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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed 11/27/2025 does not place the application in condition for allowance.
The previous art rejections are withdrawn due to Applicant’s amendment.
New analysis follows.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1, 5, and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2012/0262948 to Lee.
Regarding claims 1, 5, and 6, Lee teaches an output connection structure for a solar cell module, the output line connection structure connecting output wiring members 135a-d (Figs. 1, 2) in the solar cell module to a terminal box 200 (¶0025, 0032-0035), the solar cell module comprising
A solar cell string that is sealed between a transparent substrate 160 and a back surface protection member 110 that is positioned as a backside surface of the solar cell module (Fig. 3, ¶0026, 0036), the solar cell string comprising a plurality of solar cells 130 in series with each other (¶0029), wherein
The solar cell string further comprises a plurality of solar cell connection units 140a/140b, 140c/140d, 140e/140f (¶0030) in each of which a plurality of solar cells 130 adjacent in a first direction (up-down of Fig. 1, lower left-upper right of Fig. 3) is connected in series to each other
A plurality of bus bars 145b, 145d (also unlabeled horizontal elements on top far left and top far right in Fig. 1) is provided at a starting end and at a terminating end of each of the solar cell connection units (¶0031, 0032; the unlabeled top left bus bar is at a starting end of solar cell connection unit 140a/140b, bus bar 145b is at a terminating end of 140a/140b and at a starting end of unit 140c/140d, etc.), such that two of the solar cell connection units, in the plurality of solar cell connection units, that are adjacent in a second direction (left-right of Fig. 1, lower right-upper left of Fig. 3), orthogonal to the first direction, are connected in series to each other
Each of the output wiring members 135a-135d has a first end thereof connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of bus bars, and has a second end thereof establishing electrical continuity with the terminal box (Figs. 2, also shown as “a”, “b”, “c”, “d” in Fig. 5, ¶0058)
Each of the output wiring members 135a-135d extends to an outside of the back surface protection member 110 through an outlet, that penetrates the back surface protection member (¶0032: “openings formed on the solar cell module 100”)
The plurality of outlets of the output wiring members 135a-135d and the terminal box 200 are positioned apart from each other in an in-plane direction of the back surface protection member 110 (Fig. 2; MPEP §2125).
Per claims 5 and 6, Lee teaches the limitations of claim 1. The terminal box 200 comprises a plurality of terminals (inset 500 shows each of “a”, “b”, “c”, “d” terminates at a circuit 510) and a plurality of bypass diodes Da, Db, Dc (¶0041, 0042), the plurality of terminals is connected, respectively to the output wiring members, and the plurality of bypass diodes connected, respectively, in parallel with the plurality of solar cell connection units.
Each of the plurality of bypass diodes Da, Db, Dc disposed in the terminal box 200 electrically connects the starting end and the terminating end of a corresponding one of the solar cell connection units (Fig. 4 shows that Da is connected to the starting end of unit 140a/140b and terminating end of 140a/140b, Db is connected to starting end of 140c/140d and terminating end of 140c/140d, etc.; ¶0049, 0050).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 3 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US 2010/0175743 to Gonzalez.
Regarding claim 3, Lee teaches the limitations of claim 1. Lee does not specifically teach that a portion of each output wiring member extending from a corresponding outlet, in the plurality of outlets, to the outside of the back surface protection member is insulated by coating. Gonzalez teaches that it would have been obvious as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention for a person having ordinary skill in the art to clad the output wiring member in an insulating coating to protect against arcing (¶0023, 0025, 0028).
Regarding claim 4, Lee teaches the limitations of claim 1. Lee does not specifically teach that each of the output wiring members is equipped with a connection wiring member insulated by coating, and connects a corresponding outlet, in the plurality of outlets, to the terminal box via the connection wiring member. Gonzalez teaches that it would have been obvious as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention for a person having ordinary skill in the art to equip a connection wiring member insulated coating to each of the output wiring members protect against arcing (¶0023, 0025, 0028).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 2 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-6 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. KR101039050B1 (machine translation also cited).
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Ryan S Cannon whose telephone number is (571)270-7186. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 8:30am-5:30pm PST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeffrey Barton can be reached at (571) 272-1307. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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Ryan S. Cannon
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1726
/RYAN S CANNON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1726