Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/332,825

VEHICLE BATTERY PACK INCLUDING A THERMAL MANAGEMENT ASSEMBLY

Non-Final OA §102§103§112
Filed
Jun 12, 2023
Examiner
HORNSBY, BARTHOLOMEW ANDREW
Art Unit
1728
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Ford Global Technologies LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
74%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 10m
To Grant
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 74% — above average
74%
Career Allow Rate
124 granted / 168 resolved
+8.8% vs TC avg
Strong +23% interview lift
Without
With
+22.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 10m
Avg Prosecution
43 currently pending
Career history
211
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
57.0%
+17.0% vs TC avg
§102
17.0%
-23.0% vs TC avg
§112
22.1%
-17.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 168 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103 §112
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. 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 appl icant regards as his invention. The term “ generally adjacent ” in claim s 19 and 20 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “ generally adjacent ” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. The term “generally adjacent” does not specify the position of the guiding member as adjacent or next to, or only near the guiding member . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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)(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(s) 1- 5 , and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Mard all et al. (US2014/0193683A1) . As to claim 1 , Mardall discloses a battery pack (101) including a thermal management assembly [0038] , comprising: a first housing (401) configured to connect to a vehicle body with a gap between at least a portion of the first housing and the vehicle body [0039] ; and a first guiding member arranged on the first housing, wherein the first guiding member on the first housing defines an area jointly with the first housing, and the first guiding member is configured to at least partially fill the gap ( see annotated fig. 4) and guide airflow to at least partially bypass the area ( the battery pack enclosure is mounted such that ambient air flows over the outside surface of the enclosure base plate during vehicle motion [Abstract]) . ( Mardall , annotated fig. 4) As to claim 2 , Mardall the first guiding member comprises a structure that continuously extends from a first end of the first housing to a first side of the first housing and to a second side of the first housing that is opposite the first side. (see annotated fig. 4 above) As to claim 3 , Mardall discloses the first guiding member comprises a first portion extending along a first end of the first housing, and a second portion and a third portion extending from both ends of the first portion towards a second end opposite to the first end, respectively, and wherein an angled or smooth transition is formed between the first portion and the second portion and between the first portion and the third portion. (see annotated fig. 4 above) As to claim 4 , Mardall discloses the first guiding member forms a substantially enclosed structure along an outer surface of the first housing. (see annotated fig. 4 above) As to claim 5 , the rejection of claim 2 is incorporated, Mardall discloses at least one second guiding member connected to the first housing, wherein the at least one second guiding member is located in the area. (see annotated fig. 4 above and as exemplified by element (170) of fig. 2 in the instant specification ) As to claim 19 , the rejection claim 1 is incorporated, Mardall disclose comprising a battery pack connected to a vehicle body [Abstract] and forming a gap with the vehicle body [0039], wherein the vehicle includes a guiding member that is generally adjacent to the battery pack to guide airflow to at least partially bypass the gap (see Mardall annotate fig. 4). As to claim 20 , the rejection of claim 19 is incorporated, Mardall discloses the guiding member generally surrounds ends and both sides of the battery pack gap (see Mardall annotate fig. 4 above . , wherein the guiding member is connected to a housing of the battery pack or to the vehicle body. (as shown in annotated fig. 4 above the guiding member is connected to the housing (401)) 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. 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 . Claim(s) 8 -10, 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mardall et al. (US2014/0193683A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Tan et al. (US2023/0112735A1, with foreign priority date of 6/19/2020). As to claim 8 , Mardall discloses a second housing (503) with integrated cooling tubes (501) and the second housing is connected to the first housing to limit a battery storage space [0040]. but does not explicitly disclose a second housing integrated with a cooling plate . In the same field of endeavor Tan discloses a battery pack and teaches battery pack (100) includes cooling plate (120) provided with cold flow channels (140) . Tan further teaches the present disclosure provides a battery pack which has high service efficiency and low service cost [0004] . Therefore, it would have obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was effectively filed to modify Mardall with the cooling plate as taught by Tan to improve service efficiency and lower service cost. As to claim 9 , the rejection of claim 8 is incorporated, modified Mardall discloses the cooling plate comprises a first plate (503) and a second plate connected to the first plate (Tan, (120)) , and wherein at least one of the first plate and the second plate defines a fluid channel (Tan, (140) [0039] fig.1) . As to claim 10 , the rejection of claim 8 is incorporated, modified Mardall discloses a thermal insulation member connected to the second housing. ( a layer of thermally insulating material is interposed between the batteries and the heat exchanger conduits [ Mardall , 0014] or flow channels (140) of cooling plate (120) substituted for tubes (501) of second housing (503)). As to claim 17 , the rejection of claim 8 is incorporated, modified Mardall discloses the cooling plate (cooling plate (120) of Tan) comprises at least two sets of parallel independent fluid channel subsystems (cold flow channels (140), Tan [0039], fig. 1) , wherein the at least two sets of independent fluid channel subsystems are connected to a heat exchange system of a vehicle. ( Mardall , [0046-49]) As to claim 18 , the rejection of claim 17 is incorporated, modified Mardall discloses each set of the at least one sets of parallel independent fluid channel subsystems includes a heat exchange circulating liquid inlet ((505) Mardall [0040]) and a heat exchange circulating liquid outlet ((507) Mardall [0040]) , a first main channel and a second main channel extending between the heat exchange circulating liquid inlet and the heat exchange circulating liquid outlet (coolant exit and entrance [Tan 0039]) , and multiple sets of auxiliary channels extending between the first main channel and the second main channel ( Multiple curved cold flow channels 140 are provided in the direct cooling plate 120 [0039]) . Allowable Subject Matter Claims 6-7 and 11-16 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. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Moscher et al. (US2017/0025721A1) Battery pack with fluid heat exchanger. Kellner et al. (US11,223,080B2) Battery pack with integrated cooling channels. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT BART A HORNSBY whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (313)446-6637 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT 9:00-6:00 EST . 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Matthew T Martin can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT 571-270-7871 . 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. FILLIN "Examiner Stamp" \* MERGEFORMAT BART HORNSBY Examiner Art Unit 1728 /MATTHEW T MARTIN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1728
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 12, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 20, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §103, §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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POUCH-TYPE SECONDARY BATTERY AND BATTERY MODULE INCLUDING THE SAME
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2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
74%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+22.6%)
2y 10m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 168 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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