DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to application filed on December 18, 2023.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 01/26/2024, 09/03/2025, 02/05/2026 and 04/14/2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
[0062]: Language “… when the voltage of a battery pack 200 traverses a voltage threshold (e.g., the maximum voltage of the battery pack 200)associated with thermal runaway of a battery pack 200, and/or when an individual battery cell 210 traverses a voltage threshold (e.g.,4.5V as a non-limiting example) …” should read “… when the voltage of a battery pack 200 traverses a voltage threshold (e.g., the maximum voltage of the battery pack 200) associated with thermal runaway of a battery pack 200, and/or when an individual battery cell 210 traverses a voltage threshold (e.g., 4.5V as a non-limiting example) …” in order to correct for minor informalities (e.g., add spaces).
[0073]: Language “Accordingly, in such an example, as the one or more water level sensors 415 sense and transmits signals indicative of the water level within the battery enclosure 205 to the VCU 305…” should read “Accordingly, in such an example, as the one or more water level sensors 415 sense and transmit signals indicative of the water level within the battery enclosure 205 to the VCU 305 …” in order to correct for minor informalities.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim language “ in response, cause water to flow into the enclosure through the inlet” should read “ in response to determining that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied, cause water to flow into the enclosure through the inlet” in order to clarify the recited subject matter for compliance under 35 U.S.C. 112.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim language should read “The thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the characteristic associated with the battery pack includes at least one of an amount of a gas within the enclosure, a concentration of [[a]]the gas within the enclosure, an ambient temperature within the enclosure, a temperature of the battery pack, a voltage of the battery pack, or a current output by the battery pack” in order to provide appropriate antecedence basis.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim language should read “The thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to disconnect the battery pack from a component of the thermal management system in response to determining that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied” in order to provide appropriate antecedence basis.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 4 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim language should read “The thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a first sensor, the characteristic is a first characteristic associated with the battery pack, and the signal is a first signal, the thermal management system further comprising a second sensor configured to sense a water level within the enclosure” in order to provide appropriate antecedence basis.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim language should read “The thermal management system of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to: receive a second signal indicative of [[a]]the water level within the enclosure from the second sensor; determine, based on the second signal, that the water level within the enclosure exceeds a target water level; and in response to determining that the water level within the enclosure exceeds the target water level, cause the water to stop flowing into the enclosure” in order to provide appropriate antecedence basis and clarify the recited subject matter for compliance under 35 U.S.C. 112.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 6 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim language should read “The thermal management system of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to: receive a third signal indicative of an updated water level within the enclosure from the second sensor; determine, based on the third signal, that the updated water level within the enclosure is less than the target water level; and in response to determining that the updated water level within the enclosure is less than the target water level, cause the water to flow into the enclosure through the inlet” in order to provide appropriate antecedence basis and clarify the recited subject matter for compliance under 35 U.S.C. 112.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 7 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim language should read “The thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to transmit a message that indicates [[the]] occurrence of [[a]]the thermal runaway event to an external device in response to determining that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied” in order to provide appropriate antecedence basis.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 8 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim language should read “The thermal management system of claim 1, further comprising a second sensor configured to sense a second characteristic associated with the battery pack; and wherein the controller is further configured to receive a second signal indicative of the second characteristic associated with the battery pack from the second sensor” in order to provide appropriate antecedence basis.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 9 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim language should read “The thermal management system of claim 8, wherein the characteristic associated with the battery pack is a concentration of a gas within the enclosure and the second characteristic associated with the battery pack is an ambient temperature within the enclosure” in order to provide appropriate antecedence basis.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 10 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim language should read “The thermal management system of claim 9, wherein to determine that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied, the controller is further configured to: determine, based on the signal, that the concentration of the gas within the enclosure exceeds a first threshold; or determine, based on the second signal, that the ambient temperature within the enclosure exceeds a second threshold” in order to provide appropriate antecedence basis.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 11 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim language “receiving, from sensor, a signal indicative of a characteristic associated with a battery pack” should read “receiving, from a sensor, a signal indicative of a characteristic associated with a battery pack” in order to provide appropriate antecedence basis.
