DETAILED ACTION
This is the first Office Action regarding application number 19/230,146, filed on 06/06/2025, which is a CON of PCT/CN2025/070556, filed on 01/03/2025, and which claims foreign priority to CN 202420372848.6, filed on 02/27/2024, and which claims foreign priority to CN 202420353914.5, filed on 02/26/2024.
This action is in response to the Applicant’s Response received 05/19/2026.
Election of Restricted Inventions
The Applicant’s election without traverse of Species A2 (claims 1-3 and 10-20) is acknowledged.
Status of Claims
Claims 1-20 are currently pending.
Claims 4-9 are withdrawn.
Claims 1-3 and 10-20 are examined below.
No claim is allowed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Indefiniteness
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.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112 as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 13 recites the limitation “a solar cell group comprising a plurality of solar cells”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The examiner does not understand how this limitation further narrows the claim.
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)(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.
Claims 1, 2, 15, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KUCHIYAMA (JP 2021-100035 A).
Regarding claim 1, KUCHIYAMA teaches a photovoltaic tile, comprising:
a first plate body and a second plate body (light receiving side protective member 3 and backside protective member 4, Fig. 1); and
a solar module disposed between the first plate body and the second plate body, the solar module comprising a plurality of solar cells (solar cell string 2 positioned between the protective members), the plurality of solar cells comprising at least a first solar cell and a second solar cell adjacent to the first solar cell, and the first solar cell having a portion overlapping with and being electrically connected to a portion of the second solar cell (each solar cell 2 is overlapping with an adjacent solar cell, Fig. 1),
wherein at least one of the first plate body and the second plate body is configured as a rigid curved panel (light receiving side protective member 3 is glass, para. 15; glass is a known rigid material; Fig. 1 illustrates that both the front and back plates can be configured to be curved panels), the rigid curved panel comprising a plurality of curved portions that are sequentially connected to each other (see A1/A2 curved portions sequentially connected, Fig. 1).
PNG
media_image1.png
841
473
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 2, KUCHIYAMA teaches the photovoltaic tile according to claim 1, wherein any two adjacent curved portions among the plurality of curved portions have opposite curvature directions (Fig. 1 illustrates the claimed arrangement).
Regarding claim 15, KUCHIYAMA teaches the photovoltaic tile according to claim 1, wherein the first plate body comprises:
a glass plate configured as a rigid curved glass (light receiving side protective member 3 is glass, para. 15); and
a first adhesive film disposed between the glass plate and a light-receiving side of the solar module (front side portion of the sealing material 5, Fig. 1; sealing material 5 can be in the form of a sheet, para. 12).
Regarding claim 16, KUCHIYAMA teaches the photovoltaic tile according to claim1, wherein the second plate body comprises:
a back plate (4); and
a second adhesive film disposed between a rear side of the solar module and the back plate (rear side portion of the sealing material 5, Fig. 1; sealing material 5 can be in the form of a sheet, para. 12).
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 of this title, 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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 3, 10-14, and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KUCHIYAMA (JP 2021-100035 A) in view of TERASHITA (US 2020/0350453 A1).
Regarding claims 3, 10-14, 17, and 18, KUCHIYAMA teaches the photovoltaic tile according to claim 1, wherein the first solar cell being electrically connected to the second solar cell through the conductive connector (KUCHIYAMA: “back-contact type solar cells, the electrodes and wiring are not visible”, thus there is wiring connecting the solar cells, para. 30; “multiple solar cells 2 connected in a string-like manner”, para. 19). KUCHIYAMA does not disclose expressly that the solar module further comprises a conductive connector; rather, stating that adjacent solar cells are electrically connected by known technology (para. 20).
TERASHITA teaches a photovoltaic tile having a solar cell group having a plurality of single crystal solar cells connected together in a shingled arrangement, with a conductive connector (connecting member 50) electrically connecting adjacent solar cells. This conductive connector 50 is disposed at the rear sides of two adjacent connected solar cells via a connecting material (Fig. 4), and can be considered to comprise at least two portions (imaginarily two halves) with a third insulative physical connecting portion 60 adhered to an end far of an end of the second solar cell closest to the first solar cell. Each of the solar cells of TERASHITA comprises a positive and negative electrode layer (121/122) and chip layer (11A/B) (Figs. 4 and the electrode layout of Fig. 6).
PNG
media_image2.png
640
694
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Skilled artisans would have found it obvious to modify KUCHIYAMA and combine the crystalline silicon solar cell and interconnection components/arrangements taught by TERASHITA and claimed by applicant because said modification would produce an exceptional photovoltaic tile with the benefits of increase power generation efficiency and hidden electrode connection structure from the light receiving surface side, and also to produce a significantly high crack-avoidance effect as instructed by TERASHITA (paras. 34 and 36).
Further, it is well-established that the use of a one-piece construction (claim 18) instead of the structure disclosed in TERASHITA would be merely a matter of obvious engineering choice. Here, making the first/second/third connection portion integral as a single-piece component is determined to be an obvious and expedient engineering choice. See MPEP 2144.04(V)(B). The applicant does not report any insight contrary to the teachings of the prior art or any other notable effect derived from an integral production technique.
Regarding claim 19, modified KUCHIYAMA teaches the photovoltaic tile according to claim 14, wherein the solar cell comprises an interdigitated back contact solar cell (“back-contact type solar cells”, KUCHIYAMA, para. 30).
Regarding claim 20, modified KUCHIYAMA teaches the photovoltaic tile according to claim 16, wherein the back plate is configured as the rigid curved panel or the back plate is a flexible component (KUCHIYAMA, Fig. 1 illustrates that both the front and back plates can be configured to be curved panels).
Conclusion
No claim is allowed.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANGELO TRIVISONNO whose telephone number is (571) 272-5201 or by email at <angelo.trivisonno@uspto.gov>. The examiner can normally be reached on MONDAY-FRIDAY, 9:00a-5:00pm EST. The examiner's supervisor, NIKI BAKHTIARI, can be reached at (571) 272-3433.
/ANGELO TRIVISONNO/
Primary Examiner
Prosecution Insights