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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Claims 1-16 in the reply filed on 8/12/2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the grounds that “The methods steps are inherently tied to the structure of the battery assembly and its cooling system” “There is no serious search or examination burden”. This is not found persuasive because the claims as written are broad and are limited to a method of cooling a vehicle with a first and second cooling port. This broad claim could encompass claims besides the claimed invention I, due to the fact that various invention have that number of cooling ports and operate with coolant in such a manner and are not identical or limited to the instant application. This broad claim does create a search burden. As to find claim 17, additionally searching must be done for all devices which reverse coolant and have a given number of ports.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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.
(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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4, 8-9, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by (US-20180290558-A1) hereinafter referred to as ‘Myers’
Regarding Claim 1,
Myers teaches a battery assembly including a housing (Myers, battery, 130, Fig. 4) having a first coolant port (Myers, outlet port, 142, Fig. 4) and a second coolant port (Myers, inlet port, 140, Fig. 4) and a battery cooling system comprising: a valve assembly fluidically connected to one of the first coolant port and the second coolant port (Myers, valve, 220, Fig. 8); a pump fluidically connected to the valve assembly and the battery assembly (Myers, pump, 244, Fig. 9); and a coolant controller operatively connected to the pump and the valve assembly (Myers, Controller, 256, Fig. 9), the coolant controller being operable to control the valve assembly to pass a flow of coolant into the one of the first coolant port and the second coolant port for a first time period and to pass the flow of coolant into the other of the first coolant port and the second coolant port for a second time period (Myers, “If the temperature is less than the first threshold temperature, control passes to operation 276 and the controller instructs the valve 220 to actuate to the heating position. In the heating position, the valve 220 is actuated so that the hot air inlet 222 is in fluid communication with the valve outlet 228 and the cold air inlet 224 is in fluid communication with the vent 226”, see [0057]).
Regarding Claim 2,
Myers teaches the battery cooling system according to claim 1, wherein the valve assembly includes a first valve fluidically connected to the first coolant port and the pump (Myers, cold air outlet, 390, Fig. 14) and a second valve fluidically connected to the second coolant port and the pump (Myers, hot air outlet, 388, Fig. 14) (Myers, “The element 376 is in fluid communication with a coolant loop”, see [0065]).
Regarding Claim 3,
Myers teaches the first valve comprises a first spool valve including a first port, a second port, a third port, a fourth port, and a fifth port (Myers, spool valve, 170, Fig. 7A) (see annotated figure below).
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Regarding Claim 4,
Myers teaches the battery cooling system according to claim 3, wherein the first port is selectively fluidically connected to the second port in a first configuration of the first spool valve and the first port is fluidically connected to the third port and the fourth port is fluidically connected to the fifth port in a second configuration of the first spool valve (Myers, spool valve, 170, Fig. 7A) (Myers, “the spool 182 is positioned so that the first land 176 closes the hot air vent 192 and the hot air outlet 190 is open. A first fluid channel 198 is defined between the first and second lands 176, 178 to route the hot airstream from the hot air inlet 186 to the hot air outlet 190. The cold air outlet 194 is closed by the third land 180 and the cold air vent 196 is open. A second fluid channel 200 is defined between the third land 180 and an end of the bore 174 to route the cold airstream from the cold air inlet 188 to the vent 196.”, see [0045]).
Regarding Claim 8,
Myers teaches the battery cooling system according to claim 1, further comprising a heat exchanger fluidically connected to the pump (Myer, heat exchanger, 306, Fig. 12).
Regarding Claim 9,
Myers teaches a vehicle comprising: a body (Myers, vehicle, 20, Fig. 2) ; an electric motor supported relative to the body; a battery assembly operatively connected to the electric motor (Myers, “The transmission 26 may be a power-split configuration. The transmission 26 may house the motor 22”, see [0024]) the battery assembly including a housing (Myers, battery, 130, Fig. 4) having a first coolant port (Myers, outlet port, 142, Fig. 4) and a second coolant port (Myers, inlet port, 140, Fig. 4); and a battery cooling system fluidically connected to the first coolant port and the second coolant port , the battery cooling system comprising: a valve assembly fluidically connected to one of the first coolant port and the second coolant port (Myers, valve, 220, Fig. 8); a pump fluidically connected to the valve assembly and the battery assembly (Myers, pump, 244, Fig. 9); and a coolant controller operatively connected to the pump and the valve assembly (Myers, controller, 256, Fig. 9), the coolant controller being operable to control the valve assembly to pass a flow of coolant into the one of the first coolant port and the second coolant port for a first time period and to pass the flow of coolant into the other of the first coolant port and the second coolant port for a second time period (Myers, “If the temperature is less than the first threshold temperature, control passes to operation 276 and the controller instructs the valve 220 to actuate to the heating position. In the heating position, the valve 220 is actuated so that the hot air inlet 222 is in fluid communication with the valve outlet 228 and the cold air inlet 224 is in fluid communication with the vent 226”, see [0057]).
Regarding Claim 16,
Myers teaches the battery cooling system according to claim 9, further comprising a heat exchanger fluidically connected to the pump (Myer, heat exchanger, 306, Fig. 12).
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 5,6,7, 10-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (US-20180290558-A1) hereinafter referred to as ‘Myers’ in view of (US-20040137313-A1) hereinafter referred to as ‘Jaura’ (see IDS filed 12/27/2023)
Regarding Claim 5,
Myers teaches the battery cooling system according to claim 3, wherein a spool valve including a first port member, a second port member, and a third port member (Myers, spool valve, 170, Fig. 7A).
