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Claims 5-7 and 10 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected apparatus for manufacturing a battery and species B through J of the restriction election requirement mailed on 06 July 2026, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 04 August 2026.
Applicant’s election without traverse of a battery, an electrical device comprising the battery, and species A of the restriction election requirement mailed on 06 July 2026 in the reply filed on 04 August 2026 is acknowledged.
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 is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis 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 1-4 and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yang et al (US 2022/0021070 A1). This prior art reference is being cited to as Yang hereinafter in this Office Action.
Regarding claim 1, Yang discloses a battery (“shown in FIG . 1 to FIG . 3 , the battery pack” [0042]), comprising:
a battery cell (“the battery module 1 includes a plurality of batteries 11” [0044]), comprising a pressure relief mechanism configured to be actuated to release an internal pressure when the internal pressure or a temperature of the battery cell reaches a threshold value (“Each battery 11 is provided with an explosion - proof valve 111.” [0044] and “high - temperature and high - pressure gas generated in the battery 11 breaks through the explosion - proof valve 111 and is released from the battery 11” [0045]);
a firefighting pipeline (“a heat exchange member 2” [0042] and “the heat exchange member 2 includes a heat exchange plate 21” [0045]), configured to accommodate a fire extinguishing medium (“The heat exchange plate 21 is internally provided with a heat exchange medium , and the heat exchange medium has fire - extinguishing and cooling functions” [0045]), wherein the firefighting pipeline is configured to discharge the fire extinguishing medium when the pressure relief mechanism is actuated (“When any battery 11 is subjected to thermal runaway , the heat exchange plate 21 can be broken to release the heat exchange medium , so that the heat exchange medium flows into the explosion – proof valve 111 of the battery 11. That is , high - temperature and high - pressure gas generated in the battery 11 breaks through the explosion - proof valve 111 and is released from the battery 11 , where the high - temperature gas rushing out of the explosion - proof valve 111 may be accompanied with flame and may also be doped with high - temperature electrolyte ; and the high - temperature and high - pressure gas will melt through the heat exchange plate 21 , so that the heat exchange medium will leak out to enter the open explosion proof valve 111.” [0045]); and
a fixing member, arranged between the battery cell and the firefighting pipeline, and the fixing member being configured to fix the firefighting pipeline (“a flow guide piece 3” [0042], “The flow guide piece 3 is arranged between the plurality of batteries 11 and the heat exchange plate 21.” [0044]);
wherein:
the fixing member is provided with a flow passage area (“the flow guide piece 3 is provided with a positioning hole 31 penetrating along a height direction H of the battery pack” [0045]) and a flow guiding structure (“obstructing block 32 is arranged on the connecting portion 35” [0051]), the flow passage area covers the pressure relief mechanism (“The positioning hole 31 exposes the corresponding explosion - proof valve 111.” [0045]), and the flow passage area is configured to cause the fire extinguishing medium to flow through the flow passage area to the battery cell when the pressure relief mechanism is actuated (“A size of the positioning hole 31 is not less than a size of the explosion - proof valve 111 , so that the explosion – proof valve 111 is completely exposed . When any battery 11 is subjected to thermal runaway , the heat exchange plate 21 can be broken to release the heat exchange medium , so that the heat exchange medium flows into the explosion – proof valve 111 of the battery 11. That is , high - temperature and high - pressure gas generated in the battery 11 breaks through the explosion - proof valve 111 and is released from the battery 11 , where the high - temperature gas rushing out of the explosion - proof valve 111 may be accompanied with flame and may also be doped with high - temperature electrolyte ; and the high - temperature and high - pressure gas will melt through the heat exchange plate 21 , so that the heat exchange medium will leak out to enter the open explosion proof valve 111.” [0045]); and
the flow guiding structure is configured to guide the fire extinguishing medium towards the flow passage area when the pressure relief mechanism is actuated (“Under the obstruction of the obstructing block 32 , the heat exchange medium can gather at the position where the thermal runaway occurs , and the heat exchange mediums are controlled between the adjacent obstructing blocks 32 , so that more heat exchange mediums enter the battery 11 through the explosion - proof valve 111 at the position where the thermal runaway occurs to rapidly cool the battery 11 and extinguishes flame when accompanied with a flame” [0048]).
Regarding claim 2, Yang discloses the battery with all of the features set forth in claim 1 above, and wherein the flow guiding structure and the flow passage area are arranged along a length direction of the firefighting pipeline (Fig. 7 shows 31, 32 and 35 are disposed along the length of flow guide piece 3, which is disposed along the length of the battery module shown in Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 3, Yang discloses the battery with all of the features set forth in claim 1 above, and wherein the flow guiding structure comprises a recess concavely formed along a direction of the fixing member towards the battery cell (Fig. 7 shows that the structure formed by 32 and 35 forms a recess that concaves from the top surface of 33 downward toward the direction where the batteries are disposed in the battery module), and the recess is connected between the flow passage area and a lateral edge of the fixing member (Fig. 7 shows that the previously cited structure that corresponds to the recess of flow guiding piece 3 is formed in intervals along the length of flow guiding piece 3 that includes the positioning hole 31 and the lateral side ends of the flow guiding piece 3).
