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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 2/3/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Examiner notes the following amendments made to the claims:
Claim 1 amended for clarity
Claims 11 and 16 amended to include subject matter of previously presented claim 1
New claims 21-24 added
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 2/3/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-16, 20 under 35 USC 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Kim (US 20210074971 A1) in view of Reinprecht (US 20210359374 A1). Kim modified with Reinprecht teaches a device which meets all of the limitations of independent claim 1, and when combined with previously used art, the limitations of independent claims 11, 16, and 18 as well. However, there is not sufficient teachings in the art field to further modify Kim to meet the limitations of dependent claims 10, 13-15. Thus, these claims are considered to contain allowable subject matter, which, if incorporated into the independent claims, would render the application in condition for allowance. Regarding independent claim 18—since no amendments were made, the previous rejection would stand. However, it has been amended to also be in view of Kim and Reinprecht, as they also can be combined with Hooper to meet the limitations.
New claims 21-24 are rejected in view of Kim (US 20210074971 A1) in view of Reinprecht (US 20210359374 A1), and further in view of Chen (CN 113224444A).
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 21-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 20210074971 A1) in view of Reinprecht (US 20210359374 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kim teaches the following elements:
A battery containment assembly for powering an electronic device, the battery containment assembly comprising: (“Embodiments of the present disclosure are related to an energy storage module exhibiting a reduced fire risk and increased safety by reducing or minimizing the chance of a fire spreading to adjacent cells when a fire occurs.” Kim [0006])
at least one lithium-ion battery; (“Examples of the material capable of reversibly intercalating and deintercalating the lithium ions may include a carbon material, e.g., any suitable carbon-based negative electrode active material generally used in a lithium secondary battery.” Kim [0135])
a battery casing enclosing the at least one lithium-ion battery and having a cooling channel extending from a vent of the battery casing to the at least one lithium-ion battery, (“The top end of the duct 141 is positioned at a lower portion of (e.g., is positioned below) the inclined part 163. The inclined part 163 may prevent (or substantially reduce) the gas discharged from the vent 124a of the battery cell 120 from being redirected to the vent 124a.” Kim [0082])
the cooling channel configured to vent any gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery to mix with air outside of the battery casing and to lower the temperature of the gas exhausted from the at least one lithium-ion battery during a thermal runaway condition of the at least one lithium-ion battery before the gas exits the vent; (“In addition, the gas emitted from the vent 124a of the battery cell 120 may be discharged through the discharge openings 161 in the exhaust area 161a.” Kim [0079])
and the non-reactive gas throughout the cooling channel, the non-reactive gas does not react with a lithium component of the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium- ion battery to combust while mixing in the cooling channel, (“In addition, referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, the extinguisher sheet 150 may operate in response to (e.g., due to) heat when the inert gas having a relatively high temperature of about 400° C. is generated.” Kim [0089] and “As described above, the inert gas may fill a space between the top cover 160 and the shelf 12 to create an inert gas atmosphere. In addition, the inert gas may also fill the internal space of the duct 141. The inert gas can prevent oxygen induction, which may prevent and block flame generation from the battery cell 120 to prevent (or substantially mitigate) the flames from propagating to a neighboring battery cell 120 or to another energy storage module 100. In addition, the extinguisher sheet 150 positioned under the top cover 160 may emit (e.g., spray) the fire extinguishing agent in response to the high-temperature inert gas, which will be further described below.” Kim [0085])
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Kim is silent on the following elements of claim 1:
a membrane covering the vent of the battery casing, wherein the membrane is configured to seal a non-reactive gas in the cooling channel;
the membrane configured to seal the non-reactive gas within the cooling channel and is further configured to burst to allow exhaustion of the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery upon pressure in the cooling channel reaching a threshold level.
However, Reinprecht teaches all of the elements of claim 1 that are not found in Kim. Specifically, Reinprecht teaches a vent to an outside that is covered by a membrane and is configured to burst upon reaching a certain threshold pressure:
a membrane covering the vent of the battery casing, wherein the membrane is configured to seal a non-reactive gas in the cooling channel; (“The two sidewall members 30 include aperture venting valves 70, and the aperture venting valves 70 close the apertures 34.” Reinprecht [0101] and “The aperture venting valves 70 are membranes,” Reinprecht [0102])
the membrane configured to seal the non-reactive gas within the cooling channel and is further configured to burst to allow exhaustion of the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery upon pressure in the cooling channel reaching a threshold level. (“The aperture venting valves 70 are membranes, for example, such as foils, which close the apertures 34, and may burst open at the suitable pressure difference (e.g., the predetermined pressure difference) between the corresponding sub chamber 42 and the channel 32.” Reinprecht [0102])
Reinprecht and Kim are considered to be analogous because they are both within the same field of battery cases/storage devices with configurations designed to mitigate thermal runaway conditions and improve safety. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the discharge openings 161 of Kim with the membrane venting valves 70 of Reinprecht in order to provide a method of venting the battery containment assembly at a threshold pressure, thus improvement safety and lowering the risk of dangerous thermal runaway conditions. Additionally, this would only require the simple substitution of one external vent of a battery containment assembly with another, and the simple substitution of one known element for another is likely to be obvious when predictable results are achieved. (see MPEP § 2143, B.).
