I DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s amendment filed on March 5, 2026, has been entered. Claims 1-20 remain pending in the application. Applicant’s amendment has overcome the previous claim objections of record.
Claim Objections
Claim 6 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In line 4 of claim 6, replace “is” with “are”.
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.
Claims 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 19, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 110190212 B (Ren ‘427 – citing to US 20220123427 A1 as an English translation) in view of US 20150228947 A1 (Nagamine ‘947).
Regarding claim 1, Ren ‘427 teaches a battery pack (battery pack 400; [0047]) comprising:
at least one cell stack provided by stacking a plurality of battery cells in a second direction (at least one stack of battery cells 200 stacked in a stacking direction; see Fig. 12, for example, having a plurality of groups of cells 200 divided by partition plates 30; [0052]);
a packing case having an accommodating space accommodating the at least one cell stack (the tray body includes a base plate 10, a side beam 20, and several partition plates 30; [0052] & Fig. 1; wherein a plurality of cell groups are disposed in the tray body between the partition plates 30; Fig. 8 & Fig. 12); and
at least one duct member disposed in the packing case and having a flow space through which gas or flames generated from the at least one cell stack flow (the partitions plates 30 have a plurality of inlet vents 31 for accumulating flame, smoke, or gas from the cells 200 that is diffused into the air passage in the side beam 20 from the air passages in the partition plates 30 before being discharged to the outside of the battery pack; [0052] & Fig. 1), the gas or flames being generated in the accommodating space of the packing case (flame, smoke, or gas is generated inside the battery cell 200 and is exhausted through the anti-explosion valve 201 to be discharged through the inlet vents 31 of the partition plates 30, the flame, smoke, or gas being generated from the battery cells in the accommodation spaces formed by the base plate 10, the side beams 20, and the partition plates 30, to accumulate in the air passage before being discharged to the outside; [0052] of Ren ‘427),
wherein the at least one duct member is disposed to face a side surface of the at least one cell stack in a first direction perpendicular to the second direction (the partition plates 30 may be arranged in the battery tray based on any suitable arrangement manner, and the partition plate 30 may be arranged in a first direction parallel with the plurality of battery cells 200, as shown in Fig. 4, for example, which is perpendicular to the stacking direction of the battery cells; [0079] & Fig. 19),
includes a flow path that communicates with at least one inlet disposed on a side surface of the at least one duct member (the partition plate 30 has an air passage contained therein with at least one inlet vent 31 that communicates with at least one cell anti-explosion valve 201 disposed adjacent to the side surface of the partition plate 30; [0052] & Fig. 4), the at least one inlet facing the side surface of the at least one cell stack in the first direction (as shown in Fig. 4, the plurality of inlet vents 31 are disposed to face the stack of battery cells 200, wherein the inlet vents 31 and the cell anti-explosion valves 201 are disposed opposite to each other and correspond one-to-one to each other in the first direction perpendicular to the stacking direction; [0047]).
Ren ‘427 does not disclose that the duct member includes a plurality of flow paths partitioned from each other to separate flow of the gas or flames introduced into the flow space from each other, wherein each of the plurality of flow paths communicates with at least one inlet disposed on a side surface of the duct member.
Nagamine ‘947 discloses a partition member 30 disposed adjacent to an electric cell 10 ([0045]). Each partition member 30 includes a plurality of ribs 32 that are protruded in an X direction ([0045]; Fig. 3). The ribs 32 are formed in the shape of a T, that is, the ribs 32 extend in a first direction Z from the lower air intake side, and then turn their direction into a second direction Y. The intake air introduced through the intake opening 90, as shown in Fig. 7, is discharged from the partition member 30 at the discharge openings 92 provided on both sides of the battery stack 1 in the Y directions ([0055]). The ribs 32 formed in the partition member have
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a central rib 32A in order to prevent the mixture of streams ([0046] - [0047]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a skilled artisan, at the time of filing, to modify the structure of the partition plate 30 of the battery pack, as taught by Ren ‘427, to include a plurality of separate flow paths separated by a plurality of ribs that separates gas discharged from the battery cells through the inlet vents 31 thereon, before being discharged to the outside through the valves 40, to prevent the mixture of exhaust gas flowing through the plurality of flow paths within the partition plate 30, as suggested by Nagamine ‘947.
