DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Drawings
2. Figure 6 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. 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.
4. The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(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.
5. Claim(s) 1-3, 6, 8, and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chu et al. (EP3890057A) as cited in IDS dated 12/6/24 with citations from equivalent (US 2021/0328281A1).
Regarding claim 1, Chu discloses a thermal runaway transfer prevention system applied to at least one battery module (claims 1-10), configured to discharge heat and gas to an outside of a battery case during thermal runaway([0061], [0064], [0068]), the thermal runaway transfer prevention system comprising: a first vent portion having one surface in which a first communication hole configured to communicate with an inside of the battery module is formed(weakened zone 211, Fig. 6, [0062]-[0064]); a second vent portion having one surface in which a second communication hole configured to communicate with the outside of the battery case is formed(sealing member 6 sealing the communication port, Figs. 1 and 2, [0071]-[0072]); and a vent channel portion configured to connect the first vent portion and the second vent portion to each other (exhaust channel 2 with gas channel 21 and connecting channel 22, Figs. 1-6, [0064]-[0069]).
Regarding claim 2, Chu discloses the vent channel portion includes a vent housing having a channel formed therein and having one end and another end at which the first vent portion and the second vent portion are provided, respectively (see weakened zone 211 provided on gas channel 21 as one end in Fig. 6 and communication port sealed by sealing member 6 provided on connecting channel 22 as another end in Figs. 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 3, Chu discloses the vent housing includes two or more sub channels separated from each other(see left and right gas channels 21 in Figs. 1-3), and wherein one end of each of the sub channels are configured to communicate with each other by sharing one second vent portion (see communication port sealed by sealing member 6 in Figs. 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 6, Chu discloses the vent housing includes two or more sub channels separated from each other(see upper and lower gas channels 21 in Figs. 4 and 5) , and
wherein two or more second vent portions are included and correspond one-to-one with and are configured to communicate with one end of respective sub channels([0071]-[0072], [0075]).
Regarding claim 8, Chu discloses the second vent portion includes a rupture disc that is configured to rupture when a pressure difference between an inside of the vent channel portion and the outside of the battery case is greater than a predetermined value to introduce or discharge air(second one-way valve 5, Figs. 1-3, [0022], [0075]-[0077]).
Regarding claim 9, Chu discloses a first pressure and a second pressure are equal to each other, the first pressure being a minimum pressure difference at which the first vent portion is ruptured, and the second pressure being a minimum pressure difference at which the second vent portion is ruptured([0072]-[0077]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
6. 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.
7. Claim(s) 4 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chu et al. (EP3890057A) as cited in IDS dated 12/6/24 with citations from equivalent ( US 2021/0328281A1) as applied to claims 1-3 above.
Regarding claim 4, Chu discloses the sub channels extend in one direction of the battery case (left to right direction of box 1 including upper box 12 and lower box 13 in Fig. 1),
wherein the sub channels are configured to communicate with two or more battery modules through respective first vent portions(see left and right battery modules in Figs. 1 and 2), but does not explicitly disclose wherein the sub channels are configured to communicate in a line with multiple battery modules positioned at the same point and having different phases in one direction.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have the sub channels are configured to communicate in a line with multiple battery modules positioned at the same point and having different phases in one direction in order to prevent the transfer of the thermal runaway, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art (MPEP 2144.04 VI).
Regarding claim 5, Chu discloses the vent housing further includes a module connection channel having one end configured to communicate with the sub channel and another end configured to communicate with the battery module(first one way valve 4 in Figs. 1-3), and
wherein the first vent portion is disposed at the module connection channel(Figs. 1-3 and 6).
8. Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chu et al. (EP3890057A) as cited in IDS dated 12/6/24 with citations from equivalent (US 2021/0328281A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Villanueva et al. (US 2022/0402622).
Regarding claim 7, Chu discloses the weakened zone 211 may be a through hole, a structure with low strength, or a material with a lower melting point, or a structure formed by covering the through hole with a material with a low melting point([0063]). Chu discloses the configuration of the weakened zone 211 is not specifically limited as long as the high-temperature and high-pressure gas generated in the battery cell 3 can pass through the weakened zone 211 when thermal runaway occurs([0063]) but does not explicitly disclose the first vent portion includes a porous rupture disc that is configured to rupture when an internal and external pressure difference of the battery module is greater than a predetermined value to introduce or discharge air.
Villanueva teaches as illustrated in FIG. 8, the venting system can include one or more vents 804 that fluidly connect one or more battery cells in a battery pack 704 with the ambient environment([0084]). Villanueva teaches the burst membranes 112 function to selectively connect one or more battery cells to an aircraft exterior in response to a thermal event and can include: a rupture disk ([0086], Fig. 8). Villanueva teaches each burst membrane 112 can be associated with one or more of: a battery pack, a battery module, a spar, a rib (e.g., spanned by the battery pack), a closeout, a wing, a vent path, a vent([0086]). Villanueva teaches the burst membranes 112 can engage and/or release under any suitable pressure and/or temperature conditions and in a specific example, the burst membranes 112 are configured to vent in excess of a pressure threshold (e.g., burst pressure) and/or temperature threshold, wherein the burst pressure is selected to activate in response to a thermal event, but not under normal aircraft operating conditions([0088]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the thermal runaway transfer prevention system of Chu with the first vent portion includes a porous rupture disc that is configured to rupture when an internal and external pressure difference of the battery module is greater than a predetermined value to introduce or discharge air as taught by Villanueva in order to connect one or more battery cells to an exterior in response to a thermal event.
9. Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chu et al. (EP3890057A) as cited in IDS dated 12/6/24 with citations from equivalent (US 2021/0328281A1) as applied to claims 1 and 8 above.
Regarding claim 10, Chu discloses the second vent portion further includes a pressure relief device that is configured to open when a pressure difference between the inside of the vent channel portion and the outside of the battery case is greater than a predetermined value to introduce or discharge air(pressure relief valve 9, Fig. 1, [0077]), but does not explicitly disclose
wherein the pressure relief device and the rupture disc are disposed on the same surface.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the thermal runaway transfer prevention system of Chu with the pressure relief device and the rupture disc are disposed on the same surface in order to expedite gas discharge, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. MPEP 2144.04.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VICTORIA HOM LYNCH whose telephone number is (571)272-0489. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM EST M-F.
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/VICTORIA H LYNCH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1724