Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/031,638

BATTERY MODULE, BATTERY PACK, VEHICLE, AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING BATTERY MODULE

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Apr 13, 2023
Examiner
LY, KENDRA
Art Unit
1749
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
LG Energy Solution, Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
58%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 0m
To Grant
76%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 58% of resolved cases
58%
Career Allow Rate
329 granted / 570 resolved
-7.3% vs TC avg
Strong +18% interview lift
Without
With
+18.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
37 currently pending
Career history
607
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
61.4%
+21.4% vs TC avg
§102
14.0%
-26.0% vs TC avg
§112
21.2%
-18.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 570 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
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. Election/Restrictions Claim s 5-11 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species or invention , there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant's election with traverse of Group 1 and species A in the reply filed on 12/01/2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the grounds that examination of all species together in one application would not place a serious burden on the examiner and that the PCT application examiner examined all of claims 1-11 . These arguments are unpersuasive because the search for species A is not required for the search for species B, C, or D demonstrating search burden . And, MPEP 1893.03(d) states “when making a lack of unity requirement, the examiner must (1) list the different group of claims and (2) explain why each group lacks unity with each other group (i.e., why there is no single general inventive concept) specifically describing the unique special technical feature in each group. The examiner may make a lack of unity requirement in a national stage application even if no such requirement was made by the ISA or IPEA. ” The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL. 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 1 -4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by CN’401 (CN 207134401) . Regarding claim 1, FIG. 1 of CN’401 teaches a battery module comprising battery cells (20) and a cell frame (10). The battery cells are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval (“gaps”) (FIG. 2). CN’401 teaches foaming structural glue 30 fill s gaps 14 so that the battery cells 20 and the frame are adhered and fixed together (pages 2, 4-5 of the machine translation). Regarding claim 2, the claimed guide member reads on positioning structures 11 (FIG. 2, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5). Regarding claim 3, see pages 2, 4-5 of the machine translation. Regarding claim 4, each guide pin reads on a positioning structure 11 which extends across the cell frame 122. 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. Claims 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable CN’401 (CN 207134401) in view of Noh (US 2016/0226116) . Regarding claims 12-14, CN’401 is silent a plurality of guide pins extending from a guide plate wherein the plurality of guide pins arranged in a plurality of columns, each column of the plurality of columns having a least two pins of the plurality of pins (claim 12), a first column of the plurality of columns extends between two battery cells of the plurality of battery cells (claim 13), and outer surfaces of the at least two pins of the first column directly contacts the two battery cells (claim 14). However, providing the claimed arrangement of guide pins in columns required in claims 12-14 to the battery module of CN’401 would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention since FIG. 2 of Noh teaches a battery module comprising battery cells 10 with spacers 131 and 132 aligned between the neighboring battery cells to induce air flow ([0033]-[0043], FIG. 3). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT KENDRA LY whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)270-7060 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT Monday-Friday, 8:00-5:00PM . 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Katelyn B Smith can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT 571-270-5545 . 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. /KENDRA LY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1749
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Apr 13, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 28, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12600177
Tire Comprising at Least One Sidewall with a Protective Protuberance
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12573653
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL, POWER GENERATION METHOD USING ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL, AND MANUFACTURING METHOD OF HYDROGEN GAS USING ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 2026
Patent 12552204
PNEUMATIC TIRE
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 17, 2026
Patent 12545055
TIRE
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 10, 2026
Patent 12539717
PNEUMATIC TIRE
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 03, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

AI Strategy Recommendation

Get an AI-powered prosecution strategy using examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Powered by AI — typically takes 5-10 seconds

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
58%
Grant Probability
76%
With Interview (+18.4%)
3y 0m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 570 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month