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 .
The pending claims are claims 1-20.
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.
Claim(s) 1-16, 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Peng, CN 115548585.
Regarding claim 1, Peng teaches a battery pack (battery cell assemblies; n0040) (multiple individual battery cells; n0148), comprising: a housing assembly (n0004; n0012); a cell assembly accommodated in the housing assembly (n0020), wherein the cell assembly comprises a plurality of cells (n0020; n0148); each cell comprises a cell housing (n0004; n0012; n0020), an electrode assembly (n0091; n0165-n0167) disposed in the cell housing (n0167), and an electrode terminal (n0004-n0010) connected to the electrode assembly (n0164-n0167) and extending out of the cell housing (n0007; n0014-n0016); a first circuit board (n0016; n0101), wherein the electrode terminal (n0004; n0008-n0010) runs through the first circuit board (n0008; n0101) and is connected to a side of the first circuit board facing away from the cell housing (n0009); a support connected to the first circuit board (n0198), wherein the first circuit board is disposed between the cell housing and the support, and the support is provided with a first opening (n0198); and a thermally conductive member disposed in the first opening (n0134; n0157), wherein the thermally conductive member is connected to the electrode terminal of at least one of the plurality of cells (n0197).
Regarding claim 2, Peng teaches wherein the cell housing and the first circuit board (first circuit board 311) are disposed in a first direction (n0008; n0014), the plurality of cells are stacked in a third direction (n0004; n0014); the first circuit board is provided with a first conductive sheet (n0008), electrode terminals of adjacent cells (run through the first circuit board (n0017) and are connected to the first conductive sheet in a stacked manner (n0004; n0014; n0020); the thermally conductive member is connected to a side of the electrode terminal (n0134; n0157), the side of the electrode terminal being a side facing away from the first conductive sheet (n0004-n0010), and the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction (n0012).
Regarding claim 3, Peng teaches wherein each electrode terminal connected to the first conductive sheet (n0008) comprises two first ends disposed in a second direction (n0167), the first opening comprises two first edges disposed in the second direction; when viewed in a direction opposite to the first direction, the two first edges are located between the two first ends in the second direction (n0167-n0168), and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction (n0012; n0014).
Regarding claim 4, Peng teaches wherein the first conductive sheet (n0008) comprises two second ends disposed in the second direction (n0012), and when viewed in a direction opposite to the first direction, the two first ends are located between the two second ends in the second direction (n0012).
Regarding claim 5, Peng teaches further comprising a heat sink (n0032; n0139; n0152), wherein the heat sink is disposed on a side of the support (n0198), the side of the support being a side facing away from the first circuit board (n0190); the thermally conductive member (n0031) comprises a first surface and a second surface disposed opposite to each other in the first direction (n0008), the first surface is connected to the electrode terminal of at least some of the plurality of cells through the first opening (n0175-n0176), and the second surface is connected to the heat sink (n0139; n0163; n0169; n0186).
Regarding claim 6, Peng teaches, wherein the first surface protrudes from the first opening in a direction opposite to the first direction (n0012), and the second surface protrudes from the first opening in the first direction and is connected to the heat sink (n0139; n0186).
Regarding claim 7, Peng teaches wherein the housing assembly (n0007; n0014) comprises a first housing (n0014; n0020); the first housing comprises a first wall and a second wall disposed in the third direction a third wall and a fourth wall (n0139) disposed in the second direction, and a bottom wall (n0139); wherein the bottom wall is connected to the first wall (n0139), the second wall, the third wall, and the fourth wall to form a first space (n0139); the heat sink is disposed in the first space (n0139); the heat sink is connected to inner surfaces of the first wall (n0139), the second wall, the third wall, and the fourth wall (n0139); and the third direction is perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction (n0012; n0014; n0140).
Regarding claim 8, Peng teaches further comprising a first connection member (n0141), the first connection member is partially disposed between the support (n0198) and the heat sink (n0198), and the support and the heat sink are bonded through the first connection member (n0141) .
Regarding claim 9, Peng teaches wherein in the first direction (n0012; n0014), a side of the support (n0198) facing the heat sink (n0032; n0139; n0152), is provided with a first convex part, the first convex part is connected to the heat sink (n0032; n0139; n0152), a first gap (n0174) is provided between the support and the heat sink (0198), and the first connection member is partially disposed in the first gap (n0174; n0202; n0206).
