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.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yoshida (US 2011/0223452 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Yoshida teaches a power storage module (Yoshida Fig. 1) comprising:
a plurality of cylindrical power storage cells disposed such that axial directions of the cylindrical power storage cells are substantially parallel to each other (battery cell 1, Yoshida Fig. 1)
at least one column portion disposed so as to be surrounded by the cylindrical power storage cells (partition wall 2, Yoshida Fig. 1)
a case that houses the cylindrical power storage cells (4 and 5, Yoshida Fig. 1)
the column portion extends along the axial direction (partition wall 2, Yoshida Fig. 1)
a length of the column portