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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 12/22/2025 has been considered by the examiner.
Response to Amendment
Examiner notes the following amendments made to the claims:
Claim 1 amended to slightly change wording
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 2/23/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Specifically, examiner believes that the combination of Ma, Hirose, and Lee indeed teaches all of the limitations of claim 1. The arguments presented by applicant state that because the insulating plates of Lee extend from the base, not from side parts that cover side surfaces of a battery cell pack, that the folding part does not meet the claimed limitation. Examiner does not find this argument persuasive for two reasons. The first reason examiner does not find this persuasive is that the teachings of Lee are being used to modify Ma, which teaches insulating plates that are extremely similar if not identical to the claimed invention. The teachings of Lee are used to inform one of ordinary skill in the art that taking these insulating plates and folding them over the top in order to provide additional insulation and also to easily mount the insulating member between an electrode assembly and a case (see previous rejection). This reasoning would be sound to one of ordinary skill in the art even if the insulating plate of Lee is not identical to that of Ma. Secondly, Lee figure 1 depicts the folding insulating member extending from a side surface of the battery cell in order to cover the top. If applicant means that the folding portions come from a side portion having a longer length than a different side portion, this would need to be stated in the claim. Otherwise, extending from a base (which has four sides) is considered by the examiner to meet the limitations, as the base and the four insulating plates function as a side part that covers side surfaces of the battery cell stack, with further portions extending over the top and folding. The majority of applicant arguments regard to structural differences between Lee and the claimed invention, while the original argument/reasoning provided by examiner is that the extended portion that folds over the stack of Lee, when combined with the cell stack and insulating plate structure of Ma, meets the claimed limitation. Since examiner still finds that Ma modified with Lee would meet the claimed structural limitations, and no significant amendment were made, the previous rejections remain in place and unchanged, and there is currently not considered to be any allowable subject matter present in the claims.
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) 1,2, 6-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ma (US 20210159469 A1) in view of Hirose (US 20170324071 A1) and further in view of Lee (US 20110052975 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Ma teaches all of the following elements:
A battery module comprising: (“Referring to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a battery module according to an embodiment.” Ma [0044])
a battery cell stack comprising a plurality of battery cells (“Referring to FIG. 1, a battery module according to an embodiment may include a plurality of secondary battery cells 10, a housing member 20 in which a plurality of the secondary battery cells 10 are accommodated,” Ma [0044])
a housing comprising the battery cell stack; (“Referring to FIG. 1, a battery module according to an embodiment may include a plurality of secondary battery cells 10, a housing member 20 in which a plurality of the secondary battery cells 10 are accommodated,” Ma [0044])
and an insulating member between the battery cell stack and the housing, (“Referring to FIG. 1, a battery module according to an embodiment may include a plurality of secondary battery cells 10, a housing member 20 in which a plurality of the secondary battery cells 10 are accommodated, and an insulating member 30 formed on an inner surface of the housing member 20, preventing the flow of electrical current to the housing member 20,” Ma [0044]) wherein the insulating member is continuous on a lower surface and two side surfaces of the battery cell stack. (Ma figure 1 shows insulating member 30 meeting all of the limitations above, as shown below)
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wherein the housing comprises a frame member covering the lower surface and the two side surfaces of the battery cell stack, and an upper plate covering the upper surface of the battery cell stack, (As can be seen Ma figure 1 above, Ma teaches a frame having a lower surface, two side surfaces, and an upper plate covering the battery cell stack.)
Ma is silent on the following elements of claim 1:
wherein the insulating member further comprises an extension part extending from the two side surfaces of the battery cell stack and covering at least a portion of an upper surface of the battery cell stack,
the extension part is between the upper surface of the battery cell stack and the upper plate,
and the insulating member further comprises a folding part at a position where two side parts of the insulating member covering each of the two side surfaces of the battery cell stack, respectively, meets the extension part covering at least the part of the upper surface.
Hirose teaches the following elements of claim 1 that are not found in Ma:
wherein the insulating member further comprises an extension part extending from the two side surfaces of the battery cell stack and covering at least a portion of an upper surface of the battery cell stack, wherein (“That is, the covering member 45 includes an extending portion 46, which extends in the protruding direction of the terminals 29, 30 from one of the edges of the electrode assembly 12 that is opposed to the terminals 29, 30. Specifically, the extending portion 46 extends from the upper surface 12a of the electrode assembly 12.” Hirose [0040] and “The covering member 45 is an insulating film that insulates the electrode assembly 12 and the case 11 from each other. This insulates the electrode assembly 12 from the case 11 and restrains such insulation from being difficult due to relative movement of the electrode assembly 12 relative to the covering member 45.” Hirose [0057])
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the extension part is between the upper surface of the battery cell stack and the upper plate, (As described in the previous limitation, Hirose teaches an extension portion that covers the upper surface of the battery cell stack. Therefore, if the extension portion of Hirose were used within the frame of Ma having side walls, a lower surface, and an upper surface, the extension portion would be in between the upper surface of the battery cell stack and the upper plate.)