Regarding claim 6, Ren ‘427 teaches the battery pack of claim 1, wherein the at least one duct member includes a duct body forming the flow space and having a plurality of inlets (the partitions plates 30 have a plurality of inlet vents 31 for accumulating flame, smoke, or gas from the cells 200 that is diffused into the air passage in the side beam 20 from the air passages in the partition plates 30 before being discharged to the outside of the battery pack; [0052] & Fig. 1 of Ren ‘427), and at least one partition wall dividing the flow space into the plurality of flow paths (the ribs 32 formed in the partition member have a central rib 32A in order to prevent the mixture of streams; [0046] - [0047] of Nagamine ‘947), and the plurality of inlets are disposed on at least one side of the duct body (the plurality of inlet vents 32 are disposed on at least one side of the partition plate 30; [0053] & Fig. 4 of Ren ‘247).
Regarding claim 7, Ren ‘427 teaches the battery pack of claim 6, wherein the battery cell has a shape extending in the first direction (battery cells 200 have a shape extending in a first direction perpendicular to the direction direction; Fig. 4 of Ren ‘427), and
the at least one partition wall includes a shape extending in the second direction (the ribs 32 define flow paths within the partition member 30, wherein rib 32b, for example, extends first in the Z direction, corresponding to the first direction, and turns to extend in the Y direction, corresponding to the second direction; [0047] & Fig. 3 of Nagamine ‘947).
Regarding claim 8, Ren ‘427 teaches the battery pack of claim 7, wherein the at least one partition wall includes an L-shaped cross-sectional shape (rib 32b, for example, extends first in the Z direction, corresponding to the first direction, and turns to extend in the Y direction, corresponding to the second direction, and has an L-shaped cross-sectional shape; [0047] & Fig. 3 of Nagamine ‘947).
Regarding claim 9, Ren ‘427 teaches the battery pack of claim 7, wherein the at least one duct member has a shape in which one end of the duct body is closed, and the duct body is formed with a plurality of outlets at the other end (as shown in Fig. 9, for example, the partition member 300 is closed at the left side of the body thereof and has a plurality of outlets at the discharge opening 92 on the right side of the body thereof; [0071] of Nagamine ‘947).
Regarding claims 10 and 11, Ren ‘427 teaches the battery pack of claim 7, wherein the duct body comprises a plurality of inlets formed on each of both sides of the first direction (the partition plate 30 of Ren ‘427 includes a plurality of inlet vents 31 on both sides thereof; [0049] & Fig. 4 of Ren ‘427),
the at least one duct member further comprises a central partition wall diving the flow space to separatee the flow of gas or flames respectively introduced from both sides of the duct body from each other (a central rib 32A extends in the Z direction from a center of the lower side of the partition member 30 in the Y directions in order to prevent the mixture of the streams flowing therethrough ([0046] - [0047] & Fig. 3 of Nagamine ‘947),
wherein the central partition wall has a shape crossing the inside of the duct body in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction (the central rib 32A has a shape that extends in the third direction, i.e., into the page of Fig. 3 of Nagamine ‘947, which is perpendicular to the Z and Y directions).
Regarding claims 12 and 13, Ren ‘427 teaches the battery pack of claim 9, further comprising a venting unit discharging the gas discharged through the outlet externally of the packing case (flame, smoke, or gas discharged from the cell anti-explosion valve 201 enters the air passages in the partition plates 30 through the inlet vents 31, and then diffuses into the air passage in the side beam 20, wherein the battery pack anti-explosion valve on the side beam 20 is opened when the gas pressure inside the air passage reaches a certain value, so that the flame, smoke or gas that accumulates in the air passage is charged to the outside of the battery pack; [0052] & Fig. 1 of Ren ‘427), further comprising a connection duct connecting the at least one duct member and the venting unit such that the gas flowing through the at least one duct member is discharged to the venting unit (side beam 20 connects the partition plate 30 and the battery-pack anti-explosion valve 40 such that the gas is able to be discharged therethrough; [0052] & Fig. 1 of Ren ‘427).