Claim language “in response, causing water to flow into an enclosure that houses the battery pack” should read “in response to determining that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied, causing water to flow into an enclosure that houses the battery pack” in order to clarify the recited subject matter for compliance under 35 U.S.C. 112.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 12 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim language should read “The method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting a message indicative of [[the]]an occurrence of [[a]]the thermal runaway event to an external device in response to determining that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied” in order to provide appropriate antecedence basis.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 13 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim language “in response, causing water to stop flowing into the enclosure” should read “in response to determining that the water level within the enclosure exceeds the target water level, causing the water to stop flowing into the enclosure” in order to provide appropriate antecedence basis and clarify the recited subject matter for compliance under 35 U.S.C. 112.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 14 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim language should read “The method of claim [[12]]13, further comprising: receiving, from the second sensor, a third signal indicative of an updated water level within the enclosure; determining, based on the third signal, that the updated water level within the enclosure is less than the target water level; and in response to determining that the updated water level within the enclosure is less than the target water level, causing the water to flow into the enclosure” in order to provide appropriate dependency, appropriate antecedence basis and clarify the recited subject matter for compliance under 35 U.S.C. 112. For examination purposes, claim 14 is interpreted to depend from claim 13.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 17 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim language “in response, transmit a message that indicates the occurrence of a thermal runaway event to an external device” should read “in response to determining that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied, transmit a message that indicates [[the]]an occurrence of [[a]]the thermal runaway event to an external device” in order to provide appropriate antecedence basis and clarify the recited subject matter for compliance under 35 U.S.C. 112.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 18 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim language should read “The electric vehicle of claim 17, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the water to flow into the enclosure in response to determining that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied” in order to provide appropriate antecedence basis.
Appropriate correction is required.
Examiner’s Note
Claims 1-20 were evaluated for patent eligibility under 35 U.S.C. 101 using the SUBJECT MATTER ELIGIBILITY TEST FOR PRODUCTS AND PROCESSES described in the 2024 Guidance Update on Patent Subject Matter Eligibility, Including on Artificial Intelligence (see also 2019 Revised Patent Subject Matter Eligibility Guidance) to determine patent eligibility under 35 U.S.C. 101.
Regarding claim 1, the examiner submits that under Step 1 of the test for evaluating claims for eligibility under 35 U.S.C. 101, the claim is to a machine, which is one of the statutory categories of invention.
Continuing with the analysis, under Step 2A - Prong One of the test:
the limitation “determine, based on the characteristic associated with the battery pack, that a condition indicative of a thermal runaway event is satisfied” is a process that, under its broadest reasonable interpretation in light of the specification, covers performance of the limitation using mental processes and/or mathematical concepts (e.g., making comparisons, see specification at [0013], [0018]-[0019], [0062]-[0063], [0065]-[0066]) to obtain additional information (i.e., a condition indicative of a thermal runaway event is satisfied). Except for the recitation of the extra-solution activities (i.e., source/type of data being evaluated) and/or the field of use, the limitation in the context of this claim mainly refers to performing mental evaluations and/or applying mathematical concepts to manipulate data to obtain a result.
Therefore, the claim recites a judicial exception under Step 2A - Prong One of the test.
Furthermore, under Step 2A - Prong Two of the test, the claim recites:
“A thermal management system comprising:
an enclosure housing a battery pack, wherein the enclosure includes an inlet;
a sensor configured to sense a characteristic associated with the battery pack; and
a controller coupled to the sensor, wherein the controller is configured to:
receive a signal indicative of the characteristic associated with the battery pack from the sensor; and
in response, cause water to flow into the enclosure through the inlet”, which
generally link the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use (i.e., thermal management; see MPEP 2106.05(h));
adds extra-solution activities (e.g., mere data gathering, source/type of data to be manipulated) using elements recited at a high level of generality (i.e., a sensor; see MPEP 2106.05(g));
adds the words “apply it” (or an equivalent) with the judicial exception, or mere instructions to implement an abstract idea on a computer (i.e., controller), or merely uses a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea (see MPEP 2106.05(f)); and
when considering the claim as a whole, integrate the judicial exception into a practical application by effecting a transformation or reduction of a particular article to a different state or thing (e.g., in response, cause water to flow into the enclosure through the inlet; see MPEP 2106.05(c)).
Therefore, these additional elements, when considered individually and in combination, integrate the judicial exception into a practical application. The claim, when considered as a whole, is eligible at Prong Two of the Revised Step 2A (see 2019 Revised Patent Subject Matter Eligibility Guidance – Revised Step 2A, see also MPEP 2106.04(d)).
Similarly, independent claims 11 and 17 are directed to patent eligible subject matter as explained above with regards to claim 1.
Regarding the dependent claims 2-10, 12-16 and 18-20, they were found to be patent eligible under 35 U.S.C. 101 by incorporating the eligible subject matter of their corresponding independent claims.
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.
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.
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.
Claims 1-2, 4-6, 8-11 and 13-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US 20220367941 A1, IDS reference), hereinafter ‘Lee’, in view of Ginder (US 20210154503 A1), hereinafter ‘Ginder’.
Regarding claim 1.