Hirose and Ma are considered to be analogous because they are both related to battery modules which employ an insulating member in order to insulate the electrode assembly and the housing/case from each other. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the insulating member of Ma to include the extending portion of Hirose in order to provide an insulating member covering a larger surface area of the battery cells/electrode assemblies, which would therefore provide an increased level of protection and insulation against heat exhausted from the battery devices. Additionally, the extending portion of Hirose, which is part of covering part 45, serves to both insulate the electrode assembly and restrain insulation from being difficult due to movement of the electrode assembly (Hirose [0057]). This modification would be desirable as it would provide increased insulation for the battery module. Since the extending portions of Hirose along with the frame and insulating member of Ma would meet all of the additional limitations of claims 5-7, no further modifications would be needed to meet the limitations of those claims and therefore no further motivation is needed to support the obviousness rejection.
Hirose and Ma are both silent on the remaining elements of claim 1:
and the insulating member further comprises a folding part at a position where two side parts of the insulating member covering each of the two side surfaces of the battery cell stack, respectively, meets the extension part partially covering the upper surface.
However, Lee teaches all of the elements of claim 1 that are not found in Hirose of Ma:
and the insulating member further comprises a folding part at a position where two side parts of the insulating member covering each of the two side surfaces of the battery cell stack, respectively, meets the extension part partially covering the upper surface. (“The insulating member 30, as shown in FIG. 1, is positioned on the opening 14a of the case 14 and inserted into the case 14 along with the electrode assembly 15. During insertion, insulating plates 32, 34, 36, and 38 fold toward the electrode assembly 15 to generally envelop the electrode assembly.” Lee [0042]. See fig. 1 of Lee compared to fig. 6 of instant invention for how the folding members are analogous.)
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Lee and Ma are considered to be analogous because they are both within the same field of battery housings containing insulating members. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the insulating member of Ma to fold over the upper surface in order to provide effective insulating once the upper plate/frame is attached. By enveloping the electrode assembly, the insulating member allows for an easy mounting and transfer between the electrode assembly and the battery case/framework (“As mentioned, the cross-shaped insulating member 30 can be folded and easily mounted between an electrode assembly 15 and a case 14 as the electrode assembly 15 is inserted into the case.” Lee [0044])
By modifying Ma with Hirose and Lee to meet the limitations of claim 1, all of the limitations of claims 2, 6, and 7 would be met as well, without requiring any further modification or motivation.
Regarding claim 2, Ma teaches all of the following elements:
The battery module of claim 1, wherein: a bottom part of the insulating member is in contact with a bottom part of the housing. (Ma figure 1 shows insulating member 30 in contact with a bottom part of housing 20, see above for figure)
Regarding claim 6, Ma and Hirose teach all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Ma teaches all of the following elements of claim 6:
The battery module of claim 1, wherein: the bottom part of the insulating member is in contact with the lower surface of the battery cell stack, and the two side parts of the insulating member are in contact with each of the two side surfaces of the battery cell stack, respectively, and the bottom part and the two side parts of the insulating member are integrally formed. (“The insulating member may include a bottom insulating portion disposed on a cooling plate member of the housing member in contact with bottom surfaces of a plurality of the secondary battery cells, and a sidewall insulating portion formed on a sidewall member of the housing member provided at an edge of the cooling plate.” Ma [0020], Ma figure 1 depicts both the bottom and side wall portions of insulating portion 30 being in contact with plurality of secondary battery cells 10. Additionally, figure 2 depicts that the bottom and sidewall portions of insulating member 30, 31 and 32, are formed integrally with each other)
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Regarding claim 7, Ma and Hirose teach all of the elements of claim 6, as shown above. Ma is silent on the following elements of claim 7:
The battery module of claim 6, wherein: the extension part is integrally formed with the bottom part and the two side parts of the insulating member.
However, Hirose teaches all of the elements of claim 7 that are not found in Ma. Specifically, Hirose teaches:
The battery module of claim 6, wherein: the extension part is integrally formed with the bottom part and the two side parts of the insulating member. (As shown in figure 1 of Hirose, the extending portion 46 is formed integrally with covering portion 45. Additionally, the bottom and sidewall portions of the insulating portion of Ma are formed integrally. Therefore, if the extending portion of Hirose were used in conjunction with the insulating portion of Ma, as described in claim 4, the insulation member as a whole would be formed integrally, and no further motivation would be needed as no further modifications would be required.)
