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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 3/11/2026 has been entered.
Claim Status
This Office action is responsive to the amendments filed on 3/11/2026.
Claims 16, 27, 31, 35 and 37 have been amended.
Claims 1-15, 18, misnumbered 22, and proper 22 have been cancelled.
Claims 16-17, 19, 21, and 23-37 are currently pending.
Response to Amendment
In light of the amendment the objection to the specification is withdrawn.
In light of the amendment the objection to the claims is withdrawn.
In light of the amendment the rejection to the claims under §112(b) is withdrawn.
Furthermore, an interpretation of claim 31 under 35 USC §112(f) will NOT be necessary.
In light of the amendment the rejection to the claims under §102(a) is withdrawn.
However, upon further consideration, a new grounds of rejection is made in view of US 20180309140 A1, GRASS provided in the IDS dated 10/24/2024 under 36 USC §103 are detailed below.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 9, filed 3/11/2026, with respect to the rejection of claim 30 under 36 USC §102(a)(1) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new grounds of rejection are made in view of US 20180309140 A1, GRASS provided in the IDS dated 10/24/2024 under 36 USC §103 are detailed below.
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 16-17, 19, 21, and 23-37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20180309140 A1, GRASS provided in the IDS dated 10/24/2024.
Regarding claims 16 and 37. GRASS discloses a device for controlling the temperature of an energy store for electrical energy of a motor vehicle in the annotated figures 1-3 below, comprising
an energy store [0002] (20) in figures 1-3, for electrical energy;
[0016] a fluid circuit which is thermally coupled to the energy store for controlling the temperature of the energy store, wherein
[0010] a temperature control fluid can be supplied to and discharged from the energy store through the fluid circuit; wherein
the fluid circuit [0011] comprises
a pump device [0017] for transporting the temperature control fluid through the fluid circuit,
a valve device [0011],
a cooling device (40) [0043] for cooling the temperature control fluid and
a heating device referred to as the thermal device (30) [0033] for heating the temperature control fluid, wherein
GRASS does not disclose the fluid circuit has a subcircuit in which the heating device [0061] which is referred to as the thermal device (30), is arranged separate from the fluid circuit and configured to only heat the subcircuit;
However, the mere rearrangement of parts, without any new or unexpected results, is within the ambit of one of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950) (see MPEP § 2144.04).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have put the heater on a separate fluid circuit. This change having no effect on the efficiency of the cooling.
GRASS discloses the device for controlling the temperature is designed to activate heating operation (Z2) of the heating device [0062] (which is referred to as the thermal device (30)) when the motor vehicle is parked [0059] which the reference calls being at a standstill, and when a predetermined heating condition is satisfied [0004] “Such electrical energy stores operate well in predefined temperature ranges”, wherein fluidic coupling of the subcircuit (Z1) to the fluid circuit and supply and discharge of temperature control fluid heated in the subcircuit (Z1) to and from the energy store (20) for electrical energy can be controlled by means of the valve device [0018],
wherein the device for controlling the temperature, when heating operation is activated, is designed
a) to heat a predetermined partial quantity of the temperature control fluid in the subcircuit (Z2) using the heating device (30) in a first step, wherein the subcircuit is fluidically separated (Z2) in figures 1-3, from the rest of the fluid circuit and/or the energy store by means of the valve device (91); and
b) to fluidically connect the subcircuit to the energy store by means of the valve device (92) and to pump (95) the heated predetermined partial quantity to the energy store (20) by means of the pump device (95) in a second step as applied to claims 16 and 37,
wherein the energy store (20) is thermally coupled to the fluid circuit via a throughflow region (not depicted) formed in a wall region of the energy store, wherein the predetermined partial quantity of the temperature control fluid which is heated in the first step, which the reference calls the second state (Z2), corresponds to a receiving capacity of the throughflow region of the energy store as depicted in figures 2 and 3 as arrows going into the energy store (20) as applied to claim 16,
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wherein the device for controlling the temperature is designed to drive the valve device (91, or 92) and the pump device (95) in the second step (Z1 in the reference) in such a way that the heated predetermined partial quantity (the circuit minus 57) is pumped into the throughflow region and remains there for a minimum time period by stopping the fluid flow. [0053] “a coolant flow via the coolant line 61 can be deactivated. It is however also possible for a coolant flow via the coolant lines 51 and 61 to be permitted, but for a coolant flow via the coolant line 52 to be deactivated. Here, it should be noted that, for example, a deactivation of the coolant line 61 is possible both by means of the valve 91 and by means of the valve 92 because, for the deactivation, it is sufficient for the coolant flow to be prevented at any arbitrary point of the corresponding line” as applied to claim 37.
