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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 06/05/2026 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings received on 06/25/2026 were reviewed and are acceptable.
Status of Claims
The Applicant’s amendment and arguments, filed 06/25/2026, has been entered. Claim 11 is amended; claims 12 and 14-20 stand as originally or previously presented; and claims 1-10 and 13 are canceled. Support for the amendments is found in the original filing, and there is no new matter.
Upon considered said amendments and arguments, the 35 U.S.C.102(a)(1) rejection set forth in Office Action mailed 04/07/2026 has been withdrawn. Amended and new grounds of rejections under 35 U.S.C. 103 citing to newly cited art and the originally cited art are set forth below as necessitated by the claim amendments.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 11-12 and 14-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yin et al. (US 20120326665 A1, hereinafter Yin), in view of Tarlau et al. (US 20170092999 A1, hereinafter Tarlau).
Regarding Claim 11, Yin discloses the limitations regarding a cooling device for an electrical energy store for cooling energy storage cells of the electrical energy store (Yin, a cooling system is provided around the battery box or within the battery box, to ensure timely dissipation of heat generated by batteries within the battery box during operation, [0025]), the cooling device comprising:
gravity heat pipes (Yin, the cooling system may also be a gravity heat-pipe comprising an evaporation part, a condensation part, an ascending conduit and a descending conduit, [0025]) with a working medium for taking up waste heat from the energy storage cells (Yin, a low boiling point medium is filled within the rack conduits, [0025]); and
a frame with walls forming receptacles for the energy storage cells, wherein the gravity heat pipes are integrated in the walls (Yin, the evaporation part is in close contact with the batteries, or in contact with the batteries via a good conductor, or provided around the batteries, and the battery box body of the battery box is a frame structure, [0025, 0150]).
Yin discloses that tubes extending in a vertical direction along a direction of gravity (Yin, the position of the condensation part should be higher than the evaporation part during operation as of the fact that the gravity type heat pipe used in the cooling system uses the gravity of the low boiling point medium as the driving force of the circulation, [0130]).
Yin is silent regarding the walls have tubular cavities, which are filled with the working medium to form the gravity heat pipes.
Tarlau discloses a cooling device (Tarlau, cooling system for a battery cell, [0006]), wherein the walls (Tarlau, the walls of the battery cells 10 are sealed against the support surface 8 to form, along with walls 38, 38′, an enclosed space 22 with the wall 16 of the cooling channel 14, [0028], Figure 3) comprise tubular cavities (Tarlau, the holes or channels 40 extend from the wall 16 of the cooling channel through the wicking material 26, to aid in the transfer of vapor to the cooling channel to aid in condensation, [0035], Figure 4), which are filled with the working medium to form the gravity heat pipes (Tarlau, the enclosed space 22 is filled with a wicking material associated with a cooling liquid, [0029], Figure 4).
Tarlau teaches that as heat passes through the base of the battery cell, the cooling liquid associated with the wicking material evaporates, removing heat from the battery cell (Tarlau, [0029]).
Tarlau and Yin are analogous to the current invention as they are all directed towards a cooling system for a battery.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the gravity heat pipe cooling system of Yin, with the support surface of Tarlau to form an enclosed space, such that the gravity heat pipes of Yin are integrated into the walls, in order to improve heat removal from the battery cell.
Regarding Claim 12, modified Yin discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified Yin discloses the limitations regarding a cooling device (Yin, a cooling system is provided around the battery box or within the battery box, to ensure timely dissipation of heat generated by batteries within the battery box during operation, [0025]) wherein the frame is configured to take up forces caused by an accident (Yin, in order to prevent the accidental damages by external impacts, elastic cushion pad layers are provided on the standard battery unit, [0016])
Regarding Claim 14, modified Yin discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified Yin discloses the limitations regarding a cooling device (Yin, a cooling system is provided around the battery box or within the battery box, to ensure timely dissipation of heat generated by batteries within the battery box during operation, [0025]) wherein the cooling device comprises a heat sink, on which evaporated working medium transporting the exhaust heat condenses to discharge the exhaust heat (Yin, after the evaporation part absorbs the heat dissipated due to the operation of the batteries, the low boiling point medium in the rack conduits of the evaporation part is heated and converted into its gas state, and subsequently flows into the condensation part through the ascending conduit. After the heat is dissipated to the external air by the condensation part, the low boiling point medium is converted back to the liquid state, and flows back to the evaporation part through the descending conduit 31 to start a next thermal cycle, [0126]).
