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
The Applicant’s arguments and claim amendments received on December 8, 2025 have been entered into the file. Currently, claims 1, 3-4, and 9-10 are amended; and claims 5-6 are cancelled; resulting in claims 1-4 and 7-10 pending for examination.
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.
Claims 1-4 and 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hee, et al. (KR 10-2020-0040127 A) in view of He, et al. (CN 214254533 U).
Regarding claim 1, Hee teaches a secondary battery cooling device for cooling a secondary battery which may comprise a battery module including multiple battery cells (¶ [0069], Ln. 1-5). Hee teaches that the secondary battery cooling device (200) is installed adjacent to the secondary battery (¶ [0018], Ln. 1-4) and as shown in Figure 1, may be disposed above or below the secondary battery (100). The secondary battery cooling device (200) includes an inlet pipe (211), outlet pipe (212), first cooling pipe (213), second cooling pipe (214), first connecting pipe (215), and second connecting pipe (216) (¶ [0026], Ln. 5-8; Fig. 4-5). Further, the secondary battery cooling device (200) includes a first valve (217) and second valve (218), which determine the circulation direction of a cooling medium (refrigerant) (¶ [0027], Ln. 1-2; Fig. 4 and 6). The secondary battery cooling device (200) includes a first inlet and outlet portion, where the first cooling pipe (213) overlaps the secondary battery (100), and a second inlet and outlet portion, where the second cooling pipe (214) overlaps the secondary battery (100), as labelled in annotated Figure 1 below.
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The first valve (217; inflow-side three-way valve) includes an inlet for the cooling medium and first and second outlet through which the cooling medium flows out. As shown in Figures 5 and 7, the cooling medium flows into the first valve (217) through the inlet pipe (211) and can flow out to the first cooling pipe (213; Fig. 5) or the first connecting pipe (215; Fig. 7). The second valve (218; outflow-side three-way valve) includes an outlet for the cooling medium and first and second inlet through which the cooling medium flows in. As shown in Figures 5 and 7, the cooling medium can flow into the second valve (218) through the second cooling pipe (214; Fig. 5) or the second connecting pipe (216; Fig. 7), and flows out to the outlet pipe (212).
The configurations of the first valve (217) and second valve (218) result in a first supply flow path connecting the first outlet of the first valve (217) to the first inlet and outlet portion (Fig. 4 and 5), a second supply flow path connecting the second outlet of the first valve (217) to the second inlet and outlet portion (Fig. 6 and 7), a first discharge path connecting the first inlet of the second valve (218) to the second inlet and outlet portion (Fig. 4 and 5), and a second discharge path connecting the second inlet of the second valve (218) to the first inlet and outlet portion (Fig. 6 and 7).
Hee further teaches that the secondary battery cooling device includes a first inlet and outlet flow path connected to the first inlet and outlet portion (shown in the annotated figure above). In this case, the first inlet and outlet flow path is the flow path where the cooling medium enters or exits the first region A. The secondary battery cooling device also includes a second inlet and outlet flow path connected to the second inlet and outlet portion (shown in the annotated figure above). In this case, the second inlet and outlet flow path is the flow path where the cooling medium enters or exits the first region B (Fig. 1). Hee also teaches that the flow path of the cooling medium weaves up and down, as shown in Figure 1, creating first flow paths and second flow paths away from and toward the first inlet and outlet portion and second inlet and outlet portion to cool the multiple battery cells.
Hee does not expressly teach that a plurality of first flow paths are branched from the first inlet and outlet flow path and a plurality of second flow paths are branched from the second inlet and outlet flow path.