Regarding claim 17. GRASS discloses the device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the energy store (20) is a high-voltage battery [0003, 0032].
Regarding claim 19. GRASS discloses the device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the device is designed to carry out several sequences [0012-0015] (Z1 to Z2) for heating the energy store (20) when heating operation (Z2) is activated, wherein each sequence comprises the first step (Z1) and the second step (Z2) in such a way that sequential pulses of heated partial quantities of the temperature control fluid are pumped to the energy store (20).
Regarding claim 21. GRASS discloses the device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the wall region is a base plate [0051]. GRASS does not specifically teach a wall to the energy store where heat is exchanged, but it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have used walls or some other form of separation for the purposes of heat exchange where the contamination of coolant with the battery components would be an issue. It would have been obvious to use thermally conductive surfaces (i.e. walls or baseplates) in order to exchange heat without the exchange of materials.
Regarding claim 23. GRASS discloses the device as claimed in claim 16 in annotated figure 3 depicted below, wherein the subcircuit has a receiving capacity for temperature control fluid which is less than 50% of the receiving capacity of the fluid circuit.
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Regarding claim 24. GRASS discloses the device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the subcircuit has a receiving capacity for temperature control fluid which is less than 30% or less than 20% of the receiving capacity of the fluid circuit.
The subcircuit disclosed by GRASS is only the length of a pipe and contains no vessels, so it would be reasonable to assume the capacity of that circuit is less than 30% of the total capacity.
Regarding claim 25. GRASS discloses the device as claimed in claim 16, further comprising [0070] an on-board electrical subsystem of the motor vehicle, which on-board electrical subsystem is supplied and/or can be supplied with electrical voltage when the ignition is switched off and/or when the battery master switch of the motor vehicle is turned off, wherein the heating device is an electrically operated heating device which is arranged in the on-board electrical subsystem. [0070] “In an embodiment, a temperature minimum value T min critical is predefined, which characterizes a temperature in the presence of which damage to the electrical energy store 20 can occur. It is preferably the case that, in the event of such a temperature minimum value being reached, the first state Z1 is activated even if a user has deactivated a motor provided for operation by means of the electrical energy store 20, that is to say for example if a vehicle with a corresponding temperature-control arrangement 10 is shut down. Damage to the electrical energy store 20 is hereby prevented. If heat can be generated by means of the thermal device 30 as a result of activation of said thermal device 30, the thermal device 30 is preferably likewise set in operation. This may for example be advantageous if an engine-independent heater is provided and available as a thermal device 30.”
Regarding claim 26. GRASS discloses the device as claimed in claim 25, wherein the on-board electrical subsystem is supplied and/or can be supplied with electrical voltage when the ignition is switched off and/or when the battery master switch of the motor vehicle is turned off, via the energy store. [0070] “the first state Z1 is activated even if a user has deactivated a motor provided for operation by means of the electrical energy store 20, that is to say for example if a vehicle with a corresponding temperature-control arrangement 10 is shut down. Damage to the electrical energy store 20 is hereby prevented.”
Regarding claim 27. GRASS discloses the device as claimed in claim 16 in figures 2 and 3 depicted below, wherein the fluid circuit has two lines (56, to 30 to 55) and (52, to 40 to 53) which are connected in parallel and in which the heating device and the cooling device are arranged fluidically in parallel with one another, wherein the valve device (91) can be used to control which of the lines which are connected in parallel and is used to supply a fluid flow to the energy store (20).
