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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 9 Mar 2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 9 Mar, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant's arguments with respect to claims 1-15 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
With regards to Applicant’s argument that an elastic pad intended to absorb impact forces is materially different from the claimed first cut-off pads, which are configured to secure an isolation distance and prevent electrical arcing (see pg. 7, paras 3-4), the Examiner submits that the elastic pads of the prior art structure, also being electrically insulating, would inherently produce the same effect of preventing electrical arcing.
With regards to Applicant’s argument that the configuration of the cut-off pads of the claimed invention provide a new and unexpected benefit of reducing electrical arcing between the battery modules and adjacent components, the Examiner submits that the ability of an electrically-insulating material to prevent electrical arcing is a well-known property that would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoon et al. (US 2024/0297394) in view of Choi et al. (US 2018/0097211).
As to claim 1, Yoon et al. discloses a safety structure for a battery pack, comprising: a plurality of battery modules each including a plurality of battery cells stacked in a row (see e.g. battery modules 100, which include cells 110 stacked in a row, Yoon et al.: [0041] and Figs. 1 and 6) between endplates opposing each other (see e.g. Yoon et al.: [0045] and Fig. 5, side plates 123/124 read on endplates that oppose each other);
a lower casing which covers a lower side of the battery modules that are two-dimensionally arrayed (see e.g. tray 520, Yoon et al.: [0049] and Fig. 1);
an upper cover coupled to the lower casing and covering an upper side of the battery modules (see e.g. pack cover 510, which is coupled to tray 520 and covers battery modules 100, [0049] and Fig. 1).
Yoon et al.’s battery modules do not comprise a plurality of connecting rods structurally connecting the endplates. Additionally, the endplates of Yoon et al.’s battery modules do not comprise protruding portions.
Choi et al. , also working in the field of battery packs, teaches an alternative battery module comprising a plurality of battery cells stacked in a tow between endplates opposing each other (see e.g. cells 100, stacked between end plates 460, Choi et al.: [0033] and Fig. 2), wherein the endplates comprise a plurality of connecting rods structurally connecting the endplates (see e.g. support bars 465, Choi et al.: [0034], Fig. 1), and wherein the endplates have protruding portions that are coupled to the connecting rods and protrude outward (see e.g. Fig. 1 and Illustration 1 below).
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Illustration 1: reproduction with annotation of Fig. 1 of Choi et al..
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the claimed invention to modify the safety structure of Yoon et al. by replacing the battery modules of Yoon et al. with the battery modules taught by Choi et al., which comprise endplates that comprise a plurality of connecting rods structurally connecting the endplates, and wherein the endplates have protruding portions that are coupled to the connecting rods and protrude outward. This is because Choi et al.’s battery modules are functional equivalents to the battery modules of Yoon et al., and the use of Choi et al.’s battery modules would fail to produce any new or unexpected benefit that would not have been obvious to said artisan.
Further regarding claim 1, Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. teaches a safety structure comprising first cut-off pads, each of which is made of insulating material (see e.g. insulating units 210, made of polystyrene or phenolic foam, which are thermal and electrical insulators and thereby read on first cut-off pads, Yoon et al.: [0052] and Fig. 6), disposed between protruding portions of the endplates, which are coupled to the connecting rods and protrude outward, and the upper casing (see e.g. Fig. 6 of Yoon et al., the insulating units 210b are disposed between upper casing 510 and battery module 100. As such, when the battery modules of Choi et al. are substituted for Yoon et al.’s battery modules, the insulating units would be positioned between the upper casing and the protruding portions of the endplates).
Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. teaches that these cut-off pads prevent shock or vibration from the top cover from being transmitted to the battery module (see e.g. Yoon et al.: [0062]). While Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. as applied above only explicitly show cut-off pads positioned between the upper casing and the endplates of the battery module, and do not explicitly depict show cut-off pads positioned between the lower casing and the endplates of the battery module, one of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to also place analogous first cut-off pads between the lower casing and the endplates of the battery module. Said artisan would have been motivated to add these cut-off pads in order to provide protection to the battery modules from vibration or shock from the lower casing.
Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. as applied above teaches first cut-off pads are positioned at locally narrowed gaps formed between the protruding portions of the endplates and the lower casing (see e.g. insulating units 210b, Yoon et al.: Fig. 6, positioned at the corners of battery module 100, which is where the protruding portions of Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al.’s endplates would be located). Said endplates are made of an electrically insulating material (see e.g. insulating units 210, made of polystyrene or phenolic foam, which are electrical insulators, Yoon et al.: [0052]) and therefore secure an insulation distance and prevent electrical arcing between the lower casing and the battery module.
As to claim 3, Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. teaches the safety structure of claim 1, wherein the first cut-off pads are attached to a bottom surface of the upper casing and spaced from each other (see e.g. Yoon et al.: Fig. 6, insulating units 210b,which read on first cut-off pads are attached to a lower surface of upper casing 510). Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. further teaches that these cut-off pads prevent shock or vibration from the top cover from being transmitted to the battery module (see e.g. Yoon et al.: [0062]). While Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. as applied above do not explicitly depict first cut-off pads are attached to a top surface of the lower casing, one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the claimed invention would have found it obvious to also place analogous first cut-off pads between the lower casing and the endplates of the battery module in order to prevent shock or vibration from the bottom cover from being transmitted to the battery module.
Claim(s) 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoon et al. (US 2024/0297394) in view of Choi et al. (US 2018/0097211) as applied to claim 3 above, and further in view of Anantharaman et al. (US 2009/0263705).
As to claim 4, Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. teaches the safety structure of claim 3, wherein each battery module is provided as a single body (see e.g. battery case 400, which can reasonably be considered to be a battery module provided as a single body, Choi et al.: Fig. 1).
Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. does not teach clamps respectively connecting the endplates at upper and lower sides, or a second cut-off pad made of insulating material disposed in a space between the lower casing and the clamps of each battery module.
Anantharaman et al., also working in the field of battery pack design, teaches a battery module in which the battery module is provided as a single unit by clamps (see e.g. straps 104, Anantharaman et al.: [0030] and Figs. 2A-2B) that connect opposite endplates (see e.g. 108, Anantharaman et al.: [0030] and Figs. 2A-2B) of the module at upper and lower sides. Anantharaman et al. further teaches that these clamps help to couple the endplates together (see e.g. Anantharaman et al.: [0030]), and one of ordinary skill in the art would therefore have found it obvious to apply the clamps taught by Anantharaman et al. to the upper and lower sides of the endplates of Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al.’s battery modules in order to more securely couple the endplates together, as taught by Anantharaman et al..
Further regarding claim 4, Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. and Anantharaman et al. as applied above does not teach a second cut-off pad made of insulating material disposed in a space between the lower casing and the clamps of each battery module.
However, Yoon et al. teaches cut-off pads made of an insulating material disposed between the casing and the battery modules (see e.g. insulating units 210b, disposed between upper casing 510 and battery modules 100, Yoon et al.: Fig. 6. Yoon et al.’s insulating units are made of an insulating material as per Yoon et al.: [0052]), and teaches that these cut-off pads prevent shock or vibration from the top cover from being transmitted to the battery module (see e.g. Yoon et al.: [0062]).
It would therefore have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the safety structure of Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. and Anantharaman et al. by adding second cut-off pads made of an insulating material in a space between the lower casing and the clamps of the battery module. Said artisan would have been motivated to add these second cut-off pads in order to pads prevent shock or vibration from the top cover from being transmitted to the clamps of the battery module.
As to claim 5, Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. and Anantharaman et al. teaches the safety structure of claim 4, including cut-off pads attached to a surface of the casing (see e.g. Yoon et al.: Fig. 6, showing insulating units 210b, which read on cut-off pads, attached to the lower surface of upper casing 510). Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. and Anantharaman et al. further teaches that these cut-off pads prevent shock or vibration from the cover from being transmitted to the battery module (see e.g. Yoon et al.: [0062]).
While Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. and Anantharaman et al. does not explicitly disclose second cut-off pads attached to the top surface of the lower casing and disposed between, and spaced from, the first cut-off pads, one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the claimed invention would have found it obvious to modify Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. and Anantharaman et al.’s safety structure by adding additional second cut-off pads attached to the top surface of the lower casing and disposed between, and spaced from, the first cut-off pads, in order to provide additional protection for the battery module against shock or vibration being transmitted from the lower casing.
As to claim 6, Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. and Anantharaman et al. teaches the safety structure of claim 4, including cut-off pads attached to a surface of the casing (see e.g. Yoon et al.: Fig. 6, showing insulating units 210b, which read on cut-off pads, attached to the lower surface of upper casing 510). Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. and Anantharaman et al. further teaches that these cut-off pads prevent shock or vibration from the cover from being transmitted to the battery module (see e.g. Yoon et al.: [0062]).
While Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. and Anantharaman et al. does not explicitly disclose a third cut-off pad made of insulating material and disposed on an inner surface of the upper cover facing the upper side of the battery modules, one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the claimed invention would have found it obvious to modify Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. and Anantharaman et al.’s safety structure by adding an additional third cut-off pad made of insulating material and disposed on an inner surface of the upper cover facing the upper side of the battery modules, in order to provide additional protection for the battery module against shock or vibration being transmitted from the lower casing.
Claim(s) 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoon et al. (US 2024/0297394) in view of Choi et al. (US 2018/0097211) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Ahn et al. (US 2020/0194854).
As to claim 7, Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. teaches the safety structure of claim 1, wherein a plurality of cross members are respectively mounted between the battery modules of the battery pack (see e.g. third insulating pad 230, which read on a plurality of cross members and are mounted between battery modules 100, Yoon et al.: Fig. 6); and whichever of the cross members is adjacent to a lateral end portion of the endplates of each battery module is provided with a fourth cut-off pad made of an insulating material (see e.g. wall bodies 210a/220a, which read on fourth cut-off pads made of an insulating material, Yoon et al.: [0060] and Fig. 6).
Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. does not explicitly show longitudinal members respectively mounted between the battery modules of the battery pack such that longitudinal members adjacent to a lateral end portion of the endplates of each battery module are provided with a fourth cut-off pad made of an insulating material.
Ahn et al. teaches a battery pack in which battery modules are separated by both cross members and longitudinal members in a casing (see e.g. Ahn et al.: Figs. 1 and 3 and Illustration 2 below).
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Illustration 2: reproduction with annotation of Figs. 1 and 3 of Ahn et al..
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the claimed invention to modify the safety structure of Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. by arranging the battery modules in the case in the manner taught by Ahn et al., such that columns of battery modules are separated by longitudinal members. Said artisan would have been motivated to arrange Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al.’s safety structure in this manner in order to accommodate an additional column of battery modules. Additionally, it would have been obvious to said artisan to provide these longitudinal members with a fourth cut-off pad made of an insulating material adjacent to a lateral end portion of the endplates of each battery module, because that Yoon et al. teaches that these cut-off pads prevent shock or vibration from the cover from being transmitted to the battery module (see e.g. Yoon et al.: [0062]).
Claim(s) 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoon et al. (US 2024/0297394) in view of Choi et al. (US 2018/0097211) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kwon et al. (KR 20180067757A, as read via machine translation).
As to claim 8, Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. teaches the safety structure of claim 1, but does not teach a mounting bracket, to which electrical parts needed for the battery pack are mounted, is disposed above the battery modules; the electrical parts are mounted to an upper side of the mounting bracket; and a fifth cut-off pad made of insulating material is disposed on a bottom surface of the mounting bracket.
Kwon et al., also working in the field of battery housings, teaches a mounting bracket (see e.g. mounting parts 113, Kwon et al. : [0030] and Fig. 4) onto which electrical parts needed for the battery (see e.g. junction block housing 110, comprising power relay assembly, which reads on electrical parts needed for the battery, Kwon et al.: [0027]-[0028]) are mounted to the cover of a battery housing (see e.g. battery cover 200, [0026]-[0028] and Fig. 1).
While Kwon et al. depicts an embodiment in which the bracket is mounted to a side cover of the battery housing such that the electrical parts are disposed laterally to the battery modules (see e.g. Kwon et al.: Figs. 1 and 4), mounting the bracket to the top cover of a battery housing such that the electrical parts are disposed above the battery modules and the electrical parts are mounted to an upper side of the mounting bracket would be an obvious rearrangement of Kwon et al.’s design that would accomplish the same desired results of mounting the electrical parts adjacent to the battery modules. Kwon et al. teaches that this mounting bracket allows for electrical parts such as a power relay assembly, high-voltage junction box, and a battery management unit to communicate with the battery modules and thereby facilitate maintenance of the batteries (see e.g. Kwon et al.: [0001]-[0004]).
It would therefore have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the claimed invention to add the mounting bracket and power relay assembly of Kwon et al. to the safety structure of Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. such that a mounting bracket, to which electrical parts needed for the battery pack are mounted, is disposed above the battery modules; the electrical parts are mounted to an upper side of the mounting bracket. Said artisan would have been motivated to make such an addition to Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al.’s system in order to allow the power relay assembly to communicate with the battery modules and thereby facilitate the maintenance of the batteries, as taught by Kwon et al..
