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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2, 6-7, 12 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Callahan et al. (US 20140242425 A1).
Claim 1: Callahan teaches a rechargeable battery (210) (Fig. 2) [0020, 0023] (i.e., battery module) comprising a plurality of rechargeable battery cells (i.e. a stack) (210) are arranged side by side in a first direction on the lower fixation plate [0004, 0019, 0033] (Fig. 6),
wherein each cell (110) includes positive and negative electrodes (120, 130) (i.e., electrode terminals) extending vertically from the top of the
battery cells (110), and a case (140) (i.e., housing) with a prismatic shape (Fig. 1) [0015, 0025],
wherein the stack is housed in a chassis (220) having;
a metal frame (230) comprising side walls (Fig. 3) that function as restraint members to restrain the stack in the second direction,
an upper fixation plate (250) and a lower fixation plate (240) (i.e., cover member) (Fig. 2) [0019],
wherein the lower fixation plate is located at the bottom of the metal frame (230) (i.e., opposite the electrode terminal), (Fig 3) and the lower fixation plate (240) (i.e., cover member) and upper fixation plates (250) may be constructed of a non-conductive material so as to avoid case-to-case (140) shorting (i.e., the cover member has insulation properties) [0019],
and the lower fixation plate comprises of a plurality of openings extending between the upper surface and the opposite lower surface of the lower fixation plate (430, 440, 450) (Fig. 3, Fig 4A) (i.e., through holes) that allow condensate to drain from the lower fixation plate [0028, 0031],
wherein the holes (430) located in the center portion of the cover member form the first drainage portion, and the holes on the edges (440, 450) form the second drainage portion in the second direction (claim 2).
Claims 6: Callahan teaches the lower fixation plate (i.e., bottom frame of the battery protection plate) comprises a plurality of drainage channels (Fig 4B) [0030, 0035], wherein the drainage channels include grooves (460) extending between drainage holes (430, 440, 450) and extending along the cell dividers (420) (i.e., the second drainage portion is provided with a groove portion in the first and second directions). The grooves (460) may be sloped to cause the collected condensate to flow to the drainage holes (430, 440, 450) [0021, 0030, 0031].
Claim 7: As described above, Callahan teaches a plurality of through holes in the first and second drainage portions, and that the second drainage portion is provided with a groove portion in the first and second direction.
Claim 12: As described above, Callahan in combination with Takuro teach a restrained stack of battery cells housed in a chassis (220) (i.e., case) to form a storage unit.
Claim 14: As described above, Callahan in combination with Takuro teach a plurality of through holes in the first and second drainage portions, and the stack is housed in a chassis (i.e., case) that supports a plurality of battery cells in the first and second direction, and forms a storage unit.
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.
The office initially holds that the 102 rejection is sufficient, but as the restraint member of Callahan is a part of the housing, the alternative 103 rejection is being made for claims 1-2, 6-7, 12 and 14.
Claims 1-2, 6-7, 12 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Callahan et al. (US 20140242425 A1), and further in view of Takuro et al. (JP2014035970A).
Claim 1: Callahan teaches a rechargeable battery (210) (Fig. 2) [0020, 0023] (i.e., battery module) comprising a plurality of rechargeable battery cells (i.e. a stack) (210) are arranged side by side in a first direction on the lower fixation plate [0004, 0019, 0033] (Fig. 6),
wherein each cell (110) includes positive and negative electrodes (120, 130) (i.e., electrode terminals) extending vertically from the top of the
battery cells (110), and a case (140) (i.e., housing) with a prismatic shape (Fig. 1) [0015, 0025],
wherein the stack is housed in a chassis (220) having;
a metal frame (230) comprising side walls (Fig. 3), an upper fixation plate (250) and a lower fixation plate (240) (i.e., cover member) (Fig. 2) [0019],
wherein the lower fixation plate is located at the bottom of the metal frame (230) (i.e., opposite the electrode terminal), (Fig 3) and the lower fixation plate (240) (i.e., cover member) and upper fixation plates (250) may be constructed of a non-conductive material so as to avoid case-to-case (140) shorting (i.e., the cover member has insulation properties) [0019],
and the lower fixation plate comprises of a plurality of openings extending between the upper surface and the opposite lower surface of the lower fixation plate (430, 440, 450) (Fig. 3, Fig 4A) (i.e., through holes) that allow condensate to drain from the lower fixation plate [0028, 0031],
wherein the holes (430) located in the center portion of the cover member form the first drainage portion, and the holes on the edges (440, 450) form the second drainage portion in the second direction (claim 2).
