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 .
Response to Amendment
The examiner acknowledges the amendments as filed 05/04/2026. The amendments overcome the 102 rejection as previously set forth in non-final office action mailed 02/05/2026, but amendments have necessitated a new grounds of rejection under 102 and 103, as seen below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by (CN-108400269-A) hereinafter referred to as ‘Liu’
Regarding Claim 21,
Liu teaches a battery pack, comprising a housing and a battery assembly disposed within the housing; wherein the battery assembly comprises a plurality of cells (Liu, “The battery core group 30 includes a first battery core group 301 disposed adjacent to the upper casing 10, and the heat-distributing element 40 is disposed between the first battery core group 301 and the upper casing 10”, see pg. 3) ; along a longitudinal view, the plurality of cells are divided into at least two single-row cell sets, and axes of cells in each single-row cell set are on a same arc of a circular arc; wherein the at least two single-row cell sets comprise an upper single-row cell set and a lower single-row cell set adjacent to the upper single-row cell set, and a cell in the upper single- row cell set and a corresponding cell in the lower single-row cell set are configured to form a cell column; along a transverse direction, a gap between adjacent two the cell columns located in a middle area is larger than a gap between adjacent two the cell columns located in an outer area (see annotated figure below).
PNG
media_image1.png
512
615
media_image1.png
Greyscale
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.
Claims 1-8, 10-17, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (CN-111416077-A) hereinafter referred to as ‘Fukinuki’, in view of (CN-108400269-A) hereinafter referred to as ‘Liu’
Regarding Claim 1,
Fukinuki teaches a battery pack, comprising: a housing; and at least one battery assembly disposed within the housing (Fukinuki, “The invention discloses a battery pack, comprising: a battery cell group, including a plurality of battery cells.”, see Abstract); wherein each battery assembly comprises a plurality of cells and a cell bracket connected to longitudinal ends of the plurality of cells (Fukinuki, bracket, 160, Fig. 5); wherein along a longitudinal view, the plurality of cells are divided into at least two single-row cell sets, and axes of cells in each single-row cell set are on a same arc of a circular arc (Fukinuki, first cell group and second cell group, 120b, Fig. 5); axes of two adjacent cells in one of the at least two single-row cell sets are in a triangular shape with an axis of a corresponding cell in another of the at least two single-row cell sets, the one of the at least two single-row cell sets being adjacent to the another of the at least two single-row cell sets (see annotated Fukinuki figure below).
PNG
media_image2.png
296
449
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Fukinuki is silent on for each adjacent two single-row cell sets of the at least two single-row cell sets, the circular arc on which one of the adjacent two single-row cell sets is located and the circular arc on which the other of the adjacent two single-row cell sets is located have a substantially same curvature.
Liu teaches for each adjacent two single-row cell sets of the at least two single-row cell sets, the circular arc on which one of the adjacent two single-row cell sets is located and the circular arc on which the other of the adjacent two single-row cell sets is located have a substantially same curvature (see annotated figure below).
PNG
media_image3.png
600
665
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Liu teaches that the circular shape is an improvement on the structure to improve heat dissipation (Liu, “As a further improvement of the present invention, the heat deriving element is provided with a groove penetrating through the heat-distributing element along a thickness direction of the battery pack, and the groove has a semi-circular cross section adjacent to each other. The grooves on the two heat-exchanging elements correspond to each other to form a through groove for receiving the battery cells.”, see pg. 1).
Fukinuki and Liu are analogous as they are both of the same field of battery pack.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the arc-shaped battery arrangement of the cells as taught in Fukinuki to have the semi-circular arrangement as taught in Liu in order to improve the heat dissipation.
Regarding Claim 2,
Modified Fukinuki teaches the battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of cells are arranged along a transverse direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction and divided into the at least two single-row cell sets, and at least two single-row cell sets are stacked in a vertical direction perpendicular to the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction (see annotated figure below).
