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Claims 15-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant's election with traverse of Group I, Claims 1-14 in the reply filed on 07/28/2026 is acknowledged.
The traversal is on the ground(s) that there is no burden on the Examiner to examine all of originally presented claims. This is not found persuasive because the method of constructing a prismatic battery assembly of claims 15-20 is classified in H01M 10/647, whereas the product claims of 1-14 are classified in H01M 50/249. The required method, such as receiving an assembly housing and connecting the busbars, would not be found in references that can be reached in a product search. Further, the product of Claim 1 can be constructed using a different method than Claim 15, as noted in the Restriction and Requirement for Election filed 06/22/2026.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/14/2023 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings received on 11/14/2023 were reviewed and are acceptable.
Specification
The specification filed on 11/14/2023 was reviewed and is acceptable.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
Claim(s) 4 and 6-10 is/are 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.
Claim 4 recites the limitation “a ratio of a width of the minor faces to the length of the major faces is at least about 4:1” in lines 1-2. It is unclear how the width of the minor faces is larger than the length of the major faces. For purposes of this Office Action, it will be assumed that the claim reads “a ratio of the length of the major faces to a width of the minor faces is at least about 4:1”.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "at the first end of the cell can…" and “at the second end of the cell can…” in lines 2-3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 1 recites “at first and/or second lateral ends of the cell can…”.
Claims 7-10 are hereby rejected due to dependency from rejected Claim 6.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-6 and 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by He et al. (US 20210249725 A1, hereinafter He).
Regarding Claim 1, He discloses the limitations regarding a prismatic battery assembly (He, battery pack, [0010], Annotated Figure 22 below), comprising:
an assembly housing (He, the battery pack has a tray, first and second side beams, and a sealing cover, [0123-0124], Annotated Figure 22 below);
a plurality of prismatic battery cells arranged in first and second cell stacks located inside of and extending longitudinally across the assembly housing, each of the prismatic battery cells including a prism-shaped cell can containing an electrochemical cell (He, Annotated Figure 22 below),
the cell can having a cell vent (He, the flame, smoke or gas inside the cell will directly enter the exhaust passages 222 inside the first side beam 201 and/or the second side beam 202 through the gas inlet 221, and will be discharged out of the first side beam 201 and the second side beam 202 through the exhaust vent, for example, discharged into the atmosphere through the exhaust vent, [0201], Annotated Figure 10 below) and a pair of electrical terminals located at first and/or second lateral ends of the cell can (He, the cell has a first end and a second end along the first dimension, at least one of the first end and the second end has an electrode terminal configured to output a current inside the cell 100, [0082], Annotated Figure 10 below);
an electrical busbar electrically connected to the electrical terminals of the prismatic battery cells (He, electrode terminals of cells 100 are electrically connected to each other through a connecting member, [0082]; the Examiner notes that the disclosed connecting member corresponds to the claimed bus bar as they are used to electrically connect battery cells) and located inside the assembly housing between the first and second cell stacks or laterally outboard of the first and second cell stacks (He, the last cell of one cell array is connected to the first cell of the other cell array through a connecting member, [0097]); and
a gas manifold fluidly connected to the cell vents of the prismatic battery cells and located inside the assembly housing between the first and second cell stacks or laterally outboard of the first and second cell stacks (He, the exhaust vent 221 is in communication with the exhaust passage 222, [0200], Annotated Figure 10 below).
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Regarding Claim 2, He discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. He discloses the limitations regarding a prismatic battery assembly (He, prismatic battery pack/assembly, [0010], Annotated Figure 22 above), wherein the first and second cell stacks are arranged substantially parallel to each other (He, Annotated Figure 22 above), and wherein
the electrical busbar (He, electrode terminals of cells are electrically connected to each other through a connecting member, and the cells may be arranged in sequence along the X direction, [0082, 0153]) and the gas manifold are substantially parallel to each other and the first and second cell stacks (He, the plurality of cells are arranged along the length direction of the first side beam and the second side beam 202, that is, arranged along the direction, and the first and second side beams are provided therein with an exhaust passage, [0180, 0200]; the Examiner notes that the connecting members and the exhaust passage in the side beams are both arranged along the X direction, so they are parallel).
