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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(l), (m), (q) and (p)(1) because Figures 1-11 are presented in a resolution and with shading resulting in reduced legibility, such that text and details within the figure are difficult to distinguish. Due to low resolution and shading, it is not clear what the reference numbers and lead lines are referring to and further, the reference descriptors, themselves, are difficult to read.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because
in Figure 7, 101 is pointing to side wall whereas instant specification refers to 101 as bottom wall (see [0039])
in Figures 8-9, 103 appears to be pointing to outer rim/flange of the sidewall 102 whereas instant specification refers to 103 as positioning cavity [0071].
Lead lines do not clearly indicate the accurate element being referred to due to poor resolution.
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because
Figures 8-9 fail to show first connecting member used to connect the heat sink 3 and the reinforcing beam as described in [0093] of instant specification
Figures 8-9 do not show either heat sink nor reinforcing beam at all
Figures 8-9 do not show the first connecting member 6 being located on an outer side of the sealant grove 101c facing toward the edge of the heat sink 3 as described in [0094] of instant specification
Figure 6 shows first connecting member disposed on the heat sink 3 which is not described in specification, as instant specification describes the first connecting member included as part of the enclosure 10 and disposed on an outer side of the sealant groove 101c ([0093]-[0094]).
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.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 objected to because of the following informalities:
In Claim 1, the recitation “an enclosure for accommodating battery cells, comprising: a positioning member, comprising a bottom wall and a side wall” should read “an enclosure for accommodating battery cells, comprising: a positioning member wherein positioning member further comprises a bottom wall and a side wall”.
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 1-14 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) contain 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.
Claims 1-14 recite “hollow portion” and “positioning recess” throughout the claims neither the claims nor the specification provide how said features distinguish from each other and how they relate to each other as both features are part of the claimed enclosure. Both, “the hollow portion” and “the positioning recess” are claimed as being part of the bottom wall (see claim 1 “the bottom wall being provided with a hollow portion” and claim 4 “the bottom wall is recessed toward the positioning cavity to form a positioning recess”) and both of them are being claimed as, at least partially, containing the heat sink (see claim 3 “at least part of the heat sink being exposed from the hollow portion” and claim 4 “at least part of the heat sink being restricted to the positioning recess”).
The instant specification does not describe “the hollow portion” and “the positioning recess” in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the art how said features distinguish from each other nor how they relate to each other (both being part of the bottom wall of the claimed enclosure), as the specification describes “the hollow portion” as a means for the battery cells to make contact connection with the heat sink 3 and further improve the heat dissipation effect of the heat sink (see [0099]) wherein “the bottom wall is provided with the hollow portion” (see [0076]) and the instant specification merely describes “the positioning recess” as a means for positioning and restricting the heat sink (see [0082]-[0084]).
As such neither “the hollow portion” and “the positioning recess” was described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art how said features distinguish from each other and how they relate to each other as both features are part of the claimed enclosure. Therefore claims 1-14 are rejected as failing to comply with the written description requirement as all the claims contain the recitations of “the hollow portion” and/or “the positioning recess” (see, for example, line 4 of claim 1). For the purpose of this office action, “positioning recess” has been interpreted to mean the same as “hollow portion”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 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 considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 and 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yoo (KR 20210079665 A; see machine translation).
