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 . If status of the application as subject to 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 a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Status of Claims
Claims 1-17 are pending in the application and are presently examined.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on applications KR1020220175663 and KR1020220175664 filed in Korea on 12/15/2022. Applicant, however, has not filed a certified copy of these applications as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claim 14 is objected to because of the following informalities. Examiner suggests the following claim 14 amendment for proper grammar and clarity: “each third-direction battery row including [[of]] the plurality of battery cells arranged in a third direction”.
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.
Claims 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor(s) regard as the invention.
Claims 1 & 14 state: “largest surfaces of the battery cells are oriented in a first direction”. This claim limitation is unclear because a surface is two-dimensional, but this limitation refers to orientation of the surface with only one direction. It is also unclear whether “oriented” means that the largest surfaces are perpendicular or parallel to the first direction.
Claims 1 & 14 state “second electrode terminals disposed to be oriented in an opposite direction”. The meaning of “disposed to be” here is unclear. Examiner suggests the following amendment: “second electrode terminals
Claims 1 & 14 state “a transversal busbar configured to connect” It is unclear what is meant by “configured to connect”, as if it is capable of connecting, but not actually doing so. The phrase “configured to” is better suited to devices that are movable, and which can perform an action. Here, however, either the busbar connects or it doesn’t, so “configured to” doesn’t make sense.
Claims 2-13 & 15-17 are rejected due to their dependence on claims 1 & 14.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
The claims are in bold font, the prior art is in parentheses.
Claims 1-11 & 14-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO2013098982A1 machine translation (Oya).
With regard to claim 1, Oya teaches the following claim limitations:
A battery assembly (paragraph 11; figure 2: battery pack) comprising:
a cell stack including a plurality of battery layers (Figure A below) of battery cells (abstract, figures 3-5: battery cells 5), each battery layer including a plurality of battery cells arranged such that largest surfaces of the battery cells are oriented in a first direction (Figure A below), each battery layer comprising two or more third-direction battery rows (Figure A below: 3rd rows) each third-direction battery row including the plurality of battery cells arranged in a third direction (Figure A below)…
wherein the cell stack includes a first second-direction battery row (Figure A below: 1st 2nd row) and a second second-direction battery row (Figure A below: 2nd 2nd row) in which the plurality of battery cells is arranged in a second direction (Figure A below),
the first second-direction battery row includes first electrode terminals and the second second-direction battery row includes second electrode terminals (paragraph 43; figures 2-3 & 5; Figure A below: terminals 5a & 5b) disposed to be oriented in an opposite direction (paragraph 12: “The two battery blocks 2 are arranged back-to-back, with… the electrode external terminals projecting in opposite directions”) to the first electrode terminals based on a reference surface between the first second-direction battery row and the second second-direction battery row, and
Figure A: Annotated Oya Figure 2
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Claim 1 also states:
one or more busbars coupled to the plurality of battery cells and configured to electrically connect the plurality of battery cells…
the one or more busbars include a transversal busbar configured to connect one or more of the first electrode terminals of the first second-direction battery row to one or more of the second electrode terminals of the second second-direction battery row and configured to traverse the reference surface
Although Oya teaches busbars (paragraphs 37-38), Oya fails to describe this arrangement of busbars; nevertheless, it would have been obvious, to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have connected the electrode terminals. For example, it was within the skill of an electrician or an electrical engineer, before the effective filing date of the invention, to route wires or busbars for a parallel or series battery connection arrangement.