Regarding claim 2, Kim teaches all of the following elements:
The battery containment assembly of Claim 1, The battery containment assembly of Claim 1, wherein the cooling channel comprises a material and shape configured to perform conductive heat transfer from the gas so the temperature of the gas is below [[a ]]the spontaneously combustion temperature of a lithium gas component when exposed to oxygen in the air outside the battery casing. (Kim teaches this through all the above reasoning for the rejection of claim 1—one skilled in the art would understand that the function of a cooling channel would be to lower the temperature below the spontaneously combustible temperature of the exhausted gas, as there would not be a suitable utility for the invention if this were not the case.)
Regarding claim 3, Kim teaches all of the following elements:
the battery containment assembly of Claim 2, wherein the cooling channel is configured to cool the gas exiting the vent to below 180 degrees Celsius to prevent the lithium gas component of the gas from spontaneously combusting when exposed to oxygen in the air outside the battery casing. (Kim teaches this for the above reasons used to reject claim 2, as 180 C is the commonly known spontaneous combustion temperature of lithium gas, and therefore does not provide any further limitation of the capabilities of the cooling channel taught by Kim.)
Regarding new claims 21 and 22, no further modification or motivation other than what was used in claim 1 would be required to meet the additional limitations.
Regarding claim 21, modified Kim teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Kim is silent on the following elements of claim 21:
The battery containment assembly of Claim 1, wherein the membrane is attached to and extends across an entirety of a cross-sectional area of a portion of the cooling channel comprising the vent to seal the non-reactive gas in an interior volume of the cooling channel between the membrane and the at least one lithium-ion battery,
and the non- reactive gas fills the interior volume of the cooling channel between the membrane and the at least one lithium-ion battery.
However, by modifying Kim with the membrane of Reinprecht, the limitations of claim 21 are met:
The battery containment assembly of Claim 1, wherein the membrane is attached to and extends across an entirety of a cross-sectional area of a portion of the cooling channel comprising the vent to seal the non-reactive gas in an interior volume of the cooling channel between the membrane and the at least one lithium-ion battery, (The membrane of Reinprecht is at the end of the gas vent, and it extends across the entire cross-sectional area, as if it didn’t then it would effectively seal the vent. Given that is configured to burst at a certain pressure, as described above, it would be required to seal the vent beforehand in order to be able to burst.)
and the non- reactive gas fills the interior volume of the cooling channel between the membrane and the at least one lithium-ion battery. (The presence of an inert gas in Kim, as described above regarding claim 1, fills the interior volume of the duct between the battery and the outer vent. If the outer vent were modified to include the membrane of Reinprecht, as described above in claim 1, then this limitation would be met.)
Regarding claim 22, modified Kim teaches all of the elements of claim 21, as shown above. Kim is silent on the following elements of claim 22:
The battery containment assembly of Claim 21, wherein in response to the pressure in the cooling channel reaching the threshold level in response to the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery during the thermal runaway condition, the membrane is configured to burst to allow exhaustion of the non-reactive gas and inhibit mixture of the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery with oxygen in the air outside the battery casing until the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery flows past the burst membrane along the cooling channel.
However, by modifying Kim with the membrane of Reinprecht, the limitations of claim 22 are met:
The battery containment assembly of Claim 21, wherein in response to the pressure in the cooling channel reaching the threshold level in response to the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery during the thermal runaway condition, the membrane is configured to burst to allow exhaustion of the non-reactive gas and inhibit mixture of the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery with oxygen in the air outside the battery casing until the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery flows past the burst membrane along the cooling channel. (“The aperture venting valves 70 are membranes, for example, such as foils, which close the apertures 34, and may burst open at the suitable pressure difference (e.g., the predetermined pressure difference) between the corresponding sub chamber 42 and the channel 32.” Reinprecht [0102]. By teaching a membrane that is designed to burst at a certain pressure threshold, this limitation would be met, as all exhausted gas from the battery would interact with the inert gas and go through the membrane prior to mixing with any outside air.)
Claim(s) 4-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 20210074971 A1) in view of Reinprecht (US 20210359374 A1), further in view of Shimuzu (US 20230275317 A1)
Regarding claim 4, modified Kim teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Kim is silent on the following elements of claim 4:
the battery containment assembly of Claim 1, wherein: the at least one lithium-ion battery comprises a major dimension and minor dimension; and a length of the cooling channel extends at least as long as the minor dimension.
However, Shimuzu teaches all of the elements of claim 4 that are not found in Kim. Specifically, Shimuzu teaches a gas flow channel with a long path length, showing that further lengthening the channel provides benefits and making it longer would be within the skill of one of ordinary skill in the art:
the battery containment assembly of Claim 1, wherein: the at least one lithium-ion battery comprises a major dimension and minor dimension; and a length of the cooling channel extends at least as long as the minor dimension. (“According to the present disclosure, a gas discharge path having a long path length can be formed by effectively using a space between inner case 5 and outer case 2. Therefore, the temperature of the gas ejected from battery 7 can be efficiently lowered, and the safety at the time of abnormal heat generation of battery 7 can be improved.” Shimuzu [0033]. While Shimuzu doesn’t explicitly relate the length of the cooling channel to the dimensions of the battery cell, it does teach that making a long path is optimal for additional cooling properties. Therefore, one of ordinary skill would understand that by modifying the duct of Kim to be longer, even significantly longer, would provide value and additional cooling properties to the battery containment system.)
