respective FPC.
The latter interpretation is used for purposes of examination as supported by the FPC (30) and connector (40) structure shown in the instant FIG. 7; it is suggested that the appropriate portions of claims 1 and 20 be amended to recite “two connectors […], wherein each connector is electrically connected to one piece of a respective FPC and disposed […]” as a non-limiting example.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 2-19 are objected to based on their dependency to objected claim 1.
Claims 3-10 and 13-17 are objected to because of numerous similar informalities where preceding claims pluralities of FPCs and connectors (claim 1), supports (claim 2), first avoidance gaps (claim 3) and sub-busbars (claims 11-14), and the objected dependent claims 3-10 and 13-17 refer to a single FPC (claims 4-7), a single connector (claims 5-7, 8-10), a single support (claims 3, 8-10), a single first avoidance gap (claim 3), and a single sub-busbar (claims 15-17). In these instances, it is not clear whether the singular instances of each component referenced in the dependent claims pertains to a single instance of that component, or to each respective instance of that component throughout the CCS assembly.
For purposes of examination, it interpreted that each singular FPC, connector, support, first avoidance gap, or single busbar as recited in objected claims 3-10 and 13-17 is intended to refer to each respective instance of the plurality of these structures throughout the assembly as described in the appropriate portions of the specification and figures.
Appropriate corrections to the objected claims 3-10 and 13-17 to recite “each (component)”, “each respective (component)”, “the plurality of (components)”, “the respective (component)”, etc. as appropriate are required.
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.
Regarding interpretation of claims 1, 5-10, and 19-20, these claims recite components being disposed or provided “corresponding to” other components. The instant specification does not establish a special definition of “corresponding”; for purposes of examination, a plain English definition of this term is “similar in position or purpose” as defined by vocabulary.com, that is, components being similar in position are broadly and reasonably interpreted to be “corresponding to” each other.
Claims 1-3,5-6,11-13 and 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawanishi et al. (US-20230048671-A1) in view of Moore et al. (US-20220021080-A1):
Regarding claims 1 and 20, Kawanishi discloses a CCS assembly (100, “interconnect assembly”) applied to a battery module (“power supply module”) ([0035, 0037]) as claimed in claim 1, and a battery module comprising the CCS assembly as claimed in claim 20, the battery module comprising a plurality of columns (“rows”) of cells (104) ([0069], FIG. 8),
the CCS assembly being provided on a top of the plurality of columns of cells provided crisscrossed (“staggered”) in a second direction (Y) ([0069]), the CCS assembly comprising:
a support structure (202, “interconnect retainer”, 1002 a-1002 b, “insulative layer”), provided on a top of the plurality of columns of cells ([0049, 0077], FIG. 2, 10A-C);
a guiding structure (300, “conductive layer”), connected to the support structure (202, 1002 a-1002 b) comprising an input of busbar (308, “conductive structure”), an output of busbar (302, “conductive structure”) ([0055]), and a connection segment of busbar (i.e., the collection of sub-busbars, see Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 8 below; input, output, and connection segments 302-308 shown in related embodiments in [0055] and FIGs. 3A-3E), in which the output of busbar (308) and the input of busbar (302) are provided on two opposite ends of the plurality of columns (“rows”) of cells (104) in the second direction and are electrically connected to one column of cells ([0060], FIG. 5, see Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 8 below), respectively,
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Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 8
the connection segment of busbar is provided between the input of busbar (302) and the output of busbar (308) to electrically connect to the cells (104) so as to achieve a series (along spacings 804) and parallel connection (along current paths 802) of the plurality of columns of cells (104) ([0069, 0035], Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 8).
Kawanishi’s CCS assembly comprises a FPC (“ribbon cable”) connected to the support structure (202, 1002 a-1002 b) ([0083-0085, 0087, 0091], FIG. 12A) extending in the second direction electrically connected (i.e., at voltage contact points 1208) to the connection segment of busbar ([0083-0084], see Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 13D below), and a connector (1204) provided on a side of the plurality of columns of cells in the first direction and electrically connected to one piece of the FPC respectively ([0083], FIG. 12A) reading on portions of claim 1. The recitation “disposed corresponding to an end with a gap in a column of cells” is also met by Kawanishi’s connector (1204) in the general vicinity of an end with a gap in a column of cells (see claim interpretation above, see Annotated FIG. 13D below)
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Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 13D
However, while Kawanishi suggests a utility of redundant voltage measurements in a sensor array including the FPC ([0086])([0083-0086, 0088]) and does not necessarily appear limited to a specific FPC structure ([0088-0089]), Kawanishi fails to expressly provide a CCS assembly comprising two FPCs and connectors provided on two opposite sides of the plurality of columns of cells in a first direction as claimed in the remainder of claim 1.
