DETAILED ACTION
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 statements submitted on October 31, 2014, May 9, 2025, July 23, 2025 and November 6, 2025 have been considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1-5, 7 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2017/0346322, hereinafter Kuran in view of U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2017/0244225, hereinafter Chen.
Regarding claim 1, Kuran teaches an energy storage system (100) (paragraph [0024] and figures 1A and 1B). In one embodiment, the energy storage system (100) comprises a trailer bed (113, “skid”) and a plurality of energy storage modules (103, “battery assemblies”) coupled to the trailer bed (113, “skid”) (paragraphs [0026, 0030]). In an alternative embodiment, the energy storage system (100) comprises a pad (301, “skid”) and a plurality of energy storage modules (303, “battery assemblies”) coupled to the pad (301, “skid”) (paragraph [0039]).
Each energy storage module (103/303, “battery assembly”) includes one or more batteries (104) (paragraph [0030]).
The energy storage modules (103/303, “battery assemblies”) are electrically connected together to supply and receive energy to/from the outside (paragraphs [0045, 0046] and figure 4A).
The energy storage system (100) comprises an enclosure (101). The enclosure (101) is coupled to the trailer bed (113, “skid”)/pad (301, “skid”) and encloses the energy storage modules (103, “battery assemblies”) (paragraphs [0024, 0025]).
The energy storage system (100) comprises a plurality of power electronics secured within a cabinet (106) (paragraphs [0032, 0033]).
The energy storage system (100) comprises an HVAC system (112, “thermal management system”) (paragraph [0032] and figure 1A).
Kuran fails to teach a transformer and to explicitly teach a bus bar assembly and a power electronics rack.
Transformers are well-known components of energy storage systems of the type taught by Kuran. See, e.g. Chen who teaches a comparable energy storage system including a transformer (paragraphs [0024, 0039, 0045] and figures 1A and 1B).
It is also well-known in the art that racks of energy storage modules are interconnected by a bus bar for the purpose of transmitting energy – see, e.g. Chen (paragraphs [0040] and figure 1B).
It is further well-known to store power electronics on racks in energy storage systems of the type taught by Kuran – see, e.g. Chen (paragraph [0045]).
Therefore it would have been obvious to the ordinarily skilled artist before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a transformer in Kuran’s system for the purpose of being able to modulate the voltage at the interface with an external electrical system, to include a bus bar for the purpose of electrically interconnecting the battery modules and to store the power electronics on a rack for easy access to the individual components.
Regarding claim 2, Kuran teaches that the trailer bed (113, “skid”) is part of (“integrated into”) a trailer.
Regarding claim 3, Kuran teaches that the enclosure (101) is removable from the trailer bed (113, “skid”) (paragraph [0026]).
Regarding claim 4, Kuran teaches that the enclosure (101) comprises an access door (107/308, “battery access panel”) (paragraph [0025]). The access door (107/308, “battery access panel”) provides access to the energy storage modules (103/303, “battery assemblies”) – therefore, it is “aligned with” them.
Regarding claim 5, Kuran teaches that the enclosure (101) comprises an interior access door (107/308) (paragraph [0025]).
Regarding claim 7, Kuran teaches that each energy storage module (103, “battery assembly”) comprises a cell monitoring and control unit (405, “battery management system”) (paragraphs [0042, 0043] and figure 4A).
Regarding claim 8, Kuran as modified by Chen teaches that the bus bar assembly is positioned near the top of the interior of the enclosure (101) or is integrated with the top of the interior of the enclosure (101) (Chen’s paragraph [0044] and figure1B).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2017/0346322, hereinafter Kuran in view of U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2017/0244225, hereinafter Chen as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of U.S. Pre-Grant Publication 2021/0329819, hereinafter Xu.
Regarding claim 6, Kuran teaches an energy storage system (100) comprising an enclosure (101) enclosing a plurality of battery elements and power electronics.
Kuran fails to teach that the enclosure (101) comprises one or more louvres.
