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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 7/10/23, 9/18/24 and 12/27/24 have been considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 7 recites “an end plate disposed between the frame member and each of the side surface portions of the pack frame”, which is indefinite. It is unclear how a single end plate is disposed between the frame member and “each of the side surface portions of the pack frame”.
Claim 8 recites the limitation "each end plate" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 7 recites “an end plate”, which is a singular limitation.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "each end plate" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 7 recites “an end plate”, which is a singular limitation.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-11 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kobayashi et al., WO 2016/076308 A1.
Kobayashi teaches a storage battery unit and a power storage device in which deformation of a battery module due to movement of a battery module in a housing is suppressed while a housing and a battery assembly are fixed with a simple structure (page 1; bottom). See at least Figures 3-4.
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The storage battery assembly 30 comprises battery modules 20 and a housing 50. The number of battery modules 20 included in the battery assembly 30 is not particularly limited and may be arbitrary according to the capacity and voltage required for the storage battery unit 10. As an example, the battery assembly 30 has eight battery modules 20 connected in series (page 2; middle). A through hole 26 through which a rod member (connection portion) is passed for fixing a plurality of battery modules 20 penetrates in the thickness direction of the accommodating case 21 of the battery modules 20 (see Figure 2). The number and position of the through holes 26 are not particularly limited. However, in order to prevent the relative rotation between the battery modules 20, it is preferable that the number of the through holes 26 is plural, and in order to prevent damage of the electrochemical cell by the rod member. The through holes 26 are preferable positioned at a peripheral edge portion of the accommodating case 21 (upper portion and lower portion, as shown in the Figures of Kobayashi). The rod members are fixed to opposite side surface portions (side plate 31; side plate 32) of the housing 50, as illustrated by at least Figure 4.
The side plates 31, 32 and the middle plate 33 have a role of pressing the battery module 20 in its thickness direction and a function of fixing the battery module 20 to the first stay 45 and the second stay 46. The side plates 31, 32 and the middle plate 33 have extended portions 31a, 32a, 33a extending from two opposite sides. On the distal end sides of the extending portions 31a, 32a, 33a, there is formed a fixing portion in which a hole for passing a fixing screw is formed, in which the side plates 31, 32 and the middle plate 33 are arranged in the first stay 45, and the second stay 46 (page 4; middle). The first stay 45 and second stay 46 are located at a bottom surface of the housing 50. The rod members are inserted into the through holes 31b, 32b, 33b of the respective plates 31-33 and the through holes 26 of the battery module 20, whereby the positions of the plurality of battery modules 20 are fixed (page 4; middle). The battery modules 20 move along the rod members in a longitudinal direction at least when the rod members are inserted through the through holes 26 of the battery module 20.
Kobayashi does not explicitly teach “a first sub-battery module and a pair of second sub-battery modules”. However, at least claim 1 does not require the first sub-battery module and the pair of second sub-battery modules to be structurally different modules. One of skill in the art would have found the claimed invention obvious at the time of filing of the invention because Kobayashi teaches battery modules 20 wherein a first battery module 20 would have been considered the “first sub-battery module” and second/third battery modules 20 would have been considered the “pair of second sub-battery modules”. See at least the Figure of Kobayashi.
Regarding claims 2-3 and 5-9, the first stay 45 and the second stay 46 wraps at least a part of outer side surfaces of the battery modules 20. In addition, extended portion 33a wraps at least a part of outer side surfaces of the battery modules 20 (see at least Figures 1, 3 and 5). The plates (two side plates and a middle plate) have through holes that allow the plates to move along the rod members in a longitudinal direction when the rod members are inserted. The stays and the plates are considered “frame members”.
Regarding claim 10, at least Figure 4 shows the rod members 34 are bolted to the side surface portions 31/32 of the battery housing. Furthermore, on the distal end sides of the extending portions 31a, 32a, 33a, there is formed a fixing portion in which a hole for passing a fixing screw is formed, in which the side plates 31, 32 and the middle plate 33 are arranged in the first stay 45, and the second stay 46 (bottom surface).
Regarding claim 11, battery modules 20 have a storage case 21 in which one or more electrochemical cells (cell stack) are housed (page 2; middle).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 12-15 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 4, the claim is directed toward a battery pack as recited by claims 1-3 wherein frame member is glass fiber reinforced plastic or carbon fiber reinforced plastic. Kobayashi teaches resin and metal materials. One of skill would not have found a glass fiber reinforced plastic or a carbon fiber reinforced plastic, as recited by claim 4, obvious in view of a teaching of resin/metal materials.
Regarding claims 12-15, the claims are directed toward a battery pack as recited by claims 1 and 11 wherein the battery pack further comprises:
the first sub-battery module includes a pair of first module frames respectively mounted to an upper portion and a lower portion of the first battery cell stack, and
the second sub-battery module includes a pair of second module frames respectively mounted to an upper portion and a lower portion of the second battery cell stack.
Kobayashi does not teach the battery assembly structure recited by claim 12 wherein a first battery module 20 includes a pair of first module frames respectively mounted to an upper portion and a lower portion of the first battery cell stack and a pair of second/third battery modules 20 include a pair of second module frames respectively mounted to an upper portion and a lower portion of the second battery cell stack.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRACY DOVE whose telephone number is (571)272-1285. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-3:00.
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/TRACY M DOVE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725