Further regarding claim 8, Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. and Kwon et al. as applied above does not teach a fifth cut-off pad made of insulating material is disposed on a bottom surface of the mounting bracket.
However, Yoon et al. teaches cut-off pads made of insulating material that prevent shock or vibration from the cover from being transmitted to the battery module (see e.g. insulating units 210b, Yoon et al.: [0062]). One of ordinary skill in the art would therefore have found it obvious to add a fifth cut-off pad made of insulating material in an analogous fashion such that the fifth cut-off pad is disposed on a bottom surface of the mounting bracket of Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. and Kwon et al. in order to prevent shock or vibration from the mounting bracket from being transmitted to the battery modules.
As to claim 9, Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. and Kwon et al. teaches the safety structure of claim 8, wherein the electric parts mounted to the upper side of the mounting bracket comprise a power relay assembly (PRA) (see e.g. junction block housing 110, comprising a power relay assembly, Kwon et al.: [0027]).
Claim(s) 10-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoon et al. (US 2024/0297394) in view of Anantharaman et al. (US 2009/0263705), Choi et al. (US 2018/0097211), and Ahn et al. (US 2020/0194854).
As to claim 10, Yoon et al. discloses a safety structure for a battery pack, comprising: a plurality of battery modules each including a plurality of battery cells stacked in a row (see e.g. battery modules 100, which include cells 110 stacked in a row, Yoon et al.: [0041] and Figs. 1 and 6), opposite sides of which are covered with endplates, the endplates opposing each other (see e.g. Yoon et al.: [0045] and Fig. 5, side plates 123/124 read on endplates that oppose each other).
Yoon et al.’s endplates are not connected by clamps at upper and lower sides.
Anantharaman et al., also working in the field of battery pack design, teaches a battery module in which the endplates are connected by clamps at upper and lower sides (see e.g. straps 104, connecting endplates 108, Anantharaman et al.: [0030] and Figs. 2A-2B). Anantharaman et al. further teaches that these clamps help to couple the endplates together (see e.g. Anantharaman et al.: [0030]), and one of ordinary skill in the art would therefore have found it obvious to apply the clamps taught by Anantharaman et al. to the upper and lower sides of the endplates of Yoon et al.’s battery modules in order to more securely couple the endplates together, as taught by Anantharaman et al..
Further regarding claim 10, Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al.’s battery modules do not comprise a plurality of connecting rods structurally connecting the endplates. Additionally, the endplates of Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al.’s battery modules do not comprise protruding portions.
Choi et al., also working in the field of battery packs, teaches an alternative battery module comprising a plurality of battery cells stacked in a tow between endplates opposing each other (see e.g. cells 100, stacked between end plates 460, Choi et al.: [0033] and Fig. 2), wherein the endplates comprise a plurality of connecting rods structurally connecting the endplates (see e.g. support bars 465, Choi et al.: [0034], Fig. 1), and wherein the endplates have protruding portions that are coupled to the connecting rods and protrude outward (see e.g. Fig. 1 and Illustration 1 below).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the claimed invention to modify the safety structure of Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al. by replacing the battery modules of Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al. with the battery modules taught by Choi et al., which comprise endplates that comprise a plurality of connecting rods structurally connecting the endplates, and wherein the endplates have protruding portions that are coupled to the connecting rods and protrude outward. This is because Choi et al.’s battery modules are functional equivalents to the battery modules of Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al., and the use of Choi et al.’s battery modules would fail to produce any new or unexpected benefit that would not have been obvious to said artisan.
Further regarding claim 10, Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al. and Choi et al. teaches a lower casing covering the battery modules from below (see e.g. tray 520, Yoon et al.: [0049] and Fig. 1);
an upper cover coupled to the lower casing and covering the battery modules from above (see e.g. pack cover 510, which is coupled to tray 520 and covers battery modules 100, Yoon et al.: [0049] and Fig. 1).
Further regarding claim 10, Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al. and Choi et al. teaches a plurality of cross members coupled to the lower casing and each positioned between the plurality of battery modules (see e.g. third insulating pad 230, which read on a plurality of cross members and are coupled to tray 520, and disposed between battery modules 100, Yoon et al.: Figs. 1 and 6).
Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al. and Choi et al. does not explicitly show longitudinal members respectively mounted between the battery modules of the battery pack such that longitudinal members adjacent to a lateral end portion of the endplates of each battery module are provided with a fourth cut-off pad made of an insulating material.
Ahn et al. teaches a battery pack in which battery modules are separated by both cross members and longitudinal members in a casing (see e.g. Ahn et al.: Figs. 1 and 3 and Illustration 2 above).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the claimed invention to modify the safety structure of Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al. and Choi et al. by arranging the battery modules in the case in the manner taught by Ahn et al., such that columns of battery modules are separated by longitudinal members. Said artisan would have been motivated to arrange Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al. and Choi et al.’s safety structure in this manner in order to accommodate an additional column of battery modules.
Further regarding claim 10, Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al., Choi et al., and Ahn et al. teaches a plurality of cut-off pads made of an insulating material (see e.g. insulating units 210, made of polystyrene or phenolic foam, which are thermal and electrical insulators and thereby read on cut-off pads made of an insulating material, Yoon et al.: [0052] and Fig. 6), and disposed in at least one of the lower casing, the upper cover, the longitudinal members or the cross members to face portions adjacent to the endplates and the clamps of each battery module (see e.g. Yoon et al.: Fig. 6, insulating units 210b are disposed in upper cover 510 and face portions adjacent to the endplates and the clamps of the battery modules).
Further regarding claim 10, Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al., Choi et al., and Ahn et al. as applied above teaches first cut-off pads are positioned at locally narrowed gaps formed between the protruding portions of the endplates and the lower casing (see e.g. insulating units 210b, Yoon et al.: Fig. 6, positioned at the corners of battery module 100, which is where the protruding portions of Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al., Choi et al., and Ahn et al.’s endplates would be located). Said endplates are made of an electrically insulating material (see e.g. insulating units 210, made of polystyrene or phenolic foam, which are electrical insulators, Yoon et al.: [0052]) and therefore secure an insulation distance and prevent electrical arcing between the lower casing and the battery module.
As to claim 11, Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al., Choi et al., and Ahn et al. teaches the safety structure of claim 10, including a plurality of cut-off pads (see e.g. insulating units 210, Yoon et al.: [0052]) but the prior art as applied above does not explicitly disclose a second cut-off pad disposed between the lower casing and the clamps of each battery module.
However, Yoon et al. teaches cut-off pads made of an insulating material disposed between the casing and the battery modules (see e.g. insulating units 210b, disposed between upper casing 510 and battery modules 100, Yoon et al.: Fig. 6. Yoon et al.’s insulating units are made of an insulating material as per Yoon et al.: [0052]), and teaches that these cut-off pads prevent shock or vibration from the top cover from being transmitted to the battery module (see e.g. Yoon et al.: [0062]).
It would therefore have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the safety structure of Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al., Choi et al., and Ahn et al. by adding second cut-off pads made of an insulating material in a space between the lower casing and the clamps of the battery module. Said artisan would have been motivated to add these second cut-off pads in order to pads prevent shock or vibration from the top cover from being transmitted to the clamps of the battery module.
Further regarding claim 11, Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al., Choi et al., and Ahn et al. as applied above does not explicitly disclose a third cut-off pad disposed on an inner surface of the upper cover.
However, Yoon et al. teaches the use of cut-off pads that prevent shock or vibration from the cover from being transmitted to the battery module (see e.g. Yoon et al.: [0062]). As such, one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the claimed invention would have found it obvious to modify Yoon et al. in view of Choi et al. and Anantharaman et al.’s safety structure by adding an additional third cut-off pad made of insulating material and disposed on an inner surface of the upper cover facing the upper side of the battery modules, in order to provide additional protection for the battery module against shock or vibration being transmitted from the lower casing.
Further regarding claim 11, Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al., Choi et al., and Ahn et al. teaches a fourth cut-off pad disposed between the endplates end plates of each battery module and an adjacent longitudinal member among the plurality of longitudinal members or an adjacent cross member among the plurality of cross members (see e.g. wall bodies 210a/220a, which read on fourth cut-off pads made of an insulating material, and are disposed between the endplates of battery module 100 and third insulating pad 230, which reads on an adjacent cross member, Yoon et al.: [0060] and Fig. 6).