Regarding Claim 3, He discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. He discloses the limitations regarding a prismatic battery assembly (He, prismatic battery pack/assembly, [0010], Annotated Figure 22 above), wherein each of the cell cans has a rectangular-prism shape with two opposing major faces, two opposing medial faces substantially orthogonal to and adjoining the two major faces and two opposing minor faces substantially orthogonal to and adjoining the two medial faces (He, the cell body is substantially a cuboid, [0011], Annotated Figure 22 above), and wherein
a ratio of a length to a height of the major faces is at least about 2.5:1 (He, the cell body has a length L, 600 mm≤L≤2500 mm, and the cell body has a height H, and at least one of the cells meets 10≤L/H≤208, [0011, 0158]; the disclosed L/H ratio of 10 to 208 falls within the claimed ratio of at least 2.5:1).
Regarding Claim 4, He discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. He discloses the limitations regarding a prismatic battery assembly (He, prismatic battery pack/assembly, [0010], Annotated Figure 22 above), wherein a ratio of the length of the major faces to a width of the minor faces is at least about 4:1 (He, the cell body has a thickness D, and at least one of the cells 100 meets: 10≤L/D≤208, [0157]; the disclosed L/D ratio of 10 to 208 falls within the claimed range of at least about 4:1).
Regarding Claim 5, He discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. He discloses the limitations regarding a prismatic battery assembly (He, prismatic battery pack/assembly, [0010], Annotated Figure 22 above), wherein the major faces of the cell cans are substantially orthogonal to a longitudinal centerline of the assembly housing (He, major face of prismatic-shaped cell is orthogonal to the centerline of the housing, Annotated Figure 22 above).
Regarding Claim 6, He discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. He discloses the limitations regarding a prismatic battery assembly (He, prismatic battery pack/assembly, [0010], Annotated Figure 22 above), wherein the minor faces include a first minor face at the first end of the cell can and a second minor face located at the second end of the cell can (He, Annotated Figure 22 above), and wherein
the cell vent extends through the first minor face of the cell can (He, cell exhaust vent is located on a first end of the cell, Annotated Figure 10 above) and the electrical terminals are located on the second minor face of the cell can (He, at least one of the first end and the second end has an electrode terminal configured to output a current inside the cell, [0082]; the Examiner notes that the terminal may be on the first end or second end, so the cell exhaust vent and electrode terminal may be located on opposite sides).
Regarding Claim 11, He discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. He discloses the limitations regarding a prismatic battery assembly (He, prismatic battery pack/assembly, [0010], Annotated Figure 22 above), wherein the assembly housing includes a rigid frame with first and second tubes adjacent first and second lateral sides, respectively, of the first and second cell stacks (He, the tray includes a first side beam and second side beam disposed opposite to each other, [0095]), and wherein
the gas manifold includes first and second gas manifolds each extending into and through the first (He, the first side beam 201 is provided therein with an exhaust passage, Annotated Figure 10 above) and second rigid tubes (He, the second side beam 202 is provided therein with an exhaust passage 222, [0200], Annotated Figure 10 above), respectively.
Regarding Claim 13, He discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. He discloses the limitations regarding a prismatic battery assembly (He, prismatic battery pack/assembly, [0010], Annotated Figure 22 above), wherein the assembly housing includes a pair of housing vents fluidly connected to the gas manifold and configured to evacuate gases generated by the prismatic battery cells from the assembly housing (He, the flame, smoke or gas inside the cell will directly enter the exhaust passages 222 inside the first side beam 201 and/or the second side beam 202 through the gas inlet 221, and will be discharged out of the first side beam 201 and the second side beam 202 through the exhaust vent, for example, discharged into the atmosphere through the exhaust vent, [0201], Annotated Figure 10 above).
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.
Claim(s) 7-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over He et al. (US 20210249725 A1, hereinafter He), as applied to Claim 1 above, and further in view of Wang et al. (US 20220123423 A1, hereinafter Wang).
Regarding Claim 7, He discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified He discloses the limitations regarding a prismatic battery assembly (He, prismatic battery pack/assembly, [0010], Annotated Figure 22 above), wherein the electric busbar includes first and second electrical busbars (He, electrode terminals of cells 100 are electrically connected to each other through a connecting member, [0082]) located on first and second lateral sides, respectively, of the first and second cell stacks (He, at least one of the first end and the second end has an electrode terminal configured to output a current inside the cell, [0082]), and a longitudinal centerline (He, longitudinal beam 600, [0005], Figure 1)
He is silent regarding the gas manifold is located between the first and second cell stacks and extends along a longitudinal centerline of the assembly housing.
Wang discloses a prismatic battery assembly (Wang, battery pack, [0032]), wherein the gas manifold (Wang, the exhaust vent is provided in the cross beam of the first box body in the battery pack, [0032]) is located between the first and second cell stacks (Wang, the cross beam is located between the first battery group and the second battery group, [0017]) and extends along a longitudinal centerline of the assembly housing (Wang, both the exhaust passage and the cross beam extend along the length direction Y of the first box body, [0028]).
