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 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.
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.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO 2018023050 A1 (hereinafter WO’050) – translation previously attached and relied upon below, in view of Schmidt et al. (US 20150207186).
With respect to claim 1, WO’050 teaches a battery (Figure 5A, 502) (para. [0127]) comprising: a battery cell (502 – similar to 402 in Fig. 4D), a first wall (508) of the battery cell (502/402) being provided with a pressure relief mechanism/vent (506) that releases battery cell emissions into a collection cavity/(chamber underneath the battery cells) (as illustrated); and a box body, the box body comprising an electrical cavity (504) and a collection cavity (512), wherein the electrical cavity (504) is configured to accommodate the battery cell (502/402) (as illustrated), and the collection cavity (512) is configured to collect emissions/gasses from the battery cell when the pressure relief mechanism (506/406) is actuated (para. [0112]); and
wherein a third wall/(upper wall) of the battery cell (502/402), different from the first wall (508), is provided with electrode terminals (510), such that emissions discharged from the battery cell (502/402) through the pressure relief mechanism/(vent (506)) do not affect the electrode terminals (510) (as illustrated in Figure 5A & 4D).
WO’050 fails to teach a thermal management component configured to regulate the temperature of the battery cell, the thermal management component being attached to a second wall of the battery cell and the second wall being different from the first wall.
Schmidt teaches a battery (Figure 4, 10) comprising: a battery cell (10), a first wall (14) of the battery cell (10); a thermal management component (30) configured to regulate the temperature of the battery cell (10) (Abstract), the thermal management component (30) being attached to a second wall (side wall) of the battery cell (10) (as illustrated Figure 1-6), and the second wall (side wall) being different from the first wall (14) in order to provide an effective mechanism for controlling the temperature of the individual battery cells.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing for the invention to provide a thermal management component configured to regulate the temperature of the battery cells in the battery module of WO’050, the thermal management component being attached to a second wall of the battery cell and the second wall being different from the first wall, as taught by Schmidt, in order to provide an effective mechanism for controlling the temperature of the individual battery cell. Therefore, WO’050 in view of Schmidt would provide that the electrical cavity (504) of WO’050 would be configured to accommodate the battery cell (502/402) and the thermal management component taught by Schmidt (as illustrated).
With respect to claim 2, Schmidt further teaches wherein the area of the second wall (side wall) is greater than or equal to that of the first wall (14) (as illustrated).
With respect to claim 3, Schmidt further teaches wherein the second wall (side wall) is the wall of the battery cell that has the largest area (as illustrated in Figure 1).
With respect to claim 4, WO’050 teaches wherein the battery module (Figure 1A) comprises a plurality of rows of battery cells arranged in a first direction (from left to right), and each row of battery cells of the plurality of rows of battery cells comprises at least one battery cell arranged in a second direction (front to back), the first direction being perpendicular to the second direction and the second wall (as illustrated in Figure 1).
With respect to claim 5, Schmidt further teaches wherein the thermal management component (30) is attached to the second wall (side wall) of the at least one battery cell (10) of at least one row of battery cells of the plurality of rows of battery cells (10) (as illustrated in Figures 1-6).
With respect to claim 6, Schmidt further teaches wherein the battery cell (10) comprises two second walls oppositely arranged in the first direction, and on two sides of at least one row of battery cells (10) of the plurality of rows of battery cells (10) in the first direction, provided are the thermal management components (30) attached to the two second walls (side walls) of the at least one battery cell (10) respectively (as illustrated in Figures 1-6).
With respect to claim 7, WO’050 teaches wherein among the plurality of rows (Figure 1A) of battery cells (102), at least two adjacent rows of battery cells (102) are provided therebetween with the same thermal management component (106) (as illustrated in Figure 1A).
With respect to claim 8, Schmidt further teaches wherein the battery (10) comprises a plurality of thermal management components (30) arranged at intervals in the first direction (as illustrated in Figure 6).
With respect to claim 9, Schmidt further teaches wherein the thermal management components (30) are each provided with a heat exchange channel (30) for accommodating a heat exchange medium, and the heat exchange channels (30) of the plurality of thermal management components (30) are in communication with each other (as illustrated in Figure 6) (para. [0040]).
With respect to claim 10, WO’050 teaches a support member (522/512) (Figures 5A & 5B & 5C) arranged in the collection cavity/(chamber underneath the battery cells) (as illustrated), the support member (522/512) being configured to (would be capable of) increase the compressive strength of the collection cavity/(chamber underneath the battery cells) (para. [0128]).
With respect to claim 11, WO’050 teaches wherein the support member (522/512) comprises a channel (Figure 5C, 518) configured to allow at least part of the emissions/vapor to pass through (para. [0128]).
With respect to claim 12, WO’050 teaches wherein the channel (518) is configured to allow gases in the emissions to pass through (para. [0129]), and a region/(solid part – where there are no openings) of the support member (512) other than the channel (518) is configured to block solids in the emissions – it would be obvious that the solids would not be able to pass through the solid portions.
With respect to claim 13, WO’050 teaches wherein the support member (522/512) is provided with an aperture/(openings (518)), the aperture (518) being configured to form the channel in the support member (522/512) (as illustrated).
With respect to claim 14, WO’050 teaches wherein the battery further comprises: an isolation component (514) attached to the first wall (508), the isolation component (514) being configured to isolate the electrical cavity (504) from the collection cavity/(chamber underneath the battery cells which is below isolation component (514)) (as illustrated in Figure 5A).
With respect to claim 15, WO’050 teaches wherein the isolation component (514) (Figure 5A) is provided with a pressure relief region (506 & 518), the pressure relief region (506 & 518) being configured to discharge the emissions to the collection cavity/(chamber underneath the battery cells) through the pressure relief region (506 & 518) when the pressure relief mechanism is actuated (para. [0112]).
With respect to claim 16, WO’050 teaches wherein the support member (512/522) is arranged corresponding to a non-pressure relief region of the isolation component (514), so as to form a channel (520), through which the emissions pass, outside the support member (512/522), wherein the support member (512/522) abuts against the non-pressure relief region of the isolation component (514) (as illustrated).
With respect to claim 17, WO’050 teaches wherein the support member (512/522) is provided with a first aperture (518), the first aperture (518) being arranged corresponding to the pressure relief region (506) such that the emissions/vapor passing through the pressure relief region (506) are discharged through the first aperture (518) wherein the first aperture (518) is in communication with the corresponding pressure relief region (506).
With respect to claim 18, WO’050 teaches wherein the box body further comprises: a protective member (645) (Figure 6), the protective member (645) being configured to form the collection cavity with the isolation component (para. [0145]).
With respect to claim 19, WO’050 teaches wherein the support member (512/522) abuts against the isolation component and/or the protective member (645) (para. [0145], [0161]).
With respect to claim 20, Schmidt further teaches an electrical apparatus comprising: the battery of claim 1 being configured to supply electric energy to the electrical apparatus.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on the same combination of references applied in the prior rejection of record as necessitated by applicant’s amendments made to the claims.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAITY V CHANDLER whose telephone number is (571)272-8520. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00AM-6:00PM.
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/KAITY V CHANDLER/ 9/30/2026Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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