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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of priority in view of provisional application 63485721 with an effective filing date of 02/17/2023.
Claim Objections
Claim 12 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 12 recites “A battery module case” in Line 12 then recites “the battery module casing” in Line 12. Appropriate correction for consistency is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 16-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 16-19 reference “the cooling system of claim 15” however claim 15 is directed to “a battery system”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claims.
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 1-2 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Essinger et al. (US 20110212355 A1), hereinafter "Essinger".
In regard to Claim 1, Essinger et al. discloses a battery module, comprising: a first and second battery cell of a plurality of battery cells (Essinger, [0001-0002]), a first heat transfer insert (solid fins 20), inserted between the first battery cell and the second battery cell and configured to thermally conduct heat from the first battery cell and the second battery cell (Essinger, [0027]), and a cold plate (cooling plate assembly), coupled to the first heat transfer insert and configured to transfer the heat from the heat transfer insert to an exterior environment of the battery module (Essinger, [0027-0028, 0031]).
In regard to Claim 2, Essinger et al. discloses the battery module of claim 1. Essinger et al. also discloses wherein the cold plate is configured to flow coolant (Essinger, Abstract, [0031]).
In regard to Claim 8, Essinger et al. discloses the battery module of claim 2. Essinger et al. also discloses a plurality of battery cells to include third and fourth cells (Essinger, [0001-0002]) and heat transfer inserts (solid fins 20), inserted between the plurality battery cells and configured to thermally conduct heat from the cells (Essinger, [0027], Figure 12).
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Essinger et al. (US 20110212355 A1), hereinafter "Essinger".
In regard to Claim 20, Essinger et al. discloses a method of cooling a battery module during charging and/or discharging a plurality of battery cells within the battery module, the method comprising: thermally conducting heat from the plurality of battery cells into a heat transfer insert (solid fins 20); and transferring the heat from the heat transfer insert into an exterior environment via a cold plate (cooling plate assembly) (Essinger, [0001-0002, 0027-0028, 0031]).
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.
Claims 3, 5-7, 9 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Essinger et al. (US 20110212355 A1), hereinafter "Essinger" as applied to claim 1 above. Essinger et al. is analogous prior art to the claimed invention because they pertain to the same field of endeavor, namely battery module cooling.
In regard to Claims 3 and 5-7, Essinger et al. discloses the battery module of claim 2. Essinger et al. also discloses the solid fins 20 (heat transfer insert) abuts the battery cells and are in heat transfer communication with the cooling plate assembly 5 (cold plate) and that heat transfer occurs from the battery cells to the solid fins 20 and into the cooling plate assembly (Essinger, [0027]) wherein grooves and resulting flow channels may be selectively positioned within the cooling plate assembly to be aligned with the terminal ends of the solid fins, and thereby facilitate heat transfer communication therebetween (Essinger, [0039]), which is necessarily convection and which necessarily provides the first heat transfer insert configured to directly thermally connect to the cold plate (Essinger, [0028]), which is a configuration wherein the first battery cell and the second battery cell are only indirectly thermally connected to the cold plate via the first heat transfer insert. Lastly Essinger et al. discloses that the coolant exits the module in the coolant outlet conduit (Essinger, [0031]).
In regard to Claim 9, Essinger et al. discloses the battery module of claim 8. Essinger et al. also discloses wherein: the first and second battery cell (Figure 12, first and second cell located in 2) are thermally insulated from the third and fourth battery cell (Figure 12, third and fourth cell located in 2') (Essinger, Figure 12, [0042]).
In regard to Claim 14, Essinger et al. discloses the battery module of claim 1. Essinger et al. also discloses wherein the first battery cell includes a surface, the battery module includes a base wall and the first heat transfer insert extends beyond the surface toward the base wall (Essinger, [0028-0029, Figure 6). While the base wall of the cold plate may not be the top wall in the embodiments of Essinger, the heat transfer insert is joined to the cold plate via an extension of the heat transfer insert by any suitable means (Essinger, [0028]), thus if the skilled artisan desired the top plate to be a cold plate then it would be obvious to include this extension from a top surface of the cell to the top cold plate as doing so would amount to nothing more than choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Essinger et al. (US 20110212355 A1), hereinafter "Essinger" as applied to claim 1 above in view of Hermann et al. (US 20100104938 A1), hereinafter "Hermann". Essinger and Hermann et al. are analogous prior art to the claimed invention because they pertain to the same field of endeavor, namely battery module cooling.
