DETAILED ACTION
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 October 30, 2025 has been entered.
Claims 1 and 6 are currently amended. Claim 5 is canceled. Claims 1-4, 6-12, 16 and 17 are pending review in this action. The previous 35 U.S.C 112 rejection is withdrawn in light of the cancelation of claim 5.
New grounds of rejection necessitated by Applicant’s amendments are presented 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 1-4, 6-9, 11, 16 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2020/0112071, hereinafter Geskes in view of U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2016/0043451, hereinafter Kawaguchi.
Regarding claim 1, Geskes teaches a battery pack. The battery pack includes a battery module. The battery pack includes supporting frame (24), which accommodates the battery module therein (paragraph [0036] and figure 1). The battery pack includes a tube or line for supplying refrigerant (“pack refrigerant supply pipe”) (paragraph [0016]).
The battery module comprises a stack of a plurality of battery cells (3). The stack of battery cells (3) is housed in a housing (13, “module frame”) (paragraphs [0032, 0034] and figure 1).
A cooling plate (6) is a bottom part of the housing (13, “module frame”) (paragraph [0034] and figure 1). The cooling plate (6, “bottom part”) and cover plate (7, “lower plate”) together form a heat sink (paragraph [0033]). The cooling plate (6, “bottom part”) is an upper plate of the heat sink (figure 1).
The cover plate (7, “lower plate”) forms a cooling channel (10, “supply pipe”) (paragraph [0033]).
The cooling plate (6, “bottom part”) and the cooling channel (10, “supply pipe”) are coupled together to form a flow path for the refrigerant (paragraph [0033]).
The cooling channel (10, “supply pipe”) includes an inlet connection (11) configured to receive an inflow of refrigerant therethrough and an outlet connection (12) configured to receive a discharge of refrigerant therethrough (paragraph [0033]). Given that the tube or line for supplying refrigerant (“pack refrigerant supply pipe”) is fluidically connected to the inlet connection (11) (paragraph [0016]), it necessarily has an opening connected to the inlet connection (11).
The stack of battery cells (3) overlies the inlet connection (11) of the heat sink (6 and 7) (figure 1). Given the location of the inlet connection (11), the stack of battery cells (3) would also necessarily overlie the opening of the tube or line for supplying refrigerant (“pack refrigerant supply pipe”).
Geskes does not provide details on the structure or geometry of the tube or line for supplying refrigerant (“pack refrigerant supply pipe”).
Geskes fails to teach that: 1) the cooling channel (10, “supply pipe”) extends in a plane parallel to a plane in which the “pack refrigerant supply pipe” extends; and 2) a sealing member surrounding an exterior circumference of the inlet connection (11).
Kawaguchi teaches an analogous heat sink (4) for a battery module. The heat sink (4) includes a first plate (22) and a second plate (23) bonded together to form cooling medium channels (27A) between them (paragraphs [0032, 0038] and figures 7-9). As in Geskes, the heat sink (4) includes an inlet (28) and an outlet (30) positioned on a bottom surface of the heat sink (4) and fluidically connected with a cooling medium circuit (paragraphs [0027, 0037] and figures 8, 11 and 12). Inlet connector pipe (24A and 24C) is connected to inlet (28) and supplies cooling medium to the channels (27A) (paragraph [0033]). Inlet connector pipe (24A and 24C) extends in a plane parallel to the plane in which the cooling medium channels (27A) extend (figures 8, 11 and 12). Inlet connector pipe (24A and 24C) is positioned below the channels (27A) and opens directly into the channels (27A) (figures 8, 11 and 12) – therefore, it is in direct surface contact with the cooling medium channels (27A). Inlet connector pipe (24A and 24C) is a “pack refrigerant supply pipe”.
Kawaguchi teaches that a brazing filler (“sealing member”) is coated at the interface between the inlet (28) and the inlet connector pipe (24A and 24C) to prevent leaks (paragraph [0048]) – therefore, the brazing filler (“sealing member”) is understood to “surround an exterior circumference of the inlet (28)” and to be directly joining the inlet (28) and the inlet connector pipe (24A and 24C). The brazing filler (“sealing member”) is positioned between the cooling medium channels (27A) and the inlet connector pipe (24A and 24C).
Therefore it would have been obvious to the ordinarily skilled artist before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to arrange the “pack refrigerant supply pipe” in the manner taught by Kawaguchi and to thus arrive at an arrangement in which the “pack refrigerant supply pipe” underlies the cooling channel (10, “supply pipe”), extends in a plane parallel to the plane in which the cooling channel (10, “supply pipe”) extends and is in direct surface contact with the cooling channel (10, “supply pipe”) for the purpose of forming a compact assembly and to include a sealing member surrounding an exterior circumference of the inlet connection (11) and directly joining the inlet connection (11) and the opening of the “pack refrigerant supply pipe” for the purpose of preventing refrigerant leaks.
Given the location of the inlet connection (11) with respect to the supporting frame (24, “pack frame”) and the heat sink (6 and 7), in the combination of Geskes and Kawaguchi, the “pack refrigerant supply pipe” would necessarily be positioned between the supporting frame (24, “pack frame”) and the heat sink (6 and 7).