Callahan further teaches the battery cells (110) are located on the lower fixation plate 240, and the upper fixation plate (250) is located over the battery cells (110) to restrain the battery cells (110) within the frame (230) [0019]. Callahan does not teach a restraint member that restrains the stack in the first direction.
However, Takuro teaches a power storage device comprising a plurality of storage cell groups (P) formed by stacking a plurality of storage cells (C) (i.e., prismatic shaped cells) that are electrically connected in series in the stacking direction (i.e., a first direction) and a pair of end plates are disposed at both ends of the plurality of cells in the stacking direction (i.e., the second direction),
wherein the end plates (23) are fastened by metal restraint members (29, 31, 32, 33) to form a storage pack, wherein the end plates (23) (i.e., restraint members) are arranged side by side with the battery cells and restrains the pack in the first direction to enhance the rigidity of the pack (Page 4 para 8, page 5 para 1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have included end plates arranged side by side with the battery stack to enhance the rigidity of the battery pack in the first direction.
Claims 6: Callahan teaches the lower fixation plate (i.e., bottom frame of the battery protection plate) comprises a plurality of drainage channels (Fig 4B) [0030, 0035], wherein the drainage channels include grooves (460) extending between drainage holes (430, 440, 450) and extending along the cell dividers (420) (i.e., the second drainage portion is provided with a groove portion in the first and second directions). The grooves (460) may be sloped to cause the collected condensate to flow to the drainage holes (430, 440, 450) [0021, 0030, 0031].
Claim 7: As described above, Callahan teaches a plurality of through holes in the first and second drainage portions, and that the second drainage portion is provided with a groove portion in the first and second direction.
Claim 12: As described above, Callahan in combination with Takuro teach a restrained stack of battery cells housed in a chassis (220) (i.e., case) to form a storage unit.
Claim 14: As described above, Callahan in combination with Takuro teach a plurality of through holes in the first and second drainage portions, and the stack is housed in a chassis (i.e., case) that supports a plurality of battery cells in the first and second direction, and forms a storage unit.
Claims 3, 8 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Callahan et al. (US20140242425) and Takuro et al. (JP2014035970A), and further in view of Mrotek et al. (US 5132175 A).
Claim 3: Callahan teaches a plurality of drainage holes as described above. Callahan does not teach a flange portion protruding outside a drainage hole. However, Mrotek teaches a battery housing comprising a battery vent hole provided with a flange that functions as a splash guard (326) to reduce electrolyte leakage into the exhaust (Col 2 lines 25-30, col 5 lines 5 ). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filling the instant invention to have modified Callahan’s battery cover member by including a flange that functions as a splash guard to minimize splashing of water exiting through the drainage hole.
Claim 8: As described above, Callahan in combination with Mrotek teach a plurality of through holes in the first and second drainage portions, a flange portion at the edge of the through hole, and that the second drainage portion is provided with a groove portion in the first and second direction.
Claim 16: As described above, Callahan in combination with Takuro and Mrotek teach a plurality of through holes in the first and second drainage portions, a flange portion at the edge of the through hole, and the stack further includes a case that supports the plurality of battery cells to form a storage unit.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Callahan et al. (US20140242425) and Takuro et al. (JP2014035970A), and further in view of Shimizu et al. (US20140023893A1) and Liang et al. (CN114678639A).
Claim 4: Callahan teaches the battery cells are disposed on the lower fixation plate as described above. Callahan does not teaches a secondary battery device comprising a biasing portion being provided at an edge of a through hole. However, Shimizu teaches a plurality of pressure springs (42), which individually press the respective bottom of the battery cells (14) upwards so that the battery cell is pressed against the top wall (Fig3. 3-6, 9). Shimizu teaches the pressure spring helps to stabilize and position the battery cells [abstract, 0047]. The pressure spring (42) extends inclined from the bottom wall (22) forming a gap between the bottom wall and the bottom of the battery cell depending on the upward pressure being exerted [0043, 0046]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have arranged the battery cells on pressure springs on Callahan’s battery cover to position and stabilize the cells.