With regard to claims 2-8, modified Oya teaches the limitations of claim 1 as described above. Claims 2-8 state:
Claim 2
the one or more busbars include:
a first busbar configured to electrically connect the first electrode terminals of the first second-direction battery row and the second electrode terminals of the second second-direction battery row to an external structure outside the cell stack; and
a second busbar structured to connect the first electrode terminals of the first second-direction battery row to each other or the second electrode terminals of the second second-direction battery row to each other
Claim 3
the first busbar electrically connected to the first second-direction battery row and the first busbar electrically connected to the second second-direction battery row are disposed at a first end of the cell stack based on the second direction
Claim 4
the second busbar is configured to electrically connect electrode terminals of adjacent battery cells in series while electrically connecting electrode terminals provided in the plurality of battery layers in parallel
Claim 5
the first busbar and the transversal busbar are disposed in opposite positions of the cell stack based on the second direction
Claim 6
a portion of the second busbar connects electrode terminals of adjacent battery cells in each battery layer in series
Claim 7
the first busbar and the transversal busbar are disposed in a first end of the cell stack based on the second direction
Claim 8
wherein the first busbar comprises a terminal connection portion connected to the first electrode terminals of the first second-direction battery row or the second electrode terminals of the second second-direction battery row, and an external connection portion for electrical connection to the external structure,
wherein the external connection portion is exposed to a top surface of the cell stack
Although Oya teaches busbars (paragraphs 37-38), Oya fails to describe this arrangement of busbars; nevertheless, it would have been obvious, to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have connected the electrode terminals as claimed in order to provide electrical power to an external device.
Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, such as an electrician or an electrical engineer, had knowledge of series and parallel connections for both the power supply and for the load. It would have been obvious, to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have made the claimed electrical connections.
With regard to claim 9, modified Oya teaches the limitations of claim 1 as described above. Claim 9 states:
the transversal busbar comprises a terminal connection portion connected to the first and second electrode terminals and a transversal portion crossing the reference surface
Although Oya teaches busbars (paragraphs 37-38), Oya fails to describe this arrangement of busbars; nevertheless, it would have been obvious, to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have connected the electrode terminals as claimed in order to provide electrical power to an external device.
Claim 9 also states:
the transversal portion is electrically insulated from the battery cells
Oya fails to describe this electrically insulated portion. One of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, would have known that the busbar must be electrically insulated from the battery cells, in order to avoid shorting out the battery cells. This has been common knowledge in the art for many decades.
With regard to claim 10, modified Oya teaches the limitations of claim 1 as described above. Oya also teaches the following claim 10 limitations:
each of the battery cells (5) includes a first side, a second side, and a third side (Figure B below),
the first side includes an area larger than an area of the second side and an area of the third side, the first and second electrode terminals (5a & 5b) are disposed on the third side (Figure B below),
the first direction is a direction perpendicular to the first side, the second direction is a direction perpendicular to the second side, and the third direction is a direction perpendicular to the third side (Figure B below)
Figure B: Annotated Oya Figure 3
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With regard to claim 11, modified Oya teaches the limitations of claims 1 & 10 as described above. Oya also teaches the following claim 11 limitation:
the battery cells include a prismatic secondary battery having a hexahedral shape (Figure B above),
With regard to claim 14, Oya teaches the following claim limitations:
A battery pack comprising:
a plurality of battery assemblies (it would have been obvious to increase the quantity of Oya’s battery assemblies to provide power to larger devices);
a pack housing structured to accommodate the plurality of battery assemblies (it would have been obvious to house the plurality of battery assemblies for protection and handling); and
an external busbar configured to electrically connect adjacent battery assemblies (it would have been obvious to electrically connect the plurality of battery assemblies so that they can function);
wherein each of the plurality of battery assemblies (paragraph 11; figure 2: battery pack) comprises:
a cell stack including a plurality of battery layers (Figure A below) of battery cells (abstract, figures 3-5: battery cells 5), each battery layer including a plurality of battery cells arranged such that largest surfaces of the battery cells are oriented in a first direction (Figure A below), each battery layer comprising two or more third-direction battery rows (Figure A below: 3rd rows) each third-direction battery row including of the plurality of battery cells arranged in a third direction (Figure A below)…