Shimuzu is considered to be analogous to Kim because they are both within the same field of battery containment assemblies providing cooling capabilities to mitigate the effects of thermal runaway events. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the gas duct of Kim to be of a long length, as taught by Shimuzu, in order to additionally reduce the temperature of the gas prior to ejection via the valve/membrane. (“According to the present disclosure, a gas discharge path having a long path length can be formed by effectively using a space between inner case 5 and outer case 2. Therefore, the temperature of the gas ejected from battery 7 can be efficiently lowered, and the safety at the time of abnormal heat generation of battery 7 can be improved.” Shimuzu [0033]).
The reasoning applied above for claim 4 applies to claims 5 and 6 as well, without requiring any further modification or motivation:
Regarding claim 5, modified Kim teaches all of the elements of claim 4, as shown above. Kim is silent on the following elements of claim 5:
the battery containment assembly of Claim 4, wherein the cooling channel extends at least as long as the major dimension.
However, Shimuzu teaches all of the elements of claim 5 that are not found in Kim. Specifically, Shimuzu teaches a gas flow channel with a long path length, showing that further lengthening the channel provides benefits and making it longer would be within the skill of one of ordinary skill in the art:
the battery containment assembly of Claim 4, wherein the cooling channel extends at least as long as the major dimension. (“According to the present disclosure, a gas discharge path having a long path length can be formed by effectively using a space between inner case 5 and outer case 2. Therefore, the temperature of the gas ejected from battery 7 can be efficiently lowered, and the safety at the time of abnormal heat generation of battery 7 can be improved.” Shimuzu [0033]. While Shimuzu doesn’t explicitly relate the length of the cooling channel to the dimensions of the battery cell, it does teach that making a long path is optimal for additional cooling properties. Therefore, one of ordinary skill would understand that by modifying the duct of Kim to be longer, even significantly longer, would provide value and additional cooling properties to the battery containment system.)
Regarding claim 6, modified Kim teaches all of the elements of claim 5, as shown above. Kim is silent on the following elements of claim 6:
the battery containment assembly of Claim 5, wherein the cooling channel extends at least as long as triple the major dimension.
However, Shimuzu teaches all of the elements of claim 6 that are not found in Kim. Specifically, Shimuzu teaches a gas flow channel with a long path length, showing that further lengthening the channel provides benefits and making it longer would be within the skill of one of ordinary skill in the art:
the battery containment assembly of Claim 5, wherein the cooling channel extends at least as long as triple the major dimension. (“According to the present disclosure, a gas discharge path having a long path length can be formed by effectively using a space between inner case 5 and outer case 2. Therefore, the temperature of the gas ejected from battery 7 can be efficiently lowered, and the safety at the time of abnormal heat generation of battery 7 can be improved.” Shimuzu [0033]. While Shimuzu doesn’t explicitly relate the length of the cooling channel to the dimensions of the battery cell, it does teach that making a long path is optimal for additional cooling properties. Therefore, one of ordinary skill would understand that by modifying the duct of Kim to be longer, even significantly longer, would provide value and additional cooling properties to the battery containment system.)
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 20210074971 A1) in view of Reinprecht (US 20210359374 A1) and further in view of Hashimoto (US 20130004822 A1).
Regarding claim 7, modified Kim teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Kim and Reinprecht are silent on the following elements of claim 7:
The battery containment assembly of Claim 1, wherein the cooling channel comprises a thermally conductive material having a thermal mass that functions to cool the temperature of the gas exhausted from the at least one lithium-ion battery during the thermal runaway condition.
However, Hashimoto teaches all of the elements of claim 7 that are not found in Kim. Specifically, Hashimoto teaches:
The battery containment assembly of Claim 1, wherein the cooling channel comprises a thermally conductive material having a thermal mass that functions to cool the temperature of the gas exhausted from the at least one lithium-ion battery during the thermal runaway condition. (“Cooling pipe 60 is formed of an excellent thermally conductive material” (Hashimoto fig. 21 paragraph 0109). Given that there is no specific definition provided in the disclosure of a thermal mass, the interpretation of the plain meaning of thermal mass, commonly known to one familiar with the art, is that it is the capacity a thermally conductive material to absorb, store, and release heat, which in this case is the functional purpose of the thermally conductive material used to manufacture the cooling pipe, leading to it meet the limitation of claim 7.)
Kim and Hashimoto are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of power supply/battery containing devices with thermal runaway mitigating properties. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kim to incorporate the teachings of Hashimoto in order to increase the cooling capabilities of the cooling channel within a battery containment assembly by manufacturing the cooling channel out of a thermally conductive material. This is accomplished because the thermally conductive material, containing a thermal mass, can more effectively absorb heat from the lithium gas exhausted during a thermal runaway event.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 20210074971 A1) in view of Reinprecht (US 20210359374 A1), further in view of Hashimoto (US 20130004822 A1), and further in view of Shen (US 20170271726 A1).
