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 .
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, 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
The factual inquiries 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 1,7,10, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ito (US 20160355100 A1) and further in view of Gebhart (WO 2018067880 A1) and Spohner (Spohner, Milan. “A study of the properties of electrical insulation oils and of the components of natural oils.” Acta Polytechnica, vol. 52, no. 5, 5 Jan. 2012).
Regarding claim 1, Ito teaches a battery cooling system comprising:
a cooling circuit (Fig. 1, item 100);
a power transmission device (para. 0035, [electrical motor]))
the power transmission device including a gear (Examiner notes that an electrical motor would include a gear.);
a drivetrain oil being used for lubrication of the gear (para. 0035, [coolant that has been sucked in through the suction port 102a under driving of an electrical motor]. Examiner notes that the pump is ejecting the coolant [oil in this case per para. 0069] which also serves the purpose of lubricating the gear [electrical motor as discussed in para. 0035]).
the drivetrain oil circulating in the cooling circuit (para. 0069);
a battery unit (Fig. 1 and para. 0022, [battery unit includes the plural battery modules 31 to 33]) disposed in the cooling circuit (Fig. 3 and para. 0022 [the battery unit includes the plural battery modules 31 to 33 and the internal cooling circuit [100A]),
the battery unit including a plurality of module cases (Fig. 1 and para. 0022, [battery unit includes the plural battery modules 31 to 33])),
each module case housing a plurality of battery cells (para. 0027, [each of the battery modules 31 to 33 includes plural high voltage batteries 31a to 33a]);
a pump (Fig. 4, [item 102]) disposed in the cooling circuit (abstract, [ the cooling circuit includes a cooling pump]), the pump supplying the drivetrain oil to the battery unit and circulating the drivetrain oil inside the cooling circuit (para. 0069);
and a radiator (Fig. 4, [item 101])disposed in the cooling circuit (para. 0021, [a radiator – item 101, configuring the cooling circuit)(para. 0033, the radiator is in the cooling circuit), the radiator releasing heat from the drivetrain oil flowing in the cooling circuit (para. 0034, [the radiator dissipates heat of the coolant flowing in through an inflow port and discharges the coolant cooled by heat dissipation through a discharge port]) and
each module case has a rectangular parallelepiped shape (See Fig. 3 for the shape of battery modules 31-33).
Ito also teaches:
the plurality of the module cases are connected in parallel (Fig. 2, shows items 31 modules connected in parallel)
and an outlet for the drivetrain oil of a first one of the plurality of module cases (see arrow below) is fluidly connected to and positioned directly across from an inlet for the drivetrain oil of a second one of the plurality of module cases (see arrow) as the module cases are viewed from an upper side so that the flow pathway of the drivetrain oil is the parallel flow pathway (Figure 2 below shows a parallel arrangement with parallel flow).
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Oil being used for lubrication of the gear (para. 0069)
wherein: the drivetrain oil performs direct heat exchange inside the power transmission device ((para. 0052 and 0053 describe that when the valve is on, the coolant flows through the battery unit first then the power transmission device second; and when the valve is off, the coolant flows from the radiator to the pump, and then through the power transmission unit) (See Fig. 8 and Fig. 9)).
Ito does not teach
Wherein the drivetrain oil flows through an inside of each module case and performs direct heat exchange with the battery cells,
the module cases are connected via a tube such that the drivetrain oil flows through each of the module cases,
and in the cooling circuit, the plurality of the module cases are connected in parallel such that a flow pathway of the drivetrain oil flowing inside the battery unit becomes a parallel flow pathway;
each module case has an inlet for the drivetrain oil for the module case and an outlet for the drivetrain oil for the module case are provided in vicinities of diagonally opposite corner positions as the module case is viewed from an upper side; and an outlet for the drivetrain oil of a first one of the plurality of module cases is fluidly connected to and positioned directly across from an inlet for the drivetrain oil of a second one of the plurality of module cases as the module cases are viewed from an upper side so that the flow pathway of the drivetrain oil flowing inside the battery unit is the parallel flow pathway.