Wang teaches that the cross beam 13 is disposed between the first battery group 3 and the second battery group 4, so that the explosion-proof valves 51 of the battery cells 5 face towards the same cross beam 13, so that the heat and the air pressure that are released by the battery cell 5 in thermal runaway can be discharged in a timely manner, thereby avoiding thermal runaway of adjacent battery cells 5 (Wang, [0094-0096], Figure 8).
Modified He and Wang are analogous to the current invention as they are all directed towards a battery pack with a gas exhaust.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the longitudinal beam of modified He to have a gas exhaust, as taught by Wang, in order for all of the battery groups to release heat and air pressure into the same longitudinal beam, which would allow the heat and air pressure to be released in a timely manner, thereby avoiding thermal runaway of adjacent battery cells.
Regarding Claim 8, modified He discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified He discloses the limitations regarding a prismatic battery assembly (He, prismatic battery pack/assembly, [0010], Annotated Figure 22 above), wherein the electrical busbar is located between the first and second cell stacks and extends along a longitudinal centerline of the assembly housing (He, the second partition plate 800 divides the cell array 3 along the Q direction of the battery pack 2000 into two cell arrays 3. The last cell 100 of one cell array 3 is connected to the first cell of the other cell array 3 through a connecting member, [0097], Figure 20), and wherein
the gas manifold includes first and second gas manifolds located on first (He, the first side beam 201 is provided therein with an exhaust passage, [0200], Annotated Figure 10 above) and second lateral sides, respectively, of the first and second cell stacks (He, the second side beam 202 is provided therein with an exhaust passage 222, [0200], Annotated Figure 10 above).
Regarding Claim 9, modified He discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified He discloses the limitations regarding a prismatic battery assembly (He, prismatic battery pack/assembly, [0010], Annotated Figure 22 above), wherein the electrical busbar (He, the second partition plate 800 divides the cell array 3 along the Q direction of the battery pack 2000 into two cell arrays 3. The last cell 100 of one cell array 3 is connected to the first cell of the other cell array 3 through a connecting member, [0097], Figure 20) and
the gas manifold (Wang, the exhaust vent is provided in the cross beam of the first box body in the battery pack, [0032]) are located between the first and second cell stacks (Wang, the cross beam is located between the first battery group and the second battery group, [0017]) and extend along a longitudinal centerline of the assembly housing (Wang, both the exhaust passage and the cross beam extend along the length direction Y of the first box body, [0028]).
Regarding Claim 10, modified He discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified He discloses the limitations regarding a prismatic battery assembly (He, prismatic battery pack/assembly, [0010], Annotated Figure 22 above), wherein the electrical busbar (He, electrode terminals of cells are electrically connected to each other through a connecting member, [0082]) includes first and second electrical busbars located on first and second lateral sides, respectively, of the first and second cell stacks (He, a first electrode terminal of the cell extends out from the first end of the cell, and a second electrode terminal of the cell extends out from the second end of the cell, [0083]), and wherein
the gas manifold includes first and second gas manifolds located on the first and second lateral sides, respectively, of the first (He, the first side beam 201 is provided therein with an exhaust passage, [0200], Annotated Figure 10 above) and second cell stacks (He, the second side beam 202 is provided therein with an exhaust passage 222, [0200], Annotated Figure 10 above).
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over He et al. (US 20210249725 A1, hereinafter He), as applied to Claim 1 above, and further in view of Jin et al. (US 20220077521 A1, hereinafter Jin).
Regarding Claim 12, He discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. He discloses the limitations regarding a prismatic battery assembly (He, prismatic battery pack/assembly, [0010], Annotated Figure 22 above). He is silent regarding a top cold plate extending across and configured to extract thermal energy from a topside of the first and second cell stacks; and a bottom cold plate extending across and configured to extract thermal energy from a bottom side of the first and second cell stacks.
Jin discloses a prismatic battery assembly (Jin, battery pack, [0010]) comprising a top cold plate extending across and configured to extract thermal energy from a topside of the first and second cell stacks; and a bottom cold plate extending across and configured to extract thermal energy from a bottom side of the first and second cell stacks (Jin, a cooling plate 3 may be mounted each above and below the battery box 1, that is, mounted on each of the horizontal outer surfaces of the battery box 1, so the upper and lower sides of the battery box are cooled and heat-dissipated, [0043], Figure 4).
Jin teaches that cooling plates improve the cooling efficiency of the battery (Jin, [0043]).