Regarding claim 8, modified Kim teaches all of the elements of claim 7, as shown above. Kim, Reinprecht, and Hashimoto are silent on the following elements of claim 8:
The battery containment assembly of Claim 7, wherein the cooling channel is thermally coupled to a heat sink having a thermal mass that functions to cool the temperature of the gas exhausted from the at least one lithium-ion battery during the thermal runaway condition.
However, Shen teaches all of the elements of claim 8 that are not found in the aforementioned references. Specifically, it teaches:
a cooling channel made of a thermally conductive material (“two sheets of a thermally conductive material (e.g., metal) that together define the coolant fluid channel” [Shen 0015]) as well as the plates that are attached to it being made of the same. According to paragraph 0031 of the claimed invention, the defined heat sink consists of the bottom surface of the assembly and/or the cover being made of a thermally conductive material having a thermal mass that functions to cool the temperature of the gasses exhausted from the lithium-ion batteries. Shen teaches a (“cooling system 10, as shown in FIG. 1. The cooling system 10 includes a cooling plate 12 and coolant fluid channel(s) 14 defined in the cooling plate 12. In an example, the cooling plate 12 may be a single sheet of a thermally conductive material (e.g., metal) that has the coolant fluid channel(s) 14 molded or otherwise formed therein, or may be two sheets of a thermally conductive material (e.g., metal) that together define the coolant fluid channel(s)” (Shen 0015)) This teaches the limitations of claim 8 because of the presence of either one or two plates made of thermally conductive material that can be attached to the cooling duct taught by Kim. If the claimed invention is referring to a more specific definition of heat sink, this must be made clear in the specification, rather than the broad description provided.
Kim and Shen are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of cooling systems designed for batteries or battery containment assemblies. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified Kim to incorporate the teachings of Shen in order to provide an additional method of cooling the lithium gas released during a thermal runaway event. It would accomplish this by coupling the cooling channel of Kim with the heat sink of Shen in order to provide an alternative means for cooling the released lithium gas.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 20210074971 A1) in view of Reinprecht (US 20210359374 A1), further in view of Mardall (US 20140193683 A1)
Regarding claim 9, modified Kim teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Kim and Reinprecht are silent on the following elements of claim 9:
the battery containment assembly of Claim 1, wherein the cooling channel is thermally coupled to a thermally conductive component of the electronic device having a thermal mass that functions to cause changes to the temperature of the gas exhausted from the at least one lithium-ion battery during the thermal runaway condition.
However, Mardall teaches all of the limitations of claim 9 that are not found in Kim or Reinprecht.
Specifically, Mardall teaches a cooling channel within a battery pack “cooling conduit 901 fig. 9, ‘conduits 901 being coupled to the battery pack’” (Mardall 0043) being thermally coupled “Heat exchanger conduits thermally coupled to battery pack base plate 503. Base plate made from a thermally conductive material…” (Mardall 0040) to the electronic device (Battery pack base plate heat exchanger…may be thermally coupled to any of a variety of vehicle components…e.g., Passenger cabin HVAC subsystem, drive train subsystem) (Mardall 0046) that functions to change the temperature of the gas exhausted from the at least one lithium-ion battery during the thermal runaway condition “thermal management system for minimizing the effects of thermal runaway [0008]… battery cooling conduits 601 are visible, conduits 601 being coupled to the battery pack thermal management system [0044]” (Mardall). The definition of thermal mass is interpreted the same as for claims 7 and 8, in that it is any material which is capable of absorbing the heat given off by the gas produced in the thermal runaway event. In this case, it is the thermally conductive material of the heat exchanger base plate that the battery pack is coupled to.
Kim and Mardall are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field cooling devices for battery containing assemblies. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified Kim to incorporate the teachings of Mardall in order to provide an additional method of cooling the lithium gas released during a thermal runaway event. It would accomplish this by using the thermally coupled component of the electronic device to help lower the temperature of the released gas.
Claim(s) 11-12, 16, 23-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 20210074971 A1) in view of Reinprecht (US 20210359374 A1), further in view of Chen (CN 113224444A).