Gebhart, in the same field of endeavor, vehicular batteries, teaches:
wherein: the drivetrain oil (para. 0086, coolant in the case of Gebhart) performs direct heat exchange inside the power transmission device (para. 00106, a pump [1630] may be provided to pump the fluid through integrated cooling system) and flows through an inside of each module case and performs direct heat exchange with the battery cells (Gebhart, para. 0086, [additionally a cooling fluid may be circulated through battery pack 430 to cool individual cells]),
the module cases are connected via a tube (para. 00105, [item 1605A – 1605C] plumbing interconnects that connect the fluid exchange ports 1135A-1135D of adjacent battery packs 403A-430D) such that the drivetrain oil flows through each of the module cases (Gebhart, para. 00106, [cooling fluid flows from the radiator through input pipe 1620 into battery pack 430A through battery packs 430B-430D and back to the radiator) (See Fig. 16A and 16B for battery packs (module cases)).
and in the cooling circuit, the plurality of the module cases are connected in parallel such that a flow pathway of the drivetrain oil flowing inside the battery unit becomes a parallel flow pathway (Gebhart, para. 00102, [in some example implementations, discussed in greater detail below a plurality of battery packs 430 may be connected together such that the fluid 1405 may be pumped out of one battery pack 430 and into another battery pack 430 in series or fluid 1405 may be pumped through multiple battery packs in parallel]); each module case has a rectangular parallelepiped shape in which an inlet for the drivetrain oil for the module case and an outlet for the drivetrain oil for the module case are provided in vicinities of diagonally opposite corner positions as the module case is viewed from an upper side (Gebhart, Fig. 14D, item 1135);
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It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified Ito’s battery cooling system to direct the pathway for the oil within the cooling circuit, through each of the battery module cases, to cool the individual battery cells, as taught by Gebhart (Gebhart, 0086).
Ito discloses a drivetrain oil circulating the cooling circuit and being used for lubrication of the gear (see claim 1 above).
Ito does not teach
a drivetrain oil having an electric insulating property
Spohner, in the same field of endeavor, electric insulating oils, teaches
a drivetrain oil having an electric insulating property (Spohner, pg. 101, section 1.2, [For the correct selection of electrical insulation liquids, it is necessary to know the following dielectric properties])
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have utilized a drivetrain oil that has an electric insulating property in Ito’s cooling system, as taught by Spohner, in order to select the proper oil that will affect the long-term stability of parameters that affect the reliability of the equipment (Spohner, pg. 100, section 1, para. 1)
Regarding claim 10, modified Ito teaches the battery cooling system according to claim 1, and further teaches wherein the outlet for the drivetrain oil of the first one of the plurality of module cases directly faces and is directly fluidly connected to the inlet for the drivetrain oil of the second one of the plurality of module cases (Ito shows the arrangement of parallel battery modules and shows the outlet of the first plurality of module cases [circled in figure 2] is connected to the inlet of the second plurality of module cases [circled in Figure 2]. Gebhart teaches the flow of oil through each of the battery module cases (Gebhart, para. 0088) in a diagonal fashion (Gebhart, Fig. 14D, item 1135). Modified Ito teaches the outlet for the drivetrain oil of the first one of the plurality of module cases directly faces and is directly fluidly connected to the inlet for the drivetrain oil of the second one of the plurality of module cases (Ito, Fig. 2 below).)
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Regarding claim 7, Ito teaches a battery cooling system (abstract, [cooling circuit] [cooling circuit – item 100]) comprising:
a cooling circuit (Fig. 1, item 100) in which a drivetrain oil used for lubrication of a gear of a power transmission device (para. 0035, [electrical motor]) circulates (para. 0069, [the cooling circuit … may employ oil as the coolant in an oil-based cooling circuit) (para. 0035, [coolant that has been sucked in through the suction port 102a under driving of an electrical motor), (Examiner notes that an electrical motor would include a gear.)
the power transmission device disposed in the cooling circuit (para. 0035, [coolant that has been sucked in through the suction port 102a under driving of an electrical motor), (Examiner notes that an electrical motor would include a gear.)