Lee discloses:
A thermal management system (Figs. 1-3 - “energy storage system”; [0035]: an energy storage system is disclosed) comprising:
an enclosure (Fig. 1, item 110 – “pack housing”) housing a battery pack (Figs. 1-2, 4-6, item 120 – “battery module”; [0036]-[0038]: a pack housing defines a battery pack (Fig. 1, item 100) including battery modules formed by a plurality of battery cells (see [0047]));
a sensor (Fig. 3, item 160 – “sensor”) configured to sense a characteristic associated with the battery pack ([0036]-[0037], [0044]-[0045]: a sensor included in the pack housing detects a signal corresponding to temperature or gas inside the battery pack in order to determine a thermal runaway); and
a controller (Figs. 1-3, item 140 – “controller”) coupled to the sensor ([0036]-[0037], [0040]: a controller included in the pack housing is coupled to the sensor), wherein the controller is configured to:
receive a signal indicative of the characteristic associated with the battery pack from the sensor ([0044]: detection signal from the sensor is transmitted to the controller);
determine, based on the characteristic associated with the battery pack, that a condition indicative of a thermal runaway event is satisfied ([0040]-[0041], [0044]: based on the detection signal, the controller determines a thermal runaway phenomenon).
Lee does not explicitly disclose:
the enclosure includes an inlet; and
in response, cause water to flow into the enclosure through the inlet.
Ginder teaches:
“The container 110 may be, for example, any standard or customized ISO container … The pipe system 115 may include a suppressant interface 210, a connection pipe 220, a horizontal extending pipe 230, and vertical extending pipes 240 ... The suppressant interface 210 may be an inlet body configured to introduce suppressant (e.g. water) into the container 110 to be supplied to the vertical extending pipes 240, via the connection pipe 220 and the horizontal extending pipe 230” ([0037]-[0038]: a container (enclosure) includes battery modules (see [0042]) and an inlet body configured to introduce suppressant (water) to prevent fire (see [0038]; see also [0002] regarding thermal runaway)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee in view of Ginder to incorporate the enclosure including an inlet; and to cause water to flow into the enclosure through the inlet in response to determine that a condition indicative of a thermal runaway event is satisfied, in order to mitigate battery module fire propagation while alleviating much of the risk of catastrophic loss due to fire, as discussed by Ginder ([0005]).
Regarding claim 2.
Lee in view of Ginder discloses all the features of claim 1 as described above.
Lee further discloses:
the characteristic associated with the battery pack includes at least one of an amount of a gas within the enclosure, a concentration of a gas within the enclosure, an ambient temperature within the enclosure, a temperature of the battery pack, a voltage of the battery pack, or a current output by the battery pack ([0040]-[0041], [0044]-[0045]: the sensor detects a signal corresponding to temperature (ambient temperature) or gas (amount/concentration of gas) inside the battery pack in order to determine a thermal runaway).
Regarding claim 4.
Lee in view of Ginder discloses all the features of claim 1 as described above.
Lee further discloses:
the sensor is a first sensor, the characteristic is a first characteristic associated with the battery pack, and the signal is a first signal ([0040]-[0041], [0044]-[0045]: the sensor detects a signal corresponding to temperature or gas inside the battery pack in order to determine a thermal runaway (see also [0075])).
Lee does not disclose:
the system further comprising a second sensor configured to sense a water level within the enclosure.
Ginder further teaches:
“In embodiments, the controller 900 may be configured to determine suppressant levels of the fire suppression systems based on sensor inputs, and display the suppressant levels on a display (e.g. a digital display). Alternatively or additionally, the fire suppression systems of the present disclosure may include gauges that indicate suppressant levels” ([0079]: controller of a fire suppression system (see [0078]) uses sensor or gauges to determine levels of suppressant).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee in view of Ginder to incorporate the system further comprising a second sensor configured to sense a water level within the enclosure, in order to keep track of suppressant amounts in the system for appropriate decision making (e.g., start/stop flow of suppressant during events, refill suppressant supply, etc.).
Regarding claim 5.
Lee in view of Ginder discloses all the features of claim 4 as described above.
Lee does not disclose:
the controller is further configured to: receive a second signal indicative of a water level within the enclosure from the second sensor; determine, based on the second signal, that the water level within the enclosure exceeds a target water level; and in response, cause water to stop flowing into the enclosure.
Ginder further teaches:
“With reference to FIGS. 1 and 11, the third tubing system 654 may be connected to the components 250 that are provided in the underside 112 of the containers 110. The pump system 656 may cause suppressant stored in the tank 650 to be supplied to the fire suppression systems via the first tubing system 652 and the second tubing system 653. With reference to FIGS. 4 and 11, after the fire suppression systems 200 releases the suppressant via one or more vertical extending pipes 240 and the suppressant is collected by the drains 270 of the fire suppression systems 200, the suppressant may be returned to the tank 650 via the third tubing system 654” ([0073]: suppressant stored in a tank is pumped to battery containers to prevent fire, with suppressant being collected back into the tank via drains; examiner interprets that when fire has been extinguished, suppressant pumping is stopped (analogous to water level within the enclosure exceeds a target water level)); and
“In embodiments, the controller 900 may be configured to determine suppressant levels of the fire suppression systems based on sensor inputs, and display the suppressant levels on a display (e.g. a digital display). Alternatively or additionally, the fire suppression systems of the present disclosure may include gauges that indicate suppressant levels” ([0079]: controller of a fire suppression system (see [0078]) uses sensor or gauges to determine levels of suppressant).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee in view of Ginder to configure the controller to: receive a second signal indicative of a water level within the enclosure from the second sensor; determine, based on the second signal, that the water level within the enclosure exceeds a target water level; and cause water to stop flowing into the enclosure in response to determining that the water level within the enclosure exceeds a target water level, in order to keep track of suppressant amounts in the system for appropriate decision making (e.g., start/stop flow of suppressant during events).