Regarding claim 11, Kim teaches all of the following elements:
A battery containment assembly for powering an electronic device, the battery containment assembly comprising (“Embodiments of the present disclosure are related to an energy storage module exhibiting a reduced fire risk and increased safety by reducing or minimizing the chance of a fire spreading to adjacent cells when a fire occurs.” Kim [0006])
at least one lithium-ion battery (“Examples of the material capable of reversibly intercalating and deintercalating the lithium ions may include a carbon material, e.g., any suitable carbon-based negative electrode active material generally used in a lithium secondary battery.” Kim [0135])
a battery casing enclosing the at least one lithium-ion battery and having a cooling channel extending from a vent of the battery casing to the at least one lithium-ion battery (“The top end of the duct 141 is positioned at a lower portion of (e.g., is positioned below) the inclined part 163. The inclined part 163 may prevent (or substantially reduce) the gas discharged from the vent 124a of the battery cell 120 from being redirected to the vent 124a.” Kim [0082])
the cooling channel configured to vent any gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery to mix with air outside of the battery casing and to lower [[a ]]the temperature of the gas exhausted from the at least one lithium-ion battery during a thermal runaway condition of the at least one lithium-ion battery before the gas exits the vent (“In addition, the gas emitted from the vent 124a of the battery cell 120 may be discharged through the discharge openings 161 in the exhaust area 161a.” Kim [0079])
and the non-reactive gas throughout the cooling channel, the non-reactive gas does not react with a lithium component of the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium- ion battery to combust while mixing in the cooling channel, (“In addition, referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, the extinguisher sheet 150 may operate in response to (e.g., due to) heat when the inert gas having a relatively high temperature of about 400° C. is generated.” Kim [0089] and “As described above, the inert gas may fill a space between the top cover 160 and the shelf 12 to create an inert gas atmosphere. In addition, the inert gas may also fill the internal space of the duct 141. The inert gas can prevent oxygen induction, which may prevent and block flame generation from the battery cell 120 to prevent (or substantially mitigate) the flames from propagating to a neighboring battery cell 120 or to another energy storage module 100. In addition, the extinguisher sheet 150 positioned under the top cover 160 may emit (e.g., spray) the fire extinguishing agent in response to the high-temperature inert gas, which will be further described below.” Kim [0085])
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Kim is silent on the following:
a membrane covering the vent of the battery casing, wherein the membrane is configured to seal a non-reactive gas in the cooling channel;
the membrane configured to seal the non-reactive gas within the cooling channel and is further configured to burst to allow exhaustion of the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery upon pressure in the cooling channel reaching a threshold level.
a plurality of airflow fins, wherein the cooling channel comprises a segment extending linearly and the airflow fins are spaced apart along linear segment of the cooling channel and arranged in a sequence to extend inwardly from alternating opposite interior surfaces of the linear segment of the cooling channel to force the gas flow to thermally interact with more surface area of the linear segment of the cooling channel while being diverted back and forth toward opposite interior surfaces of the linear segment of the cooling channel.
Reinprecht teaches the following elements of claim 11 that are not found in Kim. Specifically, Reinprecht teaches a vent to an outside that is covered by a membrane and is configured to burst upon reaching a certain threshold pressure:
a membrane covering the vent of the battery casing, wherein the membrane is configured to seal a non-reactive gas in the cooling channel; (“The two sidewall members 30 include aperture venting valves 70, and the aperture venting valves 70 close the apertures 34.” Reinprecht [0101] and “The aperture venting valves 70 are membranes,” Reinprecht [0102])
the membrane configured to seal the non-reactive gas within the cooling channel and is further configured to burst to allow exhaustion of the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery upon pressure in the cooling channel reaching a threshold level. (“The aperture venting valves 70 are membranes, for example, such as foils, which close the apertures 34, and may burst open at the suitable pressure difference (e.g., the predetermined pressure difference) between the corresponding sub chamber 42 and the channel 32.” Reinprecht [0102])
The above modification is the same as for claim 1, and the motivation is described above.
Kim and Reinprecht are both silent on the following elements of claim 11:
a plurality of airflow fins, wherein the cooling channel comprises a segment extending linearly and the airflow fins are spaced apart along linear segment of the cooling channel and arranged in a sequence to extend inwardly from alternating opposite interior surfaces of the linear segment of the cooling channel to force the gas flow to thermally interact with more surface area of the linear segment of the cooling channel while being diverted back and forth toward opposite interior surfaces of the linear segment of the cooling channel.
However, Chen teaches all of the elements of claim 11 that are not found in Kim, specifically, Chen teaches:
a plurality of airflow fins, wherein the cooling channel comprises a segment extending linearly and the airflow fins are spaced apart along linear segment of the cooling channel and arranged in a sequence to extend inwardly from alternating opposite interior surfaces of the linear segment of the cooling channel to force the gas flow to thermally interact with more surface area of the linear segment of the cooling channel while being diverted back and forth toward opposite interior surfaces of the linear segment of the cooling channel. (Chen figure 21, cooling member 119, and “In some embodiments, the cooling device includes a plurality of second cooling elements; the plurality of second cooling elements are arranged at intervals along the extension direction of the first flow channel, and the second cooling element is provided with The second openings through which the discharge passes, the second openings of every two adjacent cooling elements are arranged in a staggered projection along the extension direction of the first flow channel, and the second openings of the plurality of second cooling elements Communicate to form the second flow channel. Chen paragraph 21. By modifying the duct of Kim with the airflow fins of Chen, it would be obvious to place them in a linear segment of the duct, as that is how the fins of Chen are taught.)
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(Chen figure 21 compared to instant application figure 6, it can be seen the cooling channels including cooling fins are identical)
Chen and Kim are considered to be analogous because they are both related to battery containment devices with built in cooling features aimed at minimizing the impact of a thermal runaway event. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the duct of Kim to include the second cooling member, an equivalent to an airflow fin, extending inwardly from a linear segment of the cooling channel, as taught by Chen, in order to increase the contact area the cooling device enables, which takes away more heat from the exhaust (Chen paragraph 10). This would be desirable in a heat management system for a battery containment device because the main goal is to reduce fire risk due to overheating, so a cooling system more effectively being able to cool the exhausted gas would be beneficial.