);
a battery unit (Fig. 1, and para. 0022, [battery unit includes the plural modules 31 to 33]) disposed in the cooling circuit, the battery unit including a plurality of module cases, each module case housing a plurality of battery cells (para. 0022, [battery unit includes the plural battery modules 31 to 33]); (para. 0027, [each of the battery modules 31 to 33 includes plural high voltage batteries 31a to 33a])
a pump (Fig. 4, [item 102]) disposed in the cooling circuit, the pump supplying the drivetrain oil to the battery unit and circulating the drivetrain oil inside the cooling circuit (abstract, [ the cooling circuit includes a cooling pump]) (para. 0069);
and a radiator (Fig. 4, [item 101]) disposed in the cooling circuit (para. 0033, the radiator is in the cooling circuit), the radiator releasing heat from the drivetrain oil flowing in the cooling circuit (para. 0034, [the radiator dissipates heat of the coolant flowing in through an inflow port and discharges the coolant cooled by heat dissipation through a discharge port])
wherein: the drivetrain oil performs direct heat exchange inside the power transmission device (para. 0035, [coolant that has been sucked in through the suction port 102a under driving of an electrical motor].)
the plurality of the module cases are connected in parallel such that a flow pathway (Figure 2 below shows a parallel arrangement with parallel flow)
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each module case has a rectangular parallelepiped shape (Fig. 2, shows items 31 modules connected in a parallelepiped shape)
and an outlet for the drivetrain oil of a first one of the plurality of module cases (see arrow of Fig. 2 above) is fluidly connected to and positioned directly across from an inlet for the drivetrain oil of a second one of the plurality of module cases (see arrow of Fig. 2 above) as the module cases are viewed from an upper side so that the flow pathway of the drivetrain oil flowing is the parallel flow pathway (Figure 2 below shows a parallel arrangement with parallel flow).
Ito does not teach:
Wherein the drivetrain oil flows through an inside of each module case and performs direct heat exchange with the battery cells,
the module cases are connected via a tube such that the drivetrain oil flows through each of the module cases,
and in the cooling circuit, the plurality of the module cases are connected in parallel such that a flow pathway of the drivetrain oil flowing inside the battery unit becomes a parallel flow pathway;
each module case has an inlet for the drivetrain oil for the module case and an outlet for the drivetrain oil for the module case are provided in vicinities of diagonally opposite corner positions as the module case is viewed from an upper side; and an outlet for the drivetrain oil of a first one of the plurality of module cases is fluidly connected to and positioned directly across from an inlet for the drivetrain oil of a second one of the plurality of module cases as the module cases are viewed from an upper side so that the flow pathway of the drivetrain oil flowing inside the battery unit is the parallel flow pathway.
Gebhart, in the same field of endeavor, vehicular batteries, teaches:
wherein: the drivetrain oil ( para. 0086, coolant in the case of Gebhart) performs direct heat exchange inside the power transmission device (para. 00106, a pump [1630] may be provided to pump the fluid through integrated cooling system) and flows through an inside of each module case and performs direct heat exchange with the battery cells (Gebhart, para. 0086 [additionally a cooling fluid may be circulated through battery pack 430 to cool individual cells]),
the module cases are connected via a tube (para. 00105, [item 1605A – 1605C] plumbing interconnects that connect the fluid exchange ports 1135A-1135D of adjacent battery packs 403A-430D) such that the drivetrain oil flows through each of the module cases (Gebhart, para. 00106, [cooling fluid flows from the radiator through input pipe 1620 into battery pack 430A through battery packs 430B-430D and back to the radiator) (See Fig. 16A and 16B for battery packs (module cases)).
