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
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species A1 in the reply filed on 07/02/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim 14 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species A2, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 07/02/2026.
Claim 16 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species A3, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 07/02/2026.
Claim 17 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species A4, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 07/02/2026.
Claim 18 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species A5, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 07/02/2026.
Claim 19 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species A6, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 07/02/2026.
Accordingly, the claims read upon by the applicant’s election are 1-13, 15, and 20-24.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 12/23/2022, 12/04/2023, 02/23/2024, 01/27/2025, and 09/01/2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 9 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 is objected to because of the phrase “interrupt movement of flare and spark ejected during swelling”, due to the omission of plurals. Here, a suggested rephrasing is “interrupt movement of flares and sparks ejected during swelling”,
Claim 9 is objected to due to the phrase, “wherein the pressing pad is located on each of the upper part and the lower part of the cell stack”, where the claim recites one pressing pad, but based on the applicant’s figure 3 the pressing pad being located on each of the upper part and the lower part is satisfied through two pressing pads being present. Here, the term “the pressing pad” in claim 9 therefore has ambiguous antecedent basis, as it is unclear if claim 9 is referring to the same pressing pad as that referred to in claim 7, or a different one. Here, it is suggested that claim 7 be amended to recite “the pressing layer comprises at least one pressing pad”, and claim 9 be amended to recite “wherein the at least one pressing pad includes a pressing pad located on each of the upper part and the lower part of the cell stack”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 1-3 and 23-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lim (US 20190148802 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Lim discloses a cell stack comprising a plurality of battery cells (Abstract, “A battery apparatus may include a cell-stacked structure including a plurality of cells stacked in a horizontal direction,”), stacked in a vertical direction, where a vertical direction as required by the instant claim is defined as being consistent with Lim’s horizontal direction, based on Lim’s statement that the definitions of horizontal and vertical in their disclosure are specifically limited to relative orientations of components in their battery apparatus (Paragraph 0036, “In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the position or direction of the structure will be described based on the direction illustrated in the accompanying drawings. For example, a plurality of cells 10 are described to be stacked in a horizontal direction thereof, and upper and lower plates 21 and 22 may be disposed in a vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction thereof. It will be understood that the term “specific direction” such as “horizontal or vertical direction” does not limit the present invention as itself, but is a concept relative to the positions or directions of other components.”).
Additionally, Lim discloses a protective case configured to receive the cell stack, as depicted in Lim’s figure 2, where the protective case comprises a lower cover 13 located under the cell stack, an upper cover 13 located above the cell stack, and a pair of side covers 21 and 22 located at sides of the cell stack (Paragraph 0035, “Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3, the battery according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a cell-stacked structure 100 having a plurality of cells 10 , upper and lower plates 21 and 22 that are respectively disposed above and under the cell-stacked structure 100”). Additionally, Lim discloses structure where the side covers are provided at an inside thereof with a fire suppressor configured to interrupt movement of flares and sparks during swelling of the cell stack, here a layer of thermal conductive adhesive which is disclosed by Lim as having properties which include electrical insulation and heat dissipation (Paragraph 0046, “The thermal conductive adhesive 23 is an adhesive having excellent electrical insulating properties while having high thermal conductivity, and may include any of various known materials that satisfy required electrical insulation and heat dissipation specifications.”), thereby being configured to interrupt flares and sparks ejected during swelling of the cell stack. Here, where the claim requires that the suppressor a material that is configured to interrupt movement of flares and sparks, this thermal adhesive would interrupt flares and sparks through directly blocking the movement of said flares and sparks, and interrupt the movement of thermal energy contained within the flares and sparks by dissipating said thermal energy.
Regarding Claim 2, Lim anticipates the invention of Claim 1. Additionally, Lim discloses structure wherein each side cover comprises a vertical plate having a lower end in contact with the lower cover and an upper end in contact with the upper cover, as shown in the cross-section figure 3, where the side plates 21/22 contact the lower and upper plates 13. Additionally, as depicted in figures 1 and 2, Lim’s module comprises a pair of bent plates formed at opposite side ends of the vertical plate so as to be bent or curved in a predetermined shape, facing each other, the bent plates being located at the ends along the long axis of the side plates 21/22.