Regarding claim 4, Yang discloses the battery with all of the features set forth in claim 3 above, and wherein the flow passage area and a lateral edge of the fixing member are arranged along a length direction of the firefighting pipeline (Fig. 7 shows that the length of flow guiding piece 3 includes the positioning hole 31 and the lateral side ends of the flow guiding piece 3).
Regarding claim 8, Yang discloses the battery with all of the features set forth in claim 1 above, and wherein two sides of the flow passage area are respectively provided with the flow guiding structure along a length direction of the firefighting pipeline (Fig. 7 shows that pairs of obstructing blocks 32 are disposed on opposite ends of positioning holes 31 such that “the heat exchange mediums are controlled between the adjacent obstructing blocks 32 , so that more heat exchange mediums enter the battery 11 through the explosion - proof valve 111 at the position where the thermal runaway occurs to rapidly cool the battery 11” [0048]).
Regarding claim 9¸Yang discloses an electrical device, comprising a battery configured to provide electrical energy (“device according to the embodiment of the present application refers to a device using the battery pack provided by the embodiment of the present application as a power supply , where the battery pack is configured to provide electric energy” [0041]), the battery comprising:
a battery cell (“the battery module 1 includes a plurality of batteries 11” [0044]), comprising a pressure relief mechanism configured to be actuated to release an internal pressure when the internal pressure or a temperature of the battery cell reaches a threshold value (“Each battery 11 is provided with an explosion - proof valve 111.” [0044] and “high - temperature and high - pressure gas generated in the battery 11 breaks through the explosion - proof valve 111 and is released from the battery 11” [0045]);
a firefighting pipeline (“a heat exchange member 2” [0042] and “the heat exchange member 2 includes a heat exchange plate 21” [0045]), configured to accommodate a fire extinguishing medium (“The heat exchange plate 21 is internally provided with a heat exchange medium , and the heat exchange medium has fire - extinguishing and cooling functions” [0045]), wherein the firefighting pipeline is configured to discharge the fire extinguishing medium when the pressure relief mechanism is actuated (“When any battery 11 is subjected to thermal runaway , the heat exchange plate 21 can be broken to release the heat exchange medium , so that the heat exchange medium flows into the explosion – proof valve 111 of the battery 11. That is , high - temperature and high - pressure gas generated in the battery 11 breaks through the explosion - proof valve 111 and is released from the battery 11 , where the high - temperature gas rushing out of the explosion - proof valve 111 may be accompanied with flame and may also be doped with high - temperature electrolyte ; and the high - temperature and high - pressure gas will melt through the heat exchange plate 21 , so that the heat exchange medium will leak out to enter the open explosion proof valve 111.” [0045]); and
a fixing member, arranged between the battery cell and the firefighting pipeline, and the fixing member being configured to fix the firefighting pipeline (“a flow guide piece 3” [0042], “The flow guide piece 3 is arranged between the plurality of batteries 11 and the heat exchange plate 21.” [0044]);
wherein:
the fixing member is provided with a flow passage area (“the flow guide piece 3 is provided with a positioning hole 31 penetrating along a height direction H of the battery pack” [0045]) and a flow guiding structure (“obstructing block 32 is arranged on the connecting portion 35” [0051]), the flow passage area covers the pressure relief mechanism (“The positioning hole 31 exposes the corresponding explosion - proof valve 111.” [0045]), and the flow passage area is configured to cause the fire extinguishing medium to flow through the flow passage area to the battery cell when the pressure relief mechanism is actuated (“A size of the positioning hole 31 is not less than a size of the explosion - proof valve 111 , so that the explosion – proof valve 111 is completely exposed . When any battery 11 is subjected to thermal runaway , the heat exchange plate 21 can be broken to release the heat exchange medium , so that the heat exchange medium flows into the explosion – proof valve 111 of the battery 11. That is , high - temperature and high - pressure gas generated in the battery 11 breaks through the explosion - proof valve 111 and is released from the battery 11 , where the high - temperature gas rushing out of the explosion - proof valve 111 may be accompanied with flame and may also be doped with high - temperature electrolyte ; and the high - temperature and high - pressure gas will melt through the heat exchange plate 21 , so that the heat exchange medium will leak out to enter the open explosion proof valve 111.” [0045]); and
the flow guiding structure is configured to guide the fire extinguishing medium towards the flow passage area when the pressure relief mechanism is actuated (“Under the obstruction of the obstructing block 32 , the heat exchange medium can gather at the position where the thermal runaway occurs , and the heat exchange mediums are controlled between the adjacent obstructing blocks 32 , so that more heat exchange mediums enter the battery 11 through the explosion - proof valve 111 at the position where the thermal runaway occurs to rapidly cool the battery 11 and extinguishes flame when accompanied with a flame” [0048]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLENE BERMUDEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-0610. The examiner can normally be reached Mondays through Thursdays generally from 12 PM to 5 PM Eastern Time.
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/CHARLENE BERMUDEZ/Examiner, Art Unit 1721
/ALLISON BOURKE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1721
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