DETAILED ACTION
Status of Claims
The amendment filed 01/02/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-20 remain pending.
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, with respect to the rejections of claims 1-20 under 35 USC 102 and 35 USC 103 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 Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn.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 Schönberger et al. (US 2023/0006300).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-5, 18, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Burrows et al. (US 2019/0143836) in view of Schönberger et al. (US 2023/0006300).
Regarding claim 1, Burrows teaches a thermal exchange plate (housing) of a vehicle battery pack comprising:
thermal exchange plates 68 (bottom wall);
a pair of battery pack walls 72 (sidewalls); wherein
the bottom wall comprising a plurality of fluid channels extending an entire length of the bottom wall, each of the plurality of fluid channels ending in a fluid-routing mechanism (curved clear arrow) formed by a manifold 76b (endplate) that fluidly couples a first channel of the plurality of fluid channels to a second channel of the plurality of fluid channels via a coolant channel connection formed at a first end of the wall (Figs. 2 and 5).
Figures 2 and 5 to Burrows is provided below.
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Burrows does not teach bottom wall that includes a connection interface having a first sealing component and a second sealing component, the first sealing component overlapping the second sealing component to form at least one sealing channel, wherein the at least one sealing channel is configured to receive a sealing element.
Schönberger, directed to battery housing for a battery system, teaches a bottom plate forming a base of the house with bottom plate 2A, 2B comprises a first edge 61A, 61B, a second edge 62A, 62B overlapping to form at least one channel and gasket 60B (sealing element) therebetween (Figs. 1 and 2). Figures 1 and 2 to Schönberger provided below.
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have overlapping sealing components to receive a sealing member to ensure a tight connection between two bottom plates (para 0014) and also such that it becomes impermeable to fluids (para 0016).
Regarding claim 2, Burrows teaches wherein a third channel of the plurality of fluid channels is fluidly coupled to the second channel via a second coolant channel connection (Fig. 5). From left to right, the channels can be numbered first through sixth and each turn a coolant channel connection.
Regarding claims 3 and 19, instant claim is regarded as a product by process. Product-by-process claims are not limited to the manipulations of the recited steps, only the structure implied by the steps. “[E]ven though product-by-process claims are limited by and defined by the process, determination of patentability is based on the product itself. The patentability of a product does not depend on its method of production. If the product in the product-by-process claim is the same as or obvious from a product of the prior art, the claim is unpatentable even though the prior product was made by a different process.” In re Thorpe, 777 F.2d 695, 698, 227 USPQ 964, 966 (Fed. Cir. 1985). See MPEP 2113. In this instance, the coolant channel connections are formed from an end of a sidewall and capped with manifold 76b (Fig. 5).
Regarding claims 4 and 5, Burrows teaches where each pair of sidewalls includes mating features (located lower section of wall 272, 272a; Fig. 12) capable of mating the battery housing to another battery module housing.
Regarding claim 18, Burrows discloses a first sidewall 72, a second sidewall 72, and a bottom wall 68 (Fig. 2). Bottom wall 68 can be extruded comprising a plurality of fluid channels (para 0066). Schönberger teaches a bottom plate forming a base of the house with bottom plate 2A, 2B comprises a first edge 61A, 61B, a second edge 62A, 62B overlapping to form at least one channel and gasket 60B (sealing element) therebetween (Figs. 1 and 2).
Claims 1, 2, and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Frohnmayer et al. (US 2016/0211559) in view of Schönberger et al. (US 2023/0006300).
Regarding claim 1, Frohnmayer teaches a battery system comprising:
a bottom wall 122;
a pair of sidewalls 116, 118; wherein
the bottom wall 122 comprising a plurality of fluid channels 322 extending an entire length of the bottom wall, each of the plurality of fluid channels 322 ending in a fluid-routing mechanism formed by an retune plate 350 (endplate) that fluidly couples a first channel of the plurality of fluid channels to a second channel of the plurality of fluid channels via a coolant channel connection formed at a first end of the wall (Figs. 2 and 3).
Figure 3 to Frohnmayer is provided below.
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Frohnmayer does not teach bottom wall that includes a connection interface having a first sealing component and a second sealing component, the first sealing component overlapping the second sealing component to form at least one sealing channel, wherein the at least one sealing channel is configured to receive a sealing element.
Schönberger, directed to battery housing for a battery system, teaches a bottom plate forming a base of the house with bottom plate 2A, 2B comprises a first edge 61A, 61B, a second edge 62A, 62B overlapping to form at least one channel and gasket 60B (sealing element) therebetween (Figs. 1 and 2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have overlapping sealing components to receive a sealing member to ensure a tight connection between two bottom plates (para 0014) and also such that it becomes impermeable to fluids (para 0016).
Regarding claim 2, Frohnmayer teaches wherein a third channel of the plurality of fluid channels is fluidly coupled to the second channel via a second coolant channel connection (Fig. 2). From right to left, the channels can be numbered and each turn a coolant channel connection.
Regarding claim 6, Frohnmayer teaches each wall may be constructed from one or more extruded profiles (para 0051) and discloses an L-shape (Fig. 31).
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Claims 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frohnmayer et al. (US 2016/0211559) in view of Schönberger et al. (US 2023/0006300), as applied as claim 1 above, and in further view of Zacher et al. (DE 10 2017 119 465), machine translation.
Regarding claim 7, Frohnmayer does not further teach an extruded T-shaped sidewall.
Zacher, directed to support device for a battery cell, teaches an extruded L-shaped and T-shaped wall (Fig. 1).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to further include a T-shaped wall which can be used to provide further cooling between modules.
Regarding claim 8, Frohnmayer teaches cooling channels in the bottom wall (Fig. 3). Zacher teaches cooling channels in vertical T-shaped walls (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 9, together, Frohnmayer and Zacher teach both cooling at a bottom plate and sidewalls and Frohnmayer teaches modular wall portion 124 for connection multiple modules (Fig. 13) can result a portion of the L-shaped extruded wall and a portion of the T-shaped extruded wall overlap at an overlapping portion to form the bottom wall, which design is well within one of ordinary skill in order to be able to enclose a cell cavity of the battery module housing.
Regarding claim 10, Frohnmayer (Figs. 13-15) and Schönberger (Figs. 1 and 2) teaches a connection interface.
Regarding claim 11, Schönberger teaches the gasket may seal the connection between two bottom plates, such that it becomes impermeable to fluids (para 0016).
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Burrows et al. (US 2019/0143836) in view of Schönberger et al. (US 2023/0006300), as applied to claims 18 and 19 above, and in further view of Zacher et al. (DE 10 2017 119 465), machine translation.
Regarding claim 20, Burrows does not teach wherein the first sidewall is a vertical portion of an L-shaped extruded part and the second sidewall is a vertical portion of a T-shaped extruded part
Zacher, directed to support device for a battery cell, teaches an extruded L-shaped and T-shaped wall (Fig. 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to further include a T-shaped wall which can be used to provide further cooling between modules.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12-17 are allowable.
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.
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/CARLOS BARCENA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1723