DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 4, 6, 9, 11-14, 16, and 23 objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 recites “…where the assembly position of the plurality of battery cells is formed and an outer side opposite to the inner side” on the last two lines of the claim, and should be amended to read “…where the assembly position of the plurality of battery cells is formed and [[an]]the outer side opposite to the inner side” in order to improve claim limitation consistency.
Claim 4 recites “…assembly ribs and exposes the outer circumferential surface of the battery cell” on the last line of the claim, which should be amended to read “…assembly ribs and exposes the outer circumferential surfaces of the plurality of battery cells” or similarly in order to improve claim limitation consistency.
Claim 6 recites “…a pair of sidewalls facing each other along a second direction,” on the third line of the claim, which should be amended to read “…a pair of sidewalls facing each other along [[a]]the second direction,” in order to improve claim limitation consistency.
Claim 9 recites “…along a third direction” on the fifth line of the claim, which should be amended to read “…along [[a]]the third direction” in order to improve claim limitation consistency.
Claim 9 recites “a sidewall connecting a step between the end wall of the base plate to the base wall” on the last two lines of the claim, which should be amended to read “a sidewall connecting a step between the end wall of the base plate [[to]]and the base wall” in order to improve grammar.
Claim 11 recites “wherein the channel hole extends from a sidewall of the filling channel onto an end wall connected to the sidewall…” which should be amended to read “wherein the channel hole extends from a sidewall of the filling channel onto [[an]]the end wall connected to the sidewall…” in order to improve claim limitation consistency.
Claim 12 recites “…a corner portion of a battery cell,” on line 2 of the claim, which should be amended to read “…a corner portion of a battery cell of the plurality of battery cells,” or similar in order to improve claim limitation consistency.
Claim 13 recites “…a second direction” on line 2 of the claim, which should be amended to read “…[[a]]the second direction” in order to improve claim limitation consistency.
Claim 13 recites “…a sidewall of the filling channel,” on line 2 of the claim, which should be amended to read “…[[a]]the sidewall of the filling channel,” in order to improve claim limitation consistency.
Claim 14 recites “…exposes an outer circumferential surface” on line 4 of the claim, which should be amended to read “…exposes [[an]]the outer circumferential surface” in order to improve claim limitation consistency.
Claim 16 recites “…a circumference of the battery cell” on line 7 of the claim, which should be amended to read “…a circumference of [[the]]each battery cell” or similar in order to improve claim limitation consistency.
Claim 16 recites “…a channel hole in a third direction,” on line 8 of the claim, and “…in a third direction” on the last line of the claim, which should be amended to read “…[[a]]the channel hole in [[a]]the third direction,” and “…in [[a]]the third direction”, respectively, in order to improve claim limitation consistency.
Claim 23 recites “…a third direction” on line 2 of the claim, which should be amended to read “…[[a]]the third direction” in order to improve claim limitation consistency.
Claim 23 recites “…a filling channel” on line 4 of the claim, which should be amended to read “…[[a]]the filling channel” in order to improve claim limitation consistency.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
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.
Claims 9-13 and 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 9 recites “a base wall drawn into an innermost side along a third direction toward between battery cells of adjacent rows…” which renders the claim vague and indefinite, as it is not clear if the intended meaning is either that the base wall is drawn toward battery cells of adjacent rows or between battery cells of adjacent rows. For the purposes of examination, the limitation will be understood to mean that the base wall is drawn toward battery cells of adjacent rows.
Claim 18 recites the limitation "the first end wall" in the last line of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purposes of examination, this limitation will be understood to refer back to “an end wall” previously introduced in claim 16, from which this claim depends.
By virtue of their dependency from claims 9 and 18, claims 10-13 and 19 are also thereby rendered indefinite.
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 6-21, and 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Published Application US20110076538A1, hereafter Kreiner.
Regarding claim 1, Kreiner discloses a battery pack, comprising:
a plurality of battery cells (201) aligned in rows extending lengthwise in a first direction and a plurality of the rows being arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction (see annotated Fig 2, battery cells 201 arranged in rows); and
a case ([0015] outer battery pack housing), the case including a base plate ([0015] Fig 1, battery pack housing member 100) having a filling channel ([0019] Fig 3 individual bonding wells 301) connected to an assembly position of the plurality of battery cells (201) and extending along a third direction crossing the first direction and the second direction from an outer side of the base plate (100) toward the battery cells (201) in adjacent rows along the second direction (see annotated Fig 2), the base plate (100) extending between an inner side thereof where the assembly position of the plurality of battery cells is formed and the outer side opposite to the inner side (see annotated Fig 3).