Regarding Claim 1, Yoo teaches an enclosure (upper cover 50, battery tray 10, Figure 3 & [0045]) for accommodating battery cells (battery modules 1, [0046]), comprising: a positioning member (battery tray 10, Figure 3 & [0045]) comprising a bottom wall (bottom plate and part of the side wall (indicated below as element outside of the inner wall 13) extending underneath the bottom plate towards lower cover 30 and thus forming lateral side of the bottom wall, see [0046] & annotated Figure 4 which shows battery tray 10 comprises of bottom plate with lateral side of the bottom plate to form a space into which a heat sink 70 is installed) and a side wall connected to a circumference of the bottom wall (see [0046] which describes that front and rear sidewalls and left and right sidewalls are connected to the edges of the bottom plate), the side wall and the bottom wall enclosing and defining a positioning cavity (see [0046] – [0049] which describes that sidewalls and bottom plate and other accessory elements accommodate the plurality of battery modules 1 inherently forming a compartment), and the bottom wall (bottom plate and part of the side wall (indicated below as element outside of the inner wall 13) extending underneath the bottom plate towards lower cover 30 and forming lateral side of the bottom wall, [0046]) being provided with a hollow portion (see annotated Figure 4 which shows a space formed under the bottom part of the battery tray 10 into which the heat sink 70 is inserted); a fixing frame (auxiliary element such as brackets, bars, rods for accommodating battery modules, [0047] and inner walls, inner center & cooling ducts 91 which partition the mounting portion 11 of the battery tray into multiple rows [0058]-[0060]), located in the positioning cavity (see [0046]-[0049] which describes that sidewalls and bottom plate and other accessory elements accommodate the plurality of battery modules 1 inherently forming a compartment) and configured to enclose the battery cells (battery modules 1, [0046]); and a backplate (lower cover 30, [0045], Figure 3 and annotated Figure 4) disposed on one side of the bottom wall (bottom plate, [0046]) facing away from the positioning cavity (see [0046] – [0049] which describes that sidewalls and bottom plate and other accessory elements accommodate the plurality of battery modules 1 inherently forming a compartment).
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Regarding Claim 12, Yoo discloses all of the limitations as set forth and further teaches wherein the bottom wall (bottom plate, see [0046] & annotated Figure 4) and the side wall (front and rear sidewalls and left and right sidewalls, [0046]) are integrally formed (see [0046] which describes that front and rear sidewalls and left and right sidewalls are connected to the edges of the bottom plate), and the side wall is in the shape of a closed ring surrounding the positioning cavity (see Figure 3).
Regarding Claim 13, Yoo discloses all of the limitations as set forth above and further teaches a battery (battery pack, [0037]) comprising: the enclosure (upper cover 50, battery tray 10, Figure 3 & [0045]); and battery cells located inside the enclosure (battery module battery modules 1, [0046] & Figure 3).
Regarding Claim 14, Yoo discloses all of the limitations as set forth above and further teaches a power consuming device (electric vehicle, [0037]) comprising the battery (battery pack, [0037]), the battery being configured to provide electrical energy (see [0003] which describes battery as an energy source for driving the electric motor of an electric vehicle). Further limitation “the battery being configured to provide electrical energy” does not require any structure that differs from the structure of Liu. "[A]pparatus claims cover what a device is, not what a device does." Hewlett-Packard Co. v. Bausch & Lomb Inc., 909 F.2d 1464, 1469, 15 USPQ2d 1525, 1528 (Fed. Cir. 1990) (emphasis in original). A claim containing a "recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus" if the prior art apparatus teaches all the structural limitations of the claim. Ex parte Masham, 2 USPQ2d 1647 (Bd. Pat. App. & Inter. 1987) See MPEP 2114(II). Here Li discloses said battery pack as a power source for energy vehicles (see [0004]). It would have been well known to a person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention that a battery is capable of providing electrical energy in an energy vehicle.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 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 considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
This application 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 2-5, 8 & 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoo (KR 20210079665 A; see machine translation) as applied to Claim 1 above in view of Li (CN 209766500 U; see machine translation).
Regarding Claims 2 & 10, Yoo discloses all of the limitations as set forth above but is silent on a reinforcing beam, disposed on one side of the side wall facing away from the positioning cavity, the reinforcing beam being in the shape of a ring surrounding the positioning cavity (as required by Claim 2) and wherein the side wall is provided with a flange at one end facing away from the bottom wall, the flange is shaped in a direction extending away from the positioning cavity, and the reinforcing beam is located on one side of the flange facing toward the bottom wall (as required by Claim 10).
