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 .
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 1-2, and 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hwang (US 2020 0067155 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Hwang teaches a battery pack comprising a battery [0002], a battery case including a bottom plate [corresponding to the first heat sink member, drawing reference numeral 211] on which the battery is mounted [Fig.3 depicts battery cells (100) mounted to the first heat sink member (211)]; and
a water jacket [corresponding to the heat sink unit, drawing reference numeral 210] configured
to allow a refrigerant for cooling the battery to flow therethrough [0014], wherein the water jacket (210) is provided with a flow path [corresponding to the refrigerant flow passage, drawing reference numeral 214] defined by the bottom plate (211) and a water jacket plate [corresponding to the second heat sink member, drawing reference numeral 212] disposed below the bottom plate [Fig.3],
the water jacket plate (212) is integrally provided with a protruding portion [corresponding to the second flow passage, drawing reference numeral 214b] extending in a front-rear direction [the annotated figure below considers the front-rear direction to be parallel to mounting part 230] of the vehicle and protruding downward [0020: the second flow passage (214b) is formed by pressing on the surface opposite to the plurality of battery cells, the passage being formed in between the lines indicated in Fig.2, therein forming protrusions facing downward], and
the protruding portion (214b) includes a first protruding portion disposed on an outer side with respect to the water jacket (210) in a vehicle width and protruding downward with respect to the water jacket direction [Annotated Fig.2 below points to the protruding portions defined by the four narrow grooves and one wide groove. The outermost sections correspond to the first protruding portion as
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claimed].
Regarding claim 2, Hwang teaches all the limitations of claim 1 as described above. In addition, the battery [corresponding to a battery cell, drawing reference 100] is disposed on an inner side with respect to both ends of the first protruding portion (214b) in the front-rear direction [Fig.3 shows a side view of the front-rear direction, wherein an inner side corresponds to the right side of side cover parts 220, where the ends of the first protruding portion(214b) are located, as shown by Fig.2. Fig.3 shows the arrangement of a plurality battery cells 100, wherein a singular battery cell would be located on an inner side of the ends of the first protruding portion].
Regarding claim 5, Hwang teaches all the limitations of claim 1 as described above. In addition, the battery case includes
a pair of side frames [corresponding to the mounting parts, drawing reference numeral 230; para. 0056 teaches at least one mounting part protruding from the heat sink unit (210)] connected to a bottom plate (31) and facing each other in the vehicle width direction [Fig.2 demonstrate the mounting parts 230 facing the width direction as established by the annotated figure above, wherein the width direction is parallel to the long dimension of 220. The recitation that the side frames are connected to a vehicle body relates to the intended use of the battery pack and is therefore not given undue weight. The side frames are considered to be capable of connecting to a vehicle]; and
a cross member [corresponding to the side cover parts, drawing reference numeral 220] extending in the vehicle width direction and connecting the pair of side frames [Fig. 1-3 show the side cover parts extending perpendicular to the flow passages, which extend in the front-rear direction as defined above],
the recitation that the side frames are connected to a vehicle body relates to the intended use of the battery pack and is therefore not given undue weight. The side frames are considered to be capable of connecting to a vehicle.
the protruding portion including a second protruding disposed on an inner side with respect to the first protruding portion in the vehicle width direction and protruding downward with respect to the water jacket [see annotated Fig.2 above], and
the first protruding portion (214b) and the second protruding portion (214b) are orthogonal to the at least one cross member (220) in a top view [Fig.2 shows the relationship between the flow passages (214b) and the side cover parts (230) is orthogonal].
Regarding claim 6, Hwang teaches all of the limitations of claim 1 as set forth above. In addition, Hwang teaches the water jacket (210) including a plurality of flow paths extending in the front-rear direction [0054], and
The protruding portion further includes a second protruding portion disposed between the adjacent flow paths and protruding downward with respect to the water jacket [Hwang para.0020 teaches the second flow passage is formed on a surface opposite the first flow passage; thereof combining the first heat sink member and second heat sink member to form the refrigerant flow path]
Regarding claim 7, Hwang teaches all the limitations of claim 1 as described above. In addition, the first protruding portion (214b) is disposed on an outer side with respect to the battery in the vehicle width direction [Fig.2 shows that the first protruding portion (214b) extends the entire length of water jacket plate 212. Fig.3 shows the arrangement of a plurality battery cells 100; therein, the first protruding portion is disposed on an outer side with respect to a singular battery cell].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 3 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hwang (US 2020 0067155 A1) as applied to claims 1, 2, 5-7 above, and further in view of Hashimoto (US 2013 0004822 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Hwang teaches all the limitations of claim 1 as set forth above. Hwang does not teach a battery pack comprising a heat insulator covering the water jacket from below.
Hashimoto teaches a heat insulator [corresponding to the thermally insulating member, drawing reference 14] covering the water jacket [corresponding to the cooling plate as it is configured to allow coolant to flow though the cooling pipes, drawing references 61 and 60, respectively] from below [Fig. 21 shows the thermally insulating member 14 below the cooling pipes 60]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the battery pack of Hwang by including a heat insulator below the water jacket because of the increase of the cooling effect [0108].
Regarding claim 4, modified Hwang teaches all the limitations of claim 3 as set forth above. By modifying the battery pack disclosed by Hwang to include the insulator as taught by Hashimoto, the water jacket and protruding portion would be covered by the insulator from below.
Conclusion
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/T.G./Examiner, Art Unit 1726
/JEFFREY T BARTON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1726 15 October 2026
