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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: 43. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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(s) 1-2, 4-5, 7, 10-11 and 14-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tennessen et al. (US 20110206969 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Tennessen, drawn to battery cooling system, discloses a battery system for a vehicle (para 29), the battery system comprising a battery module (para 33, “battery subsystem 107”) and a cooling system (claim 1, “cooling manifold assembly”), wherein the battery module comprises a battery unit with one or more battery cell (claim 1), and wherein the cooling system comprises: a cooling circuit comprising tubing (claim 1, “coolant tube”) capable of distributing a cooling fluid and cooling of the one or more battery cell, the tubing comprising a battery cooling section (claim 1, “coolant channel”) routed along the battery unit, and one or more heat conduction elements (claim 1, “thermal interface layer 703”) arranged to at least partially wrap around the battery cooling section and be in contact with at least a portion of the battery unit (fig. 9 and 10).
Regarding claim 2, Tennessen discloses the cooling system comprises a heat exchanger (para 51 “radiator 1603”) arranged in the cooling circuit downstream from the battery cooling section (fig 16).
Regarding claim 4, Tennessen discloses heat conduction element arranged to extend along a first surface of the battery unit (see annotated fig. 10 below).
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[AltContent: textbox (Figure 1: Annotated Figure 10 from Tennessen et al.)]Regarding claim 5, Tennessen discloses one or more heat conduction elements are arranged adjacent to the first surface of the battery unit (fig.10) and the one or more heat conduction elements are arranged to be in contact with a surface of the battery cooling section facing away from the first surface of the battery unit such that the tubing is arranged between the battery unit and the one or more heat conduction elements (see annotated fig. 10 below).
Regarding claim 7, Tennessen discloses the battery module comprises a battery housing adapted to accommodate the battery unit (para 38).
Regarding claim 10, Tennessen discloses heat conduction element (“thermal interface layer”) comprises alumina (para 49).
Regarding claim 11, Tennessen discloses battery cooling section comprises a meandering tube portion or labyrinth tube portion routed along the battery unit (fig 2).
Regarding claim 14, Tennessen discloses a pump arranged in the cooling circuit, the pump being capable of controlling the flow of the cooling fluid through the cooling circuit (para 51; fig 10).
Regarding claim 15, Tennessen discloses a vehicle comprising a battery system according to claim 1 (claim 19).
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.
Claim(s) 3, 6 and 8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tennessen et al. (US 20110206969 A1), as applied to claim 1, 4 and 7 above, and further in view of Yoon (US 2012009455 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Tennessen discloses heat conduction element (“pliable fingers”) interposed between the cooling tubes and the battery unit (Abstract).
Tennessen does not explicitly disclose heat conduction elements are arranged to wrap around at least a portion of the battery unit.
Yoon, also drawn to battery cooling system, discloses heat conduction elements (fig 2, “heat conductive sheets 123”) arranged to wrap around at least a portion of the battery unit (fig. 2). It would have obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to arrange heat conduction elements to wrap around at least a portion of the battery unit as taught by Yoon as doing such efficiently dissipates heat generated by the batteries (para 108).
Regarding claim 6, Tennessen discloses the battery unit has a second and third surface arranged opposite to each other and extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to the first surface (see annotated fig.10 above). Tennessen does not explicitly disclose one or more heat conduction elements are arranged to extend along and be in contact with the second and/or third surface.
Yoon discloses second and third surface arranged opposite to each other and extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to the first surface and one or more heat conduction elements (para 55, “heat-conductive sheets 123“) are arranged to extend along and be in contact with the second and/or third surface (fig. 2). It would have obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to arrange heat conduction elements to extend along and be in contact with the second and/or third surface as taught by Yoon as doing such efficiently dissipates heat generated by the batteries (para 108).
Regarding claim 8, Tennessen discloses a battery housing (para 38) but does not explicitly disclose one or more heat conduction elements are arranged to be in contact with the battery housing for dissipating heat from the battery unit to said battery housing.
Yoon discloses one or more heat conduction elements (heat conductive sheets 123) are arranged to be “in close contact or thermal co-operation with an exterior of the bottom 121a of the housing” (para 55). It would have obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to arrange heat conduction elements to be in contact with the battery housing such that heat conduction elements are capable of dissipating heat from the battery unit to said battery housing as taught by Yoon as doing such efficiently dissipates heat generated by the batteries (para 108).
Regarding claim 9, Tennessen fails to disclose one or more heat conduction elements are provided as a film or a foil. Yoon discloses heat-conductive sheets 123 with “a thickness of about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm” (para 54). Accordingly, Yoon discloses one or more heat conduction elements provided as a film or a foil. It would have obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to provide one or more heat conduction elements as a film or a foil as taught by Yoon as heat generated in the battery cells may be effectively radiated or dissipated without an excessive increase in overall volume of the battery module (para 54).
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tennessen et al. (US 20110206969 A1), as applied to claim 7 above, and further in view of Hirano et al. (WO 2011105256 A1).
Regarding claim 12, Tennessen fails to disclose the battery unit is at least partially submerged in a cooling liquid inside the battery housing.
Hirano, also drawn to battery cooling, discloses battery cell “immersed in the insulating coolant (para 7). It would have obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to at least partially submerge battery unit in a cooling liquid inside the battery housing as taught by Hirano “to maintain the battery cell at a substantially uniform temperature” (para 7).
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tennessen et al. (US 20110206969 A1), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Zhu et al. (US 20220117116 A1).
Regarding claim 13, Tennessen discloses the cooling system “may be completely passive” (para 51) but does not explicitly disclose the cooling system forms a heat pipe cooling system, wherein the tubing has an inner wick structure for causing flow of the cooling fluid by means of capillary force.
Zhu, drawn to thermal management system for battery, discloses management system with heat pipes in thermal contact with battery packs to draw heat from batteries and heat sinks to dissipate heat away from the heat pipes (Abstract). Accordingly, Zhu discloses the cooling system forms a heat pipe cooling system. Zhu further discloses the heat pipes have inner wick structure capable of causing flow of the cooling fluid by means of capillary force (para 3). It would have obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, for the cooling system to form a heat pipe cooling system, wherein the tubing has an inner wick structure capable of causing flow of the cooling fluid by means of capillary force as taught by Zhu as doing such maintains appropriate temperatures within the battery system” (para 3).
Conclusion
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/A.K./Examiner, Art Unit 1746
/MICHAEL N ORLANDO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1746
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