Regarding claim 16, Ren ‘427 teaches the battery pack of claim 1, wherein the at least one duct member constitutes a cross member crossing at least a portion of the packing case (see Fig. 19 of Ren ‘427, for example, where the partition plates 30 may include one or more longitudinal partition plates 31 extending along a length direction of the tray body and one or more transverse partitions plates 32 extending along a width direction of the tray body; [0079] of Ren ‘427).
Regarding claim 17, Ren ‘427 teaches the battery pack of claim 1, wherein the at least one duct member is positioned between a sidewall member of the packing case and the at last one cell stack constitutes the sidewall member of the packing case (the partition plates 30 and the side beam 20 are each formed therein with an air passage and are in communication with each other; [0052] of Ren ‘427; the duct member thus may be considered to be the side beam 20 as shown in Fig. 11 of Ren ‘427, wherein the inlet vents 31 are located on the side beam 20).
Regarding claim 19, Ren ‘427 teaches a battery pack (battery pack 400; [0047]) comprising: at least one cell stack including a plurality of battery cells stacked in a second direction (at least one stack of battery cells 200 stacked in a stacking direction; see Fig. 12, for example, having a plurality of groups of cells 200 divided by partition plates 30; [0052]);
a packing case having an accommodating space for accommodating the at least one cell stack, the packing case having a bottom member, a plurality of side wall members, and a cover member (the tray body includes a base plate 10, a side beam 20, several partition plates 30, and a cover plate (not shown); [0047], [0052], and Fig. 1; wherein a plurality of cell groups are disposed in the tray body between the partition plates 30 and the 4 sides of the side beam 20; Fig. 8 & Fig. 12); and
at least one duct member disposed in the packing case and having a flow space through which gas or flames generated from the at least one cell stack flow (the partitions plates 30 have a plurality of inlet vents 31 for accumulating flame, smoke, or gas from the cells 200 that is diffused into the air passage in the side beam 20 from the air passages in the partition plates 30 before being discharged to the outside of the battery pack; [0052] & Fig. 1), the gas or flames being generated in the accommodating space of the packing case (flame, smoke, or gas is generated inside the battery cell 200 and is exhausted through the anti-explosion valve 201 to be discharged through the inlet vents 31 of the partition plates 30, the flame, smoke, or gas being generated from the battery cells in the accommodation spaces formed by the base plate 10, the side beams 20, and the partition plates 30, to accumulate in the air passage before being discharged to the outside; [0052] of Ren ‘427),
wherein the at least one duct member is disposed in a direction parallel to at least one of the plurality of side wall members (see Fig. 19 of Ren ‘427, for example, where the partition plates 30 may include one or more longitudinal partition plates 31 extending along a length direction of the tray body and one or more transverse partitions plates 32 extending along a width direction of the tray body, wherein the longitudinal partition plate 31 is parallel with the side beam 20, for example; [0079]) and disposed to face a side surface of the at least one cell stack in a first direction perpendicular to the second direction (the partition plates 30 may be arranged in the battery tray based on any suitable arrangement manner, and the partition plate 30 may be arranged in a first direction parallel with the plurality of battery cells 200, as shown in Fig. 4, for example, which is perpendicular to the stacking direction of the battery cells; [0079] & Fig. 19).
Ren ‘427 discloses at least one inlet facing the side surface of the at least one cell stack in the first direction (as shown in Fig. 4, the plurality of inlet vents 31 are disposed to face the stack of battery cells 200, wherein the inlet vents 31 and the cell anti-explosion valves 201 are disposed opposite to each other and correspond one-to-one to each other in the first direction perpendicular to the stacking direction; [0047]), but does not disclose that the least one duct member includes at least one partition wall dividing the flow space into the plurality of flow paths, and
each of the plurality of flow paths communicates with the at least one inlet disposed on a side surface of the at least one duct member, and
each of the plurality of flow paths includes a shape for guiding a gas or flame introduced through the at least one inlet in the first direction to flow along the second direction perpendicular to the first direction.