Regarding Claim 3, Lim anticipates the invention of Claim 2. Additionally, Lim discloses structure wherein the vertical plate of the side cover and the cell stack ate spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance to form a third space portion, as shown in figure 3, where a gap is present between the vertical side plates portions of side plates 21/22 and the stack of battery cells 10.
Regarding Claim 23, Lim anticipates the invention of Claim 1. Additionally, Lim discloses a battery pack comprising the battery module according to claim 1 (Abstract, “A battery apparatus may include a cell-stacked structure including a plurality of cells stacked in a horizontal direction, a first plate covering at least one of upper and lower end portions of the cell-stacked structure, and a thermal conductive adhesive interposed between the first plate and the upper or lower end portion of the cell-stacked structure covered by the first plate.”), where the battery module is the battery pack.
Regarding Claim 24, Lim discloses an energy storage system having the battery pack according to claim 23, within the context of disclosing the use of battery packs as energy storage elements in electric vehicles (Paragraph 0005, “Such an eco-friendly vehicle may include a battery as a component for storing electrical energy supplied to a motor since it generates driving force using the motor converting the electrical energy into kinetic energy.”).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 4-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lim (US 2019/0148802 A1) as applied to claim 2 above, and in view of Choi (US 2019/0198952 A1) and further in view of Sakai (US 2018/0212214 A1).
Regarding Claim 4, Lim discloses the invention as discussed above in regards to claim 2. Additionally, in regards to the limitation which requires a pressing layer located on at least one of an upper part and a lower part of the cell stack, Lim fails to disclose said structure. Therefore we look to Choi, which is an analogous art to the instant application, being directed towards the art of battery modules (Abstract, “The present invention provides a battery module”). Here, Choi discloses a sensing module assembly 50 which comprises a sensing module member 51 and an elastic pad 52 which acts as a pressing pad, pressing the battery group downward from the upper side of the battery group (Paragraph 0108, “the sensing module assembly 50 may include a plate-shaped sensing module member 51 and an elastic pad 52 having a size corresponding to the sensing module member 51. At this time, the elastic pad 52 has a compressive reaction force, so as to press the battery group 10 downward from the upper side of the battery group 10”), disclosing that the pressing pads press the battery cells into cooling members located below the battery (Paragraph 0108, “to make the battery group 10 more closely come into contact with the cooling plate, and the surface contact between the battery group 10 and the cooling plate 20a is maximized, such that the efficiency of heat transfer in cooling the battery group 10 of the cooling housing 20 may be increased.”) thereby improving cooling efficiency.
Here the battery module of Lim comprises a cooling module located beneath their battery cells in a lower plate (Paragraph 0045, “To easily dissipate heat through the contact between the upper or lower plate 21 or 22 and a cooling channel in which a refrigerant flows, each of the upper and lower plates 21 and 22 may also be manufactured of metal such as aluminum with high thermal conductivity or of thermal conductive plastic.”).
Here, Lim is an analogous art to the claimed invention, being directed toward the art of battery modules comprising stacked battery cells (Abstract), while Choi is an analogous art to the claimed invention, being directed towards the art of battery modules (Abstract, “The present invention provides a battery module”). It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply the sensing module assembly, which comprises pressing pads, of Choi to the top of the cell stack of the invention of Lim, thereby improving cooling efficiency by pressing the cell stack and increasing heat transfer, making obvious the limitation of the instant claim which requires a pressing layer located on at least one of an upper part and a lower part of the cell stack.
Additionally, Lim discloses a busbar 12, configured to allow positive electrode leads and negative electrode leads of the plurality of battery cells to be connected thereto (Paragraph 0041, “, and each lead 102 of the pouch cell 10 may be electrically connected to the associated lead of the adjacent pouch cell by a connection device 12 (e.g., by technique such as welding).”).
Additionally, in regards to the limitation which requires that the battery module further comprises a pair of busbar holders interposed between the positive electrode leads and the busbar and between the negative electrode leads and the busbar respectively, Lim fails to disclose said structure. Therefore, we look to Sakai, which is an analogous art to the instant application, being directed towards the art of battery modules (Abstract, “A battery module includes a plurality of flat or square type batteries that each have a positive terminal and a negative terminal; a holder that has an opening,”).