Regarding Claim 15, modified Yin discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified Yin discloses the limitations regarding a cooling device (Yin, a cooling system is provided around the battery box or within the battery box, to ensure timely dissipation of heat generated by batteries within the battery box during operation, [0025]) wherein the heat sink comprises a housing part of a store housing of the electrical energy store (Yin, the heat dissipation part may also be in contact with the heat dissipation enclosure of the electric vehicle, and the said enclosure may be a part of the vehicle body enclosure or a part of the battery box enclosure for heat dissipation, [0123]).
Regarding Claim 16, modified Yin discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified Yin discloses the limitations regarding a cooling device (Yin, a cooling system is provided around the battery box or within the battery box, to ensure timely dissipation of heat generated by batteries within the battery box during operation, [0025]) wherein the frame comprises die cast aluminum (Yin, the battery box body of the battery box is a frame structure formed by connecting lightweight aluminum sections together, [0150]).
Regarding Claim 17, modified Yin discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified Yin discloses the limitations regarding an electrical energy store (Yin, power supply device, Abstract) comprising:
at least one cell assembly comprising energy storage cells (Yin, three battery chambers for accommodating a plurality of standard battery units are provided in the battery box body, [0150]);
the cooling device (Yin, a cooling system is provided around the battery box or within the battery box, to ensure timely dissipation of heat generated by batteries within the battery box during operation, [0025]), wherein the energy storage cells are disposed in the receptacles in the frame (Yin, the evaporation part is in close contact with the batteries, or in contact with the batteries via a good conductor, or provided around the batteries, and the battery box body of the battery box is a frame structure, [0025, 0150]) and
a store housing, in which the at least one cell assembly is disposed (Yin, rechargeable battery pack formed by assembling the battery box and the standard battery units, [0128]).
Regarding Claim 18, modified Yin discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified Yin discloses the limitations regarding an electrical energy store (Yin, power supply device, Abstract) wherein the electrical energy store comprises:
a support (Yin, a plurality of anode contact rails and/or cathode contact rails, the rails may be connected with each other via fixed serial and/or parallel circuits, [0017]); and
a cell contact-connection system configured to interconnect the energy storage cells, wherein the cell contact-connection system and the frame are integrated in the support (Yin, electrode contact rails in direct contact with the electrodes of the standard battery units are provided on the sides of the battery loading direction within the battery chamber. The electrode contact rails comprise an anode contact rail and a cathode contact rail, [0150]).
Regarding Claim 19, modified Yin discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified Yin discloses the limitations regarding a motor vehicle (Yin, electric vehicle, Abstract) comprising:
the electrical energy store (Yin, power supply device and rechargeable battery pack on an electric vehicle, Abstract)
Regarding Claim 20, modified Yin discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified Yin discloses the limitations regarding a motor vehicle (Yin, electric vehicle, Abstract) wherein the frame is connected to a bodywork of the motor vehicle with formation of a support structure (Yin, the rechargeable battery pack formed by assembling the battery box and the standard battery units is disposed on the electric car at the position G along the direction as shown, powering the car via the connections between the output ports and the circuits of the driving device of the car, [0128], Figure 22).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Page 7, filed 06/25/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 11-20 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Yin et al. (US 20120326665 A1, hereinafter Yin), in view of Tarlau et al. (US 20170092999 A1, hereinafter Tarlau), as noted above.
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 KEVIN NGUYEN whose telephone number is (703)756-1745. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 9:50 - 7:50 ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, NICHOLAS A SMITH can be reached at (571) 272-8760. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/K.N./Examiner, Art Unit 1752
/OSEI K AMPONSAH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752
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