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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in China on 15/12/2022. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the CN202211614144.7 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities: “a first battery pack, and at least two of the first battery packs” should read “at least two first battery packs, and the at least two first battery packs” or “a plurality of first battery packs, and at least two of the plurality of first battery packs”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(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 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lu et al. (US 2022/0203816 A1) hereinafter, Lu.
Regarding claim 1, Lu teaches an electric all-terrain vehicle (100), comprising:
a vehicle frame (20);
a seat (212) for a user to sit on, the seat being mounted to the vehicle frame (Fig 1-2);
a traveling wheel set (10) supporting the vehicle frame and comprising front wheels (112) and rear wheels (122);
a driving system for driving the traveling wheel set (Para [0045]); and
a power supply assembly comprising an energy storage device (30) for supplying electric power to at least the driving system (Para [0045] and Fig 2);
wherein the energy storage device is detachably mounted to the vehicle frame, and the energy storage device is further configured to be detachable from the vehicle frame to supply power to a power tool (Para [0048]- [0049]).
Regarding claim 2, Lu teaches that a trunk (221) capable of accommodating the power tool (Fig 2 and Para [0047]).
Regarding claim 4, Lu teaches that the energy storage device is at least partially disposed below the seat (Fig 2).
Claim(s) 1, 3, and 5-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Qiao (CN 111448884 A).
Regarding claim 1, Qiao teaches an electric all-terrain vehicle (100), comprising:
a vehicle frame (1);
a seat (7) for a user to sit on, the seat being mounted to the vehicle frame (Fig 3);
a traveling wheel set (2) supporting the vehicle frame and comprising front wheels and rear wheels (Fig 1-3);
a driving system (4) for driving the traveling wheel set; and
a power supply assembly comprising an energy storage device (5, 6) for supplying electric power to at least the driving system (Third to last Para of Page 12);
wherein the energy storage device is detachably mounted to the vehicle frame (Last Para of Page 12), and the energy storage device is further configured to be detachable from the vehicle frame to supply power to a power tool (Third Para of Page 14).
Regarding claim 3, Qiao teaches that the energy storage device comprises cell units, and a cell unit of the cell units is one of a lithium iron phosphate battery (Fourth to last Para of Page 13), a ternary lithium battery, and a lead-acid battery.
Regarding claim 5, Qiao teaches that the energy storage device comprises a first battery pack, and at least two of the first battery packs are connected in series for discharge (Third to last Para of Page 13).
Regrading claim 6, Qiao teaches that a discharge voltage of the power supply assembly is greater than or equal to 80 V (Fist Para of Page 14).
Regrading claim 7, Qiao teaches that the energy storage device further comprises a second battery pack, and the first battery pack and the second battery pack are different.
Regarding claim 8, Qiao teaches that at least one of chemical properties, rated voltages (Second to last Para of Page 12 and fourth to last Para of Page 13), rated capacities, charge and discharge rates, and operating temperatures of the first battery pack and the second battery pack are different.
Regarding claim 9, Qiao teaches that a rated voltage of the first battery pack is greater than or equal to 40 V, and the first battery pack belongs to a first power platform and supplies power to a wheeled power tool, and the wheeled power tool comprises a riding mower, a tractor, and a push garden tool (Second to last Para of Page 12).
Regarding claim 10, Qiao teaches that a rated voltage of the second battery pack is less than or equal to 24 V (Fourth to last Para of Page 13), and the second battery pack belongs to a second power platform and supplies power to a handheld power tool, and the handheld power tool comprises a string trimmer, a hedge trimmer, a blower, a chainsaw, an electric drill, an electric hammer, an electric saw, an angle grinder, and a sander (Third Para of Page 14).
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) 11-12 and 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lu et al. (US 2022/0203816 A1) in view of Wei et al. (CN 217374776 U) hereinafter, Wei.