Here, Sakai discloses a busbar holder 40 that are interposed between the positive electrode leads and the busbar and the negative electrode leads and the busbar respectively, shown in their figure 11A, where the busbar holder is applied without the busbars being present, and in figure 11B, where the tabs 51, which interconnect leads and therefore act as busbars are present (See paragraph 0072 for structure of the cover 40). Here, the cover allows for the safe extension of positive and negative leads, thereby allowing for protection of the battery cells from external forces, as well as controlling the connection between the leads and busbars.
Both Lim and Sakai are analogous art to the claimed invention because they directed toward the art of battery modules comprising stacked battery cells. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply the busbar holder 40 of Sakai to each side of the battery of Lim, thereby resulting in a pair of busbar holders interposed between the positive electrode leads and the busbar and between the negative leads and the busbar respectively, for the purpose of protecting the battery cells from external forces, as well as controlling the connection between the leads and busbars.
Regarding Claim 5, modified Lim makes obvious the invention as discussed above in regards to claim 4. Additionally, Sakai discloses structure wherein each of the busbar holders comprises a flat main late having one or more slits 41 formed therein, shown in their figure 5, as well as wing portions, located on outer ends of the busbar holder, which are transitively connected to opposite side vertical ends of the main plate, through interconnection throughout the whole of the battery module.
Regarding Claim 6, modified Lim makes obvious the invention as discussed above in regards to claim 5. Additionally, Sakai’s busbar holder, depicted in their figure 5, has structure where the wing portions is bent so as to have a predetermined shape. Here, where the outer portions of the holder include a step from the lower flat portion which comprises the slits, this constitutes a bend, as well as a predetermined shape.
Regarding Claim 7, modified Lim makes obvious the invention as discussed above in regards to claim 4. Additionally, in regards to the limitation which requires that the pressing layer comprise a pressing pad and a reinforcement frame, as discussed above, the pressing layer 50 of Choi comprises an elastic pressing pad 52, and a sensing module member 51. Here, the sensing module member is a reinforcement frame, providing structural reinforcement to the pressing pad and surrounding components, as depicted in Choi’s figure 8.
Regarding Claim 8, modified Lim makes obvious the invention as discussed above in regards to claim 7. Additionally, the pressing pad 52 is provided in one surface thereof with a recess, and the reinforcement frame is seated in the recess, as depicted in Choi’s figure 8.
Regarding Claim 9, modified Lim makes obvious the invention as discussed above in regards to claim 8. Additionally, as discussed above Lim makes obvious structure wherein the pressing pad is located on the upper part of the cell stack, and wherein the recess of the pressing pad 52 located on the upper part of the cell stack faces upwards shown in Choi’s figure 8.
Additionally, in regards to the limitation which requires that the pressing pad is also located at the lower part of the cell stack, where Lim discloses that their module comprises cooling channels above and below their battery cell stack (Paragraph 0045, “To easily dissipate heat through the contact between the upper or lower plate 21 or 22 and a cooling channel in which a refrigerant flows, each of the upper and lower plates 21 and 22 may also be manufactured of metal such as aluminum with high thermal conductivity or of thermal conductive plastic.”), and where the pressing pad of Choi has the function of pressing the battery stack so as to improve heat conduction via an increase of surface contact area, it would be obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art to invert the pressing layer vertically, and apply it to the lower side of the battery of Lim, thereby maximizing surface contact area on both an upper side and a lower side of the battery cell stack, thereby further improving heat conduction between the battery cells and cooling channels, as well as making obvious the limitation which requires that the pressing pad is located at the lower part of the cell stack. Additionally, where the pressing layer is inverted vertically to be applied to an underside of the battery cell stack, it would therefore have structure wherein the recess of the pressing pad located on the lower part of the cell stack faces downwards, as a vertically inverted instance of the structure depicted in Choi’s figure 8.
Regarding Claim 10, modified Lim makes obvious the invention as discussed above in regards to claim 9. Additionally, in regards to the limitation which requires that each of the recess and the reinforcement frame have identical vertical sectional shapes, this structure is depicted in Choi’s figure 8, which depicts the identical shape in the recess of the pressing pad 52 and in the reinforcement frame 51.
