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 .
2. The Applicant's amendments filed on August 22, 2025, were received. Claim 1 has been amended. Claims 2-5 and 14-23 have been cancelled. Claims 25-40 have been previously withdrawn from consideration. Therefore, Claims 1, 9-13 and 24 are pending in this office action.
3. The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S.C. code not included in this action can be found in the prior Office Action issued on May 22, 2025.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
4. The rejection of Claims 1, 11-13 and 24 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Prilutsky et al. (US 2010/0136391 A1), has been overcome based on the amendments to the Claims and the arguments presented on page 6 of the Remarks dated August 22, 2025.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. The rejection of Claims 6-8 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Prilutsky et al. (US 2010/0136391 A1), as applied to Claims 1, 11-13 and 24 above, and in further view of Wu et al. (US 2020/0212526 A1), has been overcome based on the amendments to the Claims and the arguments presented on page 6 of the Remarks dated August 22, 2025.
6. The rejection of Claims 9-10 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Prilutsky et al. (US 2010/0136391 A1), as applied to Claims 1, 11-13 and 24 above, and in further view of Flood et al. (US 2018/0250541 A1), has been overcome based on the amendments to the Claims and the arguments presented on page 7 of the Remarks dated August 22, 2025.
7. Claims 1, 11-13 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Prilutsky et al. (US 2010/0136391 A1) in view of Holland et al. (US 2004/0226726 A1).
With regard to Claim 1, Prilutsky et al. disclose in Figures 1-7, a battery assembly (100) having a distributed cooling and fire protection system, said battery assembly (100) comprising: a plurality of battery cells (101); a case, called a battery pack housing (105), which holds the plurality of battery cells (101), having a bracket (103) and empty space around each cell (101) to accommodate a desired amount of a first cooling liquid; and a cooling liquid distribution system, having a cooling liquid reservoir (203) and/or pipes, called conduits (107), that are in proximity to at least a subset of the plurality of the cells (101) and configured to deliver, on demand, the desired amount of the first cooling liquid on a cell (101) or multiple cells (101) in the vicinity of the cell (101) or into the empty space surrounding the cell (101) when a temperature of the cell exceeds a threshold temperature (paragraphs 0030-0035); wherein the first cooling liquid comprises a fire protection or fire suppression substance which, on contact with the cell (101), prevents, retards, or extinguishes a cell fire and prevents a propagation or cell-to-cell cascading reactions of a thermal runaway or fire event (paragraph 0038). Prilutsky et al. do not specifically disclose wherein the fire protection or fire suppression substance comprises a fluorinated organic compound, and the fluorinated organic compound is selected from the group consisting of hydrochlorofluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, perfluorinated amines, partially fluorinated ethers, hydrofluorolefins, fluorinated ketones, and combinations thereof, or wherein the fire suppression substance is selected from a fluorinated ketone CnF2nO (6 <n < 20), heptafluoropropane, trichloromethane, trimethyl phosphate, tripropyl phosphate, or a combination thereof.
Holland et al. disclose a fire suppression system and distribution piping for vehicles, including a battery (paragraph 0017) and a fire extinguisher (104). Holland et al. disclose wherein the fire extinguishing tank (104) contains a fluid fire suppressant (112) that is fully of partially volatizable on contact with the hot combustion cases produced in the vehicle. Holland et al. disclose wherein the fire suppressants include perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and hydrofluorcarbons (HFCs) (paragraph 0041). Before the effective filing date of the invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the battery assembly of Prilutsky et al. to include the fire protection or fire suppression substance comprising a fluorinated organic compound, and the fluorinated organic compound is selected from the group consisting of hydrochlorofluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, perfluorinated amines, partially fluorinated ethers, hydrofluorolefins, fluorinated ketones, and combinations thereof, or wherein the fire suppression substance is selected from a fluorinated ketone CnF2nO (6 <n < 20), heptafluoropropane, trichloromethane, trimethyl phosphate, tripropyl phosphate, or a combination thereof, because Holland et al. teach that these materials are chosen for their cooling characteristics and can reduce the freezing point and fuel reignition (paragraph 0042), as well as, extinguishing fires and preventing fire relight (paragraph 0043).
With regard to Claim 11, Prilutsky et al. disclose in Figure 8, wherein the case (105) is at least partially filled with a second cooling liquid so that the battery cells (101) disposed therein are partially or fully submerged in the second cooling liquid, which is the same as or different than the first cooling liquid (paragraphs 0043-0045).
With regard to Claim 12, Prilutsky et al. disclose in Figures 1-7, wherein the first cooling liquid is in fluid communication with an external cooling device selected from a heat pipe, or conduit (107), a stream of flowing fluid, a reservoir (203), a pump (201), or a combination thereof (paragraphs 0034-0035).
With regard to Claim 13, Prilutsky et al. disclose in Figure 8, wherein the second cooling liquid is in fluid communication with an external cooling device selected from a heat pipe, or coolant conduit (801), a stream of flowing fluid, a coolant pump (803), a coolant reservoir (805), or a combination thereof (paragraph 0043).
With regard to Claim 24, Prilutsky et al. disclose in Figures 1-7, wherein the battery is a lithium-ion battery, lithium metal secondary battery, zinc-ion battery, zinc metal battery, nickel metal hydride battery (paragraph 0029).
8. Claims 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Prilutsky et al. (US 2010/0136391 A1) in view of Holland et al. (US 2004/0226726 A1), as applied to Claims 1, 11-13 and 24 above, and in further view of Flood et al. (US 2018/0250541 A1).
With regard to Claims 9-10, Prilutsky et al. and Holland et al. disclose the battery assembly in paragraph 7 above, but do not specifically disclose wherein the cooling liquid comprises a dielectric liquid having the fire protection or fire suppression substance dissolved or dispersed in the dielectric liquid; wherein the fire protection or fire suppression substance comprises ABC dry chemicals designed for extinguishing class A, class B, and/or class C fires.
Flood et al. disclose in Figures 1-3, a composition for dry chemical fire extinguishing material including a mixture of dry chemical fire extinguishing agent (10, 50) and microspheres (11, 51). Flood et al. disclose a dielectric liquid, called perlite, having a fire protection or fire suppression substance (10) dissolved or dispersed in the dielectric liquid; wherein the fire protection or fire suppression substance (10) comprises ABC dry chemicals designed for extinguishing class A, class B, and/or class C fires (paragraphs 0010-0013). Before the effective filing date of the invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the battery assembly of Prilutsky et al. and Holland et al. to include a cooling liquid comprising a dielectric liquid having the fire protection or fire suppression substance dissolved or dispersed in the dielectric liquid; wherein the fire protection or fire suppression substance comprises ABC dry chemicals designed for extinguishing class A, class B, and/or class C fires, because Flood et al. teach that these materials are stable over a wide range of environmental conditions, generally low in cost, nontoxic, environmentally safe, as well as being effective against a variety of types of fires (paragraph 0004).
Response to Arguments
9. The arguments of record are based on the claims as amended. The amended claims have been addressed in the new rejection in paragraph 7 above, and a new ground of rejection is made in view of Holland et al. (US 2004/0226726 A1).
Conclusion
10. Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
11. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KARIE O APICELLA whose telephone number is (571)272-8614. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 5:00PM EST.
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/KARIE O'NEILL APICELLA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725