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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on December 31, 2025 has been considered by the examiner.
Status
Claims 1-3 are amended. Claims 4-6 are pending. Claims 7-8 have been withdrawn. The rejection of claim 1 has been modified as required by amendment.
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.
Claims 1-2 and 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2013/0308679, hereinafter Choi, and further in view of U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2023/0108219, hereinafter Jang.
Regarding claim 1, Choi teaches a battery pack (Fig 9, battery pack 800) with a plurality of laminate cells (Fig 9, battery modules 700 have cells 10 Fig. 3). Each laminate cell (700) has an electrode body (electrode assembly [0068]) that is housed inside an exterior body (Fig 1, sheathing member 14) made of a laminate film (‘sheathing member 14’ [0068]) and has tab leads (Fig 1, electrode leads 11 and 12) that protrude from one side and the other side of the exterior body ([0068]) (Fig 3, battery cell stack 200). The plurality of the tab leads protruding from the one side and the other sides of the exterior body (Fig 1, [0068]) are each arranged with a gap in a stacking direction of the laminate cells (Fig 3, ‘battery cell stack 200 includes four series-connected unit modules 208 which are stacked in a lateral direction with each unit module oriented upright’ [0071]). The battery pack (Fig 9, battery pack 800) comprises: a plurality of structural bodies disposed in gaps between the tab leads which are arranged adjacent to each other (Fig 1, ‘film type sealing member 16 is interposed between the electrode leads 11 and 12’ [0068]) and (Fig 3, extensions of lower case 400 that divide the cells); a connection member (Fig 3, bus bar 202) provided in a structural body of the plurality of structural bodies for electrically connecting the tab leads located on both sides of the structural body to each other (‘bus bars 202 for connecting electrode terminals of battery cells 220 to external input and output terminals 402 of the lower case 400’ [0071]); and a pressing portion (Fig 3, upper case 300 and lower case 400) configured to press the tab leads (Fig 1, electrode leads 11 and 12) and the connection member (Fig 3, bus bar 202) in a stacking direction thereof. The plurality of structural bodies includes a first electric device and a second electric device (voltage measuring members 110 and 120).
However, Choi fails to teach a refrigerant channel that functions as a cooling member and is disposed on both sides of the structural body.
Jang teaches a battery module (Fig 4, 100) that has laminate battery cells (Fig 4, 110) connected to a sensing assembly (Fig 6, 420) through the use of a terminal bus bar (Fig 6, 411). The sensing assembly contains a module connector (Fig 6, 421) and a connection cable (Fig 6, 422). The sensing assembly, and the battery pack as a whole, is kept cool by using a heat sink (Fig 4, 300) and a pack refrigerant pipe assembly (Fig 2 and 15, 600).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to the ordinarily skilled artist before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have refrigerant channels disposed throughout the battery pack because ‘capacity and space utilization may be increased by intensively arranging a cooling structure and other components together with a battery module’ [0028].
Regarding claim 2, Choi and Jang teach the battery pack (Fig 9. 800) according to claim 1. Additionally, Choi teaches the battery pack (Fig 9, battery pack 800) according to claim 1, wherein the pressing portion (Fig 3, upper case 300 and lower case 400) is each of end plates (Fig 3, end walls of upper and lower cases 300 and 400) positioned on both sides of the arranged tab leads (Fig 1, electrode leads 11 and 12) in an arrangement direction and pressing
the plurality of tab leads (Fig 1, electrode leads 11 and 12) and the structural bodies (Fig 1, ‘film
type sealing member 16 is interposed between the electrode leads 11 and 12’ [0068]) and (Fig 3, extensions of lower case 400 that divide the cells) in the stacking direction, and the laminate
cells (Fig 8, battery modules 700) are modularized by the end plates (Fig. 9).
Regarding claim 4, Choi and Jang teach the battery pack (Fig 9, 800) according to claim 1. Additionally, Choi teaches the battery pack (Fig 9, battery pack 800) according to claim I, wherein at least one of the plurality of structural bodies (Fig 1, ‘film type sealing member 16 is interposed between the electrode leads 11 and 12’ [0068]) and (Fig 3, extensions of lower case 400 that divide the cells) is provided with an electric device (Fig 3, voltage measuring members 110 and 120).
