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 .
Summary
This is the initial Office Action based on Application 18/611,040 filed 03/20/2024 by Nohyun Kwag and Daeyeop Park.
Claims 1-8 are currently pending and have been fully considered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by KWAG (US 2021/0074965 A1).
With respect to claim 1. KWAG teaches a battery pack which includes a plurality of cells (abstract). The battery pack includes the plurality of cells 10 accommodated in a case 100 (paragraph 0057). The case includes first and second holder plates 110 and 120 (paragraph 0058). The first and second end portions 11 and 12 of the cells are inserted through the holder plates and an accommodation space (paragraph 0058). The end portions 11 and 12 of the cells are connected to each other using bus bars B (paragraph 0060). As seen in Figure 2 this includes at least first and second busbars. The cell holder includes at least a rib for providing an assembly location of the battery cells (Figure 3). The holder includes a protrusion portion S (paragraph 0101). The assembling protrusions S includes a first protrusion 51 for holding the end portions of the battery cells (paragraph 0105). There are second assembling protrusions S2 for holding the first and second end portions of the battery cells and the bus bars B as well (paragraph 0105). As seen in Figures 7 and 13 these second protrusions S2 are taken to be the first location regulating portion covering a portion of the first bus bar, and a second location regulating portion covering a portion of the second bus bar. The case 100 then includes outer walls 101 for confining the potting resin F (paragraph 0065). The potting resin then covers portions of the bus bar and the battery cells (paragraph 0010).
With respect to claim 2. KWAG teaches the cell holder 110 comprises an upper surface at which the busbar B and the first location regulation portion S2 are located and a side surface at which the second bus bar and second location regulating portion are located (Figure 7). Specifically, the second protrusion portion Sb protrudes from a center protrusion portion Sc towards the main body of the bus bar (paragraph 0108). The protrusion portions Sa and Sb are configured to fix the positions of the end portions of the battery cells and the bus bar (paragraph 0109). The second protrusion Sb may protrude at the same level as the bus bar B and may extend in a direction crossing the bus bar B (paragraph 0109). The second protrusion portions Sb are fitted into the receiving slots B’, so that the bus bars may be fixed (paragraph 0109). As seen in Figure 13 the protrusion portion Sb then contacts at least a side surface of the bus bar.
With respect to claim 3. KWAG teaches as seen in Figure 2, the outer walls 101 are protruding walls upwardly protruding from an upper surface of the cell holder and substantially entirely surrounding the upper surface of the cell holder.
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.
Claim(s) 4-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KWAG (US 2021/0074965 A1) in view of NAKAMURA (US 2015/0072211 A1).
Claim 4 is dependent upon claim 1 which is rejected above under 35 U.S.C. 102 in view of KWAG. KWAG does not explicitly teach the bus bar is coupled to the cell holder by insert injection molding.
NAKAMURA teaches a bus bar holding member which connects the terminals of batteries to each other, and a resin support member (abstract). There is the bus bar holding member 1230 which is produced by injection molding a resin material with the bus bars as insert members (paragraph 0064). The resin support member has a different thermal shrinkage from that of the metal material of the bus bars (paragraph 0064). Therefore NAKAMURA teaches a jagged edge so that bending stress generated is compensated for, thereby suppressing the deformation caused by the stress of the bus bar holding member, and therefore the bus bar holding member is unlikely to be bent (paragraph 0065).
At the time the invention was filed one having ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to form the busbar holder and bus bar of KWAG using the injection molding method of NAKAMURA as this is a simple substitution of one known prior art method for another in order to achieve predictable results, as NAKAMURA teaches a known method of forming the battery module and holding a bus bar, and therefore this would have achieved predictable results.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KWAG (US 2021/0074965 A1) in view of KAWAKAMI (US 2020/0076022 A1).
Claim 6 is dependent upon claim 1 which is rejected above under 35 U.S.C. 102 in view of KWAG. KWAG does not explicitly teach the first and second bus bars extend in parallel and are electrically connected through a connection piece.
KAWAKAMI teaches a battery pack that includes a plurality of batteries disposed in a battery holder and connected with bus bars (abstract and paragraph 0079). There is then a protection circuit 10 connected to the bus bars (paragraph 0078 and Figure 4). Such a device include a detection circuit and switching elements(paragraph 0078).
At the time the invention was filed one having ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to connect the bus bars of KWAG with a protection circuit, as this is a combination of known prior art elements in order to achieve predictable results.
Claim(s) 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KWAG (US 2021/0074965 A1) in view of KWAG (US 2021/0167347 A1).
Claim 7 is dependent upon claim 1 which is rejected above under 35 U.S.C. 102 in view of KWAG ‘965, and claim 8 is dependent upon claim 7. KWAG ‘965 teaches the holder 110 includes ribs to surround the outer circumferential surfaces of the battery cells and protrusions to hold the end portions of the battery cells (paragraph 0068). KWAG ‘965 does not explicitly teach a jig hole.
KWAG ‘347 teaches a battery pack including a plurality of battery cells and bus bars (abstract). Each bus bar includes position alignment hole for position alignment with the cell holder, and includes pins that are insertable into the bus bars (paragraph 0017). Thus the busbar may be assembled in the correct position on the cell holder (paragraph 0111).
At the time the invention was filed one having ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to use an alignment hole and pin for aligning the busbar and the battery holder of KWAG ‘965 as taught by KWAG ‘347 as this is a combination of known prior art elements in order to achieve predictable results, as this helps the alignment of the busbar. KWAG ‘347 teaches the alignment holes in the bus bar 120 not in the cell holder. However, having the holes in the cell holder instead of the bus bar would have been obvious to try. Further KWAG ‘965 the use of the cell holes 115 for the insertion of the cells (paragraph 0068). As seen in Figure 9 of KWAG ‘347 the holes 120g are around the terminal hole.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JONATHAN G JELSMA whose telephone number is (571)270-5127. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM EST.
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/JONATHAN G JELSMA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1722