Regarding claim 8, modified Ma teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Ma and Hirose are silent on the following elements of claim 8:
The battery module of claim 1, wherein: the extension part comprises a groove.
However, Lee teaches all of the elements of claim 8 that are not found in Ma or Hirose:
The battery module of claim 1, wherein: the extension part comprises a groove. (“As shown in FIG. 6A, the insulating member 30 includes a groove 35 on the boundary between a base 31 and supporting plates 32, 34, 36, and 38, so that the supporting plates can be more easily folded.” Lee [0056]).
Lee is considered to be analogous to Ma for the reasons shown above. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the insulating member of Ma to be not only a foldable part, as shown above in claim 1, but also to contain a groove, in order to make the folding process easier (“As shown in FIG. 6A, the insulating member 30 includes a groove 35 on the boundary between a base 31 and supporting plates 32, 34, 36, and 38, so that the supporting plates can be more easily folded.” Lee [0056])
Claim(s) 3 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ma (US 20210159469 A1) in view of Hirose (US 20170324071 A1), further in view of Lee (US 20110052975 A1), and further in view of Obasih (US 20120263988 A1).
Regarding claim 3, modified Ma teaches all of the elements of claim 2, as shown above. Ma, Hirose, and Lee are silent on the following—specifically, while Ma teaches the use of resin in its insulating member (“The insulating member may be formed of a melanin-based resin, an acrylic-based resin, an epoxy-based resin, an olefin-based resin, an EVA-based resin or a silicone-based resin.” Ma [0017]), Ma does not specifically teach a thermal conductive resin layer separate from the insulating layer:
The battery module of claim 2, further comprising: a thermal conductive resin layer on the bottom part of the housing, wherein the thermal conductive resin layer comprises a first thermal conductive resin layer and a second thermal conductive resin layer separated by the bottom part of the insulating member
However, Obasih teaches all of the elements of claim 3 that are not found in Ma. Specifically, Obasih teaches:
The battery module of claim 2, further comprising: a thermal conductive resin layer on the bottom part of the housing, wherein the thermal conductive resin layer comprises a first thermal conductive resin layer and a second thermal conductive resin layer separated by the bottom part of the insulating member (“According to another embodiment, a thermal conducting paste, resin, or epoxy (not shown) may be used instead of the thermal conducting pad 90.” Obasih [0065] and “ in one embodiment, a first thermally conductive pad 90 (or another suitable thermal interface) is positioned between the bottom of the cell 98 and the bottom 160 of the housing 154, and a second thermally conductive pad 90' is positioned between the bottom 160 of the housing 154 and the heat sink 92 of the thermal management system 46.” Obasih [0060]. In this case, thermal conducting pad 90 and thermal conducting pad 90’, as shown in figure 4, are a first and second thermal conducting pad which are separated by bottom 160 of housing 154, meeting the limitations of the claim. See below figure for how.)
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Ma and Obasih are considered to be analogous because they are both related to the thermal management of battery modules. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the insulating member of Ma with the thermal conductive layers of Obasih to provide additional heat insulation of the battery module and aid in thermal/conductive transfer (Obasih [0060]). This would be desirable in a battery module as it would enhance thermal conductivity between the cells and the housing. Regarding claim 13, It would additionally be obvious to use the battery module of Ma in a battery pack containing multiple battery modules, as taught by Obasih, as this would allow for more effective energy storage and power output while utilizing the beneficial effects of the battery module, additionally, it is commonly known in the art that a plurality of battery modules can be housed within a battery pack.
Regarding claim 13, modified Ma teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Ma, Hirose, and Lee are silent on the following limitations of claim 13:
A battery pack comprising the battery module of claim 1.
However, Obasih teaches all of the elements of claim 13 that are not found in Ma. Specifically, Obasih teaches
A battery pack comprising the battery module of claim 1. (“In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the battery system 24 includes a base or housing 28 and a lid or cover 30 that are coupled together, for example, with fasteners such as bolts or screws, to enclose one or more battery modules.” Obasih [0030]. In this case, containing multiple battery modules for use as a battery system in a vehicle would be synonymous with being a battery pack, despite not using the exact language).
Conclusion
Examiner notes the following references found in an updated search which are considered relevant:
Pak (US 20130230767 A1)—teaches an insulating part that extends/covers a side surface of the battery and folds to cover a part of the upper portion. Could provide motivation for one of ordinary skill in the art to fold part of the insulating member of Ma such that it covers part of the upper portion.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENJAMIN ELI KASS-MULLET whose telephone number is (571)272-0156. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30am-6pm except for the first Friday of bi-week.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, NICHOLAS SMITH can be reached at (571) 272-8760. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BENJAMIN ELI KASS-MULLET/Examiner, Art Unit 1752
/NICHOLAS A SMITH/Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752
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