DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
Acknowledgement has been made of applicant’s claim for priority under 35 USC 119 (a-d). The certified copy has been filed on10/04/2023.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statements (IDS) filed 09/11/2023 and 04/26/2024 have been placed in the application file and the information referred to therein has been considered.
Drawings
The drawings received 09/11/2023 are acceptable for examination purposes.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I: Claims 1-13, in the reply filed on 08/26/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by US 20200395643 to Seo (Seo).
Regarding claim 1, Seo discloses a case (housing para 15) for a battery module (Abstract) comprising: a body having an internal space (Fig. 2, 3) and an end plate disposed on an end of the body (430, Fig. 2), wherein the body includes a bottom plate (210, Fig. 2) having at least one coolant flow path through which a coolant flows (213, Fig. 4), and wherein the end plate includes a coolant flow tube (230, Fig. 4) through which the coolant flows and at least one connection portion extending from the coolant flow tube and coupled to the at least one coolant flow path of the bottom plate (210). As such claim 1 is anticipated by Seo.
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Regarding claim 7, Seo discloses wherein, when the end plate is coupled to the body, the connection portion is coupled to the coolant flow path of the bottom plate (Fig. 2, 3).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
This application is 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 5 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over US 20200395643 to Seo in view of US 2011212355 to Essinger (Essinger).
Regarding claim 5, Seo discloses the invention as discussed above as applied to claim 1 and incorporated therein. Seo does not expressly disclose wherein the coolant flow tube is formed along a bottom end of one surface of the end plate.
Essinger teaches a cooling system for a battery pack module with a plurality of battery cells includes a cooling plate assembly cooling system for a battery pack module with a plurality of battery cells includes a cooling plate assembly (Abstract), including flow tube 30 (Fig. 3, Fig. 7) disposed at the bottom (or top re claim 6) side of the plate. Therefore, such structural design is well known in the art. It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the case of Seo with the flow tube 30 (disposed at the bottom or top side of the plate, as taught by Essinger in order to improve the cooling process of the battery module.
Claims 10, 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over US 20200395643 to Seo in view of US 20010031392 to Ogata (Ogata).
Regarding claim 10, Seo discloses a battery pack comprising: a plurality of battery modules, each comprising discloses a case (housing para 15) for a battery module (Abstract) comprising: a body having an internal space (Fig. 2, 3) and an end plate disposed on an end of the body (430, Fig. 2), wherein the body includes a bottom plate (210, Fig. 2) having at least one coolant flow path through which a coolant flows (213, Fig. 4), and wherein the end plate includes a coolant flow tube (230, Fig. 4) through which the coolant flows and at least one connection portion extending from the coolant flow tube and coupled to the at least one coolant flow path of the bottom plate (210). Seo does not expressly disclose a battery pack comprising a plurality of battery modules, each comprising discloses a case and a frame arranged to surround the plurality of battery modules.
Ogata teaches a mount frame for battery modules (battery pack), wherein each module can be replicable inserted (Abstract) and as such having a high degree of freedom for mounting the battery pack onto an electric automobile or a hybrid automobile (para 8). It would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine plurality of battery modules of Seo into battery pack disposed on mount frame as taught by Ogata in order to use said modules for hybrid or electric vehicles.
Regarding claim 11, modified Seo disclosed the invention as discussed above as applied to claim 10 and incorporated therein. Modified Seo does not expressly disclose wherein the frame has a band shape in which a top portion and a bottom portion thereof are open. However, The courts have held that changes in shape are a matter of choice which a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found obvious absent persuasive evidence that the particular configuration of the claimed invention was significant. In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966). See MPEP 2144.04. Therefore, It would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the shape of the battery pack of modified Seo depend of requirements of device employing said battery pack as an obvious design choice.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over US 20200395643 to Seo in view of US 20010031392 to Ogata and further in view of US 2011212355 to Essinger.
Regarding claim 12, modified Seo disclosed the invention as discussed above as applied to claim 10 and incorporated therein. Modified Seo does not expressly wherein the plurality of battery modules are disposed in adjacent battery cases, the coolant flow tube in a first battery case is connected to an adjacent coolant flow tube in a second battery case through a connection hose.
Essinger teaches a cooling system for a battery pack module wherein the plurality of battery modules are disposed in adjacent battery cases, the coolant flow tube in a first battery case is connected to an adjacent coolant flow tube in a second battery case through a connection (Fig. 12) hose (102).
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over US 20200395643 to Seo in view of US 20010031392 to Ogata and further in view of US 2011212355 to Essinger and in view of US 20210013465 to Sakurai (Sakurai).
Regarding claim 13, modified Seo disclosed the invention as discussed above as applied to claim 12 and incorporated therein. Modified Seo in view of Essinger does not expressly wherein the frame includes a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet, and wherein the coolant flow tube is connected to the coolant inlet or the coolant outlet.
Sakurai teaches a power storage module wherein a frame having a flow tubes 51c and 51d (Fig. 1) inherently connected with coolant inlet and outlet. It would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the battery pack of modified Seo in view of Essinger with the flow tubes connected with coolant flow inlet and outlet in order as taught by Sakurai to improve cooling of the battery pack.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 2 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The closest prior art of record- US 20200395643, US 20010031392, US 2011212355 and US 20210013465-fail to teach or suggest the following limitation: “end plate includes a plate portion having a lattice shape on one surface thereof and an extension portion extending from the plate portion, and the coolant flow tube is connected to an end of the extension portion”.
Claims 3, 4, 8 and 9 depend from claim 2 directly or indirectly and objected as well.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER USYATINSKY whose telephone number is (571)270-7703. The examiner can normally be reached IFP.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jonathan Leong can be reached at (571) 270-1292. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Alexander Usyatinsky/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1751
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