Regarding claim 5, Choi and Jang teach the battery pack (Fig 9, 800) according to claim 1. Additionally, Choi teaches the battery pack (Fig 9, battery pack 800) according to claim 1, wherein the laminate film (Fig 1, sheathing member 14) includes an inner resin film, a metal film, and an outer resin film (‘sheathing member 14 has a laminate structure of a resin layer, a metal foil layer, and a resin layer’ [0068]), at least, one of the plurality of structural bodies (Fig 1, ‘film type sealing member 16 is interposed between the electrode leads 11 and 12’ [0068]) and (Fig 3, extensions of lower case 400 that divide the cells) is provided with an electric device (voltage measuring members 110 and 120), and the electric device (voltage measuring members 110 and 120) is electrically connected to the metal film (‘voltage measuring members 110 and 120 are provided at the respective lower ends thereof with connection terminals 114 and 124 that are electrically connected to electrode terminal connection parts 204 and 206’ [0072]).
Regarding claim 6, Choi and Jang teach the battery pack (Fig 9, 800) according to claim 1. Additionally, Choi teaches the battery pack (Fig 9, battery pack 800) according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of structural bodies (Fig 1, ‘film type sealing member 16 is interposed between the electrode leads 11 and 12’ [0068]) and (Fig 3, extensions of lower case 400 that divide the cells) is provided with a refrigerant channel (Fig 2, slit 304, ‘upper case has slits for coolant circulation at the top’ [0043]).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi and Jang as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of U.S Pre-Grant Publication No. 2023/0040116, hereinafter Ushijima.
Regarding claim 3, Choi and Jang teach the battery pack (Choi, Fig 9, battery pack 800), the structural body (Choi, Fig 1, ‘film type sealing member 16 is interposed between the electrode leads 11 and 12’ [0068]) and (Choi, Fig 3, extensions of lower case 400 that divide the cells), and the end plate (Choi, end walls of upper and lower cases 300 and 400). The structural bodies include a first and second electric device (Choi, voltage measuring members 110 and 120) and a refrigerant channel (Jang, Fig 4, 300) and (Jang, Fig 2 and 15, 600) disposed therein between.
However, Choi and Jang fail to teach a spacer disposed between the structural body and the end plate.
Ushijima teaches an energy storage unit (Fig 3, 200) consisting of laminated energy storage devices (Fig 3 and 4, 210). These energy storage devices (Fig 3 and 4, 210) have tab leads (Fig 4, 210b) with structural bodies (Fig 5, 210c) in the gaps between the tab leads (Fig 4, 210b). The energy storage devices (Fig 3 and 4, 210) and the tab leads (Fig 4, 210b) are pressed in a stacking direction by end plates (Fig 3 and 4, 230). There are numerous spacers (Fig 4, 221, 222, 223) throughout the energy storage unit (Fig 3, 200), specifically spacer 222 is located between the structural bodies (Fig 5, 210c) and the end plates (Fig 3 and 4, 230).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to the ordinarily skilled artist before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to place a spacer between the end plates and structural body to ‘electrically insulate the energy storage devices 210 from other members’ [0044].
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed April 7, 2026, with respect to 35USC112(b) have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 35USC112(b) rejection of claims 7-8 has been withdrawn.
Applicant's arguments filed April 7, 2026 have been fully considered. The 35USC102 rejection has been withdrawn and therefore arguments pertaining thereto are considered moot due to the amendment. The 35USC103 rejections remain similar and applicant’s arguments are not persuasive. Applicant fails to point out specific deficiencies within claims 3, 7, and 8. Applicant's arguments fail to comply with 37 CFR 1.111(b) because they amount to a general allegation that the claims define a patentable invention without specifically pointing out how the language of the claims patentably distinguishes them from the references. The rejection is maintained for the reasons set forth above.
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.
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/M.K.H./Examiner, Art Unit 1724
/MIRIAM STAGG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1724
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