Regarding Claim 11, modified Lim makes obvious the invention as discussed above in regards to claim 10. Additionally, in regards to the limitation which requires that each of the recess and the reinforcement frame has a vertical sectional shape of V, U, or a square shape, this structure is depicted in Choi’s figure 8, which depicts the shape in the recess of the pressing pad 52 and in the reinforcement frame 51.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lim (US 20190148802 A1) and in view of Choi (US 2019/0198952 A1) and further in view Sakai (US 2018/0212214 A1) as applied to claim 9 above, in further view of Kim (US 2019/0280355 A1).
Regarding Claim 12, modified Lim makes obvious the invention of claim 9. Additionally, in regards to the limitation which requires that the pressing pad is made of an insulation plastic material, While Choi discloses that the pressing pad is made of an insulation material (Paragraph 0112, “The sensing module member 51 and the elastic pad 52 are made of an insulation material, such that the possibility of electrical communication between the connection wire 511c and the battery group 10 may be blocked.”) the reference does not explicitly disclose said insulating pressing pad made of a plastic material”.
However, Choi does not disclose structure where the pressing pad is made of a plastic material. Here, we look to Kim, which is an analogous art to the instant application, being directed towards the art of battery modules (Abstract, “The present invention provides a method of manufacturing a battery module”). Additionally, Kim discloses a thermally conductive acrylic, urethane, epoxy, or silicone resin adhesive, for the purpose of connecting battery cells and cooling plates (See paragraph 0066). Where the combination of Choi and Lim as discussed above comprises the pressing pads pressing the battery cells together to maximize contact with each other for the purpose of improving thermal conductivity, it would therefore be obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art to apply a thermally conductive adhesive to the surfaces of the pressing pads to further improve thermal conductivity through the pressing pads. Additionally, where the disclosure of Kim represents a well-known thermal adhesive in the art that would achieve this goal of Choi, it would therefore be obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art to apply the thermal adhesive of Kim to the combined inventions of modified Choi, as a part of the pressing pad, thereby resulting in structure wherein the pressing pad comprises and is therefore made of a plastic material, that is thermally conductive, but electrically insulative, under KSR rationale B (MPEP section 2141).
KSR Rationale B (MPEP § 2141) states that it is obvious to perform “simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results”. In the instant case, the elastic pad of Choi (Paragraph 0139, “the elastic members 13 may also be adhered to the battery cells 11 on both sides thereof with its own adhesive force.”) and the thermal conductive adhesives of Kim (See paragraph 0066) are known to adhere while conducting thermal energy. Kim and Choi are analogous art to the claimed invention as both references are in the same field of battery module construction. It would therefore have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the elastic member of Choi with the thermal conductive adhesive of Kim to obtain the predictable result of adhering while conducting thermal energy. Doing so would amount to nothing more than a use of a known material for its intended use in a known environment to accomplish entirely expected result.
Additionally, Choi discloses that the reinforcement frame which is their sensing module member 51 comprises wiring, where wires are made of metal (Paragraph 0113, “the first connection member 511a, the second connection member 511b, and the connection wire 511c of the sensing module member 51”), thereby being made of a metal material.
Claim(s) 13, 15, and 20-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lim (US 20190148802 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Lee (KR 20170135469 A, with EPO Translation used for citation purposes).
Regarding Claim 13, Lim anticipates the invention of Claim 1. Additionally, in regards to the limitation of the instant claim which requires that the upper cover is provided with a second perforated portion, Lim fails to disclose said structure. Therefore we look to Lee, which is an analogous art to the instant application being directed toward the art of battery modules (Abstract, “According to an embodiment of the present invention, a battery module comprises: at least one battery cell; a module case configured to accommodate the at least one battery cell wherein at least one gas discharging hole is formed in the module case; and a pressure adjusting unit installed in the module case to cover the at least gas discharging hole of the module case and configured to adjust pressure inside the module case.”).
