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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 09/15/2025 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-3, 5-6, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cha (KR 20190037785 A, the below citations refer to English-language equivalent US 2020/0006820 A1; both versions are cited in the IDS filed 12/14/2021) in view of Kenney (US 2016/0036104 A1, cited in the IDS filed 12/14/2021).
Regarding claim 1, Cha discloses a heatsink (100, FIGS. 2-3, [0038]), for coupling to a pack tray (30, FIG. 8, [0069]), on which a plurality of secondary batteries (20, FIG. 8, [0069]) are mounted, the heatsink (100) comprising:
a chamber (110, FIG. 2, [0041]) for receiving cooling water (coolant, [0045]; coolant is water, [0006]);
an inlet (210a, FIG. 3, [0049]) for introducing the cooling water into the chamber (110);
an outlet (220a, FIG. 3, [0049]) for discharging the cooling water from the chamber (110); and
a plurality of rib-shaped protrusions convexly protruding into the chamber (110) to define a flow path (230, FIG. 3, [0046]) of the cooling water,
wherein the plurality of rib-shaped protrusions are spaced apart from each other (FIG. 3), and
wherein the rib-shaped protrusions are arranged so that a first spacing between the rib-shaped protrusions adjacent to each other in a first region (100b, FIG. 3, [0055]) of the chamber (110) is different from a second spacing between the rib-shaped protrusions adjacent to each other in a second region (100a, FIG. 3, [0055]) of the chamber (110) and, along a longitudinal direction of long sides (120, FIG. 3, [0041]) of the heatsink (100), three or more of the rib-shaped protrusions are disposed gradually and progressively farther away from each other as the rib-shaped protrusions are farther away from the inlet (210a) and the outlet (220a) (FIGS. 3 and 5, [0055]).
Cha teaches that the flow path defined by the plurality of rib-shaped protrusions should gradually and progressively widen as the rib-shaped protrusions are farther away from the inlet and outlet ([0055]), but Cha does not disclose wherein the rib-shaped protrusions defining the flow path are dimples or wherein along a longitudinal direction of long sides of the heatsink, three or more of the dimples are disposed gradually and progressively farther away from each other as the dimples are farther away from the inlet and the outlet.
Kenney teaches a heatsink (18, FIGS. 8/8A, [0045]), the heatsink (18) comprising a chamber (20, FIGS. 8/8A, [0045]) for receiving fluid ([0044]); and a plurality of dimples (42/36, FIGS. 8/8A, [0041]) convexly protruding into the chamber (20) to define a flow path of the fluid, wherein three or more of the dimples (42/36) are disposed farther away from long sides of the heatsink (18) in a region having a wider flow path (32(1), FIGS. 8/8A, [0042]) than in a region having a narrower flow path (32(3), FIGS. 8/8A, [0042]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to modify the heatsink of Cha by substituting dimples for the rib-shaped protrusions and to position the dimples such that three or more of the dimples are disposed gradually and progressively farther away from each other as the dimples are farther away from the inlet and the outlet, in order to maintain the gradually and progressively wider flow paths intended by Cha since Kenney teaches that dimples are known alternatives to ribs ([0041]) and that flow paths can be widened by positioning the dimples further away from long sides of the heatsinks (FIGS. 8/8A, [0042]). Further, Cha teaches that the invention may be modified beyond the disclosed design ([0074]).
Regarding claim 2, Cha in view of Kenney teaches (see Cha Fig. 3) wherein the heatsink (100) has a rectangular plate shape having two long sides (120) and two short sides, the long sides (120) being longer than the short sides, wherein the inlet (210a) and the outlet (220a) are disposed at opposing ends of one of the two short sides (see Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 3, Cha in view of Kenney teaches wherein the dimples disposed closer to the inlet (210a) and the outlet (220a) are arranged at higher density than the dimples disposed further away from the inlet (210a) and the outlet (220a).
Regarding claim 5, Cha in view of Kenney teaches wherein the dimples have a circular shape (Kenney Fig. 8).
Regarding claim 6, Cha in view of Kenney teaches wherein the dimples have the same diameter (Kenney Fig. 8).