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Regarding claim 2, Kreiner discloses wherein the filling channel (301) further includes a channel hole (Fig 1, [0019] cutouts/windows 109) that is open in the second direction and exposes at least a portion (203) of the plurality of battery cells (201) (Fig 4).
Regarding claim 3, Kreiner discloses wherein the channel hole (109) exposes an outer circumferential surface (203) of the plurality of battery cells (201) toward the filling channel (301) (Fig 2, [0019] exposed exterior cell surfaces 203).
Regarding claim 4, Kreiner discloses assembly ribs surrounding outer circumferential surfaces of the plurality of battery cells (201), the assembly ribs being between battery cells (201) of the plurality of battery cells (201) to provide assembly positions of the battery cells (201) (see annotated Fig 1, assembly ribs between outer circumferential surfaces of cells), and the filling channel (301) extends from the outer side of the base plate (100) toward the assembly ribs and exposes the outer circumferential surface of the battery cells (201) (Fig 4, filling channel extending from outside plate toward ribs).
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Regarding claim 6, Kreiner discloses wherein the filling channel (301) includes: a pair of sidewalls (304) facing each other along a second direction, each sidewall (304) of the pair of sidewalls (304) facing adjacent battery cells in adjacent rows (Fig 3, Fig 4); and a base wall (Fig 3, bottom of bonding wells 301) drawn into an innermost side along the third direction and extending between the pair of sidewalls (304) (Fig 3).
Regarding claim 7, Kreiner discloses wherein the channel hole (109) is in the sidewall (304) of the filling channel (301) (Fig 3, surfaces 304 form walls of bonding wells 301, cutout 109 is present between surfaces 304).
Regarding claim 8, Kreiner discloses wherein each battery cell (201) of the plurality of battery cells includes (201): a first end surface (Fig 4, [0018] end surface 401) and a second end surface opposite to each other along the third direction; and an outer circumferential surface connecting the first end surface and the second end surface to each other (see annotated Fig 2).
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Regarding claim 9, Kreiner discloses wherein: the base plate (100) includes an end wall (105) extending across first end surfaces of the plurality of battery cells (201) that are arranged along the first direction (Fig 1, Fig 2, [0018] end surfaces 401 of cells 201 fit against surface 105 of member 100), and the filling channel (301) includes: a base wall drawn into an innermost side along a third direction between battery cells (201) of adjacent rows along the second direction (Fig 3, bottom of bonding wells 301), and a sidewall (Fig 3, [0019] bond surface/shelf 304) connecting a step between the end wall (105) of the base plate (100) and the base wall.
Regarding claim 10, Kreiner discloses wherein the filling channel is between battery cells (201) of adjacent rows along the third direction between adjacent end walls (105) on the base plate (100) to cover the first end surfaces (401) of the battery cells (201) of adjacent rows along the second direction (Fig 4).
Regarding claim 11, Kreiner discloses wherein the channel hole (109) extends from a sidewall (304) of the filling channel (301) onto an end wall (105) connected to the sidewall (304) of the filling channel (301) (Fig 1, Fig 3).
Regarding claim 12, Kreiner discloses wherein the channel hole (109) exposes a corner portion (203) of a battery cell (201), the corner portion including an outer circumferential surface (203) of the battery cell (201) facing the sidewall (304) of the filling channel (301) and a first end surface (401) of the battery cell (201) facing the end wall (105) (Fig 4).
Regarding claim 13, Kreiner discloses wherein the channel hole (109) is open along the second direction on a sidewall (304) of the filling channel (301), and is open along the third direction on the end wall (105) (Fig 1).
Regarding claim 14, Kreiner discloses wherein: the base plate (100) extends across the first end surfaces (401) of the plurality of battery cells (201) (Fig 4), and the channel hole (109) exposes an outer circumferential surface (203) adjacent to the first end surface (401) along the third direction (Fig 3, Fig 4).
Regarding claim 15, Kreiner discloses wherein the channel hole (109) is open along the second direction and exposes a portion of the outer circumferential surface (203) of the battery cell (201) around an apex curved position facing the second direction along the circumference of the outer circumferential surface (203) of the battery cell (201) (Fig 4).
Regarding claim 16, Kreiner discloses assembly ribs on the inner side of the base plate (100) and surrounding the outer circumferential surface of the plurality of battery cells (201) to provide assembly positions of the plurality of battery cells (201) (see annotated Fig 1, assembly ribs between outer circumferential surfaces of cells), wherein: the assembly ribs surround a portion of the outer circumferential surface (203) of each battery cell (201) along a circumference of the battery cell (201) from an end wall (105) covering the first end surface (401) of the battery cell (201) to a channel hole (109) in a third direction (Fig 1, Fig 2), and the assembly ribs surround an entire outer circumferential surface of each battery cell (201) along the circumference of the battery cell (201) from a position outside the channel hole (109) in a third direction (Fig 1, Fig 2).