Regarding claim 2, Geskes teaches that the cooling plate (6, “bottom part”) forms an upper surface of the refrigerant flow passage (paragraph [0033] and figure 1) – therefore it is understood to be configured to be in direct contact with the refrigerant.
Regarding claim 3, Geskes teaches that the cooling channel (10, “supply pipe”) is u-shaped (paragraph [0040] and figure 6). The cooling plate (6, “bottom part”) is positioned on an open upper side of the u-shaped cooling channel (10, “supply pipe”) (paragraph [0033]).
Regarding claim 4, Geskes teaches that the cooling channel (10, “supply pipe”) is u-shaped and is bent multiple times (figure 6). The cooling channel (10, “supply pipe”) runs from one side of the cover plate (7, “lower plate”) to another side of cover plate (7, “lower plate”) (figure 6).
Regarding claim 6, Geskes as modified by Kawaguchi teaches a brazing filler (“sealing member”) surrounding an exterior circumference of the outlet (12) (Kawaguchi’s paragraph [0048]).
Regarding claims 7-9, Geskes teaches that the cover plate (7, “lower plate”) includes a lower mounting part extending along a direction parallel to the cooling plate (6, “bottom part”). The cooling plate (6, “bottom part”) includes an upper mounting part extending parallel to the lower mounting part. The lower mounting part and the upper mounting part are the regions where the cover plate (7, “lower plate”) is coupled to the cooling plate (6, “bottom part”). The coupling is done by screw (15a) (paragraphs [0035, 0034] and figure 1).
Given that a screw (15a) passes through each of the lower mounting part and the upper mounting part, there is a through-hole in each of the lower mounting part and the upper mounting part and the two through-holes are positioned adjacent to each other.
Regarding claim 11, Geskes teaches that the cover plate (7, “lower plate”) is joined to the cooling plate (6, “bottom part”) (paragraph [0035]).
Regarding claims 16 and 17, Geskes teaches that the cover plate (7, “lower plate”) includes a lower mounting part extending along a direction parallel to the cooling plate (6, “bottom part”). The cooling plate (6, “bottom part”) includes an upper mounting part extending parallel to the lower mounting part. The lower mounting part and the upper mounting part are the regions where the cover plate (7, “lower plate”) and the cooling plate (6, “bottom part”) are coupled to the supporting frame (24). The coupling is done by screw (25a), which passes through the lower mounting part, the upper mounting part and the supporting frame (24) (paragraph [0036] and figure 1).
Given that screw (25a) passes through each of the lower mounting part, the upper mounting part and the supporting frame (24), there is a through-hole in each of the lower mounting part, the upper mounting part and the support frame (24).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2020/0112071, hereinafter Geskes and U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2016/0043451, hereinafter Kawaguchi as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2020/0358058, hereinafter Murayama.
Regarding claim 10, Geskes teaches a stack of battery cells (3) positioned onto cooling plate (6, “bottom part”). A thermally conductive paste is arranged between the stack of battery cells (3) and the cooling plate (6, “bottom part”) (paragraph [0032]).
Geskes fails to teach that the thermally conductive paste is a resin.
The placement of thermally conductive resin layers between battery cells and a heat sink is ubiquitous in the art – see, e.g. Murayama. Murayama teaches a stack of battery cells (31) positioned onto the upper plate of heat sink (41) having refrigerant channels (42) (paragraphs [0026, 0028]). A heat transfer resin sheet (40) is placed between the battery cells (31) and the upper plate of the heat sink (41) for the purpose of enhancing the heat transfer from the battery cells (31) to the heat sink (41) (paragraph [0027] and figure 2).
Therefore it would have been obvious to the ordinarily skilled artist before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to select a thermally conductive resin layer as the thermally conductive paste in Geskes’s assembly for the purpose of enhancing the heat transfer from the battery cells (100) to the heat sink (210).
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2020/0112071, hereinafter Geskes and U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2016/0043451, hereinafter Kawaguchi as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2020/0006822, hereinafter Shisler.
Regarding claim 12, Geskes teaches that the cover plate (7, “lower plate”) may be joined to the cooling plate (6, “bottom part”) in a non-detachable manner, such as by soldering to prevent leaks (paragraph [0018]). Kawaguchi teaches brazing at the joining points of the first plate (22) and the second plate (23) (Kawaguchi’s paragraph [0048]).
Geskes fails to teach a clad layer between the cover plate (7, “lower plate”) and the cooling plate (6, “bottom part”).
The use of a clad layer as a braze material for the joining of plates in the formation of a heat sink is well-known in the art – see, e.g. Shisler (paragraph [0045]).
Therefore it would have been obvious to the ordinarily skilled artist before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a clad layer between the cover plate (7, “lower plate”) and the cooling plate (6, “bottom part”) for the purpose of joining them by brazing (a method analogous to soldering).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s newly added limitations have been considered. However, after further search and consideration, the previously presented combination of the Geskes and Kawaguchi references was found to address the amended claims.
Conclusion
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LILIA V. NEDIALKOVA
Examiner
Art Unit 1724
/MIRIAM STAGG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1724