DETAILED ACTION
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they fail to show a plurality of the elements claimed. For example, the drawings do not reference a heat sink, a thermal sheet, a compression strip, a compression plate, a temperature sensor, a main processor, a space management fin, a main controller, metallic heat exchangers, etc.
Any structural detail that is essential for a proper understanding of the disclosed invention should be shown in the drawing. MPEP § 608.02(d). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The specification is objected to as failing to provide proper antecedent basis for the claimed subject matter. See 37 CFR 1.75(d)(1) and MPEP § 608.01(o). Correction of the following is required: the specification does not provide proper antecedent basis for an A.M.S. Metal Steel based thermal sheet, a compression strip, a compression plate, temperature sensors, a main controller, a main processor, a high current sensor, metallic heat exchangers, etc.
A substitute specification including the claims is required pursuant to 37 CFR 1.125(a) because the claims do not appear to have support for a plurality of the claimed elements of claims 1 and 2 including but not limited to an A.M.S. Metal Steel based thermal sheet, a compression strip, a compression plate, temperature sensors, a main controller, a main processor, a high current sensor, metallic heat exchangers, etc.
A substitute specification must not contain new matter. The substitute specification must be submitted with markings showing all the changes relative to the immediate prior version of the specification of record. The text of any added subject matter must be shown by underlining the added text. The text of any deleted matter must be shown by strike-through except that double brackets placed before and after the deleted characters may be used to show deletion of five or fewer consecutive characters. The text of any deleted subject matter must be shown by being placed within double brackets if strike-through cannot be easily perceived. An accompanying clean version (without markings) and a statement that the substitute specification contains no new matter must also be supplied. Numbering the paragraphs of the specification of record is not considered a change that must be shown.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
The claimed elements including an A.M.S. Metal Steel based thermal sheet, a compression strip, a compression plate, temperature sensors, a main controller, a main processor, a high current sensor, metallic heat exchangers, etc., do not have support in the written specification. Therefore, the written description requirement has not been satisfied.
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 1-2 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.
The claims are generally narrative and indefinite, failing to conform with current U.S. practice. They appear to be a literal translation into English from a foreign document and are replete with grammatical and idiomatic errors.
In claim 1, for example, there is insufficient antecedent basis for “the cell pack” and “the metallic battery unit enclosure”.
In claim 2, for example, there is insufficient antecedent basis for “the charging and discharging terminals”, “the battery”, “the battery enclosure”, “the main controller”, and “the external enclosure”.
Claim 1 recites “assembling an integrated battery unit where Cell packs disclosed in the first embodiment are installed in the metallic battery unit enclosure in a fashion that metallic heat exchanges installed in cell pack are in direct contact with the metallic enclosure”. This limitation is unclear. A first embodiment is not recited in the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for the first embodiment.
Claim 2 recites a “method of heat management for the energy storage unit to ensure that heat dissipated from the unit is extracted uniformly across the unit.” However, claim 2 does not appear to contain limitations directed to a method claim. Rather, claim 2 appears to be directed to an energy storage unit comprising a plurality of component limitations for the energy storage unit. Therefore, claim 2 is unclear.
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:
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20120009455 A1 (Yoon ‘455) in view of US 20200185796 A1 (Stenvall ‘796).
Regarding claim 1, Yoon ‘455 teaches a battery module 101 including a plurality of battery cells 110, a housing 121 accommodating the battery cells 110, heat-conductive sheets 123 in close contact with the battery cells 110, a heat dispersion member 125 in contact with the heat-conductive sheets 123, and a heat dissipation member 126 in contact with the heat dispersion member 125 ([0049]; Figs. 1 & 2). The heat dispersion members may be in thermal co-operation with a heat sink ([0108]). Thus, heat generated in the battery cells may be efficiently dissipated.
The battery cells may be fixed as one body by a band 127 ([0052]). For example, the band may surround the stacked battery cells and may be made of an elastic material ([0052]). Or, the battery cells 110 may be fixed by, e.g., a tie bar fixing an end plate and another end plate ([0052]).
Therefore, Yoon ‘455 teaches an apparatus for removing heat generated by cells of a battery back during operation, the battery pack of the apparatus comprising one or more metallic conductive heat sinks disposed between the cells of the battery pack, a thermal sheet disposed between cells of the battery pack, and a housing comprising the cells therein. Further, Yoon ‘455 teaches a compression strip, i.e., a band for fixed the cells together as one body, and a compression plate, i.e., two end plates fixed together by a tie bar to hold the cells together as one body.
Yoon ‘455 does not teach a heat exchanger installed in the battery pack.
Stenvall ‘796 teaches a battery assembly 10 with one or more cooling plates 24 disposed along lateral sides of the one or more battery modules 12, wherein the one or more cooling plates 24 represents a planar heat exchanger made of a metallic material ([0018]). The one or more cooling plates 24 are operable for removing heat from the one or more battery modules 12 ([0018]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a skilled artisan at the time of filing to modify the apparatus, as taught by Yoon ‘455, to include one or more cooling plates, corresponding to a metallic heat exchanger, to remove heat from the one or more battery packs, as suggested by Stenvall ‘796.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20180316207 A1 (Irish ‘207) in view of US 20170365893 A1 (Kim ‘893), and further in view of US 20160093934 A1 (Obasih ‘934).
Regarding claim 2, Irish ‘207 teaches a rechargeable battery pack 100 comprising a battery management system (BMS) 101 and a rechargeable battery 105 ([0013]) The BMS 101 comprises a controller 103, a temperature sensor 107, a current sensor 109, and a voltage sensor 111 all coupled in series to the controller 103 ([0016]). The controller 103 further comprises a data store comprising a stored relationship, wherein the stored relationship comprises a lookup table providing set current values as a function of temperature ([0018]).
Therefore, Irish ‘207 renders obvious an energy storage unit having a main processor/controller, a cell temperature sensor, an ambient temperature sensor, a current sensor, a data bus, wherein it would be obvious to have a plurality of each sensor, because the mere duplication of parts, without any new or unexpected results, is within the ambit of one of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Harza, 124 USPQ 378 (CCPA 1960) (see MPEP § 2144.04).
Irish ‘207 does not disclose a plurality of fans installed in the battery enclosure.
Kim ‘893 teaches an energy storage system 1 including a battery system 100, a plurality of BMSs 200, a master BMS 300, and a control unit 400 ([0046]). AT least one cooling fan P for cooling each battery module 120 included in the battery group may be provided and controlled by the BMS ([0057] – [0058]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a skilled artisan at the time of the filing to include a plurality of fans installed in the energy storage unit, as taught by Irish ‘207, to cool the battery modules of the battery group, as suggested by Kim ‘893.
Irish ‘207 does not disclose a plurality of space management fins to create air gaps.
Obasih ‘934 discloses thermal management features for battery modules including active and passive elements. For example, fans and blower which generate or enable a fluid flow (e.g., coolant or airflow) are active thermal management features that may cooperate with passive elements such as cooling plates, cooling fins, thermal pads, and gap pads to extract heat away from electrochemical cells and divert the extracted heat to the coolant or airflow ([0026]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a skilled artisan at the time of filing to include cooling fins or gap pads that cooperate with a fan or blower to extract heat away from cells and divert the extracted heat to the airflow, as suggested by Obasih ‘934, in the energy storage unit, as taught by Irish ‘207.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TAYLOR H KRONE whose telephone number is (571)270-5064. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM EST.
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/TAYLOR HARRISON KRONE/Examiner, Art Unit 1725
/JONATHAN CREPEAU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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