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 § 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 1-8, 10-15, and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO 2020004039 A1 (to Hasegawa) – JP 2018121487 A is attached for translation purposes and is relied upon below.
With respect to claim 1, Hasegawa teaches a compression pad (15) (Figure 3) for pressurizing an outer surface (11a1) of at least one energy storage cell (11) exhibiting alternating high-pressure and low-pressure regions across the outer surface (11a1) under a loading (as illustrated), the compression pad (15) comprising:
a body defining a corrugated surface including alternating
protrusion portions (32) and depression portions (31) (as illustrated in Figures 3 and 10-11),
wherein the corrugated surface is configured to contact the
outer surface (11a1) and align with a natural frequency of pressure
distribution across the outer surface (11a1) such that the protrusion portions (32)
exert relatively higher loads correspondingly on the low-pressure
regions and the depression portions (31) exert relatively lower loads
correspondingly on the high-pressure regions to uniformly
pressurize the outer surface (11a1) under the loading – since the structure of the compression pad of Hasegawa reads on the instant claim, as set forth above, and since the structure of the compression pad of Hasegawa is similar to that instantly claimed, then it would be expected for the compression pad to perform as instantly claimed.
With respect to claim 2, Hasegawa teaches wherein the protrusion portions (32) define corresponding first crests (32) in a first plane and the depression portions (31a) define corresponding first troughs in a second plane (as illustrated).
With respect to claim 3, Hasegawa teaches wherein the first plane and the second plane are parallel to each other (as illustrated).
With respect to claim 4, Hasegawa teaches wherein the outer surface (11a1) is a first outer surface (11a1), and the corrugated surface is a first corrugated surface including alternating first protrusion portions (32) and first depression portions (31a), and wherein:
the body defines a second corrugated surface including alternating
second protrusion portions (33) and second depression portions (31b), the second
corrugated surface is defined opposite to the first corrugated surface to
contact a second outer surface (11a1) of another energy storage cell (11) and align with
a natural frequency of pressure distribution across the second outer surface (11a1)
to uniformly pressurize the second outer surface (11a1) under the loading (as illustrated in Figures 3 & 11).
With respect to claim 5, Hasegawa teaches wherein the second protrusion portions (33) define corresponding second crests in a third plane and the second
depression portions (31b) define corresponding second troughs in a fourth plane (as illustrated).
With respect to claim 6, Hasegawa teaches wherein the third plane and the fourth plane are parallel to each other (as illustrated).
With respect to claim 7, Hasegawa teaches wherein the first crests (32) of the first protrusion portions (32) correspondingly align with the second crests (33) of the
second protrusion portions (33), and wherein the first troughs (31a) of the first
depression portions (31) correspondingly align with the second troughs (31b) of the
second depression portions (31) (as illustrated).
With respect to claim 8, Hasegawa teaches wherein the body (Figure 3, 14) defines a planar surface (21) opposite to the corrugated surface (22), the planar surface (21) is configured to face and contact a flat end plate (13b) of a housing (13 & 13b) accommodating the at least one energy storage cell (11) under the loading (as illustrated).
With respect to claim 10, Hasegawa teaches a battery module (Figures 2 & 3) for a work machine, the battery module comprising:
a housing (13 & 13b & 13c);
at least one energy storage cell (11) disposed within the housing (13 & 13b & 13c), the at
least one energy storage cell (11) defining an outer surface (11a1) and exhibiting
alternating high-pressure and low-pressure regions across the outer surface (11a1)
under a loading; and
a compression pad (Figure 3, 15) for pressurizing the outer surface (11a1) under the
loading, the compression pad (15) including:
a body (15) (Figure 11) defining a corrugated surface including alternating
protrusion portions (32) and depression portions (31),
wherein the corrugated surface is configured to
contact the outer surface (11a1) and align with a natural frequency
of pressure distribution across the outer surface (11a1) such that the
protrusion portions (32) exert relatively higher loads
correspondingly on the low-pressure regions and the
depression portions (Figure 11, 31a & 31b) exert relatively lower loads
correspondingly on the high-pressure regions to uniformly
pressurize the outer surface (11a1) under the loading – since the structure of the compression pad of Hasegawa reads on the instant claim, as set forth above, and since the structure of the compression pad of Hasegawa is similar to that instantly claimed, then it would be expected for the compression pad to perform as instantly claimed.
With respect to claim 11, Hasegawa teaches wherein the protrusion portions (Figure 11, 32) define corresponding first crests (32) in a first plane and the depression portions (31a) define corresponding first troughs in a second plane (as illustrated).
