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 § 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.
Claim(s) 6-8 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Weber et al (US 20140197792 A1) in view of Wimmer (US 2020/0127426 A1).
Re Claim 6: Weber teaches A conductor assembly for conducting electric current from a charging socket of a motor vehicle to an energy storage device of the motor vehicle, the conductor assembly comprising (see sockets, AC/DC lines Figs. 1, 2, 3, 5 para 0003, 0008, 0024, 0041, 0070-0073): a direct current line comprising two individual direct current conductors configured to conduct a direct current from a direct current interface of the charging socket to the energy storage device (see Figs.1, 5 para 0008, 0024, 0070, 0079); and an alternating current line comprising a plurality of individual alternating current conductors configured to conduct an alternating current from an alternating current interface of the charging socket to the energy storage device (see figs. 2, 3, 5 para 0003,0 0075, 0085);,
Weber doesn’t expressly teach wherein each of the individual direct current conductors comprises a profiled aluminum section by way of an electrical conductor for conducting the direct current.
In an analogous art Wimmer teaches wherein each of the individual direct current conductors comprises a profiled aluminum section by way of an electrical conductor for conducting the direct current (see flat conductor rails 2, 3 fig.1 of aluminum para 0005, 0008, 0031).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of the ordinary skilled in the art at the time invention was claimed to replace a wires-based conductors of the Weber with the bus bar configuration of Wimmer to improve thermal and mechanical stability in high current automotive power delivery system.
Re Claim 7: Combination of Weber and Wimmer teaches invention set forth above, Wimmer further teaches wherein the profiled aluminum sections of the individual direct current conductors are configured in a mutually parallel arrangement (see fig.3, 5 para 0024).
Re Claim 8: Combination of Weber and Wimmer teaches invention set forth above, Wimmer further teaches wherein the profiled aluminum sections are flat profiled sections (see fig.3, 5 para 0024).
Re Claim 10: Combination of Weber and Wimmer teaches invention set forth above, Webber further teaches a motor vehicle comprising, a charging socket; an energy storage device; and the conductor assembly according to claim 6 (see fig. 1, 3 para 0024, 0041).
Claim(s) 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Weber et al (US 20140197792 A1) in view of Wimmer (US 20200127426 A1) further in view of Remisch et al. (US 2018/0277283 A1).
Re Claim 9: Combination of Weber and Wimmer teaches invention set forth above, Combination doesn’t expressly teach comprising: a heat-absorbing paste arranged between the individual direct current conductor.
In an analogous art Remisch teaches a heat-absorbing paste arranged between the individual direct current conductors (see heat transfer layers para 0006, 00009, 0014).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of the ordinary skilled in the art at the time invention was claimed to use heat absorbing layer of the Remisch in the invention of Weber and Wimmer to improve thermal management of the high current conductors in vehicle charging systems.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Aqeel H Bukhari whose telephone number is (571)272-4382. The examiner can normally be reached M-F (9am to 5pm).
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/AQEEL H BUKHARI/Examiner, Art Unit 2836
/DANIEL CAVALLARI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836