In regard to Claim 4, Essinger et al. discloses the battery module of claim 2. Essinger et al. also discloses physical separation of the coolant from the cells by providing internal coolant channels (Essinger, [0014], Figure 4), but fails to explicitly disclose electrically insulating the coolant from the cells. However, the skilled artisan would be well aware of such a configuration as evidenced by Hermann et al. which discloses a cold plate configured to transfer heat from the cells to an exterior environment of the battery module by providing coolant flow (Hermann, Abstract, [0026]) and that it is known that care must be taken to ensure that the coolant does not short or otherwise electrically interfere with the batteries and a beneficial dual layer thermal interface interposed between the coolant channel portion of the assembly and the cells of the battery pack (Hermann, [0008-0009]) and since it is already known that coolant is to be electrically insulated from the cells this method has the advantage of production time and cost being reduced (Hermann, [0027]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the current invention to provide coolant channels in a cold plate electrically insulated from the cells as taught in Hermann in the cold plate with coolant channels of Essinger as doing so would give the skilled artisan the reasonable expectation of achieving the benefits taught in Hermann and as doing so would amount to nothing more than applying a known technique to a known device (method, or product) ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
Claims 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Essinger et al. (US 20110212355 A1), hereinafter "Essinger" as applied to claim 1 above in view of Tennessen et al. (US 20110212356 A1), hereinafter "Tennessen". Essinger and Tennessen et al. are analogous prior art to the claimed invention because they pertain to the same field of endeavor, namely battery module cooling.
In regard to Claims 10-11, Essinger et al. discloses the battery module of claim 8. Essinger et al. also discloses wherein: the first and second battery cell (Figure 12, first and second cell located in 2) are thermally insulated from the third and fourth battery cell (Figure 12, third and fourth cell located in 2') wherein the cells in 2, 2' and 2" are coupled to a coolant line with their own cold plates (Essinger, Figure 12, [0042]) but Essinger is silent as to the cells being in a configuration with rows with a lateral heat transfer insert between rows.
However, the skilled artisan would be well aware of battery cell assemblies wherein the cells are in rows and would also find it obvious to include heat transfer inserts between rows while in that configuration as taught in Tennessen et al. Tennessen discloses a battery pack having at least two adjacent rows of cells wherein a lateral heat transfer insert (thermal interface layer/fingers) is provided between rows, are configured to thermally conduct heat from the cells and wherein the lateral heat transfer inserts between rows are coupled to a cold plate (cooling manifold), with the benefit of this configuration being taught as improving the manufacturability and performance of a battery cooling system (Tennessen, [Abstract, [0002, 0009]). Further connecting this rowed configuration of cells in series is a common feature known to the skilled artisan and would be obvious to try.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the current invention to provide a battery pack configuration wherein the cells are in rows and a lateral heat transfer insert is provided between rows as taught in Tennessen to the battery pack of Essinger as doing so would give the skilled artisan the reasonable expectation of achieving the benefits taught in Tennessen and as doing so would amount to nothing more than the use of known technique to improve similar devices (methods, or products) in the same way.
Claims 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Essinger et al. (US 20110212355 A1), hereinafter "Essinger" as applied to claim 1 above in view of Adams et al. (US 20090023056 A1), hereinafter "Adams". Essinger and Adams et al. are analogous prior art to the claimed invention because they pertain to the same field of endeavor, namely battery module cooling.
In regard to Claims 12-13, Essinger et al. discloses the battery module of claim 1. While Essinger et al. is silent to the module having a case or being used in an BESS, these are well known features to the skilled artisan as evidenced by Adams et al. which discloses a plurality of cells in an ESS, the cells housed in an enclosure with liquid coolant that that circulates and is transferred out of the ESS to a heat exchanger (Adams, Abstract, [0038-0039, 0042]) wherein the enclosure is thermally insulated and the thermal insulation is designed to help reduce elevated ambient temperatures (Adams, [0041]) and thus thermally insulating the cells and the housing from each other would be obvious to the skilled artisan. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the current invention to provide a known variation of battery module with an enclosure and BESS as taught in Adams et al. with the battery module of Essinger et al. as doing so would give the skilled artisan the reasonable expectation of success and as doing so would amount to nothing more than a variation of it for use in the same field, based on design incentives or other market forces, as the variations are predictable to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Claims 15-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Essinger et al. (US 20110212355 A1), hereinafter "Essinger" as applied to claim 1 above in view of Tennessen et al. (US 20110212356 A1), hereinafter "Tennessen". Essinger and Tennessen et al. are analogous prior art to the claimed invention because they pertain to the same field of endeavor, namely battery module cooling.
In regard to Claims 15-16, Essinger et al. discloses a battery system, comprising a battery module, comprising: first and second battery cells being adjacent to one another in the first row of battery cells (Essinger, [0001-0002], Figure 12 (2)), a first heat transfer insert (solid fins 20), inserted between the first battery cell and the second battery cell and configured to thermally conduct heat from the first battery cell and the second battery cell (Essinger, [0027]), and a casing, including: side walls and a bottom wall wherein the bottom wall is configured as a cold plate (cooling plate assembly), and the cells are disposed in the casing walls and are coupled to the first heat transfer insert and configured to transfer the heat from the heat transfer insert to an exterior environment of the battery module (Essinger, [0027-0028, 0031]).
