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
This is a final Office Action in response to Applicant’s remarks and amendments filed on 07/06/2026. Claims 1, 4, 6, 9, 10, and 11 are amended. Claims 2 and 3 are cancelled. Claim 7 is withdrawn. Claims 1, 4-6, and 8-14 are pending in the current Office Action.
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/06/2026 has been fully considered.
The claim objects set forth in the previous Office Action are withdrawn.
The 35 U.S.C. 112(b) rejections set forth in the previous Office Action are withdrawn.
The 35 U.S.C. 102 rejections set forth in the previous Office Action are withdrawn.
The 35 U.S.C. 103 rejections set forth in the previous Office Action are maintained, with the rejection of claim 1 rewritten to address the amendments.
Response to Arguments
Applicants arguments filed 07/06/2026 with respect to Applicant’s assertion that both Hirsch and Person fail to disclose or suggest an opening with a size which is increased in dependence on a cell swelling mechanism of the at least one battery cell as defined in amended claim 1 (see Applicant’s remarks pg. 8-9) have been fully considered but are moot as the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection in view of Hirsch of claim 1, and the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection in view of Person of claim 1 have been withdrawn.
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, 4-6, and 8-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Person et al. (US 20210175557 A1) in view of Jo et al. (US20240128584A1).
Regarding claim 1, Person discloses a cooling system (i.e. cooling structures fluidically communicate via coolant path and coolant reservoir, [0014]-[0015]) for one or more battery cells of an electric battery (i.e. battery cell assembly, [0002]), comprising: a cooling conduit (i.e. cooling structure, Abstract, Fig. 2, 4) for coolant fluid (i.e. coolant, Abstract), wherein the cooling conduit is arranged for cooling off at least one battery cell of the electric battery (Fig. 2).
Person further discloses the cooling structures (i.e. cooling conduit) to be in fluid communication with the main channel (i.e. coolant path, [0014], Fig. 2). and having an opening that provides fluid communication between the main channel and the cooling conduit, as shown below in annotated Person Fig. 3.
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Annotated Person Fig. 3
Person further discloses wherein the battery cells, the intermediate spaces, and the cooling structures are matched to one another in such a manner than upon a volume enlargement of the battery cells, the intermediate spaces and thus also the cooling structures are correspondingly reduced by the same amount ([0010]). This decrease in volume of the cooling structures partially channels or pushes out coolant of the respective cooling structure or structure interior (i.e. cooling conduit, [0010], Fig. 3, 4).
However, Person does not disclose the wherein the cooling conduit has a variable dimension being indicative of a variable amount of coolant fluid to flow in the cooling conduit, and the variable dimension of the cooling conduit is variable in dependence on a cell swelling mechanism of the at least one battery cell, wherein the variable dimension of the cooling conduit is variable so that it increases with increased cell swelling of the at least one battery cell, wherein an increase of the variable dimension is indicative of an increased flow amount of coolant fluid in the cooling conduit, and wherein the increase of the variable dimension is an increase in size of an opening of the cooling conduit.
Jo teaches a similar battery pack ([0012]) including a plurality of batteries as well as an exhaust duct (Fig. 12, [0012]). Jo further teaches the exhaust duct (Fig. 12, 300) includes a blocking portion (Fig. 12, J) and may be located at an inlet which may be formed to correspond to the exhaust portion of each battery module ([0125]). Furthermore, Jo teaches the blocking portion may be pivotable around a hinge, allowing the inlet to be opened and closed ([0138]). Jo’s taught exhaust duct and blocking portion is further configured to be opened when gas such as cooling fluid is introduced from the exhaust portion and the applied force is equal to or greater than a certain level ([0139]), and to be closed when no force is applied or less than a certain level of force is applied ([0139]). See annotated Jo Fig. 12 below.
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Annotated Jo Fig. 12
Jo further teaches through this embodiment, when venting gas is generated in a specific battery module and is introduced into the exhaust duct, the venting gas may be more reliably prevented from being introduced into other battery modules ([0140], Fig. 11-12).
A skilled artisan would recognize that the flow of fluid out of the Person’s disclosed cooling structure due to cell swelling would apply pressure to Jo’s taught blocking portion such that the opening of the cooling conduit increases. The increase in the size of the opening would thus increase due to the increased cell swelling of the at least one battery cell and be indicative of an increased flow amount of the coolant fluid in the cooling conduit towards the main channel.
The Examiner notes “an increased flow amount of coolant in the cooling conduit” is not limited by direction and thus the coolant fluid that is pushed out of the cooling conduit satisfies the limitation as the coolant is pushed out of the cooling conduit into the main channel due to cell swelling, causing an increased flow amount in the cooling conduit as initially, there was little to no flow amount (i.e. cooling structure filled with coolant, Person, [0010]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have utilized the exhaust portion comprising of the blocking portion as taught by Jo, to achieve flow of the cooling fluid such that it is prevented from being introduced to other cooling conduits or battery modules, as taught by Jo.