As to claim 12, Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al., Choi et al., and Ahn et al. teaches the safety structure of claim 11, wherein each of the first cut-off pads pad extends lengthways along a direction in which the battery modules are overlapped and faces toward opposite end portions of the endplates (see e.g. Yoon et al.: Fig. 6, insulating pads 210b can reasonably be said to extend lengthways in a lateral direction in which battery modules 100 are overlapped, and insulating pads 210b face the endplates of the battery modules).
As to claim 13, Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al., Choi et al., and Ahn et al. teaches the safety structure of claim 12. As set forth in the rejection of claim 11 above, it would therefore have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the safety structure of Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al., Choi et al., and Ahn et al. by adding second cut-off pads made of an insulating material in a space between the lower casing and the clamps of the battery module. These second cut-off pads would necessarily extend lengthways along the direction in which the battery modules are overlapped, and would be disposed between the first cut-off pads, which cover the endplates of the battery module (see e.g. insulating pads 210b Yoon et al.: Fig. 6).
Claim(s) 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoon et al. (US 2024/0297394) in view of Anantharaman et al. (US 2009/0263705), Choi et al. (US 2018/0097211), and Ahn et al. (US 2020/0194854) as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Kwon et al. (KR 20180067757A, as read via machine translation).
As to claim 14, Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al., Choi et al., and Ahn et al. teaches the safety structure of claim 11, but does not teach a mounting bracket, to which electrical parts needed for the battery pack are mounted, is disposed above the battery modules; the electrical parts are mounted to an upper side of the mounting bracket; and a fifth cut-off pad made of insulating material is disposed on a bottom surface of the mounting bracket.
Kwon et al., also working in the field of battery housings, teaches a mounting bracket (see e.g. mounting parts 113, Kwon et al. : [0030] and Fig. 4) onto which electrical parts needed for the battery (see e.g. junction block housing 110, comprising power relay assembly, which reads on electrical parts needed for the battery, Kwon et al.: [0027]-[0028]) are mounted to the cover of a battery housing (see e.g. battery cover 200, [0026]-[0028] and Fig. 1).
While Kwon et al. depicts an embodiment in which the bracket is mounted to a side cover of the battery housing such that the electrical parts are disposed laterally to the battery modules (see e.g. Kwon et al.: Figs. 1 and 4), mounting the bracket to the top cover of a battery housing such that the electrical parts are disposed above the battery modules and the electrical parts are mounted to an upper side of the mounting bracket would be an obvious rearrangement of Kwon et al.’s design that would accomplish the same desired results of mounting the electrical parts adjacent to the battery modules. Kwon et al. teaches that this mounting bracket allows for electrical parts such as a power relay assembly, high-voltage junction box, and a battery management unit to communicate with the battery modules and thereby facilitate maintenance of the batteries (see e.g. Kwon et al.: [0001]-[0004]).
It would therefore have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the claimed invention to add the mounting bracket and power relay assembly of Kwon et al. to the safety structure of Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al., Choi et al., and Ahn et al. such that a mounting bracket, to which electrical parts needed for the battery pack are mounted, is disposed above the battery modules; the electrical parts are mounted to an upper side of the mounting bracket. Said artisan would have been motivated to make such an addition to Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al., Choi et al., and Ahn et al.‘s system in order to allow the power relay assembly to communicate with the battery modules and thereby facilitate the maintenance of the batteries, as taught by Kwon et al..
Further regarding claim 14, Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al., Choi et al., Ahn et al., and Kwon et al. as applied above does not teach a fifth cut-off pad made of insulating material is disposed on a bottom surface of the mounting bracket.
However, Yoon et al. teaches cut-off pads made of insulating material that prevent shock or vibration from the cover from being transmitted to the battery module (see e.g. insulating units 210b, Yoon et al.: [0062]). One of ordinary skill in the art would therefore have found it obvious to add a fifth cut-off pad made of insulating material in an analogous fashion such that the fifth cut-off pad is disposed on a bottom surface of the mounting bracket of Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al., Choi et al., Ahn et al., and Kwon et al. in order to prevent shock or vibration from the mounting bracket from being transmitted to the battery modules.
As to claim 15, Yoon et al. in view of Anantharaman et al., Choi et al., Ahn et al., and Kwon et al. teaches the safety structure of claim 14, wherein the electric parts mounted to the upper side of the mounting bracket comprise a power relay assembly (PRA) (see e.g. junction block housing 110, comprising a power relay assembly, Kwon et al.: [0027]).
Conclusion
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/A.M.H./Examiner, Art Unit 1723
/CHRISTIAN ROLDAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1723
07/10/2026
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