Regarding claim 6.
Lee in view of Ginder discloses all the features of claim 5 as described above.
Lee does not disclose:
the controller is further configured to: receive a third signal indicative of an updated water level within the enclosure from the second sensor; determine, based on the third signal, that the updated water level within the enclosure is less than the target water level; and in response, cause water to flow into the enclosure through the inlet.
Ginder further teaches:
“With reference to FIGS. 1 and 11, the third tubing system 654 may be connected to the components 250 that are provided in the underside 112 of the containers 110. The pump system 656 may cause suppressant stored in the tank 650 to be supplied to the fire suppression systems via the first tubing system 652 and the second tubing system 653. With reference to FIGS. 4 and 11, after the fire suppression systems 200 releases the suppressant via one or more vertical extending pipes 240 and the suppressant is collected by the drains 270 of the fire suppression systems 200, the suppressant may be returned to the tank 650 via the third tubing system 654” ([0073]: suppressant stored in a tank is pumped to battery containers to prevent fire, with suppressant being collected back into the tank via drains; examiner interprets that when fire has not been extinguished or has propagated to other places, suppressant pumping continues (analogous to the updated water level within the enclosure is less than the target water level) in order to contain fire and/or prevent additional fire risks); and
“In embodiments, the controller 900 may be configured to determine suppressant levels of the fire suppression systems based on sensor inputs, and display the suppressant levels on a display (e.g. a digital display). Alternatively or additionally, the fire suppression systems of the present disclosure may include gauges that indicate suppressant levels” ([0079]: controller of a fire suppression system (see [0078]) uses sensor or gauges to determine levels of suppressant).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee in view of Ginder to configure the controller to: receive a third signal indicative of an updated water level within the enclosure from the second sensor; determine, based on the third signal, that the updated water level within the enclosure is less than the target water level; and cause water to flow into the enclosure through the inlet in response to determining that the updated water level within the enclosure is less than the target water level, in order to keep track of suppressant amounts in the system for appropriate decision making (e.g., start/stop flow of suppressant during events).
Regarding claim 8.
Lee in view of Ginder discloses all the features of claim 1 as described above.
Lee further discloses:
a second sensor configured to sense a second characteristic associated with the battery pack; and wherein the controller is further configured to receive a second signal indicative of the second characteristic associated with the battery pack from the second sensor ([0040]-[0041], [0044]-[0045]: a combination of temperature sensor and gas detection sensor is used to detect signals corresponding to temperature or gas inside the battery pack in order to determine a thermal runaway (see also [0075])).
Regarding claim 9.
Lee in view of Ginder discloses all the features of claim 8 as described above.
Lee further discloses:
the characteristic associated with the battery pack is a concentration of a gas within the enclosure and the second characteristic associated with the battery pack is an ambient temperature within the enclosure ([0040]-[0041], [0044]-[0045]: a combination of temperature sensor and gas detection sensor is used to detect signals corresponding to temperature (ambient temperature) or gas (gas concentration) inside the battery pack in order to determine a thermal runaway (see also [0075])).
Regarding claim 10.
Lee in view of Ginder discloses all the features of claim 9 as described above.
Lee further discloses:
to determine that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied, the controller is further configured to: determine, based on the signal, that the concentration of the gas within the enclosure exceeds a first threshold; or determine, based on the second signal, that the temperature within the enclosure exceeds a second threshold ([0040]-[0041], [0044]-[0045]: a combination of temperature sensor and gas detection sensor is used to detect signals corresponding to temperature or gas inside the battery pack rising above reference values in order to determine a thermal runaway (see also [0075])).
Regarding claim 11.
Lee discloses:
A method for mitigating thermal runaway ([0001]: a battery pack having a structure for introducing a coolant into a battery module when a thermal runaway phenomenon occurs is disclosed), the method comprising:
receiving, from sensor (Fig. 3, item 160 – “sensor”), a signal indicative of a characteristic associated with a battery pack (Figs. 1-2, 4-6, item 120 – “battery module”; [0036]-[0037], [0044]-[0045]: a sensor included in a pack housing defining a battery pack, detects a signal corresponding to temperature or gas inside the battery pack and transmits this signal to a controller in order to determine a thermal runaway);
determining, based on the characteristic associated with the battery pack, that a condition indicative of a thermal runaway event is satisfied ([0040]-[0041], [0044]: based on the detection signal, the controller determines a thermal runaway phenomenon); and
an enclosure (Fig. 1, item 110 – “pack housing”) that houses the battery pack ([0036]-[0038]: a pack housing defines the battery pack (Fig. 1, item 100) including battery modules formed by a plurality of battery cells (see [0047])).