and in the cooling circuit, the plurality of the module cases are connected in parallel such that a flow pathway of the drivetrain oil flowing inside the battery unit becomes a parallel flow pathway (Gebhart, para. 00102, [in some example implementations, discussed in greater detail below a plurality of battery packs 430 may be connected together such that the fluid 1405 may be pumped out of one battery pack 430 and into another battery pack 430 in series or fluid 1405 may be pumped through multiple battery packs in parallel]));
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in which an inlet for the drivetrain oil for the module case and an outlet for the drivetrain oil for the module case are provided in vicinities of diagonally opposite corner positions as the module case is viewed from an upper side (Gebhart, Fig. 14D, item 1135);
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified Ito’s battery cooling system to direct the pathway for the oil within the cooling circuit, through each of the battery module cases, to cool the individual battery cells, as taught by Gebhart (Gebhart, 0086).
Ito discloses a drivetrain oil circulating the cooling circuit and being used for lubrication of the gear (see claim 1 above).
Ito does not teach
a drivetrain oil having an electric insulating property
Spohner, in the same field of endeavor, electric insulating oils, teaches:
a drivetrain oil having an electric insulating property (Spohner, pg. 101, section 1.2, [For the correct selection of electrical insulation liquids, it is necessary to know the following dielectric properties])
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have utilized a drivetrain oil that has an electric insulating property in Ito’s cooling system, as taught by Spohner, in order to select the proper oil that will affect the long-term stability of parameters that affect the reliability of the equipment (Spohner, pg. 100, section 1, para. 1).
Regarding claim 11, modified Ito teaches the battery cooling system according to claim 7, and further teaches wherein the outlet (REF) for the drivetrain oil of the first one of the plurality of module cases directly faces and is directly fluidly connected to the inlet (REF) for the drivetrain oil of the second one of the plurality of module cases (Ito shows the arrangement of parallel battery modules and shows the outlet of the first plurality of module cases [circled in figure 2] is connected to the inlet of the second plurality of module cases [circled in Figure 2]. Gebhart teaches the flow of oil through each of the battery module cases (para. 0088) in a diagonal fashion (Gebhart, Fig. 14D, item 1135). Modified Ito teaches the outlet for the drivetrain oil of the first one of the plurality of module cases directly faces and is directly fluidly connected to the inlet for the drivetrain oil of the second one of the plurality of module cases (Ito, Fig. 2 below).
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Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ito (US 20160355100 A1) and further in view of Gebhart (WO 2018067880 A1), Spohner (Spohner, Milan. “A study of the properties of electrical insulation oils and of the components of natural oils.” Acta Polytechnica, vol. 52, no. 5, 5 Jan. 2012), and the machine translation of Kurosawa (JP 2009161604 A).
Regarding claim 5, modified Ito teaches the battery cooling system according to claim 4. Modified Ito does not teach wherein the drivetrain oil has a pour point of no more than -30°C.
Kurosawa, in the same field of endeavor, cooling oil in vehicles, teaches a cooling and lubricating oil that preferably has a pour point of -30 °C or lower (Kurosawa [0042]), reading on the claimed range of no more than -30 °C.
A skilled person in the art at the time of filing would incorporate the teachings of Kurosawa to Ito’s cooling circuit in order to ensure preferable temperature fluidity of the oil (Kurosawa [0042]), thus ensuring good performance across a wide operating range.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ito (US 20160355100 A1) and further in view of Gebhart (WO 2018067880 A1), Spohner (Spohner, Milan. “A study of the properties of electrical insulation oils and of the components of natural oils.” Acta Polytechnica, vol. 52, no. 5, 5 Jan. 2012), Brinkmann (US 20190020078 A1), and the machine translation of Yokoyama (WO 2013077133 A1).
Regarding claim 4, modified Ito teaches the battery cooling system according to claim 1.
Ito does not teach wherein: a limit temperature of the battery unit is lower than a limit temperature of the power transmission device; .