Moore (US20220021080A1), a battery module (Moore [0021]) comprising printed circuit boards (PCBs) (49) functionally analogous to Kawanishi’s FPCs to measure connection segment of busbar (44) voltages (see Moore [0072], Kawanishi [0083-0084]), teaches disposing two PCBs (49) on two opposite sides of the plurality of columns of cells in a first direction (41a-41e) to advantageously provide redundancy in the voltage monitoring function of the PCBs ([0072], [0057], see Annotated Moore FIG. 4 below).
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Annotated Moore FIG. 4
Therefore, in seeking to provide similar redundancy in function to Kawanishi’s analogous FPC, it would be obvious before the effective filing date of the instant application for one having ordinary skill in the art to duplicate Kawanishi’s existing FPC and connector structure to provide an additional FPC and connector on an opposite side of the battery assembly as taught by Moore (see MPEP 2144.04 VI. B.), thus reading on the remaining structure of claims 1 and 20 (i.e., a CCS assembly comprising two FPCs connected to the support structure respectively, provided on two opposite sides of the plurality of columns of cells in a first direction; and two connectors provided on two opposite sides of the plurality of columns of cells in the first direction and electrically connected to one piece of the FPC respectively, disposed corresponding to an end with a gap in a column of cells relative to an adjacent column of cells).
Such a modification would be expectedly successful, since no change to the intrinsic voltage measuring function of Kawanishi’s FPC would be necessary; furthermore, at least a portion of Kawanishi’s support structure opposite to the first FPC possesses unused space and a gap corresponding to a column of cells which appears to be usable for modification with the additional FPC and connector (see Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 21A below).
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Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 21A
Regarding claims 2 and 3, modified Kawanishi discloses the CCS assembly according to claim 1. Kawanishi’s support structure comprises an interconnect retainer (202) (Kawanishi [0049], FIG. 2) where respective ends of the retainer (202) spaced apart in the first direction are broadly and reasonably interpreted as the two supports spaced apart (Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 21A), alongside a hot-pressing film (1002 a-1002 b, “insulative layer”) ([0074], FIGs. 10A-10C);
the supports are provided on two opposite sides of the plurality of columns of cells in the first direction ([0121], Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 21A), and the hot-pressing film (1002 a-1002 b) is connected between two supports (via openings 322 to the interconnect retainer 202 comprising the two supports on opposite ends [0060, 0096], FIGs. 15A-15B) as claimed in claim 2.
A side of the support towards the cells (104) is provided with a plurality of first avoidance gaps (2102, “structures”) and a shape of the first avoidance gap (2102) is adapted to shapes of cells (104) so that the support fits on surfaces of cells (104) ([0116], Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 21A) as claimed in claim 3.
Regarding claims 5, 6, modified Kawanishi discloses the CCS assembly according to claims 2 and 3 wherein the connector (1204) is connected to a side of the FPC (1202) towards a column of cells and is provided corresponding to the gap (Kawanishi [0083], see Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 13D below) as claimed in claims 5 and 6.
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Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 13D
Regarding claims 11-13, modified Kawanishi discloses the CCS assembly according to claims 1-3, wherein the connection segment of busbar comprises a plurality of sub-busbars (“conductive structures”, see annotations) disposed sequentially side-by-side in the second direction (Kawanishi [0059]), and each sub-busbar is connected in series (along 804) with two adjacent cells (104) disposed crisscrossed in the second direction and in parallel (along 802) with two adjacent columns (“rows”) of cells (104) ([0069], Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 8).