Lee does not explicitly disclose:
in response, causing water to flow into an enclosure that houses the battery pack.
Ginder teaches:
“The container 110 may be, for example, any standard or customized ISO container … The pipe system 115 may include a suppressant interface 210, a connection pipe 220, a horizontal extending pipe 230, and vertical extending pipes 240 ... The suppressant interface 210 may be an inlet body configured to introduce suppressant (e.g. water) into the container 110 to be supplied to the vertical extending pipes 240, via the connection pipe 220 and the horizontal extending pipe 230” ([0037]-[0038]: a container (enclosure) includes battery modules (see [0042]) and an inlet body configured to introduce suppressant (water) to prevent fire (see [0038]; see also [0002] regarding thermal runaway)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee in view of Ginder to cause water to flow into an enclosure that houses the battery pack in response of a thermal runaway event being satisfied, in order to mitigate battery module fire propagation while alleviating much of the risk of catastrophic loss due to fire, as discussed by Ginder ([0005]).
Regarding claim 13.
Lee in view of Ginder discloses all the features of claim 11 as described above.
Lee does not disclose:
receiving, from a second sensor, a second signal indicative of a water level within the enclosure; determining, based on the second signal, that the water level within the enclosure exceeds a target water level; and in response, causing water to stop flowing into the enclosure.
Ginder further teaches:
“With reference to FIGS. 1 and 11, the third tubing system 654 may be connected to the components 250 that are provided in the underside 112 of the containers 110. The pump system 656 may cause suppressant stored in the tank 650 to be supplied to the fire suppression systems via the first tubing system 652 and the second tubing system 653. With reference to FIGS. 4 and 11, after the fire suppression systems 200 releases the suppressant via one or more vertical extending pipes 240 and the suppressant is collected by the drains 270 of the fire suppression systems 200, the suppressant may be returned to the tank 650 via the third tubing system 654” ([0073]: suppressant stored in a tank is pumped to battery containers to prevent fire, with suppressant being collected back into the tank via drains; examiner interprets that when fire has been extinguished, suppressant pumping is stopped (analogous to water level within the enclosure exceeds a target water level)); and
“In embodiments, the controller 900 may be configured to determine suppressant levels of the fire suppression systems based on sensor inputs, and display the suppressant levels on a display (e.g. a digital display). Alternatively or additionally, the fire suppression systems of the present disclosure may include gauges that indicate suppressant levels” ([0079]: controller of a fire suppression system (see [0078]) uses sensor or gauges to determine levels of suppressant).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee in view of Ginder to receive, from a second sensor, a second signal indicative of a water level within the enclosure; to determine, based on the second signal, that the water level within the enclosure exceeds a target water level; and to cause water to stop flowing into the enclosure in response to determining that the water level within the enclosure exceeds a target water level, in order to keep track of suppressant amounts in the system for appropriate decision making (e.g., start/stop flow of suppressant during events).
Regarding claim 14.
Lee in view of Ginder discloses all the features of claim 13 as described above.
Lee does not disclose:
receiving, from the second sensor, a third signal indicative of an updated water level within the enclosure; determining, based on the third signal, that the updated water level within the enclosure is less than the target water level; and in response, causing water to flow into the enclosure.
Ginder further teaches:
“With reference to FIGS. 1 and 11, the third tubing system 654 may be connected to the components 250 that are provided in the underside 112 of the containers 110. The pump system 656 may cause suppressant stored in the tank 650 to be supplied to the fire suppression systems via the first tubing system 652 and the second tubing system 653. With reference to FIGS. 4 and 11, after the fire suppression systems 200 releases the suppressant via one or more vertical extending pipes 240 and the suppressant is collected by the drains 270 of the fire suppression systems 200, the suppressant may be returned to the tank 650 via the third tubing system 654” ([0073]: suppressant stored in a tank is pumped to battery containers to prevent fire, with suppressant being collected back into the tank via drains; examiner interprets that when fire has not been extinguished or has propagated to other places, suppressant pumping continues (analogous to the updated water level within the enclosure is less than the target water level) in order to contain fire and/or prevent additional fire risks); and
“In embodiments, the controller 900 may be configured to determine suppressant levels of the fire suppression systems based on sensor inputs, and display the suppressant levels on a display (e.g. a digital display). Alternatively or additionally, the fire suppression systems of the present disclosure may include gauges that indicate suppressant levels” ([0079]: controller of a fire suppression system (see [0078]) uses sensor or gauges to determine levels of suppressant).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee in view of Ginder to receive, from the second sensor, a third signal indicative of an updated water level within the enclosure; to determine, based on the third signal, that the updated water level within the enclosure is less than the target water level; and to cause water to flow into the enclosure in response to determining that the updated water level within the enclosure is less than the target water level, in order to keep track of suppressant amounts in the system for appropriate decision making (e.g., start/stop flow of suppressant during events).
