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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
1. Claims 1, 3, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Okutani et al. (US20160336556).
2. Regarding claims 1, 3, 12, 14 and 16, Okutani teaches battery module (see Figs. below) comprising: a housing; a cell mounting plate mounted to the housing such that the housing and the cell mounting plate mounted thereto form an enclosure; a plurality of battery cells (cylindrical cells [0020]) mounted and adhered to the cell mounting plate within the enclosure; a temperature sensing structure mounted within the enclosure and having one or more branches extending between respective battery cells of the plurality of battery cells; a current collector mounted to the plurality of battery cells, opposite the cell mounting plate; and a cover mounted to the housing such that a venting chamber is formed between the plurality of battery cells and an interior surface of the cover, wherein gas generated by the respective battery cells of the plurality of battery cells is provided to the venting chamber (see Figs. below).
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3. Regarding claims 11 and 19, Okutani teaches comprising: a positive electric conductor mounted to an exterior of the housing and electrically coupled to the current collector (the positive electrode parts of all battery cells 11 included in battery module 10 are connected in parallel through positive electrode current collector 56, and current can be input/output through positive electrode side output terminal 22 p [0043]); and a negative electric conductor mounted to the exterior of the housing and electrically coupled to the current collector (Negative electrode current collector 68 has lead forming part 70, and current collecting part 72 which is formed so as to be bent substantially vertically to lead forming part 70 and to which negative electrode side output terminal 22 n is attached [0049]).
4. Regarding claim 17, Okutani teaches wherein respective battery cells of the plurality of battery cells are cylindrical in shape (Battery module 10 includes cell case 12 for housing a plurality of battery cells 11 (refer to FIG. 2) that is, for example, cylindrical [0020]), and wherein mounting the cell holder to the plurality of battery cells comprises: mounting the cell holder to respective shoulders at respective negative terminals of the plurality of battery cells (holder 28 is interposed between a part other than lead parts 74 of lead forming part 70 in negative electrode current collector 68 and battery cells 11 [0050]).
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 of this title, 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.
5. Claims 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okutani et al. (US20160336556) as applied to claim 1 in view of Capati et al. (US 20190081372).
6. Regarding claims 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 18, the complete discussion of Okutani as applied to claim 1 is incorporated herein. Okutani teaches wherein the cover comprises one or more burst plates configured to rupture when gas pressure level within the venting chamber exceeds a threshold value to vent gas from the battery module (duct 16 can exhaust the exhaust gas ejected from battery cells 11 from exhaust vent 17 provided on the other side in the length direction to the outside [0048]; and the high temperature gas can flow to exhaust vent 17 of duct 16 [0058]). However, they are silent about the limitations of claims 5, 6, 8, 9, and 18.
7. Capati teaches a coldplate mounted to the housing and interfacing with the cell mounting plate (cold plate 130 can include a single cold plate 130 coupled with each of the battery blocks 105 [0024]), wherein the coldplate comprises a plurality of channels formed therein to allow coolant to flow therethrough (For example, the processor of the battery monitoring unit can generate controls signals provide coolant fluid to one or more cooling channels within the cold plate 130 or release coolant fluid from one or more coolant channels within the cold plate 130 [0105]).
8. Capati teaches wherein the coldplate comprises: a first port configured to receive coolant; and a second port for discharging the coolant (The cold plate 130 can provide different levels of cooling or temperature control to different portions of the battery module 100, for example, through one or more cooling zones [0026]).
9. Capati teaches a voltage sensor configured as a frame mounted to the plurality of battery cells. 18. The method of claim 14, further comprising: positioning a voltage sensor configured as a frame within the housing (The battery monitoring unit 140 can include or be coupled with one or more sensors (e.g., voltage sensors… to collect or receive data such as, but not limited to, voltage data,…The sensors can couple with the battery module 100 through a direct connection [0091]) for the benefit of a cold plate can receive control signals from the battery monitoring unit to provide levels of cooling to at least a subset of the plurality of battery blocks of the first battery module [0003].
10. Capati teaches wherein the current collector comprises: a plurality of isolation layers; and one or more current-carrying layers respectively interposed between the plurality of isolation layers (The non-conductive layer 310, the first conductive layer 305, and the second conductive layer 315 can be held or bound together to form a multi-layer composite, sometimes collectively referred as a multi-layered current collector [0055]).
11. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Okutani with Capati’s teachings for the benefit of a cold plate can receive control signals from the battery monitoring unit to provide levels of cooling to at least a subset of the plurality of battery blocks of the first battery module.
12. Claims 2, 7, 13, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okutani et al. (US20160336556) as applied to claim 1 in view of Bobel et al. (US 20230299404 filed 3/15/22).
13. Regarding claims 2, 7, 13, and 15, the complete discussion of Okutani as applied to claim 1 is incorporated herein. However, they are silent about the limitations of claims 2, 7,13 and 15.
14. Regarding claims 7 and 13, a plurality of lobes that accommodate the plurality of battery cells (Each of the wave springs advantageously employs multiple lobes to provide uniform distribution of the compressive force over the inner surface areas of the first and second sheets 51, 52, which provides a uniform distribution of the compressive force over a surface area of the proximal battery cell 10 [0041]), wherein branches of the temperature sensing structure zigzag to accommodate cylindrical shape of respective cells of the plurality of battery cells (Each of the wave springs…provides a uniform distribution of the compressive force over a surface area of the proximal battery cell 10 [0041]).
15. Regarding claims 2 and 15, Bobel teaches filling space between the respective battery cells with a potting material, wherein the potting material decreases radial heat propagation between the respective battery cells (plurality of barrier layers are interposed between…the plurality of battery cells [0007]; Thermal runaway barriers often include thermal insulators because the low thermal conductivity of insulators prevents heat transfer through the barrier [0053])
16. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Okutani with Bobel’s teachings for the benefit of barrier layer being a thermal insulation layer (Bobel, [0009]).
17. Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okutani et al. (US20160336556) as applied to claim 1 in view of Shin et al. (US 20220271387, PCT filed 8/20/20).
18. Regarding claim 4, the complete discussion of Okutani as applied to claim 1 is incorporated herein. However, they are silent about the limitations of claim 4.
19. Shin teaches wherein the cell mounting plate comprises cooling fins formed about a perimeter of the cell mounting plate (the battery module further includes the heat transfer sheet 280 configured to be positioned in close contact with the inner surface of the module housing 220, and the cooling fins 285 having the plate shape, interposed between the at least two battery cells 110, and having the outer peripheral portion bent in one direction to be in close contact with the heat transfer sheet 280 [0109]) for the benefit of effectively transferring heat generated to the module housing 220 when the cell assembly 100 is charged and discharged [0109].
20. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Okutani with Shin’s teachings for the benefit of effectively transferring heat generated to the module housing 220 when the cell assembly 100 is charged and discharged.
Conclusion
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/OLATUNJI A GODO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752
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