DETAILED ACTION
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements have been received and considered.
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) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the U.S. Publication 2022/0082146 to Shimooka (or to the corresponding WO 2020166357 A1 Publication) in view of Shorten 6,029,962.
Regarding claim 1 Shimooka shows in figures 17-20 applicants prior cushion sheet for battery packs with which they are well familiar.
Lacking Shimooka is a specific showing of providing a circumferential groove on either the inner surface or outer surface of the protruding portion(s) 120.
The reference to Shorten shows a shock absorbing component in the form of a cushion device in figures 13 and 14 and indicates in col 15 lines 8-20 it is known to provide at least one groove along the circumference of the hemispherical shaped indentations (i.e. protrusions) 4,116 as a means of varying the stiffness of the shock absorbing structure.
One having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have found it obvious to have provided at least one circumferential groove somewhere along the circumference of either the inner or outer surface the protruding portions 120 in Shimooka, as taught by Shorten, for this reason to tailor the device to a specific application.
Regarding claim 2 as broadly claimed, Shimooka as modified, shows that the protruding portion 120 includes a pair of flat plate-shaped portions in which a distance between opposing surfaces thereof decreases toward tips in the protrusion direction, and a curved plate-shaped portion that connects the tips of the pair of flat plate- shaped portions, and the groove is provided in the flat plate-shaped portions.
Regarding claim 3 as broadly claimed, Shimooka as modified, shows the protruding portion 120 includes a side part having two pairs of flat plate-shaped portions in which a distance between opposing surfaces thereof decreases toward tips in the protrusion direction, and a curved plate-shaped portion that connects the tips of the two pairs of flat plate-shaped portions, and the groove is provided along an entire circumference of the side part.
Regarding claim 4 as broadly claimed, Shimooka as modified, shows the groove is provided so as to extend parallel to the flat plate.
Regarding claim 5 as broadly claimed, Shimooka as modified, shows the groove is provided on the inner surface within a range from a center position of a length of the flat plate-shaped portions in the protrusion direction to the flat plate.
Regarding claim 6 as broadly claimed, Shimooka as modified, shows the groove is provided on the outer surface within a range from a center position of a length of the flat plate-shaped portions in the protrusion direction to the flat plate.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER P SCHWARTZ whose telephone number is (571)272-7123. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00 A.M.-7:00P.M..
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Rob Siconolfi can be reached at 571-272-7124. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/CHRISTOPHER P SCHWARTZ/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616
Prosecution Insights