wherein the cell stack includes a first second-direction battery row (Figure A below: 1st 2nd row) and a second second-direction battery row (Figure A below: 2nd 2nd row) in which the plurality of battery cells is arranged in a second direction (Figure A below),
the first second-direction battery row includes first electrode terminals and the second second-direction battery row includes second electrode terminals (paragraph 43; figures 2-3 & 5; Figure A below: terminals 5a & 5b) disposed to be oriented in an opposite direction (paragraph 12: “The two battery blocks 2 are arranged back-to-back, with… the electrode external terminals projecting in opposite directions”) to the first electrode terminals based on a reference surface between the first second-direction battery row and the second second-direction battery row, and
Figure A: Annotated Oya Figure 2
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Claim 14 also states:
one or more busbars coupled to the plurality of battery cells and configured to electrically connect the plurality of battery cells…
the one or more busbars include a transversal busbar configured to connect one or more of the first electrode terminals of the first second-direction battery row to one or more of the second electrode terminals of the second second-direction battery row and configured to traverse the reference surface
Although Oya teaches busbars (paragraphs 37-38), Oya fails to describe this arrangement of busbars; nevertheless, it would have been obvious, to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have connected the electrode terminals. For example, it was within the skill of an electrician or an electrical engineer, before the effective filing date of the invention, to route wires or busbars for a parallel or series battery connection arrangement.
With regard to claims 15-17, modified Oya teaches the limitations of claim 14 as described above. Claims 15-17 state:
Claim 15
the one or more busbars include a first busbar configured to electrically connect the first electrode terminals of the first second-direction battery row and the second electrode terminals of the second second-direction battery row to an external structure outside the cell stack
Claim 16
the first busbar electrically connected to the first second-direction battery row and the first busbar electrically connected to the second second-direction battery row are disposed at a first end of the cell stack based on the second direction
Claim 17
the first busbar comprises a terminal connection portion connected to the first electrode terminals of the first second-direction battery row or the second electrode terminals of the second second-direction battery row, and an external connection portion for electrical connection to the external busbar, wherein the external connection portion is exposed to a top surface of the cell stack
Although Oya teaches busbars (paragraphs 37-38), Oya fails to describe this arrangement of busbars; nevertheless, it would have been obvious, to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have connected the electrode terminals as claimed in order to provide electrical power to an external device.
Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, such as an electrician or an electrical engineer, had knowledge of series and parallel connections for both the power supply and for the load. It would have been obvious, to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have made the claimed electrical connections.
Claims 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO2013098982A1 machine translation (Oya), as applied to claim 1, and further in view of US20210057692A1 (Kim).
With regard to claim 12, modified Oya teaches the limitations of claim 1 as described above. Oya fails to teach the following claim 12 limitations, which are taught by Kim:
a cooling plate (abstract: “a cooling pin having a plate shape”; paragraph 52 & figure 5: cooling pin 111A-1) disposed between adjacent battery layers (paragraph 52 & figure 5: two battery cells 111B and 111C fixed to both sides of the cooling pin 111A-1) and configured to cool the cell stack; and
one or more adhesive member structured to fix the cooling plate and the adjacent battery layers (paragraph 52 & figure 5: battery cells 111B and 111C fixed to the cooling pin 111A-1 by adhesive means 111A-2 and 111A-3)
Batteries generate heat. It would have been obvious, to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to have a cooling plate between adjacent battery cells 5 of Oya, as taught by Kim, for cooling the batteries.
With regard to claim 13, modified Oya teaches the limitations of claims 1 & 12 as described above. Claim 13 states:
the cooling plate is fixed to the adjacent battery layers disposed on both sides in the first direction through the one or more adhesive member
Although Kim teaches the cooling plate fixed to the batteries by adhesive, as discussed under claim 12, Kim fails to teach fixing in the first direction.
The battery side of the first direction is the largest side; therefore, it would have been obvious, to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to fix cooling plate to battery in this direction in order to maximize cooling.
Conclusion
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/R.G.W./Examiner, Art Unit 1721
/ALLISON BOURKE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1721