Regarding claim 15.
Lee in view of Ginder discloses all the features of claim 11 as described above.
Lee further discloses:
determining that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied includes determining, based on the signal, that an amount of gas within the enclosure exceeds a threshold ([0040]-[0041], [0044]-[0045]: a gas detection sensor is used to detect signals corresponding to gas (gas concentration) inside the battery pack in order to determine a thermal runaway (see also [0075])).
Regarding claim 16.
Lee in view of Ginder discloses all the features of claim 11 as described above.
Lee further discloses:
determining that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied includes determining, based on the signal, that a temperature within the enclosure exceeds a threshold ([0040]-[0041], [0044]-[0045]: a temperature sensor is used to detect signals corresponding to temperature inside the battery pack rising above reference values in order to determine a thermal runaway (see also [0075])).
Claims 3, 7 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee, in view of Ginder, and in further view of Berdichevsky (US 7433794 B1, IDS reference), hereinafter ‘Berdichevsky’.
Regarding claim 3.
Lee in view of Ginder discloses all the features of claim 1 as described above.
Lee does not disclose:
the controller is further configured to disconnect the battery pack from a component of the thermal management system in response to determining that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied.
Berdichevsky teaches:
“It should be noted that if any brick in the battery pack 12 is higher than a predefined voltage or if the overall voltage of the battery pack 12 is above or greater than another predefined voltage the BMBs 22 will send a message to the BSM 40 to open the contactors 50 of the battery pack 12 thus disabling any current from flowing into or out of the ESS 12 ... It should also be noted that the contactors 50 may open if any measured temperature is over a predetermined value. The electronics may also analyze the temperatures of the array of thermistors to determine if there is likely a higher temperature cell nearby that is not directly measured. In this case it would also shut off the pack by opening the contactors 50 thus stopping a potential or actual thermal runaway event from propagating” (col. 11, line 54 – col. 12, line 2: when voltage, current or temperature exceed limits, contactors of the battery pack are opened to stop thermal runaway events from propagating in the energy storage system); and
“The cells 18 of the ESS 12 may also include predetermined internal safety features such as a positive thermal coefficient fuse, wherein each cell 18 in the ESS 12 may contain a fuse that disconnects the circuit in the event that the temperature exceeds a safety threshold. This temperature threshold will correspond to an energy that is below the activation energy that would start an exergonic reaction within the cell 18. This positive thermal coefficient fuse may act to prevent thermal runaway in individual cells 18. Each cell 18 may also contain a current interruption device within the ESS 12 that would disconnect the circuit when the internal pressure of the cell 18 exceeds a safety threshold” (col. 12, lines 28-39: cells in the energy storage system include fuses and current interruption devices that disconnect the circuit when temperature or pressure of the cells exceed safety thresholds to prevent thermal runaway).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee in view of Ginder, and in further view of Berdichevsky to configure the controller to disconnect the battery pack from a component of the thermal management system in response to determining that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied, in order to stop thermal runaway events from propagating in the energy storage system, as discussed by Berdichevsky (col. 11, line 54 – col. 12, line 2).
Regarding claim 7.
Lee in view of Ginder discloses all the features of claim 1 as described above.
Lee does not disclose:
the controller is further configured to transmit a message that indicates the occurrence of a thermal runaway event to an external device in response to determining that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied.
Berdichevsky teaches:
“It should be noted that if any brick in the battery pack 12 is higher than a predefined voltage or if the overall voltage of the battery pack 12 is above or greater than another predefined voltage the BMBs 22 will send a message to the BSM 40 to open the contactors 50 of the battery pack 12 thus disabling any current from flowing into or out of the ESS 12” (col. 11, lines 54-59: when voltage is higher than predefined voltage, battery monitor board sends a message to the BSM to open the contactors to disable current flow into or out of the energy storage system); and
“The electronics of the mitigation system 10 also may send error messages to the vehicle management system 36 when an error occurs thus notifying the driver of such error. In the event of a serious error messages may also be sent to an external server to notify agencies and personnel of the vehicle manufacturer so problem solving and prevention of failures in the future may also occur” (col. 12, lines 20-27: the mitigation system may also send error messages to external devices for notification of problems).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee in view of Ginder, and in further view of Berdichevsky, to configure the controller to transmit a message that indicates the occurrence of a thermal runaway event to an external device in response to determining that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied, in order to notify agencies and personnel so problem solving and prevention of failures in the future may also occur, as discussed by Berdichevsky (col. 12, lines 20-27).
Regarding claim 12.
Lee in view of Ginder discloses all the features of claim 11 as described above.
Lee does not disclose:
transmitting a message indicative of the occurrence of a thermal runaway event to an external device in response to determining that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied.
