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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informality:
Paragraph 3, lines 3-4, should read “Adapted to drive into rotation [of] the wheels about the respective axes.” The word “of” is missing.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tucker (US20220037733A1) in view of KR 102823584 B1.
Regarding claim 1, Tucker teaches a battery assembly [0005] comprising a plurality of batteries electrically connected to one another [ Page 11, 0015, Claim 17]; a support structure adapted to support the batteries [Fig. 7, 0088--0089] as well as the support structure comprising at least two support groups distanced from each other along a first direction [Fig 3, 0014]. Tucker teaches batteries being interposed between at least two support groups along the first direction [Fig. 7, 0087]. Furthermore, Tucker teaches that each support group comprises at least one seat adapted to house at least partially the batteries [Fig. 7, 0087], at least one surface opposite the batteries along the first direction [Fig 3, 0085], at least one support group further comprising a chamber adapted to be passed through by refrigerating fluid and at least partially interposed between at least one seat and at least one surface along the first direction [Fig 1A & 1B, 0049--0050], wherein each chamber comprises an inlet opening and an outlet opening for refrigerating fluid [Fig 3, 4, & 5, 0072]. Tucker teaches a battery assembly further defining a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and to the second direction [Fig 3 & 8, 0072].
Tucker differs from the present invention in not specifically teaching the use of septi to guide fluid from the inlet opening to the outlet opening. However, KR ‘584 dealing with the same technology of battery cooling teaches the use of septi to guide fluid flowing from an inlet to an outlet cooling fluid passing through a cooling chamber of a battery [figure 14]. It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize septi in the cooling chamber of Tucker to guide cooling fluid, since one of ordinary skill in the art would expect that using known battery fluid guide elements would yield the predictable result of successfully passing fluid through the chamber of Tucker to cool the battery.
Regarding claim 2, Tucker teaches a battery assembly wherein each battery comprises two ends opposite each other along the first direction; and wherein one of the two ends of the batteries is housed in at least one seat of one of the two support groups and the other one of the two ends is housed in at least one seat of the other one of the two support groups [Fig 1A & 1B, 0049--0050]
Regarding claim 3, Tucker teaches a battery assembly wherein each battery comprises a first end and a second end opposite each other along the first direction; a support structure comprising three support groups distanced from one another along the first direction; wherein a first set of batteries is interposed between a first support group and a second support group of the three support groups along the first direction; wherein a second set of batteries is interposed between the second support group and a third support group of the three support groups along the first direction; wherein one of the two ends of the batteries of the first set is housed in at least one seat of the first support group or the second support group and the other one of the two ends of the batteries of the first set is housed in at least one seat of the other one of the first support group and the second support group; and wherein one of the two ends of the batteries of the second set is housed in at least one seat of the second support group or the third support group and the other one of the two ends of the batteries of the second set is housed in at least one seat of the other one of the second support group and the third support group [0022].
Regarding claim 4, Tucker teaches a battery assembly comprising a first end and a second end opposite one another along the second direction; and wherein the inlet opening and the outlet opening of the chamber of one of the two support groups are arranged respectively on the side of the first end and the second end; wherein the inlet opening and the outlet opening of the chamber of the other one of the two support groups are arranged respectively on the side of the second end and the first end [0024 & 0066].
Regarding claim 5, Tucker teaches a battery assembly wherein the inlet opening of at least one the chamber is aligned with the outlet opening of the same the chamber parallel to the third direction and the chamber comprises: an input fluidic path extending from the relative the inlet opening parallel to the second direction; an output fluidic path extending from the relative the outlet opening and parallel to the input fluidic path; and a connection path, which fluidly connects the input and output fluidic paths and directed parallel to the third direction [0053].
Regarding claim 6, Tucker teaches a battery assembly wherein the batteries are cylindrically shaped and identical to one another [Fig. 7, 0071].
Claims 7 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tucker (US20220037733A1) in view of KR 102823584 B1 as applied to claim 1 and further in view of Wood (US 200/0092849).
Regarding claims 7 and 8, Tucker does not teach use in a motor vehicle or fixing means to attach to a motor vehicle. However, Tucker references Wood (US 200/0092849) as teaching batteries which comprise housing for a plurality of cells [0004], and teaches the use of NiMH batteries. Wood teaches that it is known to use such NiMH batteries containing a plurality of cells in automobiles which include a frame and a plurality of wheels [0004 and Figure 1]. Given the teaching of Wood that such batteries are useful in automobiles, it would thus be obvious to one of ordinary skill to utilize the battery of Tucker having a plurality of cells in automobiles with a reasonable expectation of success of being operable therein. Furthermore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide fixing means to stabilize the battery during use.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tucker (US20220037733A1) in view of Yen (US20190373771A1).
Regarding claim 1, Tucker teaches a battery assembly [0005] comprising a plurality of batteries electrically connected to one another [ Page 11, 0015, Claim 17]; a support structure adapted to support the batteries [Fig. 7, 0088--0089] as well as the support structure comprising at least two support groups distanced from each other along a first direction [Fig 3, 0014]. Tucker teaches batteries being interposed between at least two support groups along the first direction [Fig. 7, 0087]. Furthermore, Tucker teaches that each support group comprises at least one seat adapted to house at least partially the batteries [Fig. 7, 0087], at least one surface opposite the batteries along the first direction [Fig 3, 0085], at least one support group further comprising a chamber adapted to be passed through by refrigerating fluid and at least partially interposed between at least one seat and at least one surface along the first direction [Fig 1A & 1B, 0049--0050], wherein each chamber comprises an inlet opening and an outlet opening for refrigerating fluid [Fig 3, 4, & 5, 0072]. Tucker teaches a battery assembly further defining a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and to the second direction [Fig 3 & 8, 0072].
Tucker does not teach a battery assembly wherein at least one the chamber comprises a lattice structure adapted to guide refrigerating fluid between an inlet opening and the outlet opening. However, Yen (US20190373771A1) teaches a thermal management device that runs fluid through porous inner channels that wick the working fluid from a condenser toward an evaporator to dissipate the heat generated by an electrical component during operation [Fig. 1, 0043-0046].
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate a lattice structure in the fluid chamber for the purpose of guiding the fluid between 2 points in order to dissipate heat with a reasonable expectation of success.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIANNE NUNEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-7444. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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/BRIANNE NUNEZ/Examiner
Art Unit 1745
/PHILIP C TUCKER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1745
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