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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 1-20 are pending.
Applicant's election with traverse of Invention I (claims 1-12), in the reply filed on 22 July 2026 is acknowledged.
The traversal is on the ground(s) that the inventions (Invention I and Invention II) are not mutually exclusive because claim 1 and claim 13 overlap in scope; specifically, applicant highlights that claim 1 (the independent claim of Invention I) is embedded in claim 13 (the independent claim in Invention II). Applicant’s argument is not found persuasive.
To reiterate the requirement for distinction from the restriction:
The related inventions are distinct if: (1) the inventions as claimed are either not capable of use together or can have a materially different design, mode of operation, function, or effect; (2) the inventions do not overlap in scope, i.e., are mutually exclusive; and (3) the inventions as claimed are not obvious variants.
That is, distinctness is judged by the scope of the invention, not a single claim within the group. In this case, the scope of Invention I, claims 1-12, requires a sensing block, while the scope of Invention II, claims 13-20, requires a cooling port. Since Invention II (claims 13-20) does not require a sensing block and Invention I (claims 13-20) does not require a cooling port, the inventions as claimed have materially different designs, the inventions do not overlap in scope, and the inventions are not obvious variants based on the record.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claims 13-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected invention (Invention II), there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 22 July 2026.
In view of the foregoing, claims 1-12 are considered in the present Office action.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-8, and 11-12 are 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.
Claim Objections
Claim 4 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 4 recites that “the facing sensing blocks of the battery array have adjacent first side portions electrically connected to each other and second side portions exposed to define terminals such that the plurality of battery cells constituting the battery array are connected to each other in series”. The features in bold do not follow the same language used in the disclosure. Based on instant published paragraph [0053], “first side portions” should be “one side portions”, while “second side portions” should be “other-side portions”. Appropriate correction is required.
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 9 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. Claim 1 requires a plurality of cooling plates disposed between battery arrays (e.g., instant component 200 in Fig. 2); claim 9 further requires “a lowermost cooling plate among the plurality of cooling plates is configured to form a bottom surface of the battery case”. However, the lower most cooling plate (e.g., instant component 150) is NOT disposed between the battery arrays as required by claim 1 (i.e., only plate 200 is between the arrays); thus, the features of claim 9 are considered new matter. Examiner assumes the lower most cooling plate is a separate cooling plate from the plurality of cooling plates between the arrays.
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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or (a)(2) as being anticipated by Obrist et al. (US 2014/0178737), hereinafter Obrist.
Regarding Claim 1, Obrist suggests a battery pack comprising: a plurality of battery arrays (3-6) stacked in a height direction (see Fig. 1); a plurality of cooling plates (19) disposed between the battery arrays to exchange heat with the battery arrays by surface contact with the battery arrays ([0041-0046]), each cooling plate (19) having a cooling flow path (by way of a flow directing grid, [0017]) disposed therein (i.e., between walls 21, 22 of plate 19) and having an inlet and an outlet which are connected to the cooling flow path ([0017]); and a plurality of cooling pipes having first side ends connected to the inlet and the outlet of each cooling plate (i.e., each plate 19 has a pipe connected to the inlet and the outlet of the plate, hence first side ends) and second side ends (i.e., the pipes from the inlets and outlets of each plate 19 continue extending/bending, hence second side ends) bent to gather at one point and arranged on a same plane (i.e., 42, 43 are on the same plane).
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or (a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhang (CN 208298881), hereinafter Zhang.
Regarding Claim 1, Zhang suggests a battery pack comprising: a plurality of battery arrays stacked in a height direction (see Fig. 6); a plurality of cooling plates (21) disposed between the battery arrays to exchange heat with the battery arrays by surface contact with the battery arrays (Fig. 6), each cooling plate (19) having a cooling flow path (i.e., U-shape, Fig. 6) disposed therein and having an inlet and an outlet which are connected to the cooling flow path (see Fig. 6); and a plurality of cooling pipes (52, 53) having first side ends connected to the inlet and the outlet of each cooling plate (i.e., pipe 52 connected to 51) and second side ends (i.e., pipe 52 connected to 53) bent to gather at one point and arranged on a same plane (i.e., both inlet 53 and outlet 53 are on same plane).
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(s) 1-2, and 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (US 2021/0313635), further in view of Obrist et al. (US 2014/0178737), hereinafter Wang and Obrist.
Regarding Claim 1-2, Wang suggests a battery pack comprising: a plurality of battery arrays (20) stacked in a height direction (Z, e.g., two arrays 20 above plates 30/31 and two arrays 20 below plates 30/31); a plurality of cooling plates (30/31, two plates between each array) disposed between the battery arrays to exchange heat with the battery arrays by surface contact with the battery arrays ([0044, 0065-0067]), each of the battery arrays comprises a plurality of battery modules (e.g., two modules, a module is made of twelve cells 21) arranged in a horizontal direction (Y, e.g.,), each of the battery modules comprises a sensing block (e.g., electrical connectors connecting cells 21 of the module, see e.g., Figs.1 and 5) and a plurality of battery cells arranged in the horizontal direction (Y), and the battery modules adjacent to each other are disposed such that the sensing blocks face each other to constitute a respective one of the battery arrays (see Fig. 1).