Regarding claim 12, modified Kim teaches all of the elements of claim 11. Kim is silent on the following:
The battery containment assembly of Claim 11, wherein: the plurality of airflow fins extend inwardly from side surfaces of the linear segment of the cooling channel and extend downward from a top surface of the linear segment of the cooling channel at least 50% of a distance between the top surface and a bottom surface of the linear segment of the cooling channel.
However, Chen teaches all of the elements of claim 12 that are not found in Kim. Specifically, Chen teaches:
The battery containment assembly of Claim 11, wherein: the plurality of airflow fins extend inwardly from side surfaces of the linear segment of the cooling channel and extend downward from a top surface of the linear segment of the cooling channel at least 50% of a distance between the top surface and a bottom surface of the linear segment of the cooling channel. (Chen figure 21 depicts airflow fins which are identical to figure 6 of instant application, and therefore meet the limitations of claim 12 in addition to claim 11. No further modification would be needed in order to meet the limitation of claim 12, and therefore the motivation for claim 11 is sufficient.)
Regarding claim 16, Kim teaches the following elements:
A battery containment assembly for powering an electronic device, the battery containment assembly comprising: (“Embodiments of the present disclosure are related to an energy storage module exhibiting a reduced fire risk and increased safety by reducing or minimizing the chance of a fire spreading to adjacent cells when a fire occurs.” Kim [0006])
at least one lithium-ion battery; (“Examples of the material capable of reversibly intercalating and deintercalating the lithium ions may include a carbon material, e.g., any suitable carbon-based negative electrode active material generally used in a lithium secondary battery.” Kim [0135])
a battery casing enclosing the at least one lithium-ion battery and having a cooling channel extending from a vent of the battery casing to the at least one lithium-ion battery, the cooling channel configured to vent any gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery to mix with air outside of the battery casing and to lower the temperature of the gas exhausted from the at least one lithium-ion battery during a thermal runaway condition of the at least one lithium-ion battery before the gas exits the vent; (“The top end of the duct 141 is positioned at a lower portion of (e.g., is positioned below) the inclined part 163. The inclined part 163 may prevent (or substantially reduce) the gas discharged from the vent 124a of the battery cell 120 from being redirected to the vent 124a.” Kim [0082])
the non-reactive gas throughout the cooling channel, the non-reactive gas does not react with a lithium component of the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery to combust while mixing in the cooling channel, (“In addition, referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, the extinguisher sheet 150 may operate in response to (e.g., due to) heat when the inert gas having a relatively high temperature of about 400° C. is generated.” Kim [0089] and “As described above, the inert gas may fill a space between the top cover 160 and the shelf 12 to create an inert gas atmosphere. In addition, the inert gas may also fill the internal space of the duct 141. The inert gas can prevent oxygen induction, which may prevent and block flame generation from the battery cell 120 to prevent (or substantially mitigate) the flames from propagating to a neighboring battery cell 120 or to another energy storage module 100. In addition, the extinguisher sheet 150 positioned under the top cover 160 may emit (e.g., spray) the fire extinguishing agent in response to the high-temperature inert gas, which will be further described below.” Kim [0085])
Kim is silent on the following elements of claim 16:
a membrane covering the vent of the battery casing, wherein the membrane is sealing a non-reactive gas in the cooling channel;
the membrane is further configured to burst to allow exhaustion of the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery upon pressure in the cooling channel reaching a threshold level;
and a spiral structure provided in the cooling channel extending a major axis of the cooling channel along a gas flow pathway between the at least one lithium-ion battery and the vent, the spiral structure directing the gas flow in a spiraling pathway,
wherein the cooling channel is a cylindrical tube with a segment extending linearly and containing the spiral structure having a diameter about equal to an interior diameter of the cylindrical tube and the spiral structure extends between opposite ends of the segment of the cylindrical tube.
Reinprecht teaches the following elements of claim 11 that are not found in Kim. Specifically, Reinprecht teaches a vent to an outside that is covered by a membrane and is configured to burst upon reaching a certain threshold pressure:
a membrane covering the vent of the battery casing, wherein the membrane is configured to seal a non-reactive gas in the cooling channel; (“The two sidewall members 30 include aperture venting valves 70, and the aperture venting valves 70 close the apertures 34.” Reinprecht [0101] and “The aperture venting valves 70 are membranes,” Reinprecht [0102])
the membrane configured to seal the non-reactive gas within the cooling channel and is further configured to burst to allow exhaustion of the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery upon pressure in the cooling channel reaching a threshold level. (“The aperture venting valves 70 are membranes, for example, such as foils, which close the apertures 34, and may burst open at the suitable pressure difference (e.g., the predetermined pressure difference) between the corresponding sub chamber 42 and the channel 32.” Reinprecht [0102])
Reinprecht is silent on the following elements of claim 16:
a spiral structure provided in the cooling channel extending a major axis of the cooling channel along a gas flow pathway between the at least one lithium-ion battery and the vent, the spiral structure directing the gas flow in a spiraling pathway,
wherein the cooling channel is a cylindrical tube with a segment extending linearly and containing the spiral structure having a diameter about equal to an interior diameter of the cylindrical tube
and the spiral structure extends between opposite ends of the segment of the cylindrical tube.