With respect to claim 12, Hasegawa teaches wherein the outer surface (11a1) is a first outer surface (11a1), and the corrugated surface is a first corrugated surface including alternating first protrusion portions (32) and first depression portions (31a), and wherein:
the body defines a second corrugated surface including alternating
second protrusion portions (33) and second depression portions (31b), the second
corrugated surface is defined opposite to the first corrugated surface to
contact a second outer surface (11a1) of another energy storage cell (11) and align with
a natural frequency of pressure distribution across the second outer surface (11a1)
to uniformly pressurize the second outer surface (11a1) under the loading (as illustrated in Figures 3 & 11).
With respect to claim 13, Hasegawa teaches wherein the second protrusion portions (33) define corresponding second crests in a third plane and the second
depression portions (31b) define corresponding second troughs in a fourth plane (as illustrated), and wherein the third plane and the fourth plane are parallel to each other (as illustrated).
With respect to claim 14, Hasegawa teaches wherein the first crests (32) of the first protrusion portions (32) correspondingly align with the second crests (33) of the
second protrusion portions (33), and wherein the first troughs (31a) of the first
depression portions (31) correspondingly align with the second troughs (31b) of the
second depression portions (31) (as illustrated).
With respect to claim 15, Hasegawa teaches wherein the housing (13 & 13b) defines a flat end plate (13b), and wherein the body (14) defines a planar surface (21) opposite to the corrugated surface (22), the planar surface (21) is configured to face and contact the flat end plate (13b) under the loading (as illustration in Figure 3).
With respect to claim 17, Hasegawa teaches wherein the at least one energy storage cell (11) is one of a pouch cell or a prismatic cell (11) (as illustrated in Figure 3).
With respect to claim 18, Hasegawa teaches a method for controlling pressure distribution across an outer surface (Figures 3 & 11, 11a1) of at
least one energy storage cell (11) of a battery module, the at least one energy
storage cell (11) exhibiting alternating high-pressure and low-pressure regions
across the outer surface (11a1) under a loading, the method comprising:
positioning a compression pad (15) within the battery module, the
compression pad (15) including a body defining a corrugated surface including
alternating protrusion portions (32) and depression portions (31),
wherein the compression pad (15) is positioned in a way that the
corrugated surface contacts the outer surface (11a1) and aligns with a
natural frequency of pressure distribution across the outer surface (11a1)
such that the protrusion portions (32) exert relatively higher loads
correspondingly on the low-pressure regions and the depression
portions exert relatively lower loads correspondingly on the high-
pressure regions to uniformly pressurize the outer surface (11a1) under the
loading – since the structure of the compression pad of Hasegawa reads on the instant claim, as set forth above, and since the structure of the compression pad of Hasegawa is similar to that instantly claimed, then it would be expected for the compression pad to perform as instantly claimed.
With respect to claim 19, Hasegawa teaches wherein the outer surface (11a1) is a first outer surface (11a1), and the corrugated surface is a first corrugated surface including alternating first protrusion portions (32) and first depression portions (31a), wherein the body defines a second corrugated surface including alternating
second protrusion portions (33) and second depression portions (31b), the second
corrugated surface is defined opposite to the first corrugated surface, and
wherein the compression pad (15) is positioned such that the second
corrugated surface contacts a second outer surface (11a1) of another energy
storage cell (11) disposed within the housing (13 & 13b) and aligns with a natural frequency of pressure distribution across the second outer surface (11a1) to uniformly
pressurize the second outer surface (11a1) under the loading – since the structure of the compression pad of Hasegawa reads on the instant claim, as set forth above, and since the structure of the compression pad of Hasegawa is similar to that instantly claimed, then it would be expected for the compression pad to perform as instantly claimed.
With respect to claim 20, Hasegawa teaches wherein the battery module includes a housing (13 and 13b) configured to accommodate the at least one energy storage cell (11) therein, the housing (13 & 13b & 13c) defines a flat end plate (as illustrated in Figure 3), wherein the body (14) defines a planar surface (21) opposite to the corrugated surface (22), and
wherein the compression pad (14) is positioned between the at least one
energy storage cell (11) and the flat end plate (13b) such that the planar surface (21) faces and contacts the flat end plate (13b) under the loading (as illustrated).
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 9 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO 2020004039 A1 (to Hasegawa), as applied to claims 1 and 10 above, and further in view of Yun et al. (US 20220393285).
With respect to claims 9 and 16, Hasegawa discloses all claim limitations as set forth above and teaches wherein the body is fabricated from an elastomer; however, Hasegawa fails to teach wherein the body is fabricated from a polyurethane material. Yun teaches a battery module comprising a housing, a plurality of battery modules (11) (as illustrated in Figure 2), and a compression pad (30) positioned between the battery modules (11) and the housing (as illustrated); and wherein the compression pad (30) is made of polyurethane (para. [0018]), in order to provide a compression pad that offers a superior load-bearing capacity.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing for the invention to fabricate the body in Hasegawa from an elastomer comprising a polyurethane material, as taught by Yun, in order to provide a compression pad that offers a superior load-bearing capacity.
Conclusion
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/KAITY V CHANDLER/ 8/25/2026Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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