Nagamine ‘947 discloses a partition member 30 disposed adjacent to an electric cell 10 ([0045]). Each partition member 30 includes a plurality of ribs 32 that are protruded in an X direction ([0045]; Fig. 3). The ribs 32 are formed in the shape of a T, that is, the ribs 32 extend in a first direction Z from the lower air intake side, and then turn their direction into a second direction Y. The intake air introduced through the intake opening 90, as shown in Fig. 7, is discharged from the partition member 30 at the discharge openings 92 provided on both sides of the battery stack 1 in the Y directions ([0055]). The ribs 32 formed in the partition member have
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a central rib 32A in order to prevent the mixture of streams ([0046] - [0047]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a skilled artisan, at the time of filing, to modify the structure of the partition plate 30 of the battery pack, as taught by Ren ‘427, to include a at least one partition wall, i.e., a plurality of separate flow paths separated by a plurality of ribs that may be configured to separate gas generated from the battery cells that passes from the cell anti-explosion vales 201 to the inlet vents 31 located on the side of the partition plate 30, before being discharged to the outside through the valves 40, wherein the flow paths contained therein receive gas from the cells through the inlet vents 31 in a first direction perpendicular to the stacking direction and turn to a second direction parallel with the stacking direction, to prevent the mixture of exhaust gas flowing through the plurality of separated flow path shapes within the partition plate 30, as suggested by Nagamine ‘947.
Regarding claim 20, Ren ‘427 teaches the battery pack of claim 19, wherein the duct member constitutes a cross member crossing at least a portion of the packing case (see Fig. 19 of Ren ‘427, for example, where the partition plates 30 may include one or more longitudinal partition plates 31 extending along a length direction of the tray body and one or more transverse partitions plates 32 extending along a width direction of the tray body; [0079] of Ren ‘427).
Claims 2, 3, 4, and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 110190212 B (Ren ‘427 – citing to US 20220123427 A1 as an English translation) in view of US 20150228947 A1 (Nagamine ‘947), and further in view of US 20140322566 A1 (Kim ‘566).
Regarding claim 2, Ren ‘427 teaches the battery pack of claim 1, wherein the battery cell includes a casing having a shape extending in the first direction (battery cell 200 has a casing with a rectangular shape extending in the direction perpendicular to the stacking direction; [0047] & Fig. 4 of Ren ‘427) and a gas discharge unit for discharging the gas inside the casing externally of the casing (each battery cell has a cell anti-explosion valve 201; [0047] & Fig. 4 of Ren ‘427),
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the gas discharge unit is located at one or both ends of the casing in the first direction, and the at least one inlet is located opposite to the gas discharge unit (each cell anti-explosion valve 201 is located adjacent to an inlet vent 31; [0047] & Fig. 4 of Ren ‘427).
Ren ‘427 does not explicitly disclose a plurality of electrode terminals installed in the casing.
Kim ‘566 discloses the structure of a unit cell 100 ([0041]) having a vent plate 25 disposed on the same side of the negative terminal 21 and the positive terminal 22 of the cap plate 20 ([0050] – [0054]; Fig. 2). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a skilled artisan for the battery cell 200 of Ren ‘427, to have a plurality of electrode terminals installed in the casing, as suggested by the structure of the unit cell 1 of Kim ‘566, because the combination of familiar elements is likely to be obvious when it does no more than yield predictable results. See KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 415-421, 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1395-97 (2007) (see MPEP § 2143, A.).
Regarding claim 3, Ren ‘427 teaches the battery pack of claim 2, wherein the at least one duct member has a plurality of inlets corresponding to each of the plurality of battery cells (see Fig. 4 of Ren ‘427, where the partition plates 30 include a plurality of inlet vents 31 corresponding to a plurality of battery cells 200 with cell anti-explosion valves 201; [0047] of Ren ‘427).
Regarding claim 4, Ren ‘427 teaches the battery pack of claim 2, wherein the at least one inlet is disposed at a height corresponding to a height of the gas discharge unit (see Fig. 4 of Ren ‘427, where the inlet vents 31 are disposed at the same height as the corresponding cell anti-explosion valves 201; [0047] of Ren ‘427).