Brinkmann, in the same field of endeavor, cooling of a battery and other vehicle electric components, teaches the battery cooling system wherein: a limit temperature of the battery unit [can be] lower than a limit temperature of the power transmission device (0058). Brinkmann teaches that the set point for the battery should be in a range between 30 deg. Celsius and 40 deg. Celsius. Brinkmann also teaches that the set point for the power electronics should be in a range between 30 deg. Celsius and 70 deg. Celsius.
Ito does not teach the battery cooling system wherein: a limit temperature of the battery unit is lower than a limit temperature of the power transmission device. It would have been obvious to an ordinary person skilled in the art to modify Ito to include establishing a lower temperature limit for the battery compared to the power electronics due to:
batteries generally having a narrow temperature range in which a sufficient capacity to function can be ensured (0020), as taught by Brinkmann
the other electric components having a generally wider temperature range (0021), as taught by Brinkmann
Ito does not teach that the drivetrain oil that has flowed out from the radiator is supplied to the power transmission device after flowing through the battery unit.
Yokoyama, in the same field of endeavor, battery cooling systems, teaches wherein the drivetrain oil (abstract, cooling water in the case of Yokoyama) that has flowed out from the radiator (Fig. 1, item 5) is supplied to the power transmission device (Fig. 1, item 11, [electric motor]) after flowing through the battery unit (Fig. 1, item 14).
Fig. 1, shows the second flow path [31b] which shows the path circulating from the radiator, item 5, to the electric motor, item 11, and then to the battery, item 14.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have constructed Ito’s flow path to flow from the radiator to the transmission device and then to the battery unit, as taught by Yokoyama, in order for the cooling medium [oil in Ito’s battery], [that has been] cooled below [a certain] temperature, to flow through the object to be cooled [Ito’s battery], as taught by Yokoyama (claim 1).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ito (US 20160355100 A1) and further in view of Gebhart (WO 2018067880 A1), Spohner (Spohner, Milan. “A study of the properties of electrical insulation oils and of the components of natural oils.” Acta Polytechnica, vol. 52, no. 5, 5 Jan. 2012), and Horie (US 20090107746 A1).
Regarding claim 6, Ito teaches the battery cooling system according to claim 1, wherein: the cooling circuit includes a power control unit that is a DC/DC converter (para. 0030); and the drivetrain oil flows through an inside of a case of the power control unit and performs direct heat exchange with an electronic device housed inside the case (para. 0059, [the thirteenth internal pipe 104n that supplies coolant to the DC/DC converter [item 22]).
Ito does not teach a power control unit that converts direct-current electric power output by the battery unit into alternate-current electric power.
Horie, in the same field of endeavor, vehicular batteries, teaches a power control unit that converts direct-current electric power output by the battery unit into alternate-current electric power (para. 0027).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have swapped Ito’s DC/DC converter for an inverter, as taught by Horie, in order to convert the direct current outputted from the battery into alternate current to drive the motor, as taught by Horie (para. 0027).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 9/24/2025 have been fully considered.
In response to:
“Gebhart fails to teach ‘an outlet for the drivetrain oil of a first one of the plurality of module cases [that] is fluidly connected to and positioned directly across from an inlet for the drivetrain oil of a second’ …”
The argument has been considered but is moot because the new ground of rejection in view of Ito, teaches a parallel arrangement and a parallel flow pathway.
“Fukada discloses passages that are formed by protrusions that allow flow of oil between the cells – not between module cases”
The argument has been considered but is moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on Fukada for this teaching. Modified Ito, as explained above in the rejections of claim 10 and 11, teaches the flow of oil between module cases. Refer to the rejections of claims 10 and 11 above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VERITA E GRANNUM whose telephone number is (571)270-1150. The examiner can normally be reached 10-5 EST / 7-2 PST.
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/V.G./Examiner, Art Unit 1721
/MAYLA GONZALEZ RAMOS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1721