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Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 8
Regarding claims 15-17, modified Kawanishi discloses the CCS assembly according to claims 11-13, wherein the sub-busbar comprises a primary connecting rib (318, “balancing conductors”, 312, “interconnect”) extending in the first direction (Kawanishi [0057-0059], FIG. 3C, Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 8), and a plurality of conductive sections (316, “interconnect”) connected in parallel with the primary connecting rib (318, 312) in the first direction ([0057-0059], FIG. 3C, Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 8), the primary connecting rib (318, 312) is connected to positive electrodes (“cathodes”) of cells, and the conductive sections (316) are connected to negative electrodes (“anodes”) of the cells ([0063], Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 8).
Regarding claim 18, modified Kawanishi discloses the CCS assembly according to claim 15, wherein at least one end of the primary connecting rib (318, 312) is provided in the first direction with a convex segment 324, “conductive tab” used to be connected to the FPC (1202) (Kawanishi [0084], FIGs. 12A-12B)
Regarding claim 19, modified Kawanishi discloses the CCS assembly according to claim 18.
While Kawanishi alone provides only one end of the primary connecting rib (318, 312) with the convex segment (324, “conductive tab”) for connection to the FPC (1202), (Kawanishi [0084-0085], FIG 12B),
Kawanishi modified in view of Moore comprises two FPCs (shown with PCBs 49 in Moore) connected to the sub-busbars (44) on both opposite ends of the columns of cells (41) in a first direction to provide redundancy (Moore [0072], see Annotated Moore FIG. 4).
A skilled artisan would need to operably connect both ends of Kawanishi’s sub-busbars with both FPCs to achieve this effect; it would therefore be obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art to duplicate Kawanishi’s existing convex segment structure and provide the other end of the primary connecting rib in the first direction (thus, both ends as per claim 19) with another convex segment for this connection, and further reading on the structure wherein one of the convex segments is used to be connected to one of the FPCs as claimed in portions of claim 19.
Additionally, the FPC structure used by Kawanishi is shown having third avoidance gaps around the connections between voltage contact points (1208) and convex segments (324) ([0085-0086], see Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 12B below), the third avoidance gaps being similar in position to (i.e., corresponding to, see claim interpretation above) both convex segments including the other convex segment of the primary connecting rib as claimed in claim 19.
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Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 12B
Claims 4, 7, and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawanishi (US-20230048671-A1) in view of Moore (US-20220021080-A1) as applied to claim 2, further in view of Babinot et al. (US-20210273298-A1):
Regarding claim 4, modified Kawanishi discloses the CCS assembly according to claim 2,
wherein the hot-pressing film (1002a-1002b) comprises an upper film (1002 b) and a lower film (1002 a) (Kawnishi [0074], FIGs. 10A-10C). The guiding structure (300, “conductive layer”) is provided between the upper and lower film ([0074]), and the guiding structure (particularly, interconnects 312-316) are exposed with respect to the upper and lower films (1002a, 1002b) ([0077], FIGs. 11B-11E), reading on portions of claim 4. However, while contact points (1208) of Kawanishi’s FPC (1202) are positioned on conductive tabs (324) of the guiding structure (300) and appear covered by the lower film (1002 b) ([0085], FIG. 12B), Kawanishi fails to further disclose that the FPC is provided between both the upper and lower film.
Babinot, similarly a CCS assembly (Babinot [0014], FIG. 1), teaches that an FPC (18, “monitoring element”) may be suitably laminated between an upper (24a) and lower (24b) film of a hot-pressing film (24, “insulating layer”) ([0044-0045], [0143-0144], FIG. 1). The hot-pressing film (24) helps reduce the risk of circuit fault during use or assembly ([0090]), and the FPC (“monitoring element”) in this configuration maintains its function of performing temperature or voltage monitoring ([0046]).
It would therefore be obvious for a skilled artisan to provide modified Kawanishi’s FPC between both the upper and lower film as taught by Babinot to prevent circuit fault during use or assembly, with a reasonable expectation of success since no change to the intrinsic function of Babinot or Kawanishi’s FPC or hot-pressing film would be necessitated by modification.
Regarding claim 7, modified Kawanishi discloses the CCS assembly according to claim 4 wherein the connector (1204) is connected to a side of the FPC (1202) towards a column of cells and is provided corresponding to the gap (Kawanishi [0083], Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 13D).