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Regarding claim 17, Kreiner discloses wherein the channel hole (109) is in an incision in the assembly rib surrounding the outer circumferential surface of battery cells (201) of rows adjacent to each other along the second direction (Fig 1, cutout 109 is formed on underside of ribs).
Regarding claim 18, Kreiner discloses wherein: the incision providing the channel hole (109) expands from the assembly rib surrounding the outer circumferential surface of the plurality of battery cells (201) of the adjacent rows along the second direction toward the end wall (105) covering the first end surfaces of the plurality of battery cells of the adjacent rows (Fig 1, window 109 extends from rib between cells to surface 105), the incision in the assembly rib is open along the second direction (Fig 1), and the incision in the first end wall (105) is open along the third direction (see annotated Fig 1).
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Regarding claim 19, Kreiner discloses wherein the incision in the first end wall (205) extends in an inner side direction from the incision on the assembly rib toward the first end surface (401)of each battery cell (201) surrounded by the assembly rib (Fig 1).
Regarding claim 20, Kreiner discloses wherein: the base plate (100) extends across the first end surfaces (401) of the plurality of battery cells (201) (Fig 4), and the base plate (100) includes a plate hole (Fig 4, [0018] aperture 107) exposing at least a portion of the first end surface (401).
Regarding claim 21, Kreiner discloses wherein the plate hole (107) is open along the third direction and exposes the first end surface (401) of the plurality of battery cells (201) (Fig 4).
Regarding claim 23, Kreiner discloses wherein the base plate (100) includes: a plate hole (Fig 4, [0018] aperture 107) open along a third direction and exposing a first end surface (401) of the plurality of battery cells (201) (Fig 4); and a channel hole (Fig 1, [0019] cutouts 109) in a filling channel (301) extending between the first end surfaces (401) of battery cells (201) of rows adjacent to each other along the second direction and between battery cells (201) of rows adjacent to each other along the third direction (Fig 4, window 109 between ends 401 of adjacent cells 201, and extending vertically the length of the bonding wells 301) and open along the second direction to expose an outer circumferential surface (203) of the plurality of battery cells (201) (Fig 4).
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.
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.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Published Application US20110076538A1, hereafter Kreiner, as stated above for claim 1, and further in view of Published Application US20230238633A1, hereafter Hoffmann.
Regarding claim 5, Kreiner discloses wherein the filling channel (301) exposes a portion of an outer circumferential surface (203) of the plurality of battery cells (201) around an apex curved position (Fig 4, upper circumferential edge of battery cell 201, of the exposed surface 203) facing the second direction along a circumference of the outer circumferential surface of the battery cell (201) along the second direction (Fig 4).
Kreiner is silent on wherein the filling channel extends between battery cells of adjacent rows along the second direction.
In the analogous art of secondary battery support structures, Hoffmann discloses wherein the filling channel extends between battery cells of adjacent rows along the second direction (Fig 3, channel extending between battery cells of adjacent rows, exposing outer surfaces of cells).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, to modify the invention of Kreiner to extend the bonding wells along the second direction between the battery cells in order to enable a stronger adhesive connection of the battery cells to the plate, with the adhesive being filled into the wells that interconnect forming a continuous matrix.
Claim(s) 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Published Application US20110076538A1, hereafter Kreiner, as stated above for claim 1, and further in view of Published Application US20200194853A1 (supplied by applicant), hereafter Yoo.
Regarding claim 22, Kreiner is silent on the battery pack further comprising: a cooling plate on the base plate along the third direction; and a thermal interface material between the base plate and the cooling plate.
In the analogous art of secondary battery support structures, Yoo discloses a cooling plate on the base plate along the third direction (Fig 1, [0035] cooling tray 500); and a thermal interface material between the base plate and the cooling plate (Fig 1, [0035] thermally conductive adhesive solution 300 between first fixing frame 200 and cooling tray 500; [0020] for stably fixing cells in the module and improving cooling efficiency).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, to modify the invention of Kreiner to use a thermally conductive adhesive as the adhesive applied into the bonding wells, and a cooling plate connected to the base plate via the adhesive, as disclosed by Yoo, in order to enable the efficient cooling of the cells to maintain a desired cell temperature while stably fixing the cells in the module, as suggested by Yoo.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TIMOTHY HEMINGWAY whose telephone number is (571)272-0235. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 6-4.
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/T.G.H./Examiner, Art Unit 1754
/SUSAN D LEONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1754
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