The use of louvres for allowing cooling air into an enclosure is well-known in the art. See, e.g. Xu who teaches a power storage system (2) comprising an enclosure (3) enclosing a plurality of battery elements and power electronics (abstract, paragraphs [0022, 0023]). Xu teaches louvres (52) located on the enclosure (3) for the purpose of introducing cooling air into the enclosure (3) (paragraphs [0029] and figure 2).
Therefore it would have been obvious to the ordinarily skilled artist before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide louvres on Kuran’s enclosure (101) for the purpose of permitting outside air to enter the enclosure (101).
Claims 9 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2017/0346322, hereinafter Kuran in view of U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2017/0244225, hereinafter Chen as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2021/0136946, hereinafter Welser and U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2020/0220135, hereinafter Pedersen.
Regarding claim 9, Kuran teaches that the interior of the enclosure (101) may be cooled by circulating refrigerant (paragraph [0034]).
Kuran does not explicitly teach a chiller, hydronic pump and a coolant circuit coupled to the hydronic pump and chiller.
Welser teaches an energy storage system comprising a plurality of battery blocks and power electronics (paragraphs [0011, 0020, 0022]). The energy storage system is cooled by a coolant circuit which circulates water as coolant. The coolant circuit is coupled to a circulating pump and a heat exchanger (paragraphs [0022-0024, 0029, 0089]). It is further well-known to use a chiller as the heat exchanger in such an arrangement – see, e.g. Pedersen (paragraph [0073]).
Therefore it would have been obvious to the ordinarily skilled artist before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement a water coolant circuit coupled to a circulating hydronic pump and a chiller for the purpose of cooling the energy storage modules in Kuran’s energy storage system.
Regarding claim 12, Kuran as modified by Welser teaches forming a separate coolant circuit for cooling the power electronics rack (Welser’s paragraphs [0022, 0023, 0089, 0099, 0100]).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2017/0346322, hereinafter Kuran in view of U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2017/0244225, hereinafter Chen, U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2021/0136946, hereinafter Welser and U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2020/0220135, hereinafter Pedersen as applied to claim 9 above and further in view of U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2024/0387941, hereinafter Gao.
Regarding claim 10, Kuran as modified by Welser teaches a coolant circuit and a pad (301, “skid”).
Kuran as modified by Welser fails to teach that the coolant circuit is positioned in the skid.
Gao teaches a similar energy storage system comprising a liquid coolant system (2, 11, 12), a plurality of battery module stacks (3) and a power electronics unit (4) (paragraph [0040] and figure 1). A support structure supports the liquid coolant system (2, 11, 12), the plurality of battery module stacks (3) and the power electronics unit (4) (paragraphs [0043, 0048-0050, 0053, 0055]). The liquid coolant system (2, 11, 12) includes a liquid coolant circuit, in which the liquid coolant circulates between a central liquid coolant unit (2) and the battery module stacks (3) to draw heat away from the battery modules (paragraphs [0041, 0042, 0044]). Channels (11 and 12) of the liquid coolant circuit are pre-manufactured inside the support structure (paragraph [0042]).
Therefore it would have been obvious to the ordinarily skilled artist before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to locate a portion of the coolant circuit inside the pad (301, “skid”) for the purpose of forming an integrated assembly as taught by Gao.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2017/0346322, hereinafter Kuran in view of U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2017/0244225, hereinafter Chen, U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2021/0136946, hereinafter Welser and U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2020/0220135, hereinafter Pedersen as applied to claim 9 above and further in view of U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2020/0006826, hereinafter Einoegg.
Regarding claim 11, Kuran as modified by Welser teaches that the battery elements are connected to the coolant circuit via coolant line connections (Welser’s paragraph [0089]).
Kuran as modified by Welser fails to teach that the coolant line connections are flexible.
It is well-known in the art that flexible coolant line connections simplify assembly, because they allow for more tolerance between elements – see, e.g. (Einoegg’s paragraph [0007]).
Therefore it would have been obvious to the ordinarily skilled artist before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement flexible coolant line connections for the purpose of simplifying assembly of the energy storage system.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LILIA V NEDIALKOVA whose telephone number is (571)270-1538. The examiner can normally be reached 8.30 - 5.00 PM.
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LILIA V. NEDIALKOVA
Examiner
Art Unit 1724
/MIRIAM STAGG/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1724