Regarding claim 14, modified Kawanishi discloses the CCS assembly according to claim 4, wherein the connection segment of busbar comprises a plurality of sub-busbars (“conductive structures”, see annotations) disposed sequentially side-by-side in the second direction (Kawanishi [0059]), and each sub-busbar is connected in series (along 804) with two adjacent cells (104) disposed crisscrossed in the second direction and in parallel (along 802) with two adjacent columns (“rows”) of cells (104) ([0069], Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 8).
Claims 8 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawanishi (US-20230048671-A1) in view of Moore (US-20220021080-A1) as applied to claims 5 and 6, further in view of Shi et al. (CN-219350529-U; see attached machine translation):
Regarding claims 8 and 9, modified Kawanishi discloses the CCS assembly according to claims 5 and 6. While Kawanishi envisions related structures where FPC components (e.g., a thermistor 1206) are provided in a groove on a side of the support (202) (see 13E in Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 13D, FIGs. 13A-E, [0090-0093]), Kawanishi fails to provide a side of the support (202) opposite to the cells in the first direction with a mounting groove provided corresponding to the gap, and the connector (1204) provided in the mounting groove as claimed.
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Annotated Shi FIG. 2
Shi (CN219350529U), directed to a battery module and CCS assembly (Shi, machine translation [n0060]), teaches forming a mounting groove (310, “assembly groove”) corresponding to a gap (see annotations) in a column of cells (100) on a side of the support (300, “end battery holder”) opposite to the cells in a first direction, and providing a connector (210) of an FPC (200) in the mounting groove (310) (see Annotated Shi FIG. 2 above), which advantageously reduces extra space otherwise occupied by the connector (210) ([n0060]).
Moreover, while Shi’s and Kawanishi’s respective FPCs have different orientations (e.g., Shi FIG. 2, Kawanishi FIG. 13A), a skilled artisan would still consider Shi’s teaching since the both references’ FPC connectors are positioned similarly relative to the cell columns and support (Shi FIGs. 1, 2, Kawanishi FIG. 13D).
Thus, in seeking to reduce the space occupied by Kawanishi’s connector, it would be obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art to provide a side of the support opposite to the cells in the first direction with a mounting groove corresponding to the gap and to provide the connector in the mounting groove as taught by Shi, thus reading on claims 8-9, with a reasonable expectation of success due to the similar connector positioning between Kawanishi and Shi discussed above.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawanishi (US-20230048671-A1) in view of Moore (US-20220021080-A1) and Babinot (US-20210273298-A1) as applied to claim 7, further in view of Shi et al. (CN-219350529-U; see attached machine translation):
Regarding claim 10, modified Kawanishi discloses the CCS assembly according to claim 7. While Kawanishi envisions related structures where FPC components (e.g., a thermistor 1206) are provided in a groove on a side of the support (202) (see 13E in Annotated Kawanishi FIG. 13D, FIGs. 13A-E, [0090-0093]), Kawanishi fails to provide a side of the support (202) opposite to the cells in the first direction with a mounting groove provided corresponding to the gap, and the connector (1204) provided in the mounting groove as claimed.
Shi (CN219350529U), directed to a battery module and CCS assembly (Shi, machine translation [n0060]), teaches forming a mounting groove (310, “assembly groove”) corresponding to a gap (see annotations) in a column of cells (100) on a side of the support (300, “end battery holder”) opposite to the cells in a first direction, and providing a connector (210) of an FPC (200) in the mounting groove (310) (Annotated Shi FIG. 2), which advantageously reduces extra space otherwise occupied by the connector (210) ([n0060]).
Moreover, while Shi’s and Kawanishi’s respective FPCs have different orientations (e.g., Shi FIG. 2, Kawanishi FIG. 13A), a skilled artisan would still consider Shi’s teaching since the both references’ FPC connectors are positioned similarly relative to the cell columns and support (Shi FIGs. 1, 2, Kawanishi FIG. 13D).
Thus, in seeking to reduce the space occupied by Kawanishi’s connector, it would be obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art to provide a side of the support opposite to the cells in the first direction with a mounting groove corresponding to the gap and to provide the connector in the mounting groove as taught by Shi, thus reading on claim 10, with a reasonable expectation of success due to the similar connector positioning between Kawanishi and Shi discussed above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EVERETT T CHOI whose telephone number is (703)756-1331. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 11:00-8:00.
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/E.C./Examiner, Art Unit 1751
/Haroon S. Sheikh/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1751
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