DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
Claims 1-5, 8, and 12-16 are currently pending. Claims 6, 7, and 9-11 are cancelled. New claims 14-16 have been added. The previously stated 112, 2nd paragraph rejection of claims 10 and 11 is withdrawn. The amended claims do overcome the previously stated 102 and 103 rejections. However, upon further consideration, claims 1-5, 8, and 12-16 are rejected under the following new 102 and 103 rejections.
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.
Claims 14-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Choi et al (US 2020/0388891).
Regarding claims 14-16, Choi et al discloses a battery module “100” (battery pack) comprising:
a battery cell stack “1” comprising a plurality of battery cells “10” are stacked;
a case “30” (housing) accommodating the battery cell stack; and
a heat transfer member “90” (upper thermal conductive material layer) located between an upper surface of the battery cell stack and an upper part “40” of the case,
wherein each of the plurality of battery cells includes a second sealing portion “2022” (sealing part),
wherein the second sealing portion is arranged to extend from the each of the plurality of battery cells toward the upper part of the case and the second sealing portion seals a part of an outer peripheral surface of each of the plurality of battery cells,
wherein the heat transfer member surrounds an outer surface of the second sealing portion, and
wherein: the length of the second sealing portion in the direction extending toward the upper part of the housing is greater than the length of the second sealing portion in the direction extending along the upper surface of the plurality of battery cells;
wherein: a receiving groove “46” (recessed part) is formed on a lower surface of the upper part “40” of the case,
wherein the receiving groove is recessed toward an upper surface of the upper part “40” of the case from a lower surface of the upper part of the case,
wherein the receiving groove is located to correspond to an upper surface of the second sealing portion;
wherein: the heat transfer member extends up to an inside of the receiving groove;
wherein: a size of the receiving groove is larger than the length of the second sealing portion extending in a direction along the upper surface of the each of the plurality of battery cells ([0040],[0041],[0058],[0059],[0089]-[0092],[0122], and Figs. 3 and 6).
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, 8, and 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al (US 2020/0388891) in view of Chi et al (US 2020/0067038).
Regarding claims 1-5, 8, and 12-13, Choi et al discloses a battery module “100” (battery pack) comprising:
a battery cell stack “1” comprising a plurality of battery cells “10” are stacked;
a case “30” (housing) accommodating the battery cell stack; and
a heat transfer member “90” (upper thermal conductive material layer) located between an upper surface of the battery cell stack and an upper part “40” of the case,
wherein each of the plurality of battery cells includes a second sealing portion “2022” (sealing part),
wherein the second sealing portion is arranged to extend from the each of the plurality of battery cells toward the upper part of the case and the second sealing portion seals a part of an outer peripheral surface of each of the plurality of battery cells,
wherein the heat transfer member surrounds an outer surface of the second sealing portion, and
wherein: the length of the second sealing portion in the direction extending toward the upper part of the housing is greater than the length of the second sealing portion in the direction extending along the upper surface of each of the plurality of battery cells;
wherein: the second sealing portion is folded at least once in a clockwise direction to form a folded surface;
wherein: a thermal adhesive (internal thermal conductive material layer) is located on the folded surface;
wherein: the second sealing portion is folded a plurality of times to form a plurality of folded surfaces, and the plurality of folded surfaces are in contact with each other;
wherein: a receiving groove “46” (penetrating part) is formed on a lower surface of the upper part “40” of the case, the receiving groove is recessed toward an upper surface of the upper part “40” of the case from a lower surface of the upper part of the case, and the receiving groove is located to correspond to an upper surface of the second sealing portion;
wherein: the heat transfer member extends into a penetrating part through an inside of the receiving groove; and
further comprising: a heat transfer member “90” (lower thermal conductive material layer) between the lower surface of the battery cell stack and a lower part “50” of the case ([0040],[0041],[0058],[0059],[0089]-[0092],[0122], and Figs. 3 and 6).
However, Choi et al does not expressly teach a housing comprising a penetrating part, wherein the penetrating part is formed in a section of the upper part of the housing, wherein the penetrating part is located to correspond to an upper surface of the sealing part, and wherein the upper thermal conductive material layer extends into the penetrating part (claim 1); wherein: a length of the penetrating part is greater than the length of the sealing part extending in a direction along the upper surface of the each of the plurality of battery cells (claim 8).
Chi et al discloses a module case “200” (housing) includes a pad penetration hole “250” (penetrating part), the pad penetration hole is formed in a section of the upper part of the module case, and the pad penetration hole is located to correspond to an upper surface of a sealing part “515”; wherein: a heat transfer pad “500” (upper thermal conductive material layer) extends into the pad penetration hole ([0038]-[0046] and Figs. 1-5).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the Choi case to include a penetrating part, the penetrating part is formed in a section of the upper part of the case, and the penetrating part is located to correspond to an upper surface of the sealing part; wherein: the upper thermal conductive material layer extends into the penetrating part; wherein: a length of the penetrating part is greater than the length of the sealing part extending in a direction along the upper surface of the each of the plurality of battery cells in order to shorten the heat transfer path, design the battery module slimmer, and improve energy density and manufacturing efficiency ([0057]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 7/9/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The Applicant argues that “In the embodiment in FIGs 1-3, Chi's purported penetrating part is in a lower part of the module frame. (Chi at [0041] ("At least one pad penetration hole 250, or a plurality of pad penetration holes 250 in this embodiment, may be formed at a bottom portion of the module case 200 so that the other ends 530 of the heat transfer pad 500 may pass through." [emphasis added]) And in the embodiment of FIGs 4-6, the penetrating parts are in the side surfaces of the module case. Id. at [0054] ("A plurality of pad penetration holes 650 may be formed at both side surfaces of the module case 600 so that the other end 930 of each heat transfer pad 900 may pass through." Neither Choi nor Chi disclose, teach, or suggest a battery module having a penetrating part in the upper part of the housing, as now required by claim 1. Further, neither Choi nor Chi disclose, teach, or suggest having a penetrating part that corresponds to the upper part of the sealing part, as now required by claim 1”.
In response, the Office takes the position that the orientation of the Chi penetration hole is not critical to the invention. So, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the teachings of Chi can be applied to any side of the housing including the upper part of the housing as long as the penetrating hole corresponds to a side with the heat sink. Since Choi teaches a cooling device “20” that has the same function of cooling the plurality of battery cells as the Chi heat sink, one of ordinary skill in the art would have modified the Choi case (housing) to include the Chi penetration hole in the upper part of the case (housing) in order to shorten the heat transfer path, design the battery module slimmer, and improve energy density and manufacturing efficiency.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/T.S.C/Examiner, Art Unit 1751
/JONATHAN G LEONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1751 7/29/2026
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