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 INTERPRETATION
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
Claim limitation(s):
Collision detection unit = 70, FIG1.
Discharge unit = (14), FIG1.
have been interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because they use a generic placeholder coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to achieve the function. Furthermore, the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier.
Since the claim(s) limitations invokes 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, the claim(s) have been interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification that achieves the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
A review of the specification shows that the following appears to be the corresponding structure described in the specification for the 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph limitation:
Discharge unit = (14), FIG1.
Collision detection unit = 70, FIG1.
If applicant wishes to provide further explanation or dispute the examiner’s interpretation of the corresponding structure, applicant must identify the corresponding structure with reference to the specification by page and line number, and to the drawing, if any, by reference characters in response to this Office action.
If applicant does not intend to have the claim limitation(s) treated under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112 , sixth paragraph, applicant may amend the claim(s) so that it/they will clearly not invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, or present a sufficient showing that the claim recites/recite sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function to preclude application of 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
For more information, see MPEP § 2173 et seq. and Supplementary Examination Guidelines for Determining Compliance With 35 U.S.C. 112 and for Treatment of Related Issues in Patent Applications, 76 FR 7162, 7167 (Feb. 9, 2011).
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 1-8 are 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.
Regarding Claim 1
The claim limitation “an inverter that converts AC power into DC power and outputs the DC power” is unintelligible. An inverter as a known type of electrical converter in the art that converter (inverts) DC power into AC power. Either the converter name is incorrect or the operation desired. Both cannot be true.
The claim limitation “chargeable a first/second battery” is unintelligible. It appears to be a direct translation from a foreign language or otherwise grammatically incorrect thereby lacking clarity.
The claim limitation “wherein the power supply module includes a high-voltage system component including the inverter and the first conversion unit and a low-voltage system component including the second conversion unit based on a voltage value of a voltage to be applied, and the low-voltage system component is provided on an outer edge portion side of the vehicle in plan view with respect to the high-voltage system component” is unintelligible for several reasons that compound. First, it is unclear what structure is intended to be added by said “system components” which simply and oddly attempt to be defined by the already claimed power supply modules. As presently claimed, it therefore fails to further limit and results in simply improperly renaming the already claimed components of the power supply module. Furthermore the claim limitation “based on” is not tied to any structure nor an intelligible function. Because the claimed “components” are unknown, limitations directed to its location “provided on an outer edge” are unknown further compounded on what structure is intended by the claim term “in plan view”.
As such, all recitations in any/all dependent claims attempting to reference said “component” and “outer edge” also lack definiteness and clarity.
The claims will be examined as best understood as provided for and examined below.
Regarding Claims 5-8
Because of the 112 issues with Claim 1 and interpretation made, Claims 5-8 also suffers from 112 issues regarding the limitation of “outer edge” not present in the interpretation of Claim 1 below, see Claim 1 interpretation below.
Because of the great deal of confusion and uncertainty as to the proper interpretation of the limitations of the claim(s), it is not proper to reject the present claim(s) on the basis of prior art. (See MPEP 2173.06 and In re Steele, 305 F.2d 859, 134 USPQ 292 (CCPA 1962).
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhu et al. US 2023/0223840.
Zhu teaches:
1. A power supply device mounted on a vehicle (Title, specification @ [0002]), the power supply device comprising a power supply module,
the power supply module includes
an [inverter] rectifier (rectifier 22, FIGURE 4) that converts AC power into DC power and outputs the DC power,
a converter including a first conversion unit (36, FIG4) that converts the DC power from the inverter into DC power composed of a DC voltage having a first voltage value (HV) [chargeable] connected to a first battery (18) and configured to charge said first battery, and a second conversion unit (38) that converts the DC power into DC power composed of a DC voltage having a second voltage value lower than the first voltage value (read on by LV) [chargeable] connected to a second battery (20) different from the first battery and configured to charge said second battery, and
a control unit that drives the [inverter] rectifier and drives the converter (not shown, see Spec. @ [0022]).
2. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the power supply module further includes a first capacitor provided between output terminals of the [inverter] rectifier, (see Cp1, Cp2), a second capacitor provided between output terminals of the first conversion unit (Chv), and a discharge unit (Lc and/or 24 and Lo1,Lo2 and/or Co1 noting all said listed components corresponding to said discharging of said capacitors) that discharges the first capacitor and the second capacitor.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhu et al. US 2023/0223840 in view of Macks et al. US 2019/0009740.
Zhu fails to teach:
3. The power supply device according to claim 1,wherein the power supply module further includes a collision detection unit that detects a collision of the vehicle, and the collision detection unit is provided on the outer edge portion side of the vehicle in the power supply module.
Macks teaches a power supply module (FIG2B) further includes a collision detection unit (210) that detects a collision of the vehicle
It would have been obvious to include the detection unit as taught by Macks into the system of Zhu with the motivation of providing the desirable function of detecting collision for both personal and/or vehicle safety control.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 is 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 and dependent claim 1 re-written to overcome the 112 rejections above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL CAVALLARI whose telephone number is (571)272-8541. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 0900-18:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Rexford Barnie can be reached at (571)272-7492. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANIEL CAVALLARI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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