Here, Lee discloses an end cover plate 310 (Paragraph 0029, “cover plate 310”) which comprises perforations 255 for discharging gas from within the battery module (Paragraph 0032, “The gas outlet 255 is for discharging a gas, which may be formed in the module case 200, to the outside of the module case 200, and may be formed of at least one or more. Hereinafter, the present embodiment is limited to the case where a pair of gas outlets 255 are formed.”), disclosing that discharging gas in a controlled manner is a desirable feature for a battery module, so as to prevent explosions (Paragraph 0005, “In such a conventional battery module, the battery cells as the secondary cells accommodated in the module case can generate gas due to temperature change, malfunction, or the like. When such a large amount of gas is discharged, there is a problem that the pressure in the module case is increased to cause cracking or breakage of the module case and further explosion of the battery module”).
Both Lim and Lee are analogous art to the claimed invention because they both discuss the construction of battery modules, as discussed above. Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply perforations to the upper cover of Lim’s battery module as taught by Lee, for the purpose of discharging gas in a controlled manner so as to prevent explosions.
Regarding Claim 15, modified Lim makes obvious the invention of claim 13. Additionally, as depicted in Lee’s figure 2, the second perforated portion, the segment which comprises the perforations and their arrangement, is formed in a longitudinal direction of the upper cover, as the perforations 255 are arranged longitudinally.
Regarding Claim 20, modified Lim makes obvious the invention as discussed above in regards to claim 13. Additionally, Lee further teaches structure where the second perforated portions 255, as discussed above, are circular, as exemplarily represented in figure 2, which shows a side-view of a perforated portion 255.
Regarding Claim 21, modified Lim makes obvious the invention as discussed above in regards to claim 13. Additionally, Lee further teaches structure wherein their perforated portions 255 are provided with a mesh net 350 (Paragraph 0034, “a filter member 350.”) depicted in their figure 4. Here, Lee discloses that their filter members allow for gas inside their case to be discharged through the openings, while preventing foreign matter such as dust or liquid from outside the module case from entering the module case (See paragraph 0045).
Both Lim and Lee are analogous arts to the instant application, being directed towards the construction of battery modules, as discussed above. Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply the mesh filters of Lee to the invention of Lim for the purpose of preventing foreign matter such as dust or liquid from entering the battery module, thereby reading upon and making obvious the limitation of the instant claim.
Regarding Claim 22, Lim anticipates the invention of Claim 1. Additionally, in regards to the limitation of the instant claim which requires that the lower cover is provided with a first perforated portion, Lim fails to disclose said structure. Therefore we look to Lee, which is an analogous art to the instant application being directed toward the art of battery modules (Abstract, “According to an embodiment of the present invention, a battery module comprises: at least one battery cell; a module case configured to accommodate the at least one battery cell wherein at least one gas discharging hole is formed in the module case; and a pressure adjusting unit installed in the module case to cover the at least gas discharging hole of the module case and configured to adjust pressure inside the module case.”).
Here, Lee discloses an end cover plate 310 (Paragraph 0029, “cover plate 310”) which comprises perforations 255 for discharging gas from within the battery module (Paragraph 0032, “The gas outlet 255 is for discharging a gas, which may be formed in the module case 200, to the outside of the module case 200, and may be formed of at least one or more. Hereinafter, the present embodiment is limited to the case where a pair of gas outlets 255 are formed.”). Here, where discharging gas in a controlled manner is a desirable feature for a battery module, so as to prevent explosions (Paragraph 0005, “In such a conventional battery module, the battery cells as the secondary cells accommodated in the module case can generate gas due to temperature change, malfunction, or the like. When such a large amount of gas is discharged, there is a problem that the pressure in the module case is increased to cause cracking or breakage of the module case and further explosion of the battery module”).
Both Lim and Lee are analogous art to the claimed invention because they both discuss the construction of battery modules, as discussed above. Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply perforations to the upper cover of Lim’s battery module as taught by Lee, for the purpose of discharging gas in a controlled manner so as to prevent explosions thereby reading upon and making obvious the limitation of the instant claim.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JONATHAN W ESTES whose telephone number is (571)272-4820. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00 - 5:30.
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/J.W.E./ Examiner, Art Unit 1725
/BASIA A RIDLEY/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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