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 .
Summary
This is the initial Office Action based on the 18/410,348 application filed on 01/11/2024.
Claims 1-20 are currently pending and have been fully considered.
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)(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, 7-9, 11, 14-17 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lev et al. (US 2013/0209847).
Addressing claims 1, 9, 14 and 16, Lev discloses a battery module (figs. 1-6D), comprising:
a first battery assembly (the combination of two cooling plates 122 and the battery cell 102 therebetween), comprising:
a cooling sleeve (two cooling plates) having a first cooling plate 122 having a first fluid inlet 126, a first fluid outlet 128, and a first fluid channel 124 defined in the first cooling plate between the first fluid inlet and the first fluid outlet (fig. 4); and
a second cooling plate 122 having a second fluid inlet 125, a second fluid outlet 128, and a second fluid channel 124 defined in the second cooling plate between the second fluid inlet and the second fluid outlet,
the first cooling plate joined to the second cooling plate to define a chamber (fig. 4) configured to receive the battery cell (fig. 5A),
a second battery assembly (the adjacent battery assembly shown in figs. 5C-5D) in a stacked configuration with the first battery assembly.
Addressing claims 2 and 15, fig. 5D shows the claimed configuration.
Addressing claim 7, paragraph [0025] discloses the claimed pouch cell.
Addressing claims 8 and 20, fig. 5D show the cooling sleeve is configured to structurally support the battery cell without a separate frame.
Addressing claim 11, fig. 4 shows the cooling sleeve comprises a single plate with a fold 130 to define the first cooling plate at a first side of the fold and the second cooling plate at a second side of the fold.
Addressing claim 17, fig. 5B shows the hinge 108 as the claimed positioning element engaged with an end of the battery cell and is configured to position the battery cell in the chamber as claimed.
Claim(s) 1-4, 7-9, 14-18 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Campbell (US 2016/0003553).
Addressing claims 1, 9, 14, 16 and 18, Campbell discloses a battery module (fig. 7), comprising:
a first battery assembly (the combination of two adjacent heat transfer device, such as 1a and 1b and the battery pack or pouch 26 therebetween), comprising:
a cooling sleeve (1a+1b or 1b+1c, fig. 5) having a first cooling plate (1a or 1b) having a first fluid inlet [0092], a first fluid outlet [0092], and a first fluid channel defined in the first cooling plate between the first fluid inlet and the first fluid outlet (the channels formed between the half-shelves 12 and 12’ via the ribs 7 as shown in fig. 1 and described in paragraphs [0049-0066]),
a second cooling plate (1b or 1c) having a second fluid inlet [0092], a second fluid outlet [0092], and a second fluid channel defined in the second cooling plate between the second fluid inlet and the second fluid outlet (fig. 1, [0049-0066]),
the first cooling plate joined to the second cooling plate to define a chamber between the first cooling plate and the second cooling plate (fig. 3); and
a battery cell 26 disposed in the chamber between the first cooling plate and the second cooling plate (figs. 7-8); and
a second battery assembly (combination of the heat transfer devices 1 and the battery therebetween shown in figs. 7-8) in a stacked configuration with the first battery assembly (figs. 7-8).
Addressing claims 2 and 15, paragraph [0083] discloses a battery pouch 26 is provided between adjacent heat transfer devices, which implicitly discloses the claimed configuration.
Addressing claim 3, figs. 7-8 show two battery cells 26 disposed in the chamber between the first and second cooling plates, which satisfy the claimed configuration.
Addressing claims 4 and 17, the bolts 24 shown in figs. 7-8 are the structural equivalence to the claimed positioning element engaged with an end of the first battery cell and the second battery cell; wherein the positioning element spaces the first battery cell from the second battery cell.
Addressing claim 7, paragraph [0083] discloses the battery cell is a pouch cell.
Addressing claims 8 and 20, figs. 7-8 show the cooling sleeve is configured to structurally support the battery cell without a separate frame.
Claim(s) 1-2, 5-6, 9 and 13-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Teng et al. (US 2013/0143093).