Li teaches an enclosure (cover shell 1 & supporting shell 2; see Figure 1 & [0055] wherein supporting shell is used intermittently with housing support shell and receiving support shell) for accommodating battery cells (battery module 35, [0055] & Figure 1), comprising: a positioning member (supporting shell 2, Figure 1 & [0055]), a side wall (support shell side wall 10, [0062] & annotated Figure 5 & Figure 6), positioning cavity (mounting space 17, [0044] & see Figure 1). Li further teaches a reinforcing beam (outer beam 16, see [0063] & Figures 5-6) disposed on one side of the side wall (receiving support shell side wall 10, see Figure 5) facing away from the positioning cavity (mounting spaces 27, [0044] & Figure 1), the reinforcing beam (outer beam 16, see [0063] & Figures 5-6) being in the shape of a ring surrounding the positioning cavity (see annotated Figure 5, Figure 6 & [0062] & [0067]). Li further teaches that the outer beam 16 which is connected to the shell sidewall 10 forms an outer cavity 17 that serves as an impact buffer cavity to absorb lateral or vertical impact forces thereby improving the safety and protection of the battery module (see [0063]).
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Li and Yoo are analogous art to the claimed invention as both references are in the field of battery packs for electric vehicles. It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the battery tray of Yoo by adding the outer beam of Li for the purpose of forming a cavity that absorbs lateral or vertical impact forces to improve the safety and protection of the battery module.
Further regarding Claim 10, while modified Yoo teaches a flange extending outward from the side of the battery tray 10 (see Figure 3 of Yoo), it would have been obvious to move the flange to said end such that it still faces away from the bottom wall and extends away from the positioning cavity. Further, such structural modification would allow the reinforcing beam to be positioned on said side of the flange (as shown by Li, Figure 3) wherein reinforcing beam faces away towards the bottom wall. Additionally, [0047] of Yoo teaches that the battery tray 10 may include various accessory elements such as brackets, bars, rods, plates, blocks, ribs, and protrusions which allows for structural modifications of the flange to said end.
Regarding Claim 3, modified Yoo discloses all of the limitations as set forth above and further Yoo teaches a heat sink (first cooling module 70, [0045] & Figure 3) arranged between the backplate (lower cover 30, [0045] and Figure 3) and the bottom wall (bottom plate, [0046] & annotated Figure 4) (see [0052] which describes that the first cooling module is disposed between the battery tray and the lower cover), at least part of the heat sink (first cooling module 70, [0045] & Figure 3) being exposed from the hollow portion (see [0046] & annotated Figure 4 which shows battery tray 10 comprises of bottom plate with lateral side of the bottom plate to form a space into which a heat sink 70 is installed, with the bottom portion of the heat sink being exposed from the hollow portion).
Regarding Claim 4, modified Yoo teaches all of the limitations as set forth above and further Yoo teaches wherein the bottom wall (bottom plate, see [0046] & annotated Figure 4) is recessed toward the positioning cavity (mounting portion 11, [0049] & Figure 3) to form a positioning recess (see annotated Figure 4 wherein positioning recess is interpreted as hollow portion, as set forth above), at least part of the heat sink (first cooling module 70, [0045] & Figure 3) being restricted to the positioning recess (see annotated Figure 4 wherein positioning recess is interpreted as hollow portion, as set forth above)
Regarding Claim 5, modified Yoo teaches all of the limitations as set forth above and further Yoo teaches wherein the heat sink (first cooling module 70, [0045] & Figure 3) comprises a body portion (cooling plate 71, [0053] & Figure 3) and a heat-dissipation channel (cooling water flow passage, [0054]), the heat-dissipation channel (cooling water flow passage, [0054]) is raised from the body portion (see annotated Figure 4), and at least part of the heat-dissipation channel (cooling water flow passage, [0054]) is restricted to the positioning recess (see annotated Figure 4 wherein positioning recess is interpreted as hollow portion, as set forth above).
