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 .
The information disclosure statements filed on 11/14/2023 and 12/19/2024 have been entered. The preliminary amendment filed on 11/14/2023 has been entered. Claims 1-14 are presented for examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (Lee et al. – 2017/0347500; herein after referred to as “Lee”).
Regarding claim 1, Lee discloses a battery pack cooling device comprising:
a battery pack (Lee; Fig. 1; par. 0038-0054; high voltage battery 100, plug in charging vehicle , On Board Charger 200, cooling an OCB by circulating coolant when the temperature of the OCB rises while a high voltage battery is being charged; the step circulating the coolant implies an coolant inlet and coolant outlet; water pump 320, cooler 300 for circulating water, radiator fan 340);
a charging housing provided with having an inlet, an outlet, and a pack insertion space into which a-the battery pack is inserted insertable (Lee; Fig. 1; par. 0038 – 0054; high voltage battery 100, plug in charging vehicle , On Board Charger 200, cooling an OBC by circulating coolant when the temperature of the OBC rises while a high voltage battery is being charged; the step circulating the coolant implies an coolant inlet and coolant outlet; water pump 320, cooler 300 for circulating water, radiator fan 340, controller 400);
a charging part, which is electrically connected to the battery pack inserted into the pack insertion space (Lee; Fig. 1; par. 0038-0054; high voltage battery 100, plug in charging vehicle , On Board Charger 200, cooling an OCB by circulating coolant when the temperature of the OCB rises while a high voltage battery is being charged; the step circulating the coolant implies an coolant inlet and coolant outlet; water pump 320, cooler 300 for circulating water, radiator fan 340);
the charging part configured for charging the battery pack (Lee; Fig. 1; par. 0038-0054; high voltage battery 100, plug in charging vehicle , On Board Charger 200, cooling an OCB by circulating coolant when the temperature of the OCB rises while a high voltage battery is being charged; the step circulating the coolant implies an coolant inlet and coolant outlet; water pump 320, cooler 300 for circulating water, radiator fan 340);
a circulation part provided such that cooling water is supplied configured to supply cooling water to the pack insertion space through the inlet and the recover cooling water in from the pack insertion space is recovered through the outlet (Lee; Fig. 1; par. 0038-0054; high voltage battery 100, plug in charging vehicle , On Board Charger 200, cooling an OCB by circulating coolant when the temperature of the OCB rises while a high voltage battery is being charged; the step circulating the coolant implies an coolant inlet and coolant outlet; water pump 320, cooler 300 for circulating water, radiator fan 340);
a heating part configured to heat to the pack insertion space (Lee; Fig. 1; high voltage battery 100, plug in charging vehicle , On Board Charger 200, cooling an OCB by circulating coolant when the temperature of the OCB rises while a high voltage battery is being charged; the step circulating the coolant implies an coolant inlet and coolant outlet; water pump 320, cooler 300 for circulating water, radiator fan 340);
and a control part for controlling the charging part, the heating part, and the circulation part (Lee; Fig. 1; par. 0038-0054; high voltage battery 100, plug in charging vehicle , On Board Charger 200, cooling an OCB by circulating coolant when the temperature of the OCB rises while a high voltage battery is being charged; the step circulating the coolant implies an coolant inlet and coolant outlet; water pump 320, cooler 300 for circulating water, radiator fan 340).
Regarding claim 2, Lee discloses the battery pack cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the control part is configured to operates the circulation part such that upon operation of the charging part in a state where when the battery pack is inserted into the pack insertion space, the cooling water is supplied to the pack insertion space and the cooling water that has been heat- exchanged with the battery pack is recovered (Lee; Fig. 1; par. 0038-0054; high voltage battery 100, plug in charging vehicle , On Board Charger 200, cooling an OCB by circulating coolant when the temperature of the OCB rises while a high voltage battery is being charged; the step circulating the coolant implies an coolant inlet and coolant outlet; water pump 320, cooler 300 for circulating water, radiator fan 340; par. 0011 – “When the voltage of the high-voltage battery is lower than the reference voltage range, the controller may control the water pump to operate when a temperature of the OBC has reached an operating temperature range that is previously-stored”; par. 0012 – “ When the voltage of the high-voltage battery is within the reference voltage range, the controller may control the water pump to operate in a corrected temperature range higher than the operating temperature range“).
Regarding claim 3, Lee discloses the battery pack cooling device according to claim 2, wherein when the heat-exchanged cooling water is completely discharged from the pack insertion space, the control part is configured to stops the operation of the circulation part and operates enable the heating part to supply heat to the pack insertion space (Lee; Fig. 1; par. 0038-0054; high voltage battery 100, plug in charging vehicle , On Board Charger 200, cooling an OCB by circulating coolant when the temperature of the OCB rises while a high voltage battery is being charged; the step circulating the coolant implies an coolant inlet and coolant outlet; water pump 320, cooler 300 for circulating water, radiator fan 340) .
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.
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.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (Lee et al. – 2017/0347500; herein after referred to as “Lee”) in view of Sabripour (Sabripour – 2015/0130281).
Regarding claim 14, see the discussions to claim 1 in view of Lee. The claim differs in calling for a charging station comprising the battery pack cooling device according to any one of claims 1.
Sabripour discloses charging power stations that may include multiple power management systems to recharge batteries of EV vehicles (Sabripour; par. 0055-0060 – charging stations to recharge batteries of EV vehicles).
In view of Sabripour’s teachings, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention to incorporate the EV charging system as taught by Lee in a charging station. The modification is well within the skill levels and expectations of an ordinary skilled in the art.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-13 are allowed.
Claim 4-9 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
i. The prior art fails to discloses the battery pack cooling device according to claim 3, wherein the control part is configured to stops the operation of the charging part and then operates enable the heating part as recited in claim 4.
ii. The prior art fails disclose the battery pack cooling device according to claim 3, wherein the heating part is configured to supplies supply heat to vaporize the cooling water remaining in the pack insertion space as recited in claim 5.
iii. The prior art fails to disclose the battery pack cooling device according to claim 3, wherein the circulation part comprises: a cooling water tank, a cooler, a pump, and a cooling water tank having the interconnections as recited in claim 6 (claims 7-9 depend on claim 6).
iv. The prior fails to disclose the battery pack cooling device comprising a cooler, a cooling water tank, a pump, a battery pack and having the interconnections as recited in claim 10.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THIEN MINH LE whose telephone number is (571)272-2396. The examiner can normally be reached 6:30-5:00 PM M-Th..
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/THIEN M LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
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