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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 6/5/2025 is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claim 6 is 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.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "the first, second, and third main contacts" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For examination purposes Examiner will be interpreting the “first, second, and third main contacts” as at least one main contact and a further main contact.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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, 2, and 4-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nystrom (EP3932721A4) in view of Toshiyuki (JP2006335319A).
In regard to claim 1:
Nystrom discloses a switch (Figs. 1-3 Item 112) for decommissioning an onboard battery (Figs. 1-3 Item 102) suitable to supply power to an electrical vehicle (Figs. 1-3 Item 100 & Par. [0021] i.e. power system for a vehicle), comprising: at least one main contact (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Item 112) suitable to be positioned along a conductor adapted to supply at least one low-voltage load of the vehicle (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Items 112 and 100 i.e. interpreting that in powering the loads of the vehicle some of the loads powered use a lower amount of power than others); a further main contact suitable to be positioned along a grounding cable (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Item 202) adapted to connect the battery to ground; wherein the at least one main contact (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Item 112) is switchable between a closed position where flow of power along the conductor is allowed (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Item 112 i.e. as switch is closed power flows) and an open position where flow of power is interrupted (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Item 112 i.e. opening switch interrupts power), and the further main contact is switchable between a normally closed position and an open position where the battery is connected to ground (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Item 202); an auxiliary contact (Figs. 1-3 Item 110 and Par. [0022] i.e. circuit breaker 110 is operable to break a connection between the low-voltage energy source 108 and the HVIL circuit 106) which is configured to be switched between an ON position where flow of current along an associated high-voltage interlock loop of the vehicle is enabled and an OFF position where flow of current along said high-voltage interlock loop of the vehicle is interrupted (Figs. 1-3 Item 110 and Par. [0022] i.e. circuit breaker 110 is operable to break a connection between the low-voltage energy source 108 and the HVIL circuit 106), the high-voltage interlock loop causing, when interrupted, the traction or high voltage of the vehicle's system to be cut-off (Figs. 1-3 Item 110 and Par. [0022] i.e. circuit breaker 110 is operable to break a connection between the low-voltage energy source 108 and the HVIL circuit 106); a main lever which can be actuated to switch the auxiliary contact from the ON position to the OFF position thereby causing the high-voltage interlock loop to get interrupted (Figs. 1-3 Item 110 and Par. [0024] i.e. the switch may be a mechanical switch operated by a user); a monitoring circuit (Figs. 1-3 Item 118) which detects when the auxiliary contact has been switched OFF and causes the at least one and further main contacts to switch from the respective closed position to the respective open position after the auxiliary contact has been switched OFF (Figs. 1-3 Item 118 and Par. [0023] i.e. the HVIL circuit consists of a measurement device and control unit capable of detecting if the lop is closed).
However, Nystrom is vague in its disclosure of the further main contact (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Item 202) being suitable to be positioned along a grounding cable adapted to connect the battery to ground; and the further main contact (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Item 202) is switchable between a normally closed position and an open position where the battery is connected to ground.
Toshiyuki teaches a grounded vehicle battery connected within a power supply circuit (Figs 1 and 7 Items 501, 30, 64 and 10).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined the known power supply interrupting device and teachings of Toshiyuki with the known disconnection of vehicle electric system using low voltage switch as disclosed by Nystrom as doing so would have yielded the predictable results of an increase in safety.
In regard to claim 2:
Modified Nystrom further teaches the switch of claim 1(Figs. 1-3 Item 112), wherein the monitoring circuit (Figs. 1-3 Item 118) causes the at least one and further main contacts (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Item 202) to switch from the respective closed position to the respective open position with a predetermined delay after the auxiliary contact has been switched OFF (Figs. 1-3 Item 110 and Toshiyuki: Fig. 10 i.e. showing delay in on off switching).
In regard to claim 4:
Modified Nystrom further teaches the switch of any of claim 1, wherein the monitoring circuit (Figs. 1-3 Item 118) further comprises or is operatively associated to an indicator (Toshiyuki: Figs. 12, 17 and 24 Item 35 and Par. [0058] i.e. LED) which indicates when the high-voltage interlock loop has been interrupted (Figs. 1-3 Item 110 and Par. [0022] i.e. circuit breaker 110 is operable to break a connection between the low-voltage energy source 108 and the HVIL circuit 106).
In regard to claim 5:
Modified Nystrom further teaches the switch of claim 4, wherein said indicator comprises a LED (Toshiyuki: Figs. 12, 17 and 24 Item 35 and Par. [0058] i.e. LED) configured to be turned off when the high-voltage interlock loop has been interrupted and before the main contacts are switched from their respective closed position to their respective open position (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Item 112).
In regard to claim 6:
The switch of claim 1, wherein said monitoring circuit (Figs. 1-3 Item 118) switches the first, second, and third main contacts (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Items 112 and 202) from the respective closed position to the respective open position with a predetermined delay after the auxiliary contact has been turned off (Figs. 1-3 Item 110 and Toshiyuki: Fig. 10 i.e. showing delay in on off switching).
In regard to claim 7:
Modified Nystrom further teaches the switch (Figs. 1-3 Item 112) of claim 1, wherein the switch (Figs. 1-3 Item 112) is a three-pole switch (Figs. 1-3 Item 112 and Toshiyuki: Fig. 1 Item 30 and Par. [0001] i.e. three pole switch).
In regard to claim 8:
Modified Nystrom further teaches a vehicle (Fig.3 Item 100 and Abs: i.e. vehicle) comprising at least one onboard battery (Fig. 1 Item 102) for powering the vehicle (Fig. 1 Item 102 and ABS), wherein the vehicle comprises at least one switch (Figs. 1-3 Item 112) for decommissioning the at least one onboard battery (Fig. 1 Item 102) according to claim 1.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nystrom (EP3932721A4) in view of Toshiyuki (JP2006335319A).
In regard to claim 3:
Modified Nystrom further teaches the switch (Figs. 1-3 Item 112) of claim 1, wherein the at least one main contact (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Item 112) comprises: a first main contact (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Item 112) suitable to be positioned along a first conductor adapted to supply at least one load of the vehicle at a first low voltage (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Items 112 and 100 i.e. interpreting that in powering the multiple loads of the vehicle some of the loads powered use a lower amount of power than others); a second main contact (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Item 202); wherein the first main contact (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Item 112) and the second main contact (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Item 202) can be switched between a closed position where flow of power along the respective first and second conductors is allowed and an open position where flow of power is interrupted (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Items 112 and 202).
However, Modified Nystrom does not explicitly disclose that the second main contact (Figs. 1-3 Item contact of Item 202) is suitable to be positioned along a second conductor adapted to supply at least one further load of the vehicle at a second low voltage higher than the first low voltage.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have duplicated the main contact positioned along a duplicated conductor adapted to supply at least a duplicated load of the vehicle at a second low voltage since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St Regis Paper Co. V. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please see attached form PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL J WARMFLASH whose telephone number is (571)270-1434. The examiner can normally be reached 8AM-6PM EST M-Th.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Youssef Menatoallah can be reached at (571)-270-3684. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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MW
4/17/2026
/Menatoallah Youssef/ SPE, Art Unit 2836
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