Neither Callahan or Shimizu teach arranging the biasing at the edge of the through hole. However, Liang teaches a battery module upper cover comprising a plurality of exhaust holes with covers disposed at the edge of the exhaust hole wherein in the gases and fluids can flow unobstructed when the exhaust hole is in its open state (Figs. 1-2) (page 2 para 2-5). This open state is analogous to the structure of a biasing disposed on the edge of a through hole wherein water and fluids can pass through unobstructed. Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Callahan’s battery cover’s by arrange the pressure springs at the edge of the through holes with reasonable expectation of success because Liang teaches such is an operable configuration. The mere rearrangement of parts, without any new or unexpected results, has been held to be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art (see MPEP § 2144.04 (VI)(C)).
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Callahan et al. (US20140242425) and Takuro et al. (JP2014035970A), and further in view of Mrotek (US 5132175 A), Shimizu et al. (US20140023893A1) and Liang et al. (CN114678639A).
Claim 5: As described above, Callahan in combination with Mrotek, Shimizu and Liang teach a flange portion that protrudes at the edge of the through hole and a biasing portion at the edge of the through hole.
Claims 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Callahan et al. (US20140242425) and Takuro et al. (JP2014035970A), and further in view of Shimazaki et al. (US 20200075907 A1).
Claim 9: Callahan teaches the plurality of openings on the lower fixation plate (240), and grooves on a substrate thereof are sloped to guide collected condensate towards the drainage holes by gravity [0030, 0031]. However, Callahan does not teach the inclination of the lower fixation plate is toward the center portion of the plate.
However, Shimazaki teaches a battery case with a bottom wall (31a) that is inclined downward at a 1.08° angle with respect to the vehicle body center line L (Fig. 3) [0032, 0040, 0042] to guide water collected in the interior of the battery case smoothly toward the drain hole (31i). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the instant invention to have modified the angle of the bottom wall of Callahan’s battery protection plate such that it is inclined toward the through holes in the first drainage portion because Shimazaki teaches such is a functional configuration that also allows gravitational flow of collected water towards the drain.
Claim 10: As described above, Callahan in combination with Shimazaki teach a plurality of through holes in the first and second drainage portions, a flange portion at the edge of the through hole, and the cover member is inclined toward the first drainage portion.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Callahan et al. (US20140242425) and Takuro et al. (JP2014035970A) , and further in view of Mrotek (US 5132175 A) and Shimazaki et al. (US 20200075907 A1).
Claim 11: As described above, Callahan in teaches a plurality of through holes in the first and second drainage portions, Mrotek teaches a flange portion at the edge of the through hole is taught as in claim 3 above, and Shimazaki teaches the cover member is inclined toward the first drainage portion.
Claims 13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Callahan et al. (US20140242425) and Takuro et al. (JP2014035970A), and further in view of Suga et al. (US 20160248116 A1).
Claim 13: Callahan does not teach the output density of the battery cells in the battery pack. However, Suga teaches a battery pack comprising a plurality of lithium ion secondary batteries [0027] wherein each battery ell has an output density of (8100 W/L) (Table 1 example 6) [0034-35, 0038]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have stacked lithium batteries with output density of 8100 W/L because Suga teaches such is an operable battery stack.
Claim 15: As described above, Callahan and Suga teach each battery cell in the battery unit has an output density of 8100 W/L.
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Callahan et al. (US20140242425) and Takuro et al. (JP2014035970A) and Mrotek (US 5132175 A), and further in view of Suga et al. (US 20160248116 A1).
Claim 17: As described above, Callahan in combination with Mrotek and Suga teach a storage unit comprising a plurality or cells wherein each cell has an output density of 8100 W/L.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LINAH RUSERE whose telephone number is (571)272-9954. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00 EST.
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/L.N.R./Examiner, Art Unit 1712
/JOSEPH A MILLER, JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1712
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