He and Jin are analogous to the current invention as they are all directed towards a battery pack.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to mount the top and bottom cooling plates of Jin onto the top and bottom surfaces of the prismatic battery pack/assembly of He, in order to cool and heat-dissipate the top and bottom surfaces of the battery and to improve cooling efficiency.
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over He et al. (US 20210249725 A1, hereinafter He), as applied to Claim 1 above, and further in view of Wang et al. (US 20220123423 A1, hereinafter Wang).
Regarding Claim 14, He discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. He discloses the limitations regarding a motor vehicle comprising: a vehicle body (He, motor vehicle comprising a vehicle body, Annotated Figure 16 below);
a plurality of road wheels attached to the vehicle body (He, Annotated Figure 16 below); a traction battery pack (He, the battery pack is mounted on an electric vehicle, [0067]) including:
a pack housing attached to the vehicle body (He, an electric vehicle allowing for arranging cells 100 according to the above technical solution, where a cavity 300 having the same features as a separate tray for use with a vehicle is formed on the electric vehicle, thus forming the battery pack 200, [0092], Annotated Figure 16 below);
a rectangular array of prismatic battery cells (He, prismatic battery pack/assembly, [0010], Annotated Figure 22 above),
arranged in first and second cell stacks located inside of and extending longitudinally across the pack housing, each of the prismatic battery cells including a rectangular prism-shaped cell can containing an electrochemical cell (He, Annotated Figure 22 above),
the cell can having a cell vent (He, the flame, smoke or gas inside the cell will directly enter the exhaust passages 222 inside the first side beam 201 and/or the second side beam 202 through the gas inlet 221, and will be discharged out of the first side beam 201 and the second side beam 202 through the exhaust vent, for example, discharged into the atmosphere through the exhaust vent, [0201], Annotated Figure 10 above) and
a pair of electrical terminals located at first and/or second lateral ends of the cell can (He, the cell has a first end and a second end along the first dimension, at least one of the first end and the second end has an electrode terminal configured to output a current inside the cell 100, [0082], Annotated Figure 10 below), wherein
a ratio of a length to a height of opposing major faces of the rectangular prism-shaped cell cans is at least about 2.5:1 (He, the cell body has a length L, 600 mm≤L≤2500 mm, and the cell body has a height H, and at least one of the cells meets 10≤L/H≤208, [0011, 0158]; the disclosed L/H ratio of 10 to 208 falls within the claimed ratio of at least 2.5:1);
an electrical busbar electrically connected to the electrical terminals of the prismatic battery cells (He, electrode terminals of cells 100 are electrically connected to each other through a connecting member, [0082]; the Examiner notes that the disclosed connecting member corresponds to the claimed bus bar as they are used to electrically connect battery cells) and located inside the pack housing between the first and second cell stacks or laterally outboard of the first and second cell stacks (He, the last cell of one cell array is connected to the first cell of the other cell array through a connecting member, [0097]); and
a gas manifold fluidly connected to the cell vents of the prismatic battery cells and located inside the pack housing between the first and second cell stacks or laterally outboard of the first and second cell stacks (He, the exhaust vent 221 is in communication with the exhaust passage 222, [0200], Annotated Figure 10 above).
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He is silent regarding a traction motor attached to the vehicle body and operable to drive one or more of the road wheels to thereby propel the motor vehicle and
a traction battery pack electrically connected to and operable to power the traction motor.
Wang discloses a vehicle (Wang, vehicle, [0075]) comprising a traction motor attached to the vehicle body (Wang, the vehicle body is provided with a drive motor, [0065]) and operable to drive one or more of the road wheels to thereby propel the motor vehicle (Wang, the drive motor is electrically connected to the battery pack, the battery pack provides electric energy to the drive motor, and the drive motor is connected to wheels on the vehicle body through a transmission mechanism, to drive travel of the vehicle, [0075]) and
a traction battery pack electrically connected to and operable to power the traction motor (Wang, the drive motor is electrically connected to the battery pack, [0075]).
Wang teaches that a drive motor with electric energy connected to wheels on the vehicle body through a transmission mechanism allows for the vehicle to drive travel (Wang, [0075]).
He and Wang are analogous to the current invention as they are all directed towards a battery pack for a vehicle.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the drive motor of Wang in the vehicle of He, in order to drive travel the vehicle when supplied electric energy by a battery pack.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN NGUYEN whose telephone number is (703)756-1745. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 9:50 - 7:50 ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, NICHOLAS A SMITH can be reached at (571) 272-8760. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/K.N./Examiner, Art Unit 1752
/OSEI K AMPONSAH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752