Regarding claim 5, Ren ‘427 teaches the battery pack of claim 1, wherein the battery cell has a shape extending in the first direction (battery cell 200 has a casing with a rectangular shape extending in the direction perpendicular to the stacking direction; [0047] & Fig. 4 of Ren ‘427).
Ren ‘427 does not explicitly disclose an electrode terminal at one or both ends in the first direction, and the at least one inlet is positioned opposite to the electrode terminal.
Kim ‘566 discloses the structure of a unit cell 100 ([0041]) having a vent plate 25 disposed on the same side of the negative terminal 21 and the positive terminal 22 of the cap plate 20 ([0050] – [0054]; Fig. 2). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a skilled artisan for the battery cell 200 of Ren ‘427, to include an electrode terminal at one or both ends in the first direction, as suggested by the structure of the unit cell 1 of Kim ‘566, wherein the inlet vents 31 would be positioned opposite or adjacent to the electrode terminals provided on the same side as the cell anti-explosion valves 201, because the combination of familiar elements is likely to be obvious when it does no more than yield predictable results. See KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 415-421, 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1395-97 (2007) (see MPEP § 2143, A.).
Claims 14 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 110190212 B (Ren ‘427 – citing to US 20220123427 A1 as an English translation) in view of US 20150228947 A1 (Nagamine ‘947), and further in view of US 20090305124 A1 (Ahn ‘124).
Regarding claim 14, Ren ‘427 teaches the battery pack of claim 1, wherein the battery cell has a shape extending in the first direction (battery cells 200 have a shape extending in the direction perpendicular to the stacking direction; Fig. 4 of Ren ‘427),
the at least one cell stack is divided into a plurality of cell groups in which a plurality of battery cells are each grouped (as shown in Fig. 8 of Ren ‘427, there are a plurality of battery cells 200 that are stacked to form a plurality of battery groups), but does not disclose that the plurality of flow paths are respectively formed to correspond to the plurality of cell groups.
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Ahn ‘124 discloses a plurality of partition walls 524 of a discharge unit 520 arranged such that the heat transfer medium having flowed through the respective battery groups GA, GB, GC, and GD flows along flow channels defined between the respective partition walls 524 and an outlet port 522, through which the heat transfer medium is discharged out of the battery pack 1000 ([0059]). The respective battery groups GA, GB, GC, and GD are isolated from each other ([0061]). Consequently, the heat transfer medium flowing through one of the battery groups (i.e., GA) cannot pass through another battery group (i.e., GB) during the movement of the heat transfer medium ([0061]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a skilled artisan, at the time of filing, to modify the partition plates 30 having a plurality of inlet vents 31 to include a plurality of partition walls 524 for separating the flow of the exhaust gas into a plurality of separate flow paths that isolates each battery group from the other, the plurality of separate flow paths corresponding to the plurality of battery groups, as suggested by Ahn ‘124, to be discharged to the outside of the battery pack, as taught by Ren ‘427.