Myers does not teach a second valve.
Jaura teaches a second valve (Jaura, second control valve, 52, Fig. 3)
Jaura teaches that a second valve allows for flow reversal which in turn allows for the battery to remain cooler (Jaura, “if the period between successive flow reversals is optimized, the differential temperature between any two successive cells in the battery stack may be minimized to a very great extent”, see [0006]).
Myers and Jaura are analogous as they are both of the same field of cooling systems for batteries.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the cooling path as taught in Myers with as second spool or directional valve in order to allow for the flow reversal of the coolant path and therefore temperatures differences to be minimized in the cell.
Regarding Claim 6,
Modified Myers teaches the battery cooling system according to claim 5, wherein the first port member is fluidically connected to the second port member in a first configuration of the second spool valve and the second port member is fluidically connected to the third port member in a second configuration of the second spool valve (Myers, spool valve, 170, Fig. 7A) (Myers, “the spool 182 is positioned so that the first land 176 closes the hot air vent 192 and the hot air outlet 190 is open. A first fluid channel 198 is defined between the first and second lands 176, 178 to route the hot airstream from the hot air inlet 186 to the hot air outlet 190. The cold air outlet 194 is closed by the third land 180 and the cold air vent 196 is open. A second fluid channel 200 is defined between the third land 180 and an end of the bore 174 to route the cold airstream from the cold air inlet 188 to the vent 196.”, see [0045]).
Regarding Claim 7,
Modified Myers teaches the battery cooling system according to claim 6, further comprising a valve controller and a temperature sensor, the valve controller being operable to switch the first spool valve and the second spool valve between the first configuration and the second configuration based on a temperature sensed by the temperature sensor (Myers, “The controller 98 controls operation of the valve 70 to provide the hot or cold airstreams to the component 50 depending upon the temperature of the component. The component 50 may include one or more temperature sensors 88”, see [0033]).
Regarding Claim 10,
Modified Myers teaches the vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the valve assembly includes a first valve fluidically connected to the first coolant port and the pump (Myers, hot air outlet, 388, Fig. 14) (Myers, “The element 376 is in fluid communication with a coolant loop”, see [0065]).
Myers does not teach a second valve.
Jaura teaches a second valve (Jaura, second control valve, 52, Fig. 3)
Jaura teaches that a second valve allows for flow reversal which in turn allows for the battery to remain cooler (Jaura, “if the period between successive flow reversals is optimized, the differential temperature between any two successive cells in the battery stack may be minimized to a very great extent”, see [0006]).
Myers and Jaura are analogous as they are both of the same field of cooling systems for batteries.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the cooling path as taught in Myers with as second spool or directional valve in order to allow for the flow reversal of the coolant path and therefore temperatures differences to be minimized in the cell.
Regarding Claim 11,
Modified Myers teaches the vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the first valve comprises a first spool valve including a first port, a second port, a third port, a fourth port, and a fifth port. (Myers, spool valve, 170, Fig. 7A) (see annotated figure below).
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Regarding Claim 12,
Modified Myers teaches the vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the first port is selectively fluidically connected to the second port in a first configuration of the first spool valve and the first port is fluidically connected to the third port and the fourth port is fluidically connected to the fifth port in a second configuration of the first spool valve (Myers, “the spool 182 is positioned so that the first land 176 closes the hot air vent 192 and the hot air outlet 190 is open. A first fluid channel 198 is defined between the first and second lands 176, 178 to route the hot airstream from the hot air inlet 186 to the hot air outlet 190. The cold air outlet 194 is closed by the third land 180 and the cold air vent 196 is open. A second fluid channel 200 is defined between the third land 180 and an end of the bore 174 to route the cold airstream from the cold air inlet 188 to the vent 196.”, see [0045]).
Regarding Claim 13,
Modified Myers teaches the vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the second valve comprises a second spool valve including a first port member, a second port member, and a third port member (Myers, spool valve, 170, Fig. 7A).
Regarding Claim 14,
Modified Myers teaches the vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the first port member is fluidically connected to the second port member in a first configuration of the second spool valve and the second port member is fluidically connected to the third port member in a second configuration of the second spool valve (Myers, “the spool 182 is positioned so that the first land 176 closes the hot air vent 192 and the hot air outlet 190 is open. A first fluid channel 198 is defined between the first and second lands 176, 178 to route the hot airstream from the hot air inlet 186 to the hot air outlet 190. The cold air outlet 194 is closed by the third land 180 and the cold air vent 196 is open. A second fluid channel 200 is defined between the third land 180 and an end of the bore 174 to route the cold airstream from the cold air inlet 188 to the vent 196.”, see [0045]).
Regarding Claim 15,
Modified Myers teaches the vehicle according to claim 14, further comprising a valve controller and a temperature sensor, the valve controller being operable to switch the first spool valve and the second spool valve between the first configuration and the second configuration based on a temperature sensed by the temperature sensor (Myers, “The controller 98 controls operation of the valve 70 to provide the hot or cold airstreams to the component 50 depending upon the temperature of the component. The component 50 may include one or more temperature sensors 88”, see [0033]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEAMUS PATRICK MCNULTY whose telephone number is (703)756-1909. The examiner can normally be reached Monday- Friday 8:00am to 5pm.
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/S.P.M./Examiner, Art Unit 1752
/NICHOLAS A SMITH/Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752