Essinger et al. also discloses a second row of battery cells comprising a third and fourth cell with a heat transfer insert between a third battery cell and a fourth battery cell of the second row of battery cells, the third and fourth battery cells being adjacent to one another in that row of battery cells (Essinger, Figure 12, 2"). While Essinger discloses a plurality of modules it does so in an embodiment with two rows and not a third row. Essinger et al. also discloses the heat transfer insert transfers heat from the cells into the cooling plate which would necessarily be a material of high thermal conductivity, although Essinger is silent as to the material of the inserts or their electrical insulating properties. Essinger et al. also discloses wherein the first battery cell includes a surface, the battery module includes a base wall and the first heat transfer insert extends beyond the surface through a space formed toward the base wall (Essinger, [0028-0029, Figure 6).
While the base wall of the cold plate may not be the top wall in the embodiments of Essinger, the heat transfer insert is joined to the cold plate via an extension of the heat transfer insert by any suitable means (Essinger, [0028]), thus if the skilled artisan desired the top plate to be a cold plate then it would be obvious to include this extension from a top surface of the cell to the top cold plate as doing so would amount to nothing more than choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success.
Lastly, the walls of Essinger house a single row of cells given the configuration of module in Essinger however a variation of module with a plurality of rows is well known to the skilled artisan as taught in Tennessen et al. which disclose a battery module with a plurality of rows (Tennessen, "multiple rows", [0041]), which may reasonably include a third row and a heat transfer insert (thermal interface layer/fingers), with a material comprising ceramic and further comprises aluminum nitride, which has a high thermal conductivity and is electrically insulating (Tennessen, [0039, 0049]). This beneficial configuration being taught as improving the manufacturability and performance of a battery cooling system (Tennessen, [Abstract, [0002, 0009]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the current invention to provide a module with a plurality of rows as taught in Tennessen and provide a heat transfer insert with high thermal conductivity which is electrically insulating as taught in Tennessen to the module of Essinger and adapt the cold plate walls of Essinger to allow for the plurality of rows of cells to be disposed within as doing so would give the skilled artisan the reasonable expectation of achieving the benefits taught in Tennessen and as doing so would amount to nothing more than applying a known technique to a known device (method, or product) ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
In regard to Claim 17, Essinger in view of Tennessen disclose the cooling system of claim 15. Essinger also discloses wherein the cold plate includes a cooling liquid outlet (Essinger, [0009]), the first battery cell is most proximate to the cooling liquid outlet of the first row of battery cells (Essinger, Figures 7 and 12); the first heat transfer insert is thermally directly connected to the first battery cell and the second battery cell (Essinger, [0027]).
In regard to Claim 18, Essinger in view of Tennessen disclose the cooling system of claim 15. Essinger also discloses the first battery cell includes a battery cell face; the first heat transfer insert includes a heat transfer body face, the heat transfer body face substantially matching the battery cell body face, and the heat transfer body face is substantially fully in contact with the battery cell face (Essinger, [0027], Figure 7).
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Essinger et al. (US 20110212355 A1), hereinafter "Essinger" in view of Tennessen et al. (US 20110212356 A1), hereinafter "Tennessen" as applied to claim 15 above and further in view of Adams et al. (US 20090023056 A1), hereinafter "Adams". Essinger, Tennessen and Adams et al. are analogous prior art to the claimed invention because they pertain to the same field of endeavor, namely battery module cooling.
In regard to Claim 19, Essinger et al. in view of Tennessen discloses the cooling system of claim 15. While Essinger et al. is silent to the module having a case or being used in an BESS, these are well known features to the skilled artisan as evidenced by Adams et al. which discloses a plurality of cells in an ESS, the cells housed in an enclosure with liquid coolant that that circulates and is transferred out of the ESS to a heat exchanger (Adams, Abstract, [0038-0039, 0042]) wherein the enclosure is thermally insulated and the thermal insulation is designed to help reduce elevated ambient temperatures (Adams, [0041]) and thus thermally insulating the cells and the housing from each other would be obvious to the skilled artisan. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the current invention to provide a known variation of battery module with an enclosure and BESS as taught in Adams et al. with the battery module of Essinger et al. as doing so would give the skilled artisan the reasonable expectation of success and as doing so would amount to nothing more than a variation of it for use in the same field, based on design incentives or other market forces, as the variations are predictable to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Li et al. (Numerical Simulations for Lithium-Ion Battery Pack Cooled by Different Minichannel Cold Plate Arrangements, International Journal of Energy Research Volume 2023, Article ID 8207527, 18 pages) which discloses cold plates in different configurations including as different side walls, bottom plates and between cells (Li, Abstract, Figure 1).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KENNETH MAX OTERO whose telephone number is (571)272-2559. The examiner can normally be reached M-F Generally 7:30-430.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nicole Buie-Hatcher can be reached at (571) 270-3879. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/K.M.O./Examiner, Art Unit 1725
/NICOLE M. BUIE-HATCHER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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