PNG
media_image4.png
296
724
media_image4.png
Greyscale
Regarding Claim 3,
Modified Fukinuki teaches the battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the cell bracket comprises a first bracket disposed on one of the longitudinal ends of the plurality of cells and a second bracket disposed on the other of the longitudinal ends of the plurality of cells, the first bracket and the second bracket being connected to each other to fix the plurality of cells (Fukinuki, first half and second half, 161a and 161b, Fig. 5).
Regarding Claim 4,
Modified Fukinuki teaches the battery pack according to claim 3, wherein the first bracket is arranged with a pin post extending toward the second bracket, and the second bracket is arranged with a mating portion facing the pin post; the pin post is connected to the mating portion such that the first bracket and the second bracket are connected to each other to fix the plurality of cells (Fukinuki, first half and second half, 161a and 161b, Fig. 6).
Regarding Claim 5,
Modified Fukinuki teaches the battery pack according to claim 3, wherein the cell bracket defines a plurality of mounting slots running along a longitudinal direction and through the first bracket and the second bracket, and the longitudinal ends of the plurality of cells are accommodated in the plurality of mounting slots and exposed on outer surfaces of the cell bracket (see annotated figure below).
PNG
media_image5.png
548
600
media_image5.png
Greyscale
Regarding Claim 6,
Modified Fukinuki teaches the battery pack according to claim 5, wherein each battery assembly further comprises a plurality of electrode sheets disposed at both longitudinal ends of the cell bracket; the plurality of electrode sheets are fixedly connected to the outer surfaces of the cell bracket and are affixed to the longitudinal ends of the plurality of cells (Fukinuki, cell connection components, 122, Fig. 6).
Regarding Claim 7,
Modified Fukinuki teaches the battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a first housing and a second housing interlocked, the first housing and the second housing cooperating with each other to define a housing cavity, and the at least one battery assembly is accommodated in the housing cavity (see annotated fig. 1 below).
PNG
media_image6.png
553
888
media_image6.png
Greyscale
Regarding Claim 8,
Modified Fukinuki teaches the battery pack according to claim 7, wherein the number of the at least one battery assembly is at least two, and the at least one battery assembly are disposed in the housing along a longitudinal or transverse direction (Fukinuki, first cell group and second cell group, 120a and 120b, Fig. 5).
Regarding Claim 10,
Modified Fukinuki teaches the battery pack according to claim 7, wherein the second housing is arranged with an upper housing and a lower housing that are vertically opposite to each other (Fukinuki, housing 110, Fig. 9); the upper housing defines an air inlet (Fukinuki, first air inlet, 113a, Fig. 9), the lower housing defines an air outlet (Fukinuki, air outlet, 112, Fig. 9), and the at least one battery assembly is disposed between the air inlet and the air outlet (Fukinuki, battery cells, 121, Fig. 9).
Regarding Claim 11,
Modified Fukinuki teaches the battery pack according to claim 1, wherein in each adjacent two of the at least two single-row cell sets, each cell in an upper single-row cell set is vertically opposite to a corresponding cell in a lower single-row cell set; a line connecting an axis of the cell in the upper single-row cell set and an axis of the corresponding cell in the lower single-row cell set is parallel to a vertical direction (see annotated figure below).
PNG
media_image7.png
278
538
media_image7.png
Greyscale
Regarding Claim 12,
Modified Fukinuki teaches the battery pack according to claim 11, wherein the axis of the cell in the upper single-row cell set and the axis of the corresponding cell in the lower single-row cell set are connected to form a cell column; a gap extending vertically is defined between each adjacent two the cell columns; the gap is connected to the air inlet and the air outlet; the gaps are distributed along a row (Fukinuki, “The advantage of this arrangement is that the phase change material 123 protruding from the outer surface of the cell 121 creates a gap between two adjacent cells 121 , so that more airflow can flow through the cell 121 , so that the cell 121 can be operated more efficiently. of heat dissipation.”, see pg. 4 ), and sizes of the gaps gradually increase from an outer section to a middle section of the row (see annotated figure below).
