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 .
Examiner’s Comments
The examiner has cited particular columns and line numbers, paragraphs, or figures in the references as applied to the claims for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant, in preparing the responses, to fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed 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, 4-6, 18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang et al. (US 2019/0214694) in view of Brenner et al. (US 2019/0013502).
Regarding claim 1, Yang discloses a battery module (200) comprising a housing (210), wherein the housing defines an accommodation cavity, the housing comprises a first housing (210A) and a second housing (210B), the first housing is fixed to the second housing, and the first housing and the second housing together form the accommodation cavity, a cell assembly, disposed in the accommodation cavity, wherein the cell assembly comprises a plurality of battery cells (100), each battery cell comprises a packaging shell (120) and an electrode (111) disposed on the outer side of the packaging shell, and the electrode comprises a first and second electrode terminal (111A, 111B), the first electrode terminal and the second electrode terminal are respectively disposed at a top end and bottom end of the packaging shell, wherein the first housing comprises a first top wall and a plurality of first sidewalls connected to the first top wall, and the first top wall comprises a first through-hole (212A, 230), and a plurality of first busbars (250) are disposed on the first top wall, wherein the plurality of the first busbars are directly connected to the first electrode terminals through the first through-hole, wherein the second housing comprises a first bottom wall and a plurality of second sidewalls connected to the first bottom wall, the first bottom wall is disposed opposite to the first top wall, and the first bottom wall comprises a second through-hole (212B, H1), the battery module comprises a plurality of second busbars (250) disposed on the first bottom wall, and the plurality for second busbars are directly connected to the second electrode terminal s through the second through-hole (all Figs). Yang fails to explicitly disclose a circuit board with the specific configuration as claimed.
Brenner discloses a battery module comprising a first and second housing configured to accommodate a plurality of cells and circuit board (56) (Fig. 3). The circuit board is positioned along a sidewall of the accommodation cavity and being perpendicular to both the first housing and the second housing (Fig. 3). Moreover, Brenner discloses that the configuration of the circuit board (56) is perpendicular to that of a busbar (50).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Yang’s battery module to include a circuit board with the configuration as claimed, since Brenner discloses that it is known in the battery art that this specific arrangement would allow to electrically couple connected components of the battery module [0053] and with reasonable expectation of success. There is no evidence demonstrating the criticality of the positioning of the circuit board and that that specific placement as claimed or any other placement would not have modified the operation of the device.
Brenner further discloses that the bus bar can be any suitable bus bar (series and/or parallel connection) [0052]. Thus, in light of Yang’s packaging shell that includes the first and second electrode terminals and Brenner’s circuit board that can be use with any suitable bus bar connection, Yang in view of Brenner discloses a circuit board is electrically connected to the first electrode terminals, each at the top end of the corresponding packaging shell, and to the second electrode terminals, each at the bottom end of the corresponding packaging shell.
Regarding claim 4, Yang discloses the first top wall of the first housing comprises a plurality of first busways, one of the first busways communicates with at least two first through-holes, one of the first busbars is disposed in one of the first busways, and as viewed along a first direction, at least one electrode of the battery cell is located in one of the first through-holes, (all Figs, specifically Fig. 8 and 10 for busways: grooves present to accommodate busbars).
Regarding claim 5, Yang discloses the first bottom wall of the second housing comprises a plurality of second busways, one of the second busways communicates with at least two second through-holes, one of the second busbars is disposed in one of the second busways, and as viewed along a direction opposite to a first direction, at least one electrode of the battery cell is located in one of the second through-holes, (all Figs, specifically Fig. 8 and 10 for busways: grooves present to accommodate busbars).
Regarding claim 6, Yang discloses that the first housing comprises a first accommodation trough and the second housing comprises a second accommodation trough, and the first accommodation trough and the second accommodation trough jointly form the accommodation cavity (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 18, Yang discloses a resin layer as claimed [0089].
Regarding claim 20, Yang discloses an electrical device [0003].
Claims 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang et al. (US 2019/0214694) in view of Brenner et al. (US 2019/0013502) and further in view of CN 211350778.
Regarding claims 6-7, Yang discloses busbars as set forth above, however, fails to explicitly disclose a plurality of first and second accommodation troughs and the first and second troughs as presently claimed.
CN ‘778 discloses a battery module comprising a housing, wherein the housing comprises a plurality of bus bar, bus ways, first and second accommodation troughs, and first and second troughs as presently claimed ([0011] and [0034], all Figs).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Yang’s housing to include bus ways, accommodation troughs, and first and second troughs as presently claimed, as suggested by CN ‘778, in order to fully secure the bus bars and the housing body [0034].
Claims 8-17 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang et al. (US 2019/0214694) in view of Brenner et al. (US 2019/0013502), and further in view of CN 108666462.
Regarding claims 8-9, Yang discloses a busbar as set forth above, however, fails to explicitly disclose that it comprises of a first position hole, a first position rod, and a guide block as presently claimed.
CN ‘462 discloses a battery module comprising a busbar comprising a position hole and a position rod extends from the top wall of the housing away from the battery cell, and the position rod is plugged into the position hole (claim 7, all Fig., [0015-0037]). CN ‘462 further discloses a guide block as claimed. The examiner is taking the position that any slope structural feature would read upon “guide block”.
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 structural features of the bus bar to include the features as claimed, since CN ‘462 discloses that this would reliability connected to the cover [0037].
Regarding claims 10-16, Yang in view of Brenner discloses a circuit board. Brenner discloses that the electrical components can comprise of other additional components [0053], however, fails to explicitly disclose sampling wire and conductive strips as presently claimed.
CN ‘462 discloses the features ([0013-0014], [0105], all Figs), wherein reference 304 corresponds to the claimed wire and reference 305 corresponds to the claimed conductive strips. In addition, CN ‘462 discloses that the wire comprises a plug [0106].
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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 battery module to include a sampling wire and conductive strips with the features as claimed, since CN ‘462 discloses that this would improve the electrical connections [0008] and that this structure is a convenient and reliable in voltage collection [0105]. In addition, given that Yang discloses the placement of the busbars as claimed and that CN ‘462 discloses that the sampling wire is in the same location that of the bus bar, Yang in view of CN ‘462 would disclose the placement of the sampling wires/assembly as claimed, thereby the sampling wires would be present on respective top and bottom walls of different housings.
Regarding claim 17, CN ‘462 discloses first fixing slot, first opening, second fixing slot, and second opening as claimed (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 19, Yang fails to disclose a first and second baffle as presently claimed. CN ‘462 discloses a baffle (40) as claimed.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Yang’s battery module to includes baffles as claimed, since CN ‘462 discloses that this would avoid or reduce the impact of the shell structure of the battery pack performance and increase the stability of the power battery module [0040].
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1 and 4-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LINDA N CHAU whose telephone number is (571)270-5835. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM EST M-F.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mark Ruthkosky can be reached at (571)272-1291. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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Linda Chau
/L.N.C/ Examiner, Art Unit 1785
/Holly Rickman/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1785
Prosecution Insights