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 Objections
Claim 15 is objected to because of the following informalities: claim 15 contains a typographical error. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-6 and 8-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN 114678639 A (to Liang et al.) – translation attached and relied upon below.
With respect to claim 1, Liang teaches a battery module (Figure 6, 800) comprising: a housing (501) forming an accommodating space (502); and a cell assembly (401) disposed within the accommodating space (502) and including a plurality of battery cells (401), wherein the housing (501) includes: an accommodating portion (502) surrounding at least a portion of the cell assembly (401); and a cover (100) disposed in a first direction (i.e. vertically) with respect to the accommodating portion (502) and including a plurality of venting holes (103) (Figures 6 & 8 & 10), wherein the plurality of venting holes (103) are configured to discharge gas in a second direction (diagonally) (as illustrated in Figure 6), different from the first direction (i.e. vertically), and the cover (100) includes an upper surface and a plurality of protruding regions/(movable cover (102)) (Figures 8 & 10) protruding from the upper surface in the first direction (i.e. vertically) and surrounding at least some of the plurality of venting holes (103), respectively (as illustrated in Figures 6 & 8 & 10).
With respect to claim 2, Liang teaches wherein at least some of the protruding regions/(movable cover (102)) are configured to be opened with respect to the accommodating portion (502) based on the gas occurring in the cell assembly (401) (page 5, last 18 lines – page 6, lines 1-26, page 9, lines 7-18 & last 2 lines – page 10, lines 1-5).
With respect to claim 3, Liang teaches wherein the plurality of protruding regions/(movable cover (102)) are configured to be separated from the upper surface or bent with respect to the upper surface (Figures 6 & 8 & 10) when a pressure inside the battery module (800) is equal to or greater than a specified pressure (page 5, last 18 lines – page 6, lines 1-26, page 9, lines 7-18 & last 2 lines – page 10, lines 1-5).
With respect to claim 4, Liang teaches wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction (i.e. vertical) – it would be expected that the gas would exit in different angles including perpendicular and at different angles relative to the first direct (vertical direction) (as illustrated in Figures 6 & 8 & 10).
With respect to claim 5, Liang teaches wherein at least some of the protruding regions/(movable cover (102)) are configured to open at least a portion of the accommodating space (502), while rotating with respect to a sidewall member of the accommodating portion (502) in a third direction, perpendicular (as illustrated in Figures 6 & 8) to the first direction (i.e. vertically) and the second direction (diagonally), based on the gas occurring in the cell assembly (401) (page 5, last 18 lines – page 6, lines 1-26, page 9, lines 7-18 & last 2 lines – page 10, lines 1-5).
With respect to claim 6, Liang teaches wherein the plurality of venting holes (103) communicate with the accommodating space (502) (as illustrated in Figures 6 & 8 & 10).
With respect to claim 8, Liang teaches further comprising: a vent control member/(explosion-proof valve (404)) at least partially disposed in the venting hole (103) (Figure 10) and configured to control whether to open the venting hole (103) (page 1, last line – page 2, lines 1-14) (page 5, last 18 lines – page 6, lines 1-26, page 9, lines 7-18 & last 2 lines – page 10, lines 1-5) (Figures 6 & 8 & 10).
With respect to claim 9, Liang teaches wherein the vent control member/(explosion-proof valve (404)) is configured to block movement of fluid when the pressure inside the battery module (800) is less than a first specified pressure, the vent control member/(explosion-proof valve (404)) is configured to provide a first path allowing the gas to pass therethrough from an inside of the battery module (800) to an outside of the battery module (800) when the pressure inside the battery module (800) is equal to or greater than the first specified pressure, and the cover (102) is configured to be opened with respect to the accommodating portion (502) to provide a second path when the pressure inside the battery module (800) is equal to or greater than a second specified pressure greater than the first specified pressure (page 1, last line – page 2, lines 1-14) (page 5, last 18 lines – page 6, lines 1-26, page 9, lines 7-18 & last 2 lines – page 10, lines 1-5).
With respect to claim 10, Liang teaches wherein a cross-sectional area of the second path is greater than a cross-sectional area of the first path (Figures 6 &10 – the cross sectional area of the opening of the vent cover (102) is greater than that of the hole (103) and that of the vent control member (404) (as illustrated) (page 1, last line – page 2, lines 1-14) (page 5, last 18 lines – page 6, lines 1-26, page 9, lines 7-18 & last 2 lines – page 10, lines 1-5).