However, Chen teaches all of the elements of claim 16 that are not found in Kim or Reinbrecht, specifically, Chen teaches:
a spiral structure provided in the cooling channel extending a major axis of the cooling channel along a gas flow pathway between the at least one lithium-ion battery and the vent, the spiral structure directing the gas flow in a spiraling pathway, (“It should be noted that, in the case where the second flow channel 113 on the cooling device 11 extends in a circular arc bending curve shape, the second flow channel 113 may be a circular arc bending curve in a plane, that is, the second flow channel 113 The center line of is located in a plane; the second flow channel 113 may also be a curve in space, such as a spiral.” Chen [156])
wherein the cooling channel is a cylindrical tube with a segment extending linearly and containing the spiral structure having a diameter about equal to an interior diameter of the cylindrical tube (“In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the second flow channel 113 may be various shapes, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. For example, the cross-section of the second flow channel 113 may be circular, as shown in FIGS. 11-13;” Chen [157])
and the spiral structure extends between opposite ends of the segment of the cylindrical tube. (Chen figure 14 shows the second flow channel 113 extending from one end to the other of the cooling channel, which, as shown in paragraph 157, can be a cylinder shape by having a circular cross section, and can have a spiral shape, as shown in paragraph 156)
It would be obvious to use the spiral structure of Chen for the same reasons as the airflow fins of claim 11—by increasing the surface area the exhausted gas passes through, the more of an impact the cooling channel has on lowering the temperature of the gas and reducing risk of overheating and fire. This would be desirable as it would increase the safety of the battery containment device.
Regarding new claims 23 and 24, no further modification or motivation other than what was used in claim 11 would be required to meet the additional limitations.
Regarding claim 23, modified Kim teaches all of the elements of claim 11, as shown above. Kim is silent on the following elements of claim 23:
The battery containment assembly of Claim 11, wherein the membrane is attached to and extends across an entirety of a cross-sectional area of a portion of the cooling channel comprising the vent to seal the non-reactive gas in an interior volume of the cooling channel between the membrane and the at least one lithium-ion battery,
and the non- reactive gas fills the interior volume of the cooling channel between the membrane and the at least one lithium-ion battery.
However, by modifying Kim with the membrane of Reinprecht, the limitations of claim 23 are met:
The battery containment assembly of Claim 11, wherein the membrane is attached to and extends across an entirety of a cross-sectional area of a portion of the cooling channel comprising the vent to seal the non-reactive gas in an interior volume of the cooling channel between the membrane and the at least one lithium-ion battery, (The membrane of Reinprecht is at the end of the gas vent, and it extends across the entire cross-sectional area, as if it didn’t then it would effectively seal the vent. Given that is configured to burst at a certain pressure, as described above, it would be required to seal the vent beforehand in order to be able to burst.)
and the non- reactive gas fills the interior volume of the cooling channel between the membrane and the at least one lithium-ion battery. (The presence of an inert gas in Kim, as described above regarding claim 1, fills the interior volume of the duct between the battery and the outer vent. If the outer vent were modified to include the membrane of Reinprecht, as described above in claim 1, then this limitation would be met.)
Regarding claim 24, modified Kim teaches all of the elements of claim 23, as shown above. Kim is silent on the following elements of claim 24:
The battery containment assembly of Claim 23, wherein in response to the pressure in the cooling channel reaching the threshold level in response to the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery during the thermal runaway condition, the membrane is configured to burst to allow exhaustion of the non-reactive gas and inhibit mixture of the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery with oxygen in the air outside the battery casing until the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery flows past the burst membrane along the cooling channel.
However, by modifying Kim with the membrane of Reinprecht, the limitations of claim 24 are met:
The battery containment assembly of Claim 23, wherein in response to the pressure in the cooling channel reaching the threshold level in response to the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery during the thermal runaway condition, the membrane is configured to burst to allow exhaustion of the non-reactive gas and inhibit mixture of the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery with oxygen in the air outside the battery casing until the gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery flows past the burst membrane along the cooling channel. (“The aperture venting valves 70 are membranes, for example, such as foils, which close the apertures 34, and may burst open at the suitable pressure difference (e.g., the predetermined pressure difference) between the corresponding sub chamber 42 and the channel 32.” Reinprecht [0102]. By teaching a membrane that is designed to burst at a certain pressure threshold, this limitation would be met, as all exhausted gas from the battery would interact with the inert gas and go through the membrane prior to mixing with any outside air.)
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 20210074971 A1) in view of Reinprecht (US 20210359374 A1), further in view of Hooper (US 20200321670 A1).