Berdichevsky teaches:
“It should be noted that if any brick in the battery pack 12 is higher than a predefined voltage or if the overall voltage of the battery pack 12 is above or greater than another predefined voltage the BMBs 22 will send a message to the BSM 40 to open the contactors 50 of the battery pack 12 thus disabling any current from flowing into or out of the ESS 12” (col. 11, lines 54-59: when voltage is higher than predefined voltage, battery monitor board sends a message to the BSM to open the contactors to disable current flow into or out of the energy storage system); and
“The electronics of the mitigation system 10 also may send error messages to the vehicle management system 36 when an error occurs thus notifying the driver of such error. In the event of a serious error messages may also be sent to an external server to notify agencies and personnel of the vehicle manufacturer so problem solving and prevention of failures in the future may also occur” (col. 12, lines 20-27: the mitigation system may also send error messages to external devices for notification of problems).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee in view of Ginder, and in further view of Berdichevsky, to transmit a message indicative of the occurrence of a thermal runaway event to an external device in response to determining that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied, in order to notify agencies and personnel so problem solving and prevention of failures in the future may also occur, as discussed by Berdichevsky (col. 12, lines 20-27).
Claims 17 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee, in view of Berdichevsky.
Regarding claim 17.
Lee discloses:
an enclosure (Fig. 1, item 110 – “pack housing”) housing a battery pack (Figs. 1-2, 4-6, item 120 – “battery module”; [0036]-[0038]: a pack housing defines a battery pack (Fig. 1, item 100) including battery modules formed by a plurality of battery cells (see [0047]));
a first sensor (Fig. 3, item 160 – “sensor”) configured to sense a first characteristic associated with the battery pack ([0040]-[0041], [0044]-[0045]: a combination of temperature sensor and gas detection sensor is used to detect signals corresponding to temperature (first characteristic) or gas inside the battery pack rising above reference values in order to determine a thermal runaway (see also [0075]));
a second sensor (Fig. 3, item 160 – “sensor”) configured to sense a second characteristic associated with the battery pack ([0040]-[0041], [0044]-[0045]: a combination of temperature sensor and gas detection sensor is used to detect signals corresponding to temperature or gas (second characteristic) inside the battery pack rising above reference values in order to determine a thermal runaway (see also [0075])); and
a controller (Figs. 1-3, item 140 – “controller”) coupled to the first sensor ([0036]-[0037], [0040]: a controller included in the pack housing is coupled to the sensor), wherein the controller is configured to:
receive a first signal indicative of the first characteristic associated with the battery pack from the first sensor ([0044]: detection signals from the sensor are transmitted to the controller);
receive a second signal indicative of the second characteristic associated with the battery pack from the second sensor ([0044]: detection signals from the sensor are transmitted to the controller);
determine, based on at least one of the first characteristic associated with the battery pack or the second characteristic associated with the battery pack, that a condition indicative of a thermal runaway event is satisfied ([0040]-[0041], [0044]: based on the detection signals, the controller determines a thermal runaway phenomenon).
Lee does not explicitly disclose:
An electric vehicle comprising:
a plurality of traction devices supporting the electric vehicle for movement;
a battery pack that provides power to one or more components included in the electric vehicle; and
in response, transmit a message that indicates the occurrence of a thermal runaway event to an external device.
Berdichevsky teaches:
“Referring to the drawings, a system 10 for mitigation of propagation of a thermal runaway event in a multi-cell battery pack for use in an energy storage system (ESS) 12 is shown ... This nominal voltage will operate an electric vehicle that may be capable of traveling many miles without recharging and is capable of delivering enough power and acceleration for everyday driving use” (col. 3, line 59 – col. 4, line 4: an electric vehicle uses energy storage system (battery pack) for driving purposes, which implies the use of traction devices for movement);
“It should be noted that if any brick in the battery pack 12 is higher than a predefined voltage or if the overall voltage of the battery pack 12 is above or greater than another predefined voltage the BMBs 22 will send a message to the BSM 40 to open the contactors 50 of the battery pack 12 thus disabling any current from flowing into or out of the ESS 12” (col. 11, lines 54-59: when voltage is higher than predefined voltage, battery monitor board sends a message to the BSM to open the contactors to disable current flow into or out of the energy storage system); and
“The electronics of the mitigation system 10 also may send error messages to the vehicle management system 36 when an error occurs thus notifying the driver of such error. In the event of a serious error messages may also be sent to an external server to notify agencies and personnel of the vehicle manufacturer so problem solving and prevention of failures in the future may also occur” (col. 12, lines 20-27: the mitigation system may also send error messages to external devices for notification of problems).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee in view of Berdichevsky, to incorporate an electric vehicle comprising: a plurality of traction devices supporting the electric vehicle for movement; a battery pack that provides power to one or more components included in the electric vehicle; and to transmit a message that indicates the occurrence of a thermal runaway event to an external device in response to determining that a condition indicative of a thermal runaway event is satisfied, in order to mitigate a thermal runaway event in a battery pack used in an electric vehicle and notify agencies and personnel so problem solving and prevention of failures in the future may also occur, as discussed by Berdichevsky (col. 1, lines 8-11; col. 12, lines 20-27).
