Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/008,480

Battery Cell Having an Electrical Fuse

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Dec 06, 2022
Priority
Jul 16, 2020 — DE 10 2020 118 843.9 +1 more
Examiner
MARTIN, ANGELA J
Art Unit
1727
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
67%
Grant Probability
Favorable
2-3
OA Rounds
6m
Est. Remaining
35%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 67% — above average
67%
Career Allowance Rate
588 granted / 872 resolved
+2.4% vs TC avg
Minimal -32% lift
Without
With
+-32.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 12m
Avg Prosecution
52 currently pending
Career history
950
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
85.3%
+45.3% vs TC avg
§102
12.7%
-27.3% vs TC avg
§112
1.0%
-39.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 872 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
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 . The pending claims are claims 11-20. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 11-15, 17, 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wakimoto et al., US 2017/0250394. Regarding claim 11, Wakimoto et al., teaches a battery cell (abstract; 0009-0011), comprising: an electrical fuse (abstract; 0010-0011); a terminal (abstract; 0028) on an outer surface of a housing (0075; 0081) of the battery cell (0010-0011), wherein the electrical fuse is arranged on the terminal (0028), and the electrical fuse (0010-0011) is covered by a polymer (0036). Regarding claim 12, Wakimoto et al., teaches wherein the terminal is a positive terminal (0028-0034). Regarding claim 13, Wakimoto et al., teaches wherein the polymer (0036) comprises at least one filler that improves heat removal (insulating resin member; 0036) (resin material having heat resistance; 0077). Regarding claim 14, Wakimoto et al., teaches wherein the filler comprises Al203 (0029-0030; 0034; aluminum alloy). Regarding claim 15, Wakimoto et al., teaches wherein the polymer contains at least one filler that is an oxidant (alloy; 0029; 0069). Regarding claim 17, Wakimoto et al., teaches wherein the terminal is electrically insulated from the housing (insulating member) (0010; 0032; 0036). Regarding claim 18, Wakimoto et al., teaches further comprising: a seal (abstract; 0010; 0028) comprising an electrically conductive plastic (0010; 0028; 0032-0035), the seal being arranged between the terminal and the housing (0010; 0028; 0032-0033; 0036). Thus, the claims are anticipated. 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. Claim(s) 16, 19, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakimoto et al., US 2017/0250394, in view of Tang et al., CN 110600736. Regarding claim 16, Wakimoto et al., does not teach wherein the filler is ammonium perchlorate. Tang et al., teaches a filler of ammonium perchlorate (0011; 0035; 0044). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to insert the teachings of Tang into the teachings of Wakimoto because Tang teaches: “The charging and discharging process of the battery is realized by embedding and extracting the ammonium ions or quaternary ammonium ions and anions dissociated from the electrolyte into the positive and negative electrode materials.” (0054). Regarding claim 19, Wakimoto et al., teaches a plurality of battery cells (0034; 0088), each battery cell comprising: an electrical fuse (0009-0011); a terminal (0028-0034) on an outer surface of a housing of the battery cell (0009-0011), wherein the electrical fuse is arranged on the terminal (0035-0036), and the electrical fuse is covered by a polymer (resin material; 0077). Wakimoto does not teach a lithium ion battery. Tang teaches a lithium ion battery (0025). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to insert the teachings of Tang into the teachings of Wakimoto because Tang teaches: “The purpose of the present invention is to provide a non-metallic ion secondary battery, aiming to solve the problems of limited lithium resource reserves, high cost, poor safety, and low operating voltage, low capacity, and low energy density of existing non-metallic ion batteries such as ammonium ions.” (0007). Regarding claim 20, Wakimoto et al., does not teach a motor vehicle comprising a lithium-ion battery according to claim 19. Tang et al., teaches a motor vehicle (0004) comprising a lithium ion battery (0004; 0034). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to insert the teachings of Tang into the teachings of Wakimoto because Tang teaches: “The purpose of the present invention is to provide a non-metallic ion secondary battery, aiming to solve the problems of limited lithium resource reserves, high cost, poor safety, and low operating voltage, low capacity, and low energy density of existing non-metallic ion batteries such as ammonium ions.” (0007). Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 11-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on the primary reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANGELA J MARTIN whose telephone number is (571)272-1288. The examiner can normally be reached 7am-4pm. 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, Barbara Gilliam can be reached at 571-272-1330. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. ANGELA J. MARTIN Examiner Art Unit 1727 /ANGELA J MARTIN/Examiner, Art Unit 1727
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 06, 2022
Application Filed
Jun 12, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103
Oct 31, 2025
Response Filed
Feb 09, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
67%
Grant Probability
35%
With Interview (-32.2%)
3y 12m (~6m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 872 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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