Regarding claim 10, Peng teaches wherein the support comprises a support body (n0198), the first opening is provided on the support body (n0198), the support body is provided with a plurality of first through holes (n0007; n0141; n0151), at least one of the first through holes (n0007; n0141; n0146) is configured to allow the first connection member to flow into the first gap and at least a part of the first connection member is disposed in at least one first through holes (n0143-n0148).
Regarding claim 11, Peng teaches wherein when viewed in the direction opposite to the first direction (n0169), a part of at least one electrode terminal is located in at least one first through hole (n0009); and/or when viewed in the direction opposite to the first direction, a part of at least one first conductive sheet is located in at least one first through hole (n0008; n0031).
Regarding claim 12, Peng teaches wherein the first connection member is partially disposed between the first circuit board (n0008; n0031) and the support (n0198), and the support and the first circuit board are connected by the first connection member (n0008; n0031; 0139).
Regarding claim 13, Peng teaches wherein a side of the support (n0198) facing the first circuit board (n0008; n0031) is provided with a second convex part in the direction opposite to the first direction (Fig. 10), the second convex part is connected to the first circuit board (n0008; n0031; circuit board 311), a second gap is provided between the support and the first circuit board (n0008; n0031), and the first connection member is partially disposed in the second gap (n0174; n0204-n0207).
Regarding claim 14, Peng teaches wherein the first connection member covers a part of the electrode terminal extending out of the cell housing (n0004-n0005; n0008-n0009).
Regarding claim 15, Peng teaches wherein the first circuit board (n0008) is provided with a third hole (n0189-n0190); and when viewed in the direction opposite to the first direction (n0189-n0190), the third hole is located in the first opening (n0189-n0190), and the third hole is separated from the first conductive sheet (n0197; n0204); at least one third hole (n0189-n0190) is configured to allow the first connection member (n0007; flow between the thermally conductive member and the first circuit board (n0016; n0031), and at least a part of the first connection member is located in the at least one third hole (n0008; n0012; n0170).
Regarding claim 16, Peng teaches wherein the first connection member is configured to be formed by providing a flowing first insulation material (n0004; n0020) in the battery pack and curing the first insulation material (n0020-n0021; n0160; n0189).
Regarding claim 18, Peng teaches wherein the first housing (n0004; n0007) is provided with a first pore (first through hole 111) (n0007) and a second pore (second through hole 121) (n0007; n0141; n0146) , and the heat sink (n0032; n0139) is provided with a first channel (n0004-n0005; n0132-n0133); and the first channel communicates with the first pore (n0186-0n187) and the second pore (second hole) (n0188; 0206).
Regarding claim 19, Peng teaches further comprising a second circuit board (n0016; n0161) and a sampling wire harness (n0181; n0186), wherein the heat sink (n0139) is located between the first circuit board (n0008) and the second circuit board (n0016; n0161); the heat sink is provided with a third accommodation space; and one end of the sampling wire harness (n0181; n0186) is connected to the first circuit board (n0008), and another end of the sampling wire harness (n0181; n0186), runs through the third accommodation space (n200-n201) and is connected to the second circuit board (n200-n0201).
Regarding claim 20, Peng teaches an electric device, comprising the battery pack according to claim 1 (n0235).
Thus, the claims are anticipated.
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.
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Peng, CN 115548585.
Regarding claim 17, Peng teaches wherein the first circuit board (circuit board 311) further comprises conductive sheets and in the third direction an electrode terminal of one of outermost cells is connected to the conductive sheet, and an electrode terminal of another outermost cell is connected to the conductive sheet (n0175; n0181-n0182); the support body is provided with a plurality of second through holes; when viewed in the direction opposite to the first direction, a part of the second conductive sheet is located in the second through hole, a part of the conductive sheet is located in the second through hole, and a part of the first connection member is located in the second through hole; and the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction (n0197; n0204).
Peng does not teach a “first”, “second,” “third” conductive sheets.
However, In re Harza, 274 F.2d 669, 124 USPQ 378 (CCPA 1960), Although the reference did not disclose a “first”, “second,” “third” conductive sheets, the court held that mere duplication of parts has no patentable significance unless a new and unexpected result is produced.).
Conclusion
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ANGELA J. MARTIN
Examiner
Art Unit 1727
/ANGELA J MARTIN/Examiner, Art Unit 1727
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