PNG
media_image8.png
206
356
media_image8.png
Greyscale
Regarding Claim 13,
Modified Fukinuki teaches a battery pack, comprising a housing; and a battery assembly disposed within the housing (Fukinuki, “The invention discloses a battery pack, comprising: a battery cell group, including a plurality of battery cells.”, see Abstract); wherein the housing comprises an upper housing and a lower housing that are vertically arranged (Fukinuki, housing, 110, Fig. 9); the upper housing defines an air inlet (Fukinuki, first air inlet, 113a, Fig. 9), the lower housing defines an air outlet (Fukinuki, air outlet, 112, Fig. 9), and the at battery assembly is disposed between the air inlet and the air outlet (Fukinuki, battery cells, 121, Fig. 9); the battery assembly comprises a plurality of cells and a cell bracket connected to longitudinal ends of the plurality of cells; wherein along a longitudinal view, the plurality of cells are divided into at least two single-row cell sets, and axes of cells in each single-row cell set are on a same arc of a circular arc (Fukinuki, first cell group and second cell group, 120b, Fig. 5); in each adjacent two of the at least two single-row cell sets, each cell in an upper single-row cell set is vertically opposite to a corresponding cell in a lower single-row cell set; a line connecting an axis of the cell in the upper single-row cell set and an axis of the corresponding cell in the lower single-row cell set is parallel to a vertical direction (see annotated figure below).
PNG
media_image7.png
278
538
media_image7.png
Greyscale
Regarding Claim 14,
Modified Fukinuki teaches the battery pack according to claim 13, wherein the axis of the cell in the upper single-row cell set and the axis of the corresponding cell in the lower single-row cell set are connected to form a cell column (see annotated figure below);
PNG
media_image9.png
278
538
media_image9.png
Greyscale
a gap extending vertically is defined between each adjacent two the cell columns; the gap is connected to the air inlet and the air outlet(Fukinuki, “The advantage of this arrangement is that the phase change material 123 protruding from the outer surface of the cell 121 creates a gap between two adjacent cells 121 , so that more airflow can flow through the cell 121 , so that the cell 121 can be operated more efficiently. of heat dissipation.”, see pg. 4 ), ; the gaps are distributed along a row, and sizes of the gaps gradually increase from an outer section to a middle section of the row (see annotated figure below).
PNG
media_image8.png
206
356
media_image8.png
Greyscale
Regarding Claim 15,
Modified Fukinuki teaches the battery pack according to claim 13, wherein the cell bracket comprises a first bracket disposed on one of the longitudinal ends of the plurality of cells and a second bracket disposed on the other of the longitudinal ends of the plurality of cells, the first bracket and the second bracket being connected to each other to fix the plurality of cells (Fukinuki, first half and second half, 161a and 161b, Fig. 5).
Regarding Claim 16,
Modified Fukinuki teaches the battery pack according to claim 15, wherein the cell bracket defines a plurality of mounting slots running along a longitudinal direction and through the first bracket and the second bracket, and the longitudinal ends of the plurality of cells are accommodated in the plurality of mounting slots and exposed on outer surfaces of the cell bracket (see annotated figure below).
PNG
media_image5.png
548
600
media_image5.png
Greyscale
Regarding Claim 17,
Modified Fukinuki teaches he battery pack according to claim 16, wherein each battery assembly further comprises a plurality of electrode sheets disposed at both longitudinal ends of the cell bracket; the plurality of electrode sheets are fixedly connected to the outer surfaces of the cell bracket and are affixed to the longitudinal ends of the plurality of cells (Fukinuki, cell connection components, 122, Fig. 6).
Regarding Claim 20,
Modified Fukinuki teaches the battery pack according to claim 1, wherein for three cells constituting the triangular shape, the three cells are overlapped with each other in the vertical direction (see annotated figure of Liu below).
PNG
media_image10.png
586
620
media_image10.png
Greyscale
Claims 9 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (CN-111416077-A) hereinafter referred to as ‘Fukinuki’ in view of (CN-108400269-A) hereinafter referred to as ‘Liu’ in view of (US-20210273474-A1) hereinafter referred to as ‘Seibert’
Regarding Claim 9,
Fukinuki does not teach the battery pack according to claim 7, further comprising a button disposed on the first housing and a light source disposed within the first housing; wherein the button is made of a light-transmitting material and is disposed adjacent to the light source; light from the light source is emitted from the button out of the first housing.
