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 .
Priority
Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) is acknowledged. Applicant has complied with all of the conditions for receiving the benefit of an earlier filing date under 35 U.S.C. 119(e).
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on 04/23/2024 and 12/24/2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings received on 04/23/2024 were reviewed and are acceptable.
Specification
The specification filed on 04/23/2024 was reviewed and is acceptable.
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.
Claim(s) 4-5 and 11 is/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 4 recites the limitation “the lower ports” in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 4 recites the limitation “a plurality of the first water cooling joints” in line 6. It is unclear whether this is intended to be the same plurality of first water cooling joints previously recited in lines 2-3, or another separate and distinct plurality of first water cooling joints, as indicated by the term “a plurality”. For purposes of this Office Action, it will be assumed that this is simply a minor typographical error and is intended to be the same plurality of first water cooling joints previously recited.
Claim 5 recites the limitation “mounting holes” in line 3. It is unclear whether this is intended to be the same mounting holes previously recited in line 2, or separate and distinct mounting holes, as indicated by missing “the” before the second recitation of “mounting holes”. For purposes of this Office Action, it will be assumed that this is simply a minor typographical error and is intended to be the same mounting holes previously recited.
Claim 11 recites the limitation “a battery according to claim 7” in lines 1-2. It is unclear whether this is intended to be the battery previously recited in claim 7, or another separate and distinct battery, as indicated by the term “a battery”. For purposes of this Office Action, it will be assumed that this is simply a minor typographical error and is intended to be the same battery previously recited.
Appropriate correction is required.
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, 3, 7, and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (US 2021/0265682 A1; hereinafter “Lee”).
Regarding claim 1, Lee discloses a battery cooling structure (Abstract) comprising:
a cooling liquid delivery pipe (as shown in annotated Fig 2 below) configured to deliver a cooling liquid to a battery enclosure ([0044-0046]);
a cooling channel (30) comprising a first cooling channel and a second cooling channel (as shown in annotated Fig 2 below), the first cooling channel being provided in an enclosure bottom plate of the battery enclosure (as shown in annotated Fig 2 below), the second cooling channel being provided in an enclosure end plate of the battery enclosure (as shown in annotated Fig 2 below), and the first cooling channel and the second cooling channel being in communication with each other once the enclosure bottom plate and the enclosure end plate are combined (as shown in annotated Fig 2 below); and
a first water cooling joint (connection part 40) provided on an outer side of the enclosure end plate and comprising a first end and a second end (as shown in annotated Fig 2 below), the first end being connected to the cooling liquid delivery pipe (as shown in annotated Fig 2 below), and the second end being connected to the second cooling channel (as shown in annotated Fig 2 below), such that the cooling liquid is input into or output from the cooling channel via the first water cooling joint (as shown in annotated Fig 2 below).
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Regarding claim 3, Lee discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above.
Lee further discloses the battery cooling structure comprises a second water cooling joint (connection part 40 below the “first water cooling joint”, as shown in annotated Fig 2 above), the second water cooling joint being provided on an outer side of the enclosure end plate and being fixedly connected to the enclosure end plate (as shown in annotated Fig 2 above), the second water cooling joint comprises a body (as shown in Fig 3), wherein the body is provided with an internal channel (as shown in Fig 3), an upper portion (413) of the body is provided with at least one upper port (as shown in Fig 3), a lower portion (433) of the body is provided with at least on lower port (ass shown in Fig 3), and the upper port is in communication with the lower port by means of the internal channel (as shown in Fig 3).
Regarding claim 7, Lee discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above.
Lee further discloses a battery (Title) comprising a battery enclosure configured to store a plurality of battery cells (as shown in Fig 1), the battery enclosure comprising an enclosure bottom plate, enclosure end plates and enclosure side plates (as shown in Fig 1), characterized in that
the battery further comprises two of the recited battery cooling structures (as shown in annotated Fig 2 above), the second cooling channels of the battery cooling structures are provide on the enclosure end plates at the same end (as shown in annotated Fig 2 above), any one of the battery cooling structures constitutes a cooling liquid input path (as shown in annotated Fig 2 above, the top most structure), and the other of the battery cooling structures constitutes a cooling liquid output path (as shown in annotated Fig 2 above, the bottom most structure).
Regarding claim 11, Lee discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above.
Lee further discloses a power consuming device (e.g. electric vehicle, [0003]) characterized by comprising [the] recited battery (as noted above), the battery being configured to provide electric energy (as indicated by the term “battery”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 6, and 8-10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 4 and 5 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The present invention is related to, inter alia, a battery cooling structure, and related battery, comprising:
(claim 2) the first water cooling joint is configured to be in an L shape;
(claim 4) a plurality of lower ports are provided at the lower portion of the body;
(claim 5) mounting holes are provided in the first wing plate, and bolts are provided in [the] mounting holes;
(claim 6) mounting holes are provided in the second wing plate, and bolts are provided in the mounting holes;
(claim 8) the first water cooling joint and the second water cooling joint are not higher than the protruding strips.
Lee et al. (US 2021/0265682 A1; hereinafter “Lee”) is considered to be the closest relevant prior art to dependent claims 2, 4-6, and 8. Lee discloses most of the claim limitations as set forth above.
However, Lee does not disclose, teach, fairly suggest, nor render obvious the above noted limitations. To the contrary, Lee explicitly discloses that the water cooling joints are linear in order to connect adjacent battery modules (as shown in annotated Fig 2 above), that each body portion only has only lower port for connecting to one adjacent battery module (as shown in annotated Fig 2 above), the water cooling joints are fitted into the end plates of the battery frame via a “pagoda connection structure (as shown in Fig 3), and that each of the water connection joints protrudes further than the end plates of the battery frame in order to connect with an adjacent end plate (as shown in Fig 3). Accordingly, there does not appear to be any reasonable basis for the skilled artisan to abandon the structure of Lee and be directed towards the above noted limitations because doing so would reasonably appear to significantly interfere with the principal of operation of the cooling structure of Lee.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Supramanyam et al. (US 2020/0248973 A1) discloses heat exchangers with improved fluid distribution;
Youngs et al. (US 2012/0282510 A1) discloses a conduction and convection cooled energy storage system;
Meehan et al. (US 2012/0028098 A1) discloses a modular battery design; and
Payne (US 2010/0276132 A1) discloses a cooling manifold.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES M ERWIN whose telephone number is (571)272-3101. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 6am-3pm PDT.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nicole Buie-Hatcher can be reached at 571-270-3879. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JAMES M ERWIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725 09/22/2026
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