Regarding claim 4, modified Person discloses all limitations as set forth above.
Modified Person further discloses the cooling system of claim 3 wherein the fluid communication between the main channel and cooling conduit is provided in that the cooling conduit is at least partly provided inside the main channel, as shown in annotated Person Fig. 2 below, and annotated Jo Fig. 12.
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Regarding claim 5, modified Person discloses all limitations as set forth above.
Modified Person discloses the decrease in volume of the cooling structures due to volume enlargement of the battery cells (i.e. cell swelling) partially channels or pushes out coolant of the respective cooling structure or structure interior (i.e. cooling conduit, Person, [0010]). Modified Person further discloses when a force of a certain level or more is applied the blocking portion may rotate to be opened (Jo, [0139]), thus increasing the opening of the cooling conduit (i.e. increase of the variable dimension).
Furthermore, modified Person discloses the rotation of the blocking portion is such that the cooling conduit is pressed further into the main channel (Jo, Fig. 12).
As the flow of coolant fluid pushed out of the cooling structures would apply force to rotate the blocking portion to open and be pressed further into the main channel, modified Person satisfies claim 5.
Regarding claim 6, modified Person discloses all limitations as set forth above.
Modified Person further discloses wherein the increase of the variable dimension is configured to be performed in a direction which is different from a flow direction of the coolant fluid in the main channel, as shown below in annotated Jo Fig. 12.
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Regarding claim 8, Person discloses all limitations as set forth above.
Person further discloses wherein that at least one battery cell which is associated with the cooling conduit has a bottom surface, a top surface and a side surface, wherein the variable dimension of cooling conduit is variable in dependence on a cell swelling mechanism, as rendered obvious above, occurring at the bottom and/or top surface of the at least one battery cell, as shown in Annotated Person Fig. 3 below.
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Examiner notes the claim limitation does not specify relative directional indicators or fixed characteristics with respect to the bottom, top, or side surface of the at least one battery cell, thus allowing any surface of the prior art’s battery cell to be considered as a bottom, top, or side surface, as indicated in the figure above.
Regarding claim 9, modified Person discloses all limitations as set forth above.
Modified Person discloses the decrease in volume of the cooling structures due to volume enlargement of the battery cells (i.e. cell swelling) partially channels or pushes out coolant of the respective cooling structure or structure interior (i.e. cooling conduit, Person, [0010]). Modified Person further discloses when a force of a certain level or more is applied the blocking portion may rotate to be opened (Jo, [0139]), thus increasing the opening of the cooling conduit (i.e. increase of the variable dimension). As the flow of coolant fluid exiting the cooling structures would apply force to rotate the blocking portion to open, a skilled artisan would recognize the battery cell is indirectly pushing on the cooling conduit through the cooling fluid that is being pushed or channeled out of the cooling conduit. This consequently causes the increase in the opening of the cooling conduit (i.e. a dimension change of the variable dimension). Thus, modified Person satisfies claim 9.
Regarding claim 10, modified Person discloses all limitations as set forth above.
Modified Person further discloses an electric battery comprising one or more battery cells (i.e. battery cell assembly) and further comprising the cooling system of claim 1 (Person, [0002];[0008]).
Regarding claim 11, modified Person discloses all limitations as set forth above.
Modified Person discloses the cooling conduit comprising of a blocking portion (Jo, Fig. 12, J), as rendered obvious above, wherein the blocking portion may be pivotable around a hinge (Jo, [0138], Fig. 12). Clip, understood broadly, encompasses an object used to fasten things together. Therefore, the hinge disclosed by modified Person satisfies claim 11.
Regarding claim 12, modified Person discloses all limitations as set forth above.
Modified Person further discloses the cooling system comprising a plurality of variable cooling conduits, each one being associated with at least one respective battery cell (Person, Fig. 2, 4, 2).
Regarding claim 13, modified Person discloses all limitations as set forth above.
Modified Person discloses a battery cell assembly wherein the plurality of variable of cooling conduits are associated with a first group of battery cells, and wherein the cooling system further comprises one or more non-variable cooling conduits associated with a second group of battery cells, wherein the first group of battery cells is battery cells at a front portion of the electric battery, as shown in annotated Person Fig. 1 and 2 below.
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Regarding claim 14, modified Person discloses all limitations as set forth above.
Modified Person further a motor vehicle, in particular an electric or hybrid vehicle, comprising the battery cell assembly (Person, [0002]).
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ESTHER J TAN whose telephone number is (571)272-3479. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30 AM-4:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jonathan Leong can be reached at (571)270-1292. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/E.J.T./Examiner, Art Unit 1751
/JONATHAN G LEONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1751 8/31/2026
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