Seibert teaches a button disposed on the first housing and a light source disposed within the first housing (Seibert, “Such an operating unit may preferably be designed as one or multiple push buttons that are located directly on the charging device”, see [0020]); wherein the button is made of a light-transmitting material and is disposed adjacent to the light source (Seibert, “Such an indicator may be designed, for example, as an LED indicator, as a touch-sensitive or non-touch-sensitive display (LCD, TFT, OLED, E-paper, etc.)”, see [0020]); light from the light source is emitted from the button out of the first housing (Seibert, “The buttons may thus be designed, for example, directly as light-emitting elements, in order to indicate directly to the user which charging mode he/she has selected”, see [0020]).
Seibert teaches that the light would indicate to the user information about the battery device (Seibert, “The buttons may thus be designed, for example, directly as light-emitting elements, in order to indicate directly to the user which charging mode he/she has selected”, see [0020]).
Fukinuki and Seibert and analogous as they are both of the same field of battery devices.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the battery has taught in Fukinuki with the LED button as taught in Seibert in order to convey to the user information which is relevant about the battery system.
Regarding Claim 18,
Fukinuki does not teach the battery pack according to claim 13, further comprising a button disposed on the first housing and a light source disposed within the first housing; wherein the button is made of a light-transmitting material and is disposed adjacent to the light source; light from the light source is emitted from the button out of the first housing.
Seibert teaches a button disposed on the first housing and a light source disposed within the first housing (Seibert, “Such an operating unit may preferably be designed as one or multiple push buttons that are located directly on the charging device”, see [0020]); wherein the button is made of a light-transmitting material and is disposed adjacent to the light source (Seibert, “Such an indicator may be designed, for example, as an LED indicator, as a touch-sensitive or non-touch-sensitive display (LCD, TFT, OLED, E-paper, etc.)”, see [0020]); light from the light source is emitted from the button out of the first housing (Seibert, “The buttons may thus be designed, for example, directly as light-emitting elements, in order to indicate directly to the user which charging mode he/she has selected”, see [0020]).
Seibert teaches that the light would indicate to the user information about the battery device (Seibert, “The buttons may thus be designed, for example, directly as light-emitting elements, in order to indicate directly to the user which charging mode he/she has selected”, see [0020]).
Fukinuki and Seibert and analogous as they are both of the same field of battery devices.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the battery has taught in Fukinuki with the LED button as taught in Seibert in order to convey to the user information which is relevant about the battery system.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 05/4/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
On pg. 7, the applicant argues:
"Circular Arc" Arrangement. The claim requires that "axes of cells in each single-row cell set are on a same arc of a circular arc". This defines a specific geometric configuration for each cell set, where cell centers align precisely along a segment of a true circle's circumference, which Fukinuki fails to disclose.
In one interpretation of Fukinuki (Fig. 5), the upper row of cells forms a "pedestal" shape with a flat base and outwardly inclined ends, which is not a circular arc. In another interpretation, the upper row consists of only two end cells, whose axes define a straight line, not an arc. A straight line is geometrically and structurally distinct from a "circular arc". This feature is neither disclosed nor suggested by Fukinuki…”
However, this is not convincing. The examiner would disagree with the characterization of interpretation I. The Merriam Webster definition of ‘arc’ is defined as ‘something curved or arched.’ Interpretation I would meet this definition of an arc. However, for the sake of the furthering of prosecution, the examiner adds to the record (CN-108400269-A) hereinafter referred to as ‘Liu.’ As pictured in Fig. 3 of Liu, the cell arrangement meets more closely the applicant’s definition of circular arc. The examiner further finds that Liu meets the applicant’s definitions for distinctive feature B,C, and D and the independent claim, as can be seen above. Liu teaches that this arrangement allows for heat displacement. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Fukinuki with Liu.
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 SEAMUS PATRICK MCNULTY whose telephone number is (703)756-1909. The examiner can normally be reached Monday- Friday 8:00am to 5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/S.P.M./Examiner, Art Unit 1752
/OLATUNJI A GODO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752
Prosecution Insights