With respect to claim 11, Liang teaches wherein the vent control member/(explosion-proof valve (404)) includes a rupture plate or valve (page 1, last line – page 2, lines 1-14).
With respect to claim 12, Liang teaches a battery module (800) comprising: a housing (501) forming an accommodating space (502); and a cell assembly (401) disposed within the accommodating space (502) and including a plurality of battery cells (401), wherein the housing (501) includes: an accommodating portion (502) surrounding at least a portion of the cell assembly (401); and a cover (100) disposed on the accommodating portion (502) and including a plurality of venting holes (103), wherein at least a portion (102) of the cover (100) adjacent to the venting hole (103) is configured to be opened with respect to the accommodating portion (502) based on a gas occurring in the cell assembly (401) (Figures 6 & 8 & 10) (page 1, last line – page 2, lines 1-14) (page 5, last 18 lines – page 6, lines 1-26, page 9, lines 7-18 & last 2 lines – page 10, lines 1-5).
With respect to claim 13, Liang teaches wherein the venting hole (Figure 10, 103) includes a first region (103) and at least one second region (404), perpendicular to the first region (103), and the cover (100) includes a bendable region (102) at least partially surrounded by the first region (103) and the at least one second region and configured to be bent when pressure inside the battery module (800/401) is equal to or greater than a specified pressure (page 1, last line – page 2, lines 1-14) (page 5, last 18 lines – page 6, lines 1-26, page 9, lines 7-18 & last 2 lines – page 10, lines 1-5).
With respect to claim 14, Liang teaches wherein the cover (100) includes an upper surface and a plurality of protruding regions/(movable cover (102)) protruding from the upper surface and surrounding at least some of the plurality of venting holes (103) (Figures 6 & 8 & 10), respectively, wherein the plurality of protruding regions/(movable cover (102)) are configured to be separated from the upper surface or bent with respect to the upper surface when the pressure inside the battery module (800) is equal to or greater than a specified pressure (Figure 6 & 8 & 10) (page 1, last line – page 2, lines 1-14) (page 5, last 18 lines – page 6, lines 1-26, page 9, lines 7-18 & last 2 lines – page 10, lines 1-5).
With respect to claim 15, Liang teaches a battery pack (Figures 6 & 8 & 10 & 13) comprising: a pack housing (1302); and a plurality of battery modules (800) accommodated within the pack housing (1302), wherein each of the plurality of battery modules (800) includes: a housing (501) (Figure 6) forming an accommodating space (502); and a cell assembly (401) disposed within the accommodating space (502) and including a plurality of battery cells (401), wherein the housing (501) includes: an accommodating portion (502) surrounding at least a portion of the cell assembly (401); and a cover (100) (Figure 8) disposed in a first direction (i.e. vertically) with respect to
the accommodating portion (502) and including a plurality of venting holes (103), wherein the plurality of venting holes (103) are configured to discharge gas in a second direction (diagonally), different from the first direction (i.e. vertically) (Figure 6), and the cover (100) includes an upper surface and a plurality of protruding regions/(movable cover (102)) protruding from the upper surface in the first direction (i.e. vertically) and surrounding at least some of the plurality of venting holes (103), respectively, wherein at least some of the plurality of protruding regions/(movable cover (102)) are configured to be opened with respect to the accommodating portion (502) based on the gas occurring in the cell assembly (401) (page 1, last line – page 2, lines 1-14) (page 5, last 18 lines – page 6, lines 1-26, page 9, lines 7-18 & last 2 lines – page 10, lines 1-5).
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 text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 114678639 A (to Liang et al.) – translation attached and relied upon below.
With respect to claim 7, Liang discloses all claim limitations as set forth above but fails to teach wherein the cover (100) includes aluminum. However, Liang teaches wherein conductive sheet (1001) is made of aluminum (page 9, lines 22-29); therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing for the invention to have the cover (100) also include aluminum in order to use material already being used in constructing the battery module, and in order to provide light weight and inexpensive material.
Conclusion
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/KAITY V CHANDLER/ 5/29/2026Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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