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 .
Summary
This is the second Office Action based on Application 18/087,168 and in response to Applicant Arguments/Remarks filed 12/09/2025.
Claims 1-10 are previously pending, of those claims, claims 1, and 3-5 have been amended, and claim 2 has been canceled. All amendments have been entered. Claims 1 and 3-10 are currently pending and have been fully considered.
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, 6-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by RAWLINSON (US 2017/0229746 A1).
With respect to claim 1. RAWLINSON teaches a battery pack that includes a plurality of batteries, a sealed battery pack enclosure configured to contain the batteries, the enclosure includes a lower enclosure panel, side panels, and an upper enclosure panel (paragraph 0006). There may then be a conduit panel formed on the surface of the enclosure, including a plurality of channels (paragraph 0006). The coolant channel is located on the upper surface of the enclosure (paragraph 0006). The sealed battery pack may be mounted to a vehicle, so that the first end portion of each battery is in close proximity to the lower enclosure panel, which is in turn adjacent to a road surface, and the upper surface of each battery is in close proximity to the internal surface of the upper enclosure panel (paragraph 0007). The EVE with battery packs will have the battery pack mounted under the vehicle, such as under the vehicles passenger cabin (paragraph 0035). Specifically there may be a battery pack 800 includes a lower enclosure panel 801, side panels 803, and an upper enclosure panel 805 (paragraph 0042). Contained within the pack are a plurality of batteries 807 (paragraph 0042). The cap of each of the batteries are adjacent to the lower enclosure panel 801 (paragraph 0042). During thermal runaway event batteries will direct the flow of hot gas and other materials downward in a direction towards the road surface 207 and thus away from the passenger cabin (paragraph 0043). As seen in Figure 8 then this results in a gap provided between the batter and a bottom surface of the battery case. The battery casing surface 811 of each battery 807 is thermally coupled to the battery pack enclosure panel 805 (paragraph 0046). Attached to the outer surface of the enclosure panel 805 is a conduit panel 817 that surfaces as the outer surface of the cooling conduit structure (paragraph 0049). The corrugated structures then provide the coolant channels (paragraph 0049). A thermal transfer medium, such as a coolant may be pumped through the channels (paragraph 0049). The enclosure panel 805 and the conduit panel 817 then is taken to be the claimed battery cover which includes a temperature adjustment mechanism.
With respect to claim 4. RAWLINSON includes the battery cover, which includes a first plate, being the enclosure panel 805, and a second plate provided above the first plate and includes the flow channels, being the panel 817 (paragraph 0049).
With respect to claim 6. RAWLINSON teaches the battery and the panel 805 are thermally contacted through a thermally conductive medium 811 (paragraph 0046 and Figure 8).
With respect to claim 7. RAWLINSON teaches the lower surface of the battery cover has a planar shape (see Figure 1 and Figure 8).
With respect to claim 8. RAWLINSON teaches the battery pack includes a plurality of batteries 807 positioned within the pack such that the axis of each cell is perpendicular to upper and lower back enclosure panels, where the cap assembly is adjacent to the lower enclosure panel (paragraph 0042). The cap assembly then includes the battery terminals (paragraph 0044). These are taken to be terminals disposed on a surface facing a horizontal direction perpendicular to a vertical direction.
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) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over RAWLINSON (US 2017/0229746 A1) in view of FROHLICH (US 2021/0226279 A1).
Claim 3 is dependent upon claim 1, which is rejected above under 35 U.S.C. 102 in view of RAWLINSON. RAWLINSON teaches the panel 817 may be fabricated by any technique that is capable of generating the desired pattern from the material, such as aluminum (paragraph 0049). RAWLINSON does not explicitly teach that battery cover is integrally formed with the flow channel by aluminum die casting.
FROHLICH teaches a supporting housing for a battery compartment for electric vehicles (abstract). A die-cast aluminum may be used to create casted cooling channels into the structure of the battery compartment (paragraph 0010).
At the time the invention was filed one having ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to form the panel 817 using the aluminum die cast method of FROHLICH, as this is a simple substitution of one known prior art fabrication method for another in order to achieve predictable results.
Claim 5 is dependent upon claim 1, which is rejected above under 35 U.S.C. 102 in view of RAWLINSON. RAWLINSON does not explicitly teach a sealing member which seals the space between the battery cover and the floor panel.
The discussion of FROHLICH from above is repeated here. FROHLICH then teaches a sealing layer 15 which is fitted to seal the floor system from the outdoor environment to keep any kind of contamination from outside, and to avoid discharge from the floor system (paragraph 0066).
At the time the invention was filed one having ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to use the sealing layer between the battery cover and the floor system of the vehicle, as taught by FROHLICH for the battery system of RAWLINSON, as FROLICH teaches that such sealing systems are beneficial in order to prevent contaminates from entering the battery.
Claim 9 is dependent upon claim 1 which is rejected above under 35 U.S.C. 102 in view of RAWLINSON. RAWLINSON teaches the first gap between the battery and the bottom surface of the enclosure case (Figure 8). RAWLINSON does not explicitly teach a second gap provided between the under guard provided below a bottom surface of the battery case and the bottom surface of the battery case.
The discussion of FROHLICH from above is repeated here. FROHLICH teaches a deep drawn shell 1, and a second shell 2 which creates a double floor system, where the battery modules are separated outside of the shell (paragraph 0061). The shells are separated from each other, forming the second gap (see Figure 1).
At the time the invention was filed one having ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to include the shell which is fitted outside the bottom of the battery module enclosure, as such a feature is taught to be beneficial in order to create an integrated thermal management system for cooling and heating (abstract).
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over RAWLINSON (US 2017/0229746 A1) in view of KUNO (US 2021/0188070 A1).
Claim 10 is dependent upon claim 1 which is rejected above under 35 U.S.C. 102 in view of RAWLINSON. RAWLINSON teaches batteries (paragraph 0042) but does not explicitly teach an all solid state battery.
KUNO teaches a battery mounted vehicle which accommodates a plurality of batteries under the floor panel (abstract). The batteries may be either lithium ion batteries, or all-solid-state batteries (paragraph 0037).
At the time the invention was filed one having ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to substitute the batteries of RAWLINSON with the all-solid-state battery of KUNO, as this is a simple substitution of one known prior art element for another in order to achieve predictable results.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/09/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
On pages 5-7 of Applicant Arguments/Remarks filed 12/09/2025, Applicant argues against the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection of claims 1-2, 4, and 6-8 in view of RAWLINSON. Applicant argues that claim 1 has been amended to recite “the temperature adjustment mechanism includes a flow channel which is provided inside the battery cover and through which a liquid medium passes.” Applicant argues that the office action cites Figure 8 of RAWLINSON to meet this claim limitation. In contrast Applicant argues that Figure 8 of RAWLINSON does not teach a flow channel which is provided inside the battery cover. Applicant argues that RAWLINSON teaches forming a flow path by the elements 815, 817, and 805 and cannot be said that the flow path of RAWLINSON is provided inside the battery cover. Applicant argues that even assuming that the panel 805 is the cover, the flow path is on the panel in that case, and not inside the cover. This argument is not persuasive.
As noted in the office action, the claimed cover is taken to be the combination of the panel 805 and the conduit panel 817. In this interpretation the flow path is inside the cover, as the cover is taken to encompass the flow path. Therefore Applicant’s arguments that RAWLINSON does not teach the flow channel provided inside the cover is not persuasive.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
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/JONATHAN G JELSMA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1722