Addressing claims 1, 9, 14 and 16, Teng discloses a battery module, comprising:
a first battery assembly (the combination of two cooling plates 20 and the battery cell therebetween), comprising:
a cooling sleeve (the two cooling plates 20) having a first cooling plate 20 having a first fluid inlet 30, a first fluid outlet 32, and a first fluid channel 46 defined in the first cooling plate between the first fluid inlet and the first fluid outlet (fig. 2); and
a second cooling plate 20 having a second fluid inlet 30, a second fluid outlet 32, and a second fluid channel 46 defined in the second cooling plate between the second fluid inlet and the second fluid outlet (fig. 2),
the first cooling plate joined to the second cooling plate to define a chamber between the first cooling plate and the second cooling plate (fig. 1), configured t5o receive the battery cell 12;
a second battery assembly (another two cooling plates and the respective battery cell therebetween) in a stacked configuration with the first battery assembly (fig. 1).
Addressing claims 2 and 15, fig. 1 and paragraph [0014] disclose that the battery cell is sandwiched between two cooling plates, which result in the claimed configuration.
Addressing claims 5-6, 13 and 19, fig. 5B shows the path of the fluid channel has a first spirals inward section and the second spirals inward section in the claimed manner.
Addressing claim 8, fig. 1 shows the cooling sleeve is configured to structurally support the battery cell without a separate frame.
Addressing claim 17, the busbar 16 or the thermal pads 14 as the structural equivalence to the claimed positioning element engaged with an end of the battery and is configured to position the battery cell in the chamber.
Addressing claim 18, fig. 1 shows the first fluid inlet 30 is in fluid communication with the second fluid inlet via the plenum 22, and the first fluid outlet is in fluid communication with the second fluid outlet via the respective plenum 22.
Claim(s) 1, 3-6, 8-9, 12-14 and 16-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kenney et al. (US 2016/0359211).
Addressing claims 1, 9, 14 and 16, Kenney discloses a battery module (figs. 1-2 and 21), comprising:
a first battery assembly (fig. 1), comprising:
a cooling sleeve (combination of two heat exchanger 10 in fig. 1) having a first cooling plate 10 having a first fluid inlet 50, a first fluid outlet 54, and a first fluid channel 52 defined in the first cooling plate between the first fluid inlet and the first fluid outlet (fig. 1, [0040]); and
a second cooling plate 10 having a second fluid inlet 50, a second fluid outlet 54, and a second fluid channel defined in the second cooling plate between the second fluid inlet and the second fluid outlet (fig. 1, [0040]),
the cooling plate joined to the second cooling plate to define a chamber (fig. 1), between the first cooling plate and the second cooling plate configure to receive the battery cell 14,
a second battery assembly in a stacked configuration with the first battery assembly (fig. 2 and 21).
Addressing claim 3, figs. 1-2 show the first and second battery cells disposed in the chamber between the first and second cooling plates as claimed.
Addressing claims 4 and 17, fig. 2 shows a positioning element 130 engaged with an end of the first cell and an end of the second battery cell (fig. 2 shows the positioning member 130 engages with the bottom end of the first battery cell and the upper end of the second battery cell), wherein the positioning member 130 spaces the first battery cell from the second battery cell (fig. 2).
Addressing claims 5-6, 12-13 and 19, figs. 16-17 show the claimed spiral configurations.
Addressing claims 8 and 20, figs. 1 and 21 disclose the cooling sleeve is configured to structurally support the battery cell without a separate frame.
Addressing claim 18, paragraph [0040] discloses the fluid inlet openings and the fluid outlet openings with their manifolds are in flow communication with a cooling circulation system, which implies the inlet openings are in fluid communication with each other and the outlet openings are in fluid communication with each other.
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) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kenney et al. (US 2016/0359211) in view of Kwon et al. (US 2017/0365888).
Addressing claim 10, Kenney is silent regarding the first cooling plate has a rolled edge that interlocks with a rolled edge of the second cooling plate.
Kwon discloses a secondary battery pack comprising two battery cells 210 sandwiched between thermal conducting members 220 and is separated by an adhesive pad 230 (fig. 7), similarly to the arrangement of Kenny; wherein, the thermal conducting members each includes a respective rolled edge (251 and 252) that are interlocked with each other (fig. 7).
At the time of the effective filing date of the invention, one with ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to modify the cooling sleeve of Kenny by modifying the first and second cooling plates with their respective rolled edge that are interlocked with each other as disclosed by Kwon in order to prevent the cooling plates from being separated and to prevent the battery cells from being separated due to repetitive vibration during use (Kwon, [0072]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BACH T DINH whose telephone number is (571)270-5118. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Friday 8:00 - 4:30 EST.
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/BACH T DINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1726 07/06/2026
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