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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takei et al. (Translation of JP2022060754A), and further in view of Suwin (Translation of JP 2019047555A).
Regarding Claim 1, Takei discloses a thermal management system provided in an electric device, the thermal management system comprising:
a first flow path, a second flow path, a third flow path, and a fourth flow path each configured to allow a heat medium to flow through the flow path (shown in figure 1);
a power storage device (9) configured to exchange heat with the heat medium flowing through the first flow path (shown in figure 1);
a drive device (6) configured to exchange heat with the heat medium flowing through the second flow path (shown in figure 1) and supply a driving force to the electric device;
a radiator (2) provided in the third flow path (shown in figure 1);
a chiller (13) provided in the fourth flow path (shown in figure 1); and
a switching device (7) configured to switch a connection state between the first flow path, the second flow path, the third flow path, and the fourth flow path (shown in figure 1). Takei fails to disclose the switching device is configured to disconnect the first flow path from the other flow paths when a temperature of the power storage device is equal to or higher than a first set temperature and equal to or lower than a second set temperature that is higher than the first set temperature.
Suwin, also drawn to a thermal management system with a battery, teaches the switching device is configured to disconnect the first flow path from the other flow paths when a temperature of the power storage device is equal to or higher than a first set temperature and equal to or lower than a second set temperature that is higher than the first set temperature (“In step S3, the switching control unit 7 determines whether the temperature of the battery 51 is within a predetermined operating temperature range. If the temperature of the battery 51 is not within the predetermined operating temperature range (No in step S3), step S3 is repeated until the temperature is within the predetermined operating temperature range” (¶41, underline for emphasis), and “When the battery 51 is in a condition to be discharged or charged (Yes in step S7), in step S8, the switching control unit 7 selects the bypass flow channel 34 as the flow channel of the refrigerant. Specifically, the switching control unit 7 opens the first port 331 and the second port 332 of the valve 33 and closes the third port 333. Thus, the refrigerant can flow to the bypass flow path 34.”, ¶41).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to provide Takei with the switching device is configured to disconnect the first flow path from the other flow paths when a temperature of the power storage device is equal to or higher than a first set temperature and equal to or lower than a second set temperature that is higher than the first set temperature, as taught by Suwin, the motivation being in “a relatively cold environment such as winter, the battery temperature control device selects the bypass flow path of the refrigerant circuit as the flow path of the refrigerant when the temperature of the battery falls within the predetermined operating temperature range. Thereby, the battery can be kept warm within a predetermined operating temperature range by utilizing the exhaust heat released from the battery without using a heat exchange unit which consumes a lot of energy”, (¶11).
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mancini et al. (US 2019/0070924), and further in view of Suwin (Translation of JP 2019047555A).
Regarding Claim 1, Mancini discloses a thermal management system provided in an electric device, the thermal management system comprising:
a first flow path, a second flow path, a third flow path, and a fourth flow path each configured to allow a heat medium to flow through the flow path (all of the flow paths are shown in figure 10);
a power storage device (106) configured to exchange heat with the heat medium flowing through the first flow path (shown in figure 10);
a drive device (302, 304) configured to exchange heat with the heat medium flowing through the second flow path (shown in figure 10) and supply a driving force to the electric device (“Power Conversion Electronics” and “Inverter”);
a radiator (236) provided in the third flow path (shown in figure 10);
a chiller (220) provided in the fourth flow path (shown in figure 10); and
a switching device (208) configured to switch a connection state between the first flow path, the second flow path, the third flow path, and the fourth flow path (shown in figure 10), wherein the switching device is configured to disconnect the first flow path from the other flow paths (“The battery system coolant loop 204 and the drive train coolant loop 206 are typically placed in series by the coolant valve system 208 when the components of the loops 204 and 206 are comparable in temperature; otherwise, the valve 208 state is parallel, which isolates the battery system 106 from the rest of the coolant loop”, ¶107). Mancini fails to disclose when a temperature of the power storage device is equal to or higher than a first set temperature and equal to or lower than a second set temperature that is higher than the first set temperature.
Suwin, also drawn to a thermal management system with a battery, teaches the switching device is configured to disconnect the first flow path from the other flow paths when a temperature of the power storage device is equal to or higher than a first set temperature and equal to or lower than a second set temperature that is higher than the first set temperature (“In step S3, the switching control unit 7 determines whether the temperature of the battery 51 is within a predetermined operating temperature range. If the temperature of the battery 51 is not within the predetermined operating temperature range (No in step S3), step S3 is repeated until the temperature is within the predetermined operating temperature range” (¶41, underline for emphasis), and “When the battery 51 is in a condition to be discharged or charged (Yes in step S7), in step S8, the switching control unit 7 selects the bypass flow channel 34 as the flow channel of the refrigerant. Specifically, the switching control unit 7 opens the first port 331 and the second port 332 of the valve 33 and closes the third port 333. Thus, the refrigerant can flow to the bypass flow path 34.”, ¶41).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to provide Mancini with the switching device is configured to disconnect the first flow path from the other flow paths when a temperature of the power storage device is equal to or higher than a first set temperature and equal to or lower than a second set temperature that is higher than the first set temperature, as taught by Suwin, the motivation being in “a relatively cold environment such as winter, the battery temperature control device selects the bypass flow path of the refrigerant circuit as the flow path of the refrigerant when the temperature of the battery falls within the predetermined operating temperature range. Thereby, the battery can be kept warm within a predetermined operating temperature range by utilizing the exhaust heat released from the battery without using a heat exchange unit which consumes a lot of energy”, (¶11).
Inquiry
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/LEN TRAN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3763