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
Applicant's election with traverse of figure 5 and figure 8 in the reply filed on 8/19/2026 is acknowledged. Claim 9 is dependent on a non-elected invention and is withdrawn.
The traversal is on the ground(s) that there would not be a significant burden to search each invention. This is not found persuasive because to provide evidence of undue burden on the Examiner, MPEP 808.02 states that for related but distinct inventions, undue burden exist if one or more of the following can be shown: A) separate classification, b) separate status in the art if inventions are classifiable together, or c) a different field of search is shown even if the inventions are classifiable together. The Examiner notes that the groups of invention would have a different field of search is shown even if the inventions are classifiable together which meets the undue burden requirement as set forth in the MPEP.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Full consideration was given to claims 1, 2, 4, 6-8, 10-12.
Priority
Acknowledgement has been made of applicant’s claim for priority under 35 USC 119 (a-d). The certified copy has been filed on 5/10/2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) filed 3/14/2025, 2/27/2024 has been placed in the application file and the information referred to therein has been considered.
Drawings
The drawings received 2/27/2024 are acceptable for examination purposes.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the second paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112:
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 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which applicant regards as the invention.
In claim 7, wherein the battery management mechanism is provided on a surface of the first box portion farther away from the battery cell, it is unclear as to what the battery management mechanism is farther from?
Correction is required.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 6, 8, 11, 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (CN 112310562, using US 2022/0021093 as translation) in view of Bitsche (US 2009/0220850).
Regarding claim 1, Chen discloses a battery, comprising:
a first box portion M11;
a second box portion M12, wherein the first box portion and the second box portion fit together to define an accommodating space;
a battery cell 1, wherein the battery cell is accommodated in the accommodating space, the battery cell is provided with an electrode terminal 111,
the first box portion M11 is located above the second box portion M12. See figure 2.
Regarding claim 8, the first box portion comprises a top wall and a side wall, and the battery management mechanism (the hole on the side of the first box M11) is provided on the side wall. See figure 2.
Regarding claim 1, Chen does not disclose a pressure relief mechanism, the pressure relief mechanism is configured to be actuated when an internal pressure or temperature of the battery cell reaches a threshold, to release the internal pressure or high-temperature gas,
an insulating liquid, the insulating liquid being provided in the accommodating space and immersing the pressure relief mechanism, wherein when the insulating liquid is provided in the accommodating space.
Bitsche teaches a liquid-cooled battery having a pressure relief mechanism 13, the pressure relief mechanism 13 is configured to be actuated when an internal pressure or temperature of the battery cell reaches a threshold, to release the internal pressure or high-temperature gas [0031]. Bitsche also teaches a cooling medium, such as water and glycol mixture, to dissipate heat created in the battery [0023]. It is noted that when the weak points 13 are located at the bottom of the battery in figure 4, the weak points are immersed in the cooling liquid.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art at the time the invention was made to add a pressure relief mechanism and the cooling medium of Bitsche to the bottom of the battery of Chen, for the benefit of protecting the battery from over heating and over pressure.
Regarding claim 11, Bitsche teaches an insulator 11 provided between the battery cell and the second box portion. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art at the time the invention was made to add an insulation layer of Bitsche to the battery of Chen for the benefit of keeping Chen’s cell contained from explosion.
Regarding claim 1, the electrode terminal is closer to the first box portion relative to the pressure relief mechanism, it is noted that the prior art combination entails the pressure mechanism is located at the bottom of Chen’s second box portion and the terminal is closer to the first box portion.
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Chen modified by Bitsche reads on when the insulating liquid is provided in the accommodating space, height of the insulating liquid in the accommodating space in a direction of gravity is smaller than height of the second box portion in the direction of gravity.
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Chen and Bitsche reads on the pressure relief mechanism is provided at an end of the third wall farther away from the first box portion.
Regarding claim 12, an electric device, comprising the battery according to claim 1, wherein the battery is configured to supply power to the electric device.
Claims 4 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (CN 112310562, using US 2022/0021093 as translation) in view of Bitsche (US 2009/0220850) as applied to claim 1, further in view of Hsu (US 2019/0214616).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Chen and Bitsche reads on the electrode terminal is provided on a first wall of the battery cell, the pressure relief mechanism is provided on a third wall of the battery cell, the first wall is connected to the third wall, the third wall is parallel to a first direction.
Regarding claim 4, the first wall is perpendicular to the first direction, wherein when the insulating liquid is provided in the accommodating space, the first direction is parallel to the direction of gravity, Hsu teaches a first wall 10 is perpendicular to the first direction (figure 1). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art at the time the invention was made to form the first wall of Chen perpendicular to the first direction depending on the available space configuration of the battery application.
Regarding claim 7, the battery further comprises: a battery management mechanism, wherein the battery management mechanism is provided on a surface of the first box portion farther away from the battery cell and is electrically connected to the battery, Chen has a hole on the first box portion M11. Hsu teaches external terminals on the battery box. Figure 1. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art at the time the invention was made to form external terminals of Chen through the hole on the first box portion, as taught by Hsu, for the benefit of electrically connecting the battery to an electronic device.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (CN 112310562, using US 2022/0021093 as translation) in view of Bitsche (US 2009/0220850) as applied to claim 1, further in view of Tononishi (US 2016/0093855).
Regarding claim 10, the battery further comprises: a sealing gasket, wherein the sealing gasket is provided between the first box portion and the second box portion to seal a joint between the first box portion and the second box portion. Tononishi teaches a battery container and a lid and are joined together by screws, bolts or the like with a gasket interposed therebetween [0050]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art at the time the invention was made to add a screw and a gasket to the first and second box portions, as taught by Tononishi, for the benefit for tightly fitting the first and second box portions of Chen together.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CYNTHIA KYUNG SOO WALLS whose telephone number is (571)272-8699. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F until 5pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jonathan Leong can be reached at 571-270-1292. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CYNTHIA K WALLS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1751
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