Regarding claim 18, Ren ‘427 teaches a battery pack (battery pack 400; [0047]) comprising:
at least one cell stack including a plurality of cell groups in which a plurality of battery cells stacked in a second direction are grouped (at least one stack of battery cells 200 stacked in a stacking direction; see Fig. 12, for example, having a plurality of groups of cells 200 divided by partition plates 30; [0052] & Fig. 4);
a packing case having an accommodating space for accommodating the at least one cell stack (the tray body includes a base plate 10, a side beam 20, and several partition plates 30; [0052] & Fig. 1; wherein a plurality of cell groups are disposed in the tray body between the partition plates 30; Fig. 8 & Fig. 12); and
at least one duct member disposed in the packing case and having a flow space through which gas or flames generated from the at least one cell stack flow (the partitions plates 30 have a plurality of inlet vents 31 for accumulating flame, smoke, or gas from the cells 200 that is diffused into the air passage in the side beam 20 from the air passages in the partition plates 30 before being discharged to the outside of the battery pack; [0052] & Fig. 1), the gas or flames being generated in the accommodating space of the packing case (flame, smoke, or gas is generated inside the battery cell 200 and is exhausted through the anti-explosion valve 201 to be discharged through the inlet vents 31 of the partition plates 30, the flame, smoke, or gas being generated from the battery cells in the accommodation spaces formed by the base plate 10, the side beams 20, and the partition plates 30, to accumulate in the air passage before being discharged to the outside; [0052] of Ren ‘427),
wherein the at least one duct member is disposed to face a side surface of the at least one cell stack in a first direction perpendicular to the second direction (the partition plates 30 may be arranged in the battery tray based on any suitable arrangement manner, and the partition plate 30 may be arranged in a first direction parallel with the plurality of battery cells 200, as shown in Fig. 4, for example, which is perpendicular to the stacking direction of the battery cells; [0079] & Fig. 19),
at least one inlet disposed on a side surface of the duct member (the partition plate 30 has an air passage contained therein with at least one inlet vent 31 that communicates with at least one cell anti-explosion valve 201 disposed adjacent to the side surface of the partition plate 30; [0052] & Fig. 4), the at least one inlet facing the side surface of the at least one cell stack in the first direction (as shown in Fig. 4, the plurality of inlet vents 31 are disposed to face the stack of battery cells 200, wherein the inlet vents 31 and the cell anti-explosion valves 201 are disposed opposite to each other and correspond one-to-one to each other in the first direction perpendicular to the stacking direction; [0047]),
Ren ‘427 does not disclose that the flow space of the at least one duct member has a shape that the flow space is divided into a plurality of flow paths,
each of the plurality of flow paths communicates with the at least one inlet disposed on a side surface of the at least one duct member, and
each of the plurality of flow paths includes a shape for guiding a gas or flame introduced through the at least one inlet in the first direction to flow along the second direction perpendicular to the first direction.
Nagamine ‘947 discloses a partition member 30 disposed adjacent to an electric cell 10 ([0045]). Each partition member 30 includes a plurality of ribs 32 that are protruded in an X direction ([0045]; Fig. 3). The ribs 32 are formed in the shape of a T, that is, the ribs 32 extend in a first direction Z from the lower air intake side, and then turn their direction into a second direction Y. The intake air introduced through the intake opening 90, as shown in Fig. 7, is discharged from the partition member 30 at the discharge openings 92 provided on both sides of the battery stack 1 in the Y directions ([0055]). The ribs 32 formed in the partition member have a central rib 32A in order to prevent the mixture of streams ([0046] - [0047]).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to a skilled artisan, at the time of filing, to modify the structure of the partition plate 30 of the battery pack, as taught by Ren ‘427, to include a at least one partition wall, i.e., a plurality of separate flow paths separated by a plurality of ribs that may be configured to separate gas generated from the battery cells that passes from the cell anti-explosion vales 201 to the inlet vents 31 located on the side of the partition plate 30, before being discharged to the outside through the valves 40, wherein the flow paths contained therein receive gas from the cells through the inlet vents 31 in a first direction perpendicular to the stacking direction and turn to a second direction parallel with the stacking direction, to prevent the mixture of exhaust gas flowing through the plurality of separated flow path shapes within the partition plate 30, as suggested by Nagamine ‘947.
Ren ‘427 does not disclose that each of the plurality of flow paths corresponds to each of the plurality of cell groups, to block the gas or flames generated in one cell group from flowing to another cell group through the flow space.
Ahn ‘124 discloses a plurality of partition walls 524 of a discharge unit 520 arranged such that the heat transfer medium having flowed through the respective battery groups GA, GB, GC, and GD flows along flow channels defined between the respective partition walls 524 and an outlet port 522, through which the heat transfer medium is discharged out of the battery pack 1000 ([0059]). The respective battery groups GA, GB, GC, and GD are isolated from each other ([0061]). Consequently, the heat transfer medium flowing through one of the battery groups (i.e., GA) cannot pass through another battery group (i.e., GB) during the movement of the heat transfer medium ([0061]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a skilled artisan, at the time of filing, to modify the partition plates 30 having a plurality of inlet vents 31 to include a plurality of partition walls 524 for separating the flow of the exhaust gas into a plurality of separate flow paths that isolates each battery group from the other, the plurality of separate flow paths corresponding to the plurality of battery groups, as suggested by Ahn ‘124, to be discharged to the outside of the battery pack, as taught by Ren ‘427.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 110190212 B (Ren ‘427 – citing to US 20220123427 A1 as an English translation) in view of US 20150228947 A1 (Nagamine ‘947) and US 20090305124 A1 (Ahn ‘124), and further in view of US 20210320374 A1 (Lee ‘374).
Regarding claim 15, Ren ‘427 teaches the battery pack of claim 14, but does not disclose an insulating member disposed between the cell groups to block the propagation of flame or high-temperature thermal energy between adjacent battery cells.
Lee ‘374 discloses that if the temperature rises further to reach the reference temperature equal to or higher than a temperature at which some battery cells 111 cause thermal runaway, the flow path is blocked to prevent the flame generated due to the thermal runaway of some battery cels 11 from propagating to adjacent battery cells 111 inside the cell stack of the energy storage system (ESS) module (abstract), thereby suppressing rapid propagation of the thermal runaway phenomenon ([0043]). Thus, a mica barrier 112a is implemented to include a mica barrier 112a, wherein the mica constituting the mica barrier 112a is one of coarse materials constituting granite and has excellent electrical insulation properties and very little change in properties when heated ([0046]). The mica has excellent flame retardancy and smoke-free properties during combustion or heating ([0046]).
Due to these characteristics, it is possible to prevent the thermal runaway phenomenon from propagating between adjacent battery cells 111 by inserting the mica barrier 112a made of mica material between the adjacent battery cells 111 when constructing the cell stack 110 ([0046] and Fig. 7 & 8).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a skilled artisan, to include a mica barrier having excellent electrical insulation properties between adjacent cell groups to prevent the thermal runaway phenomenon from propagating between adjacent battery cells, as suggested by Lee ‘374, in the battery pack, as taught by Ren ‘427.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on March 5, 2026, have been fully considered.
Applicant’s arguments directed to Gondoh ‘690 are moot, because Gondoh ‘690 is no longer relied on in this Office action in view of the amendment.
Additionally, Applicant argues Ahn ‘124 is different from the present invention in that the purpose of Ahn ‘124 is controlling the overall temperature of the battery pack through by providing a plurality of flow paths for a heat transfer medium (coolant) rather than for gas or flame. However, Ahn ‘124 is still relevant to the claimed invention. Ahn ‘124 is directed to a battery pack, which is analogous art, having a plurality of battery groups GA, GB, GC, and GD isolated from each other ([0061]). Consequently, the heat transfer medium flowing through one of the battery groups (i.e., GA) cannot pass through another battery group (i.e., GB) during the movement of the heat transfer medium ([0061]). While, the present invention is directed to discharging gas or flames from battery groups arranged in an accommodating space, as opposed to a heat transfer medium flowing within isolated battery groups, a skilled artisan would have found it obvious to look to the structure of Ahn ‘124 to utilize partition plates for isolating battery groups such that gas, smoke, or flame is discharged out of the battery pack through outlet port 522 ([0059]) without crossing over from one battery group to another.
Further, Applicant states that coolant flows through a duct member in the same direction of the battery cells in Ahn ‘124, which is contrary to the amended claim language reciting that the gas or flame flows into the duct member in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the battery cells. However, Ahn ‘124 is not relied on to address this amended claim language. Rather, Nagamine ‘947 is relied on to disclose a partition structure within a duct member to have a plurality of ribs 32 that are formed in the shape of a T, that is, the ribs 32 extend in a first direction Z from the lower air intake side, and then turn their direction into a second direction Y to form an L-shaped cross-sectional flow space (Fig. 3 of Nagamine ‘947), which is similar in structure to the isolated L-shaped flow spaces shown in Fig. 5 of Ahn ‘124.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TAYLOR H KRONE whose telephone number is (571)270-5064. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, NICOLE BUIE-HATCHER can be reached at 571-270-3879. 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.
/TAYLOR HARRISON KRONE/Examiner, Art Unit 1725
/NICOLE M. BUIE-HATCHER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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