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 .
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hong et al. (US-20170200935-A1).
With regards to claim 1, Hong teaches an energy storage cell (secondary battery) comprising: a wound electrode assembly (jelly roll); and a cell case (outer container) that houses the wound electrode assembly, wherein the cell case includes a tubular outer peripheral wall portion (outer container) disposed outside the wound electrode assembly in a radial direction (¶ 0009, ¶ 0063 and Fig. 26). Hong teaches a first end portion (top portion) connected to one side of the outer peripheral wall portion in an axial direction of the wound electrode assembly and having a first hole extending through the first end portion in the axial direction (¶ 0009 and Fig. 26). Hong also teaches a second end portion (bottom portion) connected to another side of the outer peripheral wall portion (outer container) in the axial direction and having a second hole extending through the second end portion (bottom portion) in the axial direction (¶ 0009 and Fig. 26). Hong teaches an inner peripheral wall portion (inner container) extending from the first hole to the second hole and disposed inside the wound electrode assembly in the radial direction (¶ 0009 and Fig. 26). Hong shows in Fig. 26 a portion of the outer peripheral wall portion (outer container) that is located next to the wound electrode assembly in the radial direction has a rectangular tubular outer shape, and a portion of the inner peripheral wall portion that is located next to the wound electrode assembly in the radial direction has a rectangular tubular outer shape. See Fig. 26 below.
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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) 2-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hong et al. (US-20170200935-A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Chami et al.(US-20160301118-A1).
With regards to claim 2, In ¶ 0017, Hong teaches connecting a plurality of the secondary batteries in series which reads on an energy storage module comprising: one or more of the energy storage cells according to claim 1. Hong teaches that the inner peripheral wall (inner container) forms a hollow core that allows for quick exhaustion of heat generated from the electrode assembly to the outside (¶ 0066). The hollow core extends from inside of the first hole to inside of the second hole in the axial direction of the cell as shown in Fig. 26. This hollow core reads on a cooling member disposed inside the inner peripheral wall portion of the energy storage cell since this hollow core functions to exhaust heat from the battery. Hong teaches that the outer peripheral wall (outer container) is formed of conductive metal material. However, Hong does not specifically teach that the cooling member (hollow core) includes a metal portion made of metal, the metal portion extends from inside of the first hole to inside of the second hole in the axial direction of a corresponding one of the energy storage cells, and a portion of the metal portion that is located next to the wound electrode assembly of the corresponding one of the energy storage cells in the radial direction forms at least part of an outer surface of the cooling member.
In a similar field of endeavor, Chami teaches an electrochemical cell comprising a wound electrode assembly around a central core (¶ 0043 and Figs. 13-14). Similar to Hong, Chami teaches that the central core comprises a hollow portion that opens to the exterior of the casing via the bottom and cover (¶ 0044). Chami teaches that that cooling elements may be formed inside of the hollow portion as this increases thermal dissipation by heat exchange with air from outside the casing (¶ 0057). In 0058, Chami teaches that the cooling element may include an insert or fins made of thermally conductive metal. This cooling element reads on a cooling member disposed in a through hole. See Fig. 13 and 14 below.
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the invention was effectively filed to modify the hollow core taught by Hong to include the cooling member (cooling elements) made of conductive metal as taught by Chami as this would predictably increase thermal dissipation in the battery with no unpredictable results. Through this modification, modified Hong teaches a cooling member (cooling element) that includes a metal portion made of metal, the metal portion extends from inside of the first hole to inside of the second hole in the axial direction of a corresponding one of the energy storage cells, and a portion of the metal portion that is located next to the wound electrode assembly of the corresponding one of the energy storage cells in the radial direction forms at least part of an outer surface of the cooling member.
With regards to claim 3, In ¶ 0017, Hong teaches connecting a plurality of the secondary batteries in series which reads on an energy storage module comprising: one or more of the energy storage cells according to claim 1. Hong teaches that the inner peripheral wall (inner container) forms a hollow core that allows for quick exhaustion of heat generated from the electrode assembly to the outside (¶ 0066). The hollow core extends from inside of the first hole to inside of the second hole in the axial direction of the cell as shown in Fig. 26. This hollow core reads on a cooling member disposed inside the inner peripheral wall portion (inner container) of the energy storage cell, wherein the cooling member extends from inside of the first hole to inside of the second hole in the axial direction of a corresponding one of the energy storage cells since this hollow core functions to exhaust heat from the battery. However, Hong does not specifically teach that the cooling member (hollow core) is configured to allow a cooling medium to flow through the cooling member in the axial direction.
In a similar field of endeavor, Chami teaches an electrochemical cell comprising a wound electrode assembly around a central core (¶ 0043). Chami teaches that the central core comprises a hollow portion that opens to the exterior of the casing via the bottom and cover (¶ 0130). Chami teaches that cooling elements may be formed inside of the hollow portion as this increases thermal dissipation by heat exchange with air from outside the casing (¶ 0057). This cooling element reads on a cooling member that allows a cooling medium (air) to flow through the cooling member.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the invention was effectively filed to modify the hollow core taught by Hong to include the cooling member (cooling elements) as taught by Chami as this would predictably increase thermal dissipation in the battery with no unpredictable results. Through this modification, modified Hong teaches a cooling member disposed inside the inner peripheral wall portion in the radial direction of the energy storage cell, wherein the cooling member extends from inside of the first hole to inside of the second hole in the axial direction of a corresponding one of the energy storage cells, and is configured to allow a cooling medium (air) to flow through the cooling member in the axial direction.
Conclusion
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/HUNSUYADOR MUGEESATU YUSIF/Examiner, Art Unit 1743
/ADAM J FRANCIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1728
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