Regarding claim 12, Cha in view of Kenney teaches (see Cha Figs. 3 and 5) wherein a cross-sectional area in which cooling water is flowable in the chamber (230) gradually increases along a longitudinal direction of the long sides (120) and farther away from the inlet (210a).
Claims 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cha (KR 20190037785 A, the below citations refer to English-language equivalent US 2020/0006820 A1; both versions are cited in the IDS filed 12/14/2021) in view of Kenney (US 2016/0036104 A1, cited in the IDS filed 12/14/2021), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Foerster (US 2017/0179555 A1, cited in the IDS filed 03/06/2023).
Regarding claim 7, Cha in view of Kenney does not disclose wherein the heatsink includes a through-part passing through the inside of the chamber along a thickness direction, the through-part having a through-hole therein.
Foerster teaches a heatsink (1, Figs. 1-2 and 23, [0050]-[0051]), the heatsink (1) comprising a chamber (2, Fig. 23, [0050]) for receiving a coolant and a through-part (see annotated figure 1 below) passing through the inside of the chamber (2) along a thickness direction (perpendicular to the page in Figs. 2 and 23), the through-part having a through-hole (18/28, Fig. 23, [0074]-[0076]) therein. A person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have found it obvious to have modified the heatsink of Cha in view of Kenny by adding a through-part passing through the inside of the chamber along a thickness direction, the through-part having a hole therein, because Foerster teaches that doing so improves heat transfer and coupling between the heatsink and a cover ([0005]).
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Annotated figure 1
Regarding claim 8, Cha in view of Kenney and Foerster teaches (see Foerster) wherein the through-part (see annotated figure 1 above) comprises a support part (widened area of web 13 around through-holes 18/28, Fig. 23, [0074]) that protrudes from a surface of the heatsink (1) and is configured to be in close contact with a surface of a pack tray when the heatsink is coupled to the surface of the pack tray (functional limitation because the pack tray is not positively recited in the body of claim 1; the heatsink of Cha in view of Kenney and Foerster is considered to meet this limitation because the support part is configured to be in close contact with a cover 3 in Fig. 1 of Foerster, [0051]), and wherein the through-hole (18/28) is defined in the support part (13).
Regarding claim 9, Cha in view of Kenney and Foerster teaches (see Foerster) wherein a plurality of the through-parts are disposed along a virtual line (line of symmetry 20, Fig. 1, [0073]) connecting an intermediate point of each of the two short sides to each other, and wherein the plurality of through-parts are spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction of the long sides (see Foerster Figs. 2 and 23).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cha (KR 20190037785 A, the below citations refer to English-language equivalent US 2020/0006820 A1; both versions are cited in the IDS filed 12/14/2021) in view of Kenney (US 2016/0036104 A1, cited in the IDS filed 12/14/2021), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Sung (KR 20140026961 A, the below rejection refers to the machine translation mailed 12/03/2024).
Regarding claim 10, Cha in view of Kenney does not disclose wherein each of the inlet and the outlet has a perimeter surface extending to the chamber that is angled so as to increase a cross-sectional area of the respective inlet and outlet along a direction towards the chamber.
Sung teaches a heatsink ([0001]) comprising a chamber (30, Fig. 3, [0041]) for receiving cooling water, an inlet (31, FIG. 3, [0041]) for introducing coolant into the chamber (30), and an outlet (32, FIG. 3, [0041]) for discharging the coolant from the chamber (30), wherein each of the inlet (31) and the outlet (33) has a perimeter surface extending to the chamber that is angled so as to increase a cross-sectional area of the respective inlet (31) and outlet (33) along a direction towards the chamber (30) (Fig. 3). A person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have found it obvious to have modified the heatsink of Cha in view of Kenney such that each of the inlet and the outlet has a perimeter surface extending to the chamber that is angled so as to increase a cross-sectional area of the respective inlet and outlet along a direction towards the chamber because Sung teaches that this configuration reduces the resistance of the cooling fluid ([0077]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTINE C. DISNEY whose telephone number is (703)756-1076. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30-5:30 MT.
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/C.C.D./Examiner, Art Unit 1723 /TIFFANY LEGETTE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1723