Regarding Claim 8, modified Yoo discloses all of the limitations as set forth above. Additionally Yoo discloses wherein the fixing frame (auxiliary element such as brackets, bars, rods for accommodating battery modules, [0047] and inner walls, inner center & cooling ducts 91 which partition the mounting portion 11 of the battery tray into multiple rows [0058]-[0060] of Yoo) comprises a side beam (cooling ducts 91 installed on the inner walls 13, [0058] & Figure 3 of Yoo) and positioning beam (cooling ducts 91 positioned in inner center of battery tray which divide the mounting portion 11 of the battery tray into multiple rows, Figure 3 & [0058] of Yoo) located inside the side beam (see Figure 3 of Yoo), the side beam is connected to the side wall (see [0058] which discloses that cooling duct is installed on inner walls 13), two ends of the positioning beam are connected to the side beam such that the positioning cavity is divided into a plurality of spaces for accommodating the battery cells (see Figure 3 & [0058] which discloses that the cooling ducts 91 may partition the mounting portion 11 of the battery tray into a plurality of rows). Additionally, Yoo discloses in [0047] that the battery tray 10 may include various accessory elements such as brackets, bars, rods, plates, blocks, ribs, and protrusions for accommodating the battery modules 1 which implies that such features would be present for their intended purpose thus one would look to analogous art for such details. As such, Yoo discloses fixing frame as claimed, but does not explicitly disclose that the side beam is ring shaped as Fig. 4 only shows two inner walls 13 at opposite ends of the fixing frame.
Li teaches wherein the fixing frame (mounting frame 41, Figure 2 & Figure 13 of Li) comprises a ring-shaped side beam (connecting beam 25, [0044] & Figure 10 of Li) and a positioning beam (crossbeam 26, [0044] & Figure 10 of Li) located inside the side beam (connecting beam 25, [0044] & Figure 10 of Li), the side beam (connecting beam 25, [0044] & Figure 10 of Li) is connected to the side wall (receiving support shell side wall 10, see Figure 5 of Li) (see [0059] which describes that the mounting frame 41 which comprises connecting beam 25 can be assembled into the housing support shell 2 which comprises of receiving support shell side wall 10 via bolt connections, welding connection or a stepped overlapping fit structure), and two ends of the positioning beam (crossbeam 26, [0044] & Figure 10 of Li) are connected to the side beam (connecting beam 25, [0044] & Figure 10 of Li) (see Figure 10 & [0044] of Li), such that the positioning cavity (see annotated Figure 5 of Li) is divided into a plurality of spaces (mounting spaces 27, [0044] & Figure 12 of Li) for accommodating the battery cells (battery module 35, Figure 1 of Li).
KSR Rationale B (MPEP § 2143) states that it is obvious to perform “simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results”. It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include inner walls 13 in all four side walls of the positioning member of Yoo, thus forming a ring-shaped side beam as taught by Li as doing so would merely amount to substitution of one known element for another, to obtain predictable result of serving as mounting frame to enable mounting of the battery pack.
Further, Yoo is silent on the heat sink being connected to the positioning beam by a second connecting member.
Li teaches that the heat sink (water-cooled plate 34, [0046] & Figure 1) is further connected to the positioning beam (crossbeam 26, [0044] & Figure 10) by a second connecting member (water-cooled plate connection structure, see [0046] which connects the water-cooled plate 34 to the bottom end of the crossbeam 26). Li further teaches that the water-cooled plate connection structure can take many forms such as a snap-fit structure, an assembly welding part, or a threaded hole to ensure the water cooled connection structure is fixedly connected to the bottom of the cross beam by threaded fasteners such as bolts that can engage with threaded holes ([0046]).