Regarding claim 28. GRASS discloses the device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the device is designed to fluidically decouple (via valves 91 and 92) a line section having the cooling device (40) from a line section having the energy store (20) by means of the valve device (91, 92) in the second step, which is the reverse of the second step in claim 18 shown above.
Regarding claim 29. GRASS discloses the device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the predetermined heating condition is satisfied if a temperature of the energy store falls below a predetermined threshold value [0070].
Regarding claim 30. GRASS discloses the device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the pump device (95) comprises a first pump (95) which is arranged in the subcircuit (see annotated figure 3 above) for conveying the temperature control fluid (80) within the subcircuit.
GRASS does not disclose a second pump which is arranged outside the subcircuit for conveying temperature control fluid to the energy store.
The mere duplication of parts, without any new or unexpected results, is within the ambit of one of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Harza, 124 USPQ 378 (CCPA 1960) (see MPEP § 2144.04).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have added a pump to the circuit in order to increase the pressure head where needed in the circuit without any undue experimentation.
Regarding claim 31. GRASS discloses the device as claimed in claim 30, wherein the device is designed to deactivate the first pump only after a lag time after deactivation of the heating device in order to avoid cavitation effects. GRASS [0048] envisions a thermosiphon where the pump is not always needed or in use.
Regarding claim 32. GRASS discloses the device as claimed in claim 16,
c) wherein the energy store is a high-voltage energy store [0003].
Regarding claim 33. GRASS discloses a motor vehicle [0003] comprising a device as claimed in claim 16.
Regarding claim 34. GRASS discloses the motor vehicle of claim 33, wherein the motor vehicle is a utility vehicle [0003] (i.e. a rail vehicle).
Regarding claim 35. GRASS discloses a method for controlling the temperature of an energy store for electrical energy of a motor vehicle, wherein
the energy store (20) is thermally coupled to a fluid circuit (10) for controlling the temperature [abstract] of the energy store (20), wherein
a temperature control fluid (80) can be supplied to and discharged from the energy store (20) through the fluid circuit (10), and wherein
the fluid circuit (10) comprises
a pump device (95) for transporting the temperature control fluid (80) through the fluid circuit (10),
a valve device (91),
a cooling device (40) for cooling the temperature control fluid and
a heating device which the reference calls a thermal device (30), for heating the temperature control fluid, wherein
GRASS does not disclose the fluid circuit (10) has a subcircuit (see annotated figure 3 above) in which the heating device is arranged separate from the fluid circuit and configured to only heat the subcircuit;
However, the mere rearrangement of parts, without any new or unexpected results, is within the ambit of one of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950) (see MPEP § 2144.04).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have put the heater on a separate fluid circuit. This change having no effect on the efficiency of the cooling.
the method comprises:
a) monitoring a predetermined heating condition when the motor vehicle is parked [0070]; and
b) activating heating operation of the heating device when a predetermined heating condition is satisfied [0070], wherein fluidic coupling shown in figure 1-3, of the subcircuit (see annotated figure 3 above) to the fluid circuit (10) and supply and discharge of temperature control fluid heated in the subcircuit to and from the energy store for electrical energy is controlled by means of the valve device (91, 92).
Regarding claim 36. GRASS discloses the device as claimed in claim 21, wherein the device is designed to carry out several sequences (Z1 or Z2) for heating the energy store when heating operation is activated, wherein each sequence comprises the first step and the second step. These steps include switching from heating to cooling mode [0052], but also the actuation of valves (91, 92) and pumps (95) during operation.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LAWRENCE LA RAIA III whose telephone number is (703)756-5441. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thur 6:00am-4:00pm.
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LAWRENCE LA RAIA III
Examiner
Art Unit 1727
/L.L./Examiner, Art Unit 1727
/Maria Laios/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1727
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