Regarding claim 11, Lu teaches an electric all-terrain vehicle (100), comprising:
a vehicle frame (20);
a seat (212) used for a user to sit on and mounted to the vehicle frame (Fig 1);
a trunk (221) disposed behind the seat and used for carrying an item (Fig 2);
a traveling wheel set (10) supporting the vehicle frame and comprising front wheels and rear wheels (Fig 2);
a driving system used for driving the traveling wheel set and comprising a motor (Para [0047]); and
a power supply assembly comprising an energy storage device (30) for supplying electric power to at least the driving system (Para [0047]).
Regarding claim 12, Lu teaches that the energy storage device comprises a first battery pack (32), and the first battery pack is at least partially disposed below the seat (Fig 2).
Regarding claim 18, Lu teaches a direct current (DC) output interface for charging a DC device (Para [0048]).
Regarding claim 19, Lu teaches that the DC output interface has a communication function (through the USB, Para [0048]).
Regarding claim 20, Lu teaches an alternating current (AC) output interface (3122) for supplying power to an AC device (Para [0048]).
However, Lu does not teach a suspension assembly dynamically connecting the vehicle frame to the traveling wheel set and used for absorbing shocks for the electric all-terrain vehicle;
a driving system comprising a front drive motor;
wherein the energy storage device is disposed between the front drive motor and the rear drive motor.
Wei teaches a suspension assembly dynamically connecting the vehicle frame to the traveling wheel set and used for absorbing shocks for the electric all-terrain vehicle (Fig 2);
a driving system comprising a front drive motor (301, Fig 6) and a rear drive motor (201, Fig 2);
wherein the energy storage device is disposed between the front drive motor and the rear drive motor (Fig 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the invention, to modify Lu’s vehicle, in view of Wei, with a suspension assembly and hub motors, to improve the vehicle performance and the riding comfort.
Claim(s) 13-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lu et al. (US 2022/0203816 A1) in view of Wei et al. (CN 217374776 U) hereinafter, Wei and further in view of Qiao (CN 111448884 A).
Lu in view of Wei teaches the vehicle of claim 12. However, Lu in view of Wei does not teach that the second battery pack and the first battery pack are different in at least one operating parameter.
Regarding claim 13, Qiao teaches that the second battery pack and the first battery pack are different in at least one operating parameter (Second to last Para of Page 12 and fourth to last Para of Page 13).
Regarding claim 14, Qiao teaches that the second battery pack (right side) is disposed at a position different from a position where the first battery pack (left side) is disposed (Fig 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the invention, to modify Lu’s vehicle, in view of Qiao, with two different packs, to provide more options to operate different devices.
Regarding claim 15, Lu in view of Wei and further in view of Qiao teaches that the first battery pack or the second battery pack is configured to be detachable from the electric all-terrain vehicle to supply power to a power tool (Lu; Para [0048]- [0049]).
Regarding claim 16, Lu in view of Wei and further in view of Qiao teaches that the first battery pack is configured to charge the second battery pack (Para [0029] of Lu).
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lu et al. (US 2022/0203816 A1) in view of Wei et al. (CN 217374776 U) hereinafter, Wei and further in view of Qiao (CN 111448884 A) and further in view of Liu et al. (CN 209710732 U) hereinafter, Liu.
Regarding claim 17, modified Lu teaches the vehicle of claim 12. However, modified Lu does not teach that the energy storage device further comprises a built-in cell module, and the built-in cell module is nondetachable.
Liu teaches that the energy storage device further comprises a built-in cell module (161a), and the built-in cell module is nondetachable (The battery is detaches as a whole, Fig 9 and first Para of Page 8).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the invention, to modify Lu’s vehicle, in view of Liu, with built-in cell battery, which is safer and more convenient (Second to last Para of Page 7).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The references noted on the attached PTO-892 form teach all-terrain electric vehicles of interest.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOSAM SHABARA whose telephone number is (571)272-5495. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8 am-5 pm.
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, Minnah Seoh can be reached at (571) 270-7778. 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.
/HOSAM SHABARA/Examiner, Art Unit 3618
Prosecution Insights