Regarding claim 19.
Lee in view of Berdichevsky discloses the features of claim 17 as described above.
Lee does not explicitly disclose:
the first characteristic associated with the battery pack is a voltage associated with the battery pack and the second characteristic associated with the battery pack is a current associated with the battery pack.
Berdichevsky further teaches:
“It should be noted that the potential for thermal runaway and propagation of a cell 18 within the battery pack 12 of the present invention is a function that increases with the temperature of any of the individual cells 18. The design of the present system 10 for mitigation of such propagation of thermal runaway events will monitor many specific and general sources of heat that may raise the temperature of the cells 18. Hence, the energy storage system 12 may have a variety of sensors for directly measuring components states, such as but not limited to temperature, voltage, and ambient conditions within the enclosure 20 and that these measurements are then used by hardware and software to make intelligent decisions to control the temperature of the energy storage system 12 so that it stays within an acceptable operating range” (col. 5, lines 24-37: thermal runaway events are a function of increases in temperature in cells, with heat being monitored by temperature, voltage, ambient conditions and also current (see col. 10, lines 4-12; col. 11, lines 13-20)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee in view of Berdichevsky, to incorporate the first characteristic associated with the battery pack as a voltage associated with the battery pack and the second characteristic associated with the battery pack as a current associated with the battery pack, in order to accurately and promptly detect heat variations and potential thermal runaway based on conventional electrical measurements.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee, in view of Berdichevsky, and in further view of Ginder.
Regarding claim 18.
Lee in view of Berdichevsky discloses the features of claim 17 as described above.
Lee does not explicitly disclose:
the controller is further configured to cause water to flow into the enclosure in response to determining that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied.
Ginder teaches:
“The container 110 may be, for example, any standard or customized ISO container … The pipe system 115 may include a suppressant interface 210, a connection pipe 220, a horizontal extending pipe 230, and vertical extending pipes 240 ... The suppressant interface 210 may be an inlet body configured to introduce suppressant (e.g. water) into the container 110 to be supplied to the vertical extending pipes 240, via the connection pipe 220 and the horizontal extending pipe 230” ([0037]-[0038]: a container (enclosure) includes battery modules (see [0042]) and an inlet body configured to introduce suppressant (water) to prevent fire (see [0038]; see also [0002] regarding thermal runaway)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee in view of Berdichevsky, and in further view of Ginder to configure the controller to cause water to flow into the enclosure in response to determining that the condition indicative of the thermal runaway event is satisfied, in order to mitigate battery module fire propagation while alleviating much of the risk of catastrophic loss due to fire, as discussed by Ginder ([0005]).
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee, in view of Berdichevsky, and in further view of Sandahl (US 20220407174 A1), hereinafter ‘Sandahl’.
Regarding claim 20.
Lee in view of Berdichevsky discloses the features of claim 17 as described above.
Lee does not disclose:
the electric vehicle is a mining machine including an attachment for drilling holes in a mine surface.
Sandahl teaches:
“In some embodiments, vehicle 11 is a car, a truck, a hauler, a hydraulic excavator, a wheeled loader, a dozer, a grader, forestry equipment, a concrete mixer, a dump truck, transportable mining equipment, etc. In some embodiments, vehicle 11 includes a pre-existing fire suppression system or a pre-existing infrastructure for fire detection and suppression into which fire suppression system 10 is incorporated. In some embodiments, vehicle 11 is an electric vehicle that uses electrical power provided by the battery rack(s) 16 for transportation and to perform various functions (e.g., lifting, mining, drilling, etc., functions). In some embodiments, vehicle 11 is an off-road vehicle including a suspension system configured for off-road transportation. For example, vehicle 11 may be off-roading mining machinery that is transportable from location to location. In some embodiments, vehicle 11 is a locomotive, light rail, or commercial rail vehicle” ([0039]: a fire suppression system (see abstract) is employed in a mining vehicle (see also [0093])).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee in view of Berdichevsky, and in further view of Sandahl to incorporate the electric vehicle as a mining machine including an attachment for drilling holes in a mine surface, in order to implement thermal runaway monitoring in vehicles required to operate under hazardous conditions that may result in heating of the energy storage system and improve response to prevent or mitigate thermal runaway events.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hekmat; Shahriyar et al., US 20200335839 A1, THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR BATTERY MODULE
Reference discloses a thermal management system for a battery module of an electric vehicle using cooling water to maintain optimal temperature.
KWON; Min-Ho et al., US 20220294052 A1, BATTERY MODULE HAVING STRUCTURE INTO WHICH COOLING WATER CAN BE INTRODUCED WHEN THERMAL RUNAWAY PHENOMENON OCCURS, AND BATTERY PACK AND ENERGY STORAGE DEVICE COMPRISING SAME
Reference discloses a battery module including a plurality of battery cells and air outlet and air inlet that expand under contact with cooling water.
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/LINA CORDERO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2857
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