He teaches a cooling device for a battery pack including an inlet module (1) and outlet module (2) (¶ [0047], Ln. 1-4; Fig. 3). The inlet module includes an inlet channel (11) and a plurality of first branch modules (12), one of which is connected to the inlet channel (¶ [0048], Ln. 1-3; Fig. 4). Each first branch module includes a plurality of first branch channels (1211), and adjacent first branch modules are connected through a first converging channel (¶ [0048], Ln. 4-6). He teaches that by including multiple first branch channels, the flow resistance of the refrigerant can be reduced, the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant can be uniformly distributed, and the cooling uniformity of the battery pack by the inlet module can be guaranteed as much as possible (¶ [0049], Ln. 10-13). Additionally, the outlet module includes an outlet channel (21) and a plurality of second branch modules (22) (¶ [0050], Ln. 1-2; Fig. 5). Each second branch module includes a plurality of second branch channels (221), and adjacent second branch modules are connected through a second converging channel (¶ [0050], Ln. 6-8). Similar to the first branch channels, He teaches that by including multiple second branch channels, the flow resistance of the refrigerant can be reduced, the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant can be uniformly distributed, and the cooling uniformity of the battery pack by the outlet module can be guaranteed as much as possible (¶ [0052], Ln. 7-10).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the first inlet and outlet flow path and the second inlet and outlet flow path of Hee to include branched flow paths that are connected through a first converging channel and second converging channel, based on the teachings of He. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the teaching of branched flow paths could be applied to the flow path of Hee that weaves up and down, such that the plurality of first flow paths are branched from the first inlet and outlet flow path and the plurality of second flow paths are branched from the second inlet and outlet flow path. One would be motivated to include this branched structure in order to reduce the flow resistance of the refrigerant and guarantee cooling uniformity of the battery cells by both the first inlet and outlet flow path and the second inlet and outlet flow path.
Regarding claim 2, Hee in view of He teaches all of the limitations of claim 1 above. Hee further teaches that the secondary battery cooling device further includes a control unit that controls the operation of the first valve and the second valve (¶ [0012], Ln. 1-2). According to the output of the first control signal, the first valve (217) can block the communication between the inlet pipe (211) and the first connecting pipe (215), such that the inlet and first outlet (213) of the first valve are caused to communicate with each other, and the second valve (218) can block the communication between the outlet pipe (212) and the second connecting pipe (216), such that the first inlet (214) of the second valve and the outlet are caused to communicate with each other (¶ [0013], Ln. 1-3; Fig. 5).
According to the output of the second control signal, the first valve (217) can block the communication between the inlet pipe (211) and the first cooling pipe (213), such that the inlet and second outlet (215) of the first valve are caused to communicate with each other, and the second valve (218) can block the communication between the outlet pipe (212) and the second cooling pipe (214), such that the second inlet (216) of the second valve and the outlet are caused to communicate with each other (¶ [0014], Ln. 1-3; Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 3, Hee in view of He teaches all of the limitations of claim 1 above. Further, Figure 2 of He shows the battery pack (200) comprising multiple battery cells arranged in a row. The combination of references does not expressly teach that the battery cells are divided and disposed in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows, and therefore also does not expressly teach that the plurality of first flow paths and second flow paths cool the battery groups in each row.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to dispose the battery cells of Hee in columns and rows. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that columns and rows is a very common configuration of battery cells in the art and would be motivated to dispose the cells in columns and rows in order to easily electrically connect the cells as well as pack the cells in an efficient configuration to utilize space within the battery casing. In including columns and rows of battery cells in the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the rows of battery cells would stretch from left to right, and the first and second flow paths would span across the rows of battery cells, cooling the battery cells in each row and then discharging the cooling medium to the second inlet and outlet flow path.
Regarding claim 4, Hee in view of He teaches all of the limitations of claim 1 above. Further, Figure 2 of He shows the battery pack (200) comprising multiple battery cells arranged in a row. The combination of references does not expressly teach that the battery cells are divided and disposed in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows, and therefore also does not expressly teach that the plurality of first flow paths and second flow paths extend obliquely across the battery groups in a plurality of columns to cool the battery groups in a plurality of columns.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to dispose the battery cells of Hee in columns and rows. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that columns and rows is a very common configuration of battery cells in the art and would be motivated to dispose the cells in columns and rows in order to easily electrically connect the cells as well as pack the cells in an efficient configuration to utilize space within the battery casing. In including columns and rows of battery cells in the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the rows of battery cells would extend from left to right and columns would extend from the top to bottom. The first and second flow paths would be in an up-and-down configuration across the rows of battery cells, cooling the battery cells and then discharging the cooling medium to the second inlet and outlet flow path.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the flow path of Hee in view of He so that the first and second branched flow paths extend obliquely, which would cross the columns of battery groups. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the purpose of the back and forth configuration of the flow path is to ensure that the cooling medium crosses the plurality of battery cells, effectively cooling the plurality of cells. Configuring the first and second paths to extend straight up and down or extend obliquely over the plurality of battery cells achieves the same function of cooling the plurality of battery cells. One of ordinary skill in the art would find the change in shape obvious absent persuasive evidence that the particular configuration is significant (MPEP 2144.04 (IV)(B)).