It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have used the water-cooled plate connection structure as taught by Li to fasten the cooling plate to a positioning beam in the device of Yoo to ensure a secure connection.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoo (KR 20210079665 A; see machine translation) in view of Li (CN 209766500 U; see machine translation) as applied to Claim 5 above and further in view of Chen (CN 110828730 A, see machine translation).
Regarding Claim 6, modified Yoo teaches all of the limitations as set forth above but is silent on wherein the bottom wall is recessed toward the positioning cavity to form a sealant groove, the sealant groove is located inside the positioning recess, and a sealant is provided in the sealant groove, such that the heat sink is bonded to the bottom wall by the sealant.
Chen discloses a lower tray of battery box 1 comprising of fixing frame (battery box frame assembly 2, see Figure 1 & [0026], a heat sink (water-cooled plate 3, Figure 1 & [0026]). Additionally, Chen discloses battery box frame assembly 2 (Figure 1) comprises of partial bottom wall (first peripheral frame profile 11.1 & second peripheral frame member 11.2, see Figure 3 & [0028]). Chen further discloses the peripheral frame profiles 11.1 and 11.2 have a sealant groove (glue groove structure, 12, see [0028] & Figure 3]) that has a sealant (sealant 4, [0028] & Figure 3) before the heat sink (water-cooled plate assembly 3, Figure 1) is assembled to the battery box frame assembly (see [0027]-[0028] & Figure 3). Chen further teaches that the bottom of the frame structure ultimately forms an enclosed frame structure and further forms a closed-loop glue-groove structure (see [0028]).
Chen and Yoo are analogous art to the claimed invention as both references are in the same field of battery tray assembly. It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the bottom plate of Yoo with a glue groove structure which can be filled with a sealant, as taught by Chen to allow for bonding the cooling plate to the bottom plate and ensure the battery tray of Yoo is further sealed.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoo (KR 20210079665 A; see machine translation) in view of Li (CN 209766500 U; see machine translation) and further in view of Chen (CN 110828730 A, see machine translation) as applied to claim 6 above and further in view of Jeong (KR 101916429 B1, see machine translation).
Regarding Claim 7, modified Yoo discloses all of the limitation above. Further, modified Yoo teaches a sealant groove (glue groove structure 12, see [0028] & Figure 3 of Chen) However, modified Yoo is silent on a first connecting member, wherein the heat sink and the reinforcing beam are connected to each other by the first connecting member, and the first connecting member is located on an outer side of the sealant groove facing away from the positioning cavity.
Jeong teaches a vehicle battery pack 100 comprising of battery modules 110, thermal management system 200 and an outer plate 300 ([0031] & Figure 1). Said thermal management system further comprises an upper plate 210 and lower plate 230 ([0054] & Figure 19) wherein upper plate 210 can be combined with the side housing of the battery module 100 and function as part of the housing of the battery module 110 (see [0063]). Jeong further teaches a reinforcement beam 1930 which allows for the connection of the outer plate 300, battery module 110 and thermal management system 200 to a vehicle body (see [0205]-[0207]). Jeong further teaches that the reinforcement beam 1930, the upper plate 210 of the thermal management system 200 and the outer plate 300 are connected via a first connecting member (bolt 1931, see Figure 19 & [0205]-[0207]) thus reading on wherein the heat sink and the reinforcing beam are connected to each other by the first connecting member. Accordingly, since bolt 1931 is located outside the positioning cavity where battery module 110 would normally be situated above the upper plate 210, the presence of a sealant and sealant groove in this embodiment would lie inside the positioning cavity where battery module 110 sits and therefore reads on the limitation the first connecting member is located on an outer side of the sealant groove facing away from the positioning cavity.
Jeong and Yoo are analogous art to the claimed invention as both references are in the same field of battery pack structures. It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have used the bolt of Jeong as a first connecting member located on an outer side of the sealant groove facing away from the positioning cavity to connect the reinforcing beam with the heat sink of modified Yoo which further allows for more secure connection of the battery modules to a vehicle body via the reinforcement beam.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoo (KR 20210079665 A; see machine translation) in view of Li (CN 209766500 U; see machine translation) as applied to Claim 3 and further in view of Jeong (KR101916429B1, see machine translation).