Regarding claim 18, Kim teaches the following elements:
A battery containment assembly for powering an electronic device, the battery containment assembly comprising (“Embodiments of the present disclosure are related to an energy storage module exhibiting a reduced fire risk and increased safety by reducing or minimizing the chance of a fire spreading to adjacent cells when a fire occurs.” Kim [0006])
at least one lithium-ion battery; (“Examples of the material capable of reversibly intercalating and deintercalating the lithium ions may include a carbon material, e.g., any suitable carbon-based negative electrode active material generally used in a lithium secondary battery.” Kim [0135])
a battery casing enclosing the at least one lithium-ion battery and having a cooling channel extending from a vent of the battery casing to the at least one lithium-ion battery, (“The top end of the duct 141 is positioned at a lower portion of (e.g., is positioned below) the inclined part 163. The inclined part 163 may prevent (or substantially reduce) the gas discharged from the vent 124a of the battery cell 120 from being redirected to the vent 124a.” Kim [0082])
the cooling channel configured to vent any gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery to mix with air outside of the battery casing and to lower the temperature of the gas exhausted from the at least one lithium-ion battery during a thermal runaway condition of the at least one lithium-ion battery before the gas exits the vent, (“In addition, the gas emitted from the vent 124a of the battery cell 120 may be discharged through the discharge openings 161 in the exhaust area 161a.” Kim [0079])
Kim and Reinprecht are silent on the following elements of claim 18:
wherein the cooling channel comprises a wider cross-section configured to have a width greater than any cross-section of a major section of the cooling channel upstream of the flowing gas to further reduce the temperature of the gas flowing through the wider cross-section by reducing pressure of the gas by expansion of the gas flow into the wider cross-section the cooling channel.
However, Hooper teaches all of the elements of claim 18 that are not found in Kim, specifically, Hooper teaches:
wherein the cooling channel comprises a wider cross-section configured to have a width greater than any cross-section of a major section of the cooling channel upstream of the flowing gas to further reduce the temperature of the gas flowing through the wider cross-section by reducing pressure of the gas by expansion of the gas flow into the wider cross-section the cooling channel. (“The arrows 391 indicate that air flows across the modules 300 and enters outlet plenum 394, where air is collected and urged out of the enclosure by fan 395 via outlet 396. Fan 395 basically creates a pressure differential between the inlet 392 and outlet 396, causing the air to flow through the enclosure 390. In many cases the inlet 392 and outlet 396” Hooper [0112], figure 26. Figure 26 shows that the end of the pathway the cooling conduit travels is wider than any of the channels it goes through on the way there. The wider cross-section would inherently reduce the pressure of the gas by expansion of gas flow, without Hooper needing to explicitly mention this property.)
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Figure 26 of Hooper and Figure 4 of the instant application both depict a wider cross-section at the end of the cooling channel than anywhere upstream of it.
Hooper and Kim are considered to be analogous because they are both within the same field of battery containment devices aimed at minimizing risk during a thermal runaway event. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the duct of Kim with the serpentine cooling channel of Hooper because the longer a distance and wider a space the gas is allowed to travel in, the more of a cooling effect the cooling channel can have (Hooper 0113). This would be desirable as it would further improve the effects of containing a thermal runaway event and therefore improve the overall safety of the battery containment device.
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 20210074971 A1) in view of Reinprecht (US 20210359374 A1), further in view of Wu (US 9614207 B2)
Regarding claim 20, modified Kim teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Kim is silent on the following:
The battery containment assembly of Claim 1, wherein the non- reactive with lithium gas comprises at least one of argon, helium, nitrogen, and neon.
However, Wu teaches all of the elements of claim 20 that are not found in Kim. Specifically, Kim teaches the presence of an inert gas, and Wu teaches that inert gases for use in this field can comprise the ones claimed:
The battery containment assembly of Claim 1, wherein the non- reactive with lithium gas comprises at least one of argon, helium, nitrogen, and neon. (“Examples of a suitable inert gas include purified argon gas, as well as helium, neon, krypton, xenon, or radon gases.” Wu page 14 column 3 line 51.)
Wu and Kim are considered to be analogous because they are both related to battery containment assemblies structured to comprise an inert gas which is non-reactive with lithium gas produced in a thermal runaway event. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the inert gas of Kim to specifically be one of those claimed in claim 20, as Wu teaches that argon, helium, and neon are all suitable inert gases for this purpose. This would only require the simple substitution of an unspecified inert gas with one of the inert gases taught by Wu, and the simple substitution of one known element for another is likely to be obvious when predictable results are achieved. (see MPEP § 2143, B.).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10, 13-15 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Modified Kim teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Examiner finds there is sufficient motivation to modify the cooling duct of Kim to have a longer length such as in claims 4-6, to have the airflow fins of claim 11, to have the spiral structure of claim 16, or to have the width of claim 18, but not to replace the duct of Kim with a serpentine structure with multiple segments, as described in claim 10. There is no sufficient art discovered that teaches or provides obvious motivation to meet the limitations of claim 10, thus, it is considered to be allowable subject matter. Claims 13-15 are also considered to contain allowable subject matter given their dependency on claim 10.
Conclusion
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/BENJAMIN ELI KASS-MULLET/Examiner, Art Unit 1752
/NICHOLAS A SMITH/Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752