Wang suggests liquid coolant flows through internal flow channels within the cooling plate ([0067]) through a liquid coolant delivery pipeline ([0044]) thereby suggesting each cooling plate (30/31) having a cooling flow path disposed therein and having an inlet and an outlet which are connected to the cooling flow path; and a plurality of cooling pipes (e.g., inlet and outlet). Wang does not show the cooling pipes having first side ends connected to the inlet and the outlet of each cooling plate and second side ends bent to gather at one point and arranged on a same plane. However, Obrist suggests a battery pack comprising: a plurality of battery arrays (3-6) stacked in a height direction (see Fig. 1); a plurality of cooling plates (19) disposed between the battery arrays to exchange heat with the battery arrays by surface contact with the battery arrays ([0041-0046]), each cooling plate (19) having a cooling flow path (by way of a flow directing grid, [0017]) disposed therein (i.e., between walls 21, 22 of plate 19) and having an inlet and an outlet which are connected to the cooling flow path ([0017]); and a plurality of cooling pipes having first side ends connected to the inlet and the outlet of each cooling plate (i.e., each plate 19 has a pipe connected to the inlet and the outlet of the plate, hence first side ends) and second side ends (i.e., the pipes from the inlets and outlets of each plate 19 continue extending/bending, hence second side ends) bent to gather at one point and arranged on a same plane (i.e., 42, 43 are on the same plane). Obrist suggests cooling pipes having first side ends connected to the inlet and the outlet of each cooling plate and second side ends bent to gather at one point and arranged on a same plane offers a particularly compact configuration in a space saving way (see e.g., [0058]). It would be obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to utilize cooling pipes having first side ends connected to the inlet and the outlet of each cooling plate and second side ends bent to gather at one point and arranged on a same plane with the expectation that the compact configuration enables space savings, as suggested by Obrist.
Regarding Claim 9, Wang suggests a battery case (12, 13), wherein the battery arrays and the cooling plates are embedded in the battery case, and wherein a lowermost cooling plate (40) is configured to form a bottom surface of the battery case (Fig. 3). See 112(a) for “among the plurality of cooling plates” feature.
Regarding Claim 10, Wang suggests the battery case comprises crossmembers (14), each of the cooling plates is divided based on the crossmembers (Fig. 3). Wang does not suggest parts into which the cooling plates are divided have cooling flow paths connected through a connection channel. However, Wang was modified by Obrist to suggest a compact cooling configuration offering space saving by connecting the flow paths of the cooling plates through a connection channel (common piping) between the plates. It would be obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art the cooling flow paths are connected through a connection channel with the expectation that common piping will between the cooling flow paths of the cooling parts offers a more compact configuration and space savings.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang and Obrist, further in view of Aoki (US 2012/0028099), hereinafter Aoki.
Regarding Claim 3, Wang does not suggest a fixing bracket coupled to each of both side surfaces of the battery array opposite the sensing blocks, wherein the fixing brackets of the battery arrays vertically disposed with the cooling plate interposed therebetween are fastened together to the cooling plate. However, Aoki suggests fixing brackets (25/28) on two sides of a module (1) about the exposed terminals (Fig. 1), wherein the fixing brackets of the battery arrays vertically disposed with the cooling plate (e.g., thermally conductive plates 20 between cells 10, [0076], Figs. 1-2) interposed therebetween are fastened together to the cooling plate (via clips 30, [0081]). The brackets prevent entry of foreign matter ([0080]). It would be obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art a fixing bracket is coupled to each of both side surfaces of the battery array opposite the sensing blocks, wherein the fixing brackets of the battery arrays vertically disposed with the cooling plate interposed therebetween are fastened together to the cooling plate with the expectation of preventing entry of foreign mattery into the space between the bus bars (which connect the cells in series), as suggested by Aoki.
Claim(s) 4-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang and Obrist, further in view of Watanabe (US 2005/0079757), hereinafter Watanabe.
Regarding Claim 4, Wang does not explicitly state whether the sensing block connects the cells in series. However, connecting adjacent cells by way of bus bars in series is well known and understood by one of ordinary skill in the art as evidenced by Aoki ([0080]). It would be obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art each sensing block is configured to connect connected ones of the battery cells in series in view of the desired voltage/current and intended application.
Wang suggests the facing sensing blocks (bus bars connecting the cells) of the battery array have adjacent first side portions (see objection, understood as “one side portions”) but not whether they are electrically connected to each other and second side portions (see objection, understood as “other-side portions”) exposed to define terminals, see annotated Fig. 1 of Wang.
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Wang does not show whether the first side portions (see objection, understood as “one side portions”) are electrically connected to each other. However, the knowledge to connect multiple cells in series (or parallel) is well understood and utilized to meet the demands (i.e., required capacity, voltage, etc.) of the intended application, see e.g., [0080] US 20050079757. It would be obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art for Wang to electrically connect the bus bars of adjacent facing modules with the expectation of achieving the desired voltage and capacity as desired for the intended application, as suggested by Watanabe.
Regarding Claim 5, Wang suggests connection terminals are disposed on one side of each sensing block (terminals can be seen in Figs. 1 and 5), and wherein the connection terminals are electrically connected to each other by being mechanically fastened (by way of bus bars to form a series connection with the expectation of obtaining the desired voltage, as suggested by Watanabe) while overlapping each other (i.e., terminals face each other).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANNA KOROVINA whose telephone number is (571)272-9835. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 7am - 6 pm.
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/ANNA KOROVINA/Examiner, Art Unit 1729
/ULA C RUDDOCK/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1729
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