Regarding Claim 9, modified Yoo discloses all of the limitation above but is silent on a third connecting member, wherein the backplate is connected to the reinforcing beam by the third connecting member, and the heat sink is provided with a clearance slot, such that the third connecting member passes through the clearance slot to connect the backplate and the reinforcing beam disposed outside.
Jeong teaches a vehicle battery pack 100 comprising of battery modules 110, thermal management system 200 and an outer plate 300 ([0031] & Figure 1). Said thermal management system further comprises an upper plate 210 and lower plate 230 ([0054] & Figure 19) wherein upper plate 210 can be combined with the side housing of the battery module 100 and function as part of the housing of the battery module 110 (see [0063]). Jeong further teaches a reinforcement beam 1930 which allows for the connection of the outer plate 300, battery module 110 and thermal management system 200 to a vehicle body (see [0205]-[0207]). Jeong further teaches that the reinforcement beam 1930, the upper plate 210 of the thermal management system 200 and the outer plate 300 are connected via a third connecting member (bolt 1931, see Figure 19 & [0205]-[0207]) thus reading on wherein the backplate is connected to the reinforcing beam by the third connecting member. Jeong further teaches that said connection enables the outer plate 300 to support the battery module and the thermal management system 200 (see [0207]).
It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have used the bolt as taught by Jeong as a third connecting member to make a connection between the reinforcing beam as taught by Li and the lower cover and bottom plate of Yoo such that it would allow the battery module to be more securely connected to a vehicle body.
Further while Jeong does not explicitly disclose said heat sink is provided with a clearance slot, said limitation is inherent. As the upper plate 210 of thermal management system is located between the reinforcement beam 1930 and the outer plate 300, as set forth above, therefore, the third connecting means which connects the reinforcing beam as and the lower cover and bottom plate has to pass through the upper plate 210 of thermal management, and as such, said upper plate 201 has to have a clearance slot allowing for said passage.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoo (KR 20210079665 A; see machine translation) as applied to Claim 1 above in view of Jie (CN 213366667 U, see machine translation).
Regarding Claim 11, modified Yoo discloses all of the limitations as set forth above and further teaches wherein the bottom wall (bottom plate, see [0046]) comprises a second section (bottom plate, see [0046]) & annotated Figure 3), the second section (bottom plate, see [0046]) & annotated Figure 3) is configured to accommodate the battery cells (battery modules 1, [0046]) (see [0049]), and the hollow portion (see annotated Figure 4) is disposed in the second section (bottom plate, see [0046]) & annotated Figure 3).
Yoo does not teach wherein the bottom wall comprises a first section, the first section is configured to carry electrical components.
Jie discloses an enclosure (housing frame 100, [0035] & Figure 1) for accommodating battery cells (battery modules 210, [0037] & Figure 1), comprising: a fixing frame (housing frame 100, [0035] & Figure 1), configured to enclose the battery cells (see Figure 1) and further comprising a first section (side extension of housing frame comprising of third fixing hole 130, [0044] & Figures 1 & 3) configured to carry electrical components (battery distribution box 600, [0044], Figure 1). Jie further discloses that arrangement ensures that the power distribution box 600 is not disposed at the side and not at the top or bottom of the housing frame 100 and thus improves the utilization space of the battery module (see [0044]).
Jie and Yoo are analogous art to the claimed invention as both references are in the same field of battery packs for electric vehicles. It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the battery tray of Yoo to include the side extension of the housing frame 100 comprising of the fixing hole 130 which carries the power distribution box on the side of the housing frame as taught by Jie and thus improve the utilization space of the battery module.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FIKI V OWHOSO whose telephone number is (571)272-3418. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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/F.V.O./Examiner, Art Unit 1725
/BASIA A RIDLEY/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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