DETAILED ACTION
Notice to Applicant
In the amendment dated 2026-06-18, the following has occurred: Claims 1, 2, 6, 16, and 18 have been amended; Claims 3, 5-8, and 11-12 have been canceled; Claims 22-23 have been added.
Claims 1-2, 4, 9-10, and 13-23 are pending and are examined herein. This is a Final Rejection.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claims 1-2, 4, 9-10, and 13-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 2014/0234689 to Kim et al.) in view of Hermann (US Patent No. 8,968,949 to Hermann et al.), Ke (CN 111640949 to Ke et al., the Office cites to machine English translation), and in further view of Sayir (US 2008/0128067 to Sayir et al.).
Regarding Claim 1, Kim teaches:
an electrode assembly comprising an electrode (¶ 0010)
a casing comprising a laminated film 10 surrounding the electrode comprising an aluminum layer 15, a first polymer layer 12, a second polymer layer 18, and a heat spreading layer 11 comprising carbon (¶ 0028, 0034-0035, 0053, and Fig. 5)
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Kim does not explicitly teach:
a current collector comprising a first conductive layer, second conductive layer, and another heat spreading layer interposed between the conductive layers, wherein the heat spreading layer of the current collector is “connected to” the heat spreading layer of the pouch laminate
a specific “heat sink” as a separate object connected to the heat spreading layer of the pouch laminate
The phrase “is connected to” is interpreted in line with the specification as written to mean “in thermal contact with.” That is, a current collector with an internal heat spreading layer that leads into tabs exiting a pouch cell casing, as was conventional in the art, provides thermal connection between the internal heat spreading layer of the laminated pouch material and the current collector’s heat spreading layer via thermal contact between the pouch material and the tabs/collectors.
Ke, from the same field of invention, regarding a current collector for a battery, teaches:
an electrode assembly (p. 1) comprising in a stacked manner an anode with collector and active layer, a separator, and a cathode with collector and active layer (Figs. 1-3, p. 2)
wherein the current collector(s) of at least one of the layers comprises at least two conductive layers 2/4 with a heat spreading layer 3 therebetween (Fig. 1, p. 3)
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide a cell assembly using current collectors as taught in Ke with the pouch packaging laminate taught in Kim, with the motivation to improve heat dissipation through the cell. Such a combination, with the conventional tabs that pass through a sealed pouch packaging, as shown in Hermann, would result in thermal connection between the respective heat spreading layers of the collectors and the laminated packaging.
Kim does not discuss the pouch cells or a battery pack in which the pouch cells using the laminate of Kim might be used. Hermann, however, from the same field of invention, regarding a battery pack comprising pouch cells (column 5), teaches providing the pouch cells in a stack with a heat sink 423 in thermal contact with the pouch laminate (column 6 lines 6-23, column 10, Fig. 4B) to control battery cell temperatures.
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It would have been obvious to provide a heat sink in thermal contact with the pouch laminates and tabs of the cells in a battery pack of conventional design, like that shown in Hermann, with the motivation to better distribute and control heat.
Kim also does not explicitly teach:
a thermally annealed pyrolytic graphite as the carbon layer
Kim teaches conventional, thermally conductive carbons in the art, including graphites. Sayir, from the same field of invention, regarding a heat transfer layer, teaches use of pyrolytic graphite, including thermally annealed pyrolytic graphite, selected for its high conductivity (¶ 0007-0008). In other words, thermally annealed pyrolytic graphite was a known, highly thermally conductive graphite in the art, and would therefore have been obvious to use as the “graphite” in Kim, with the motivation to improve planar conductivity. Simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results has been found to be obvious. See KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398 (2007).
Regarding Claim 2, Kim teaches:
use of graphite, carbon nanotubes, and other conventional carbons having high thermal conductivity (¶ 0053)
Ke teaches:
wherein the heat-spreading layer 3 comprises carbon materials like graphite, carbon black, graphene, and nanostructured carbon, with a binder having a high thermal conductivity of over 5300 W/(m·K) (p. 3)
Kim does not explicitly teach:
a thermal conductivity for the layer, such as one over 200 W/(mK)
specifically pyrolytic carbon material
Sayir, however, from the same field of invention, teaches use of pyrolytic graphite to form very thermally conductive carbons for use as heat dissipation materials (abstract), wherein the conductivity can be as high as 300-1850 W/(mK) (¶ 0026). It would have been obvious to use a highly thermally conductive pyrolytic carbon, such as that taught in Sayir, in the layers of Kim and/or Ke, in order to improve heat dissipation.
Regarding Claim 4, Kim teaches:
a heat spreading layer thickness of 5 microns (¶ 0053)
Regarding Claim 9, Hermann renders obvious:
conventional pouch cells with cathode and anode current collectors (Figs, etc.)
Current collectors are standard elements of pouch cells known in the art and would be obvious to provide in a pouch battery for that reason.
Regarding Claim 10, Kim does not teach:
both current collectors have heat spreading layers of the same material
Both Kim and Ke, however, teach using carbons known in the art, including graphites and graphene. Simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results has been found to be obvious. See KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398 (2007). It would have been obvious to use the same material, since both references teach overlapping classes of materials.
Regarding Claim 13, Kim renders obvious:
use of the packaging with a battery cell (abstract, etc.)
Regarding Claim 14, Hermann renders obvious:
a cooling plate designed to control temperatures in the heat sink (column 6)
Regarding Claim 15, Hermann teaches:
battery packs used in vehicles (columns 1-2)
Battery-powered vehicles, including aircraft were conventional in the art. See e.g. previously cited Bender (US 2020/0010209) for evidence of ordinary skill in the art. Simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results has been found to be obvious. See KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398 (2007).