Regarding claims 7-8 and 10, Hee in view of He teaches all of the limitations of claim 1 above. Hee further teaches that the secondary battery cooling device is configured to change the circulation direction of the cooling medium (¶ [0001], Ln. 1-6). Based on Figure 1, the secondary battery cooling device is interpreted as disposed above the battery (100). The combination of references does not expressly teach that the secondary battery cooling device includes a flow path disposed above the battery cells and below the battery cells.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the secondary battery cooling device of Hee to include a second cooling path below the battery cells. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that, as the purpose of the secondary battery cooling device is to effectively cool the battery cells, an additional secondary battery cooling device on the other side of the battery would further cool the battery cells. The mere duplication of parts has no patentable significance unless a new and unexpected result is produced (MPEP 2144.04 (VI)(B)). In including an additional secondary battery cooling device below the battery, both the upper and lower secondary battery cooling device would be configured to change the circulation direction of the cooling medium (switch a flow direction of the refrigerant). Additionally, in including an additional secondary battery cooling device below the battery, the lower secondary battery cooling device would be expected to have the same flow path configuration as the upper secondary battery cooling device, such that the lower secondary battery cooling device would include a flow path wherein a third supply flow path is configured to connect the first outlet of the first valve to a third inlet and outlet portion, a fourth supply flow path is configured to connect the second outlet of the first valve to a fourth inlet and outlet portion, a third discharge path is configured to connect the first inlet of the second valve to the fourth inlet and outlet portion, and a fourth discharge path is configured to connect the second inlet of the second valve to the third inlet and outlet portion.
Regarding claim 9, Hee in view of He teaches all of the limitations of claim 7 above. The combination of references does not expressly teach that the first cooling path above the battery cells and second cooling path below the battery cells are configured such that the cooling medium flows in one direction in the upper cooling path and the opposite direction in the lower cooling path.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the secondary battery cooling device of Hee such that the cooling medium in the upper and lower cooling paths flow in opposite directions. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the devices are configured to change the circulation direction of the cooling medium and recognize that having the flow of the upper and lower cooling paths being opposite would provide the most effective cooling to the battery cells, as the coolant is expected to heat up as it travels through the cooling path.
Response to Arguments
Response-Claim Rejections – 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103
In light of Applicant’s amendment to claim 1 to include elements of dependent claim 3 and to include that the plurality of first and second flow paths are branched from the first and second inlet and outlet flow paths, the previous rejections of claims 1-2 under 35 U.S.C. 102 and of claims 3-10 under 35 U.S.C. 103 over Hee, et al. (KR 10-2020-0040127 A) are overcome, however, upon further consideration, the reference is applicable under 35 U.S.C. 103 and used in combination with He, et al. (CN 214254533 U) in the rejections above. Any arguments with respect to the reference that are still deemed valid will be addressed herein.
The Applicant argues, see pages 10-12 of the remarks filed December 8, 2025, that Hee teaches a single flow path, rather than the claimed branched flow paths. While Hee teaches that the flow path of the cooling medium weaves up and down, as shown in Figure 1, creating first flow paths and second flow paths away from and toward the first inlet and outlet portion and second inlet and outlet portion, it is acknowledged that Hee does not expressly teach that the first flow paths are branched from the first inlet and outlet flow path and second flow paths are branched from the second inlet and outlet flow path. Thus, in the office action above, the teachings of He are used to address this limitation.
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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/SARAH J JACOBSON/Examiner, Art Unit 1785
/MARK RUTHKOSKY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1785