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 § 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 16-20 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.
Claims 16 and 19 recite the limitation "the electrical device". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. There is, however, proper antecedent basis for “an electrical device” (line 9) of Claim 14. Were claims 16 and 19 intended to depend from Claim 14? For purposes of examination, Claims 16 and 19 have been examined to have depended from Claim 14.
Claims 17 and 20 recite the limitation "the cooling device". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. There is, however, proper antecedent basis for “a cooling device” (line 6) of Claim 14. Were claims 17 and 20 intended to depend from Claim 14? For purposes of examination, Claims 17 and 20 have been examined to have depended from Claim 14.
Claim 18 recite the limitation "the air-cooled space ". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. There is, however, proper antecedent basis for “an air-cooled space” (line 3) of Claim 14. Was claim 18 intended to depend from Claim 14? For purposes of examination, Claim 18 has been examined to have depended from Claim 14.
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)(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) 1-2 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0114736 issued to Avganim.
Regarding Claim 1, Avganim teaches in Figures 1-7i and respective portions of the specification of a work machine (vehicle 10) comprising:
a battery unit (40) that supplies electric power to an electric motor (disclosed in paragraph [0020]); and
a battery support portion (41a, 41b, 41c, 41d) that supports the battery unit (40) and is removably fixed (at cavities 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d) to a machine body frame (see Figure 1),
wherein the battery support portion (41a, 41b, 41c, 41d) has an insertion portion (42a, 42b) into which a jig (forklift fork) for attaching and detaching the battery unit can be inserted from one side in a front-rear direction (see Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 2, Avganim teaches of the battery support portion (41a, 41b, 41c, 41d) is fixed to an upper surface (see Figure 3a for example) of the battery unit (40) and has a bracket (the bracket portion is taken to be the longitudinally extending portion of the battery unit where the insertion portions are located, see Figures 3a-3c) that can be coupled to the machine body frame, and the insertion portion (42a, 42b) penetrates the bracket along the front-rear direction.
Regarding Claim 6, Avganim teaches the bracket has a device support portion that supports a device (the electrical contact 741a, 741b is supported by the device support and is associated with the battery unit by establishing an electrical connection.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5, 7-15 and Claims 16-20, as examined to have depended from Claim 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the primary reason for the indication of allowable subject matter in this case is the inclusion of: in re claims 3-5 where the battery support portion includes a first support member that connects one end portion of the bracket in the front-rear direction to the machine body frame; and a second support member that connects an other end portion of the bracket in the front-rear direction to the machine body frame; in re claim 7 where the bracket has a pair of reinforcing frames each having a length in the front-rear direction and aligned in a left-right direction, and the insertion portion includes a pair of opening portions provided at end portions on the one side of the pair of reinforcing frames in the front-rear direction; in re claim 8 where a converter that converts the electric power supplied from the battery unit; and an auxiliary battery that charges the electric power converted by the converter, wherein the converter and the auxiliary battery are disposed in such a manner that at least a part thereof faces each other in an up-down direction; in re claims 9-13 the battery unit disposed in an engine room; a first charger that is disposed in the engine room and charges the battery unit with electric power supplied from an external power supply; and a second charger that is disposed in the engine room and charges the battery unit with electric power supplied from the external power supply, wherein the work machine has, as a charging mode of the battery unit, a normal charging mode in which the battery unit is charged by the first charger alone and a quick charging mode in which the battery unit is charged by the first charger and the second charger; in re claim 14 the battery unit that supplies electric power to at least the electric motor and is disposed in an air-cooled space constituting a part of an engine room having a first opening portion and a second opening portion; a cooling device that generates an airflow passing through the air-cooled space from at least the first opening portion toward the second opening portion; and an electrical device disposed in the air-cooled space; in combination with the other elements recited, not found in the prior art of record.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIAN L SWENSON whose telephone number is (571)270-5572. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday (9-5).
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BRIAN SWENSON
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3618
/BRIAN L SWENSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3613
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