Regarding Claim 16, Kim teaches:
an electrode assembly comprising electrodes with current collectors (¶ 0010)
a casing comprising a laminated film 10 surrounding the electrode comprising an aluminum layer 15, a first polymer layer 12, a second polymer layer 18, and a heat spreading layer 11 comprising carbon (¶ 0028, 0034-0035, 0053, and Fig. 5)
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Kim does not explicitly teach:
a current collector comprising a first conductive layer, second conductive layer, and another heat spreading layer interposed between the conductive layers, wherein the heat spreading layer of the current collector is “connected to” the heat spreading layer of the pouch laminate
a specific “heat sink” as a separate object connected to the heat spreading layer of the pouch laminate
The phrase “is connected to” is interpreted in line with the specification as written to mean “in thermal contact with.” That is, a current collector with an internal heat spreading layer that leads into tabs exiting a pouch cell, as was conventional in the art, provides thermal connection between the internal heat spreading layer of the laminated pouch material and the current collector’s heat spreading layer via thermal contact between the pouch material and the tabs/collectors.
Ke, from the same field of invention, regarding a current collector for a battery, teaches:
an electrode assembly (p. 1) comprising in a stacked manner an anode with collector and active layer, a separator, and a cathode with collector and active layer (Figs. 1-3, p. 2)
wherein the current collector(s) of at least one of the layers comprises at least two conductive layers 2/4 with a heat spreading layer 3 therebetween (Fig. 1, p. 3)
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide a cell assembly using current collectors as taught in Ke with the pouch packaging laminate taught in Kim, with the motivation to improve heat dissipation through the cell. Such a combination, with the conventional tabs that pass through a sealed pouch packaging, as shown in Hermann, would result in thermal connection between the respective heat spreading layers of the collectors and the laminated packaging.
Kim does not discuss the pouch cells or a battery pack in which the pouch cells using the laminate of Kim might be used. Hermann, however, from the same field of invention, regarding a battery pack comprising pouch cells (column 5), teaches providing the pouch cells in a stack with a heat sink 423 in thermal contact with the pouch laminate (column 6 lines 6-23, column 10, Fig. 4B) to control battery cell temperatures.
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It would have been obvious to provide a heat sink in thermal contact with the pouch laminates and tabs of the cells in a battery pack of conventional design, like that shown in Hermann, with the motivation to better distribute and control heat.
Kim and Ke do not explicitly teach:
specifically thermally annealed pyrolytic graphite material
Sayir, however, from the same field of invention, teaches use of pyrolytic graphite to form very thermally conductive carbons for use as heat dissipation materials (abstract), wherein the conductivity can be as high as 300-1850 W/(mK) (¶ 0026). It would have been obvious to use a highly thermally annealed pyrolytic graphite, such as that taught in Sayir, in the layers of Kim and/or Ke, in order to improve heat dissipation.
Regarding Claim 17, Ke teaches:
wherein the heat spreading layer 3 is fully laminated with its neighboring conductive layers 2/4 and therefore “connected around its edges” to them in a gas-tight manner, within the broadest reasonable interpretation of the phrase, since there are no intervening gaps or openings
Regarding Claim 18, Ke teaches:
use of the current collector in conventional cells
Pouch cells commonly welded tabs to current collectors, and laser welding was a conventional in the art. Use of a known technique to improve similar devices, methods, or products in the same way, and applying a known technique to a known device, method, or product ready for improvement to yield predictable results has been found to be obvious. See KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398 (2007).
Moreover, “gas-tight connection” was standard in the art. Pouch cell inflation due to the production of unwanted gases during cycling was a known problem, as were vents built into the cells to prevent explosions. Gas-tight connection was conventional, not only to prevent gas leakage, but to prevent electrolyte leakage from the pouch.
Regarding Claims 19 and 20, Ke teaches:
an anode collector of copper foils and a cathode collector of aluminum (p. 7)
Regarding Claim 21, Ke does not explicitly teach:
an aircraft
Battery-powered vehicles, including aircraft were conventional in the art. See e.g. previously cited Bender (US 2020/0010209) for evidence of ordinary skill in the art. Simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results has been found to be obvious. See KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398 (2007).
Regarding Claim 22, Hermann renders obvious:
a heat conductor 404 (i.e. the cell tab) in the form of a metal strip that is directly in contact with the casing of the pouch cell, and which is configured to transport the heat, at least within the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claims (Figs.)
Regarding Claim 23, Kim teaches:
the casing being a laminated film (Figs., etc.)
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments have been considered but are not persuasive. Sayir does, in fact, teach thermally annealed pyrolytic graphite (TPG®, ¶ 0007, 0027, 0061—compare to the instant specification’s own listing of “TPG” as a commercially available thermally annealed pyrolytic graphite at instant ¶ 0009), and renders it obvious as a substitutable equivalent for the graphites in Kim.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 Michael Dignan, whose telephone number is (571) 272-6425. The examiner can normally be reached from Monday to Friday between 10 AM and 6:30 PM. If any attempt to reach the examiner by telephone is unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tiffany Legette, can be reached at (571)270-7078. Another resource that is available to applicants is the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR). Information regarding the status of an application can be obtained from the (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAX. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, please feel free to contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). Applicants are invited to contact the Office to schedule an in-person interview to discuss and resolve the issues set forth in this Office Action. Although an interview is not required, the Office believes that an interview can be of use to resolve any issues related to a patent application in an efficient and prompt manner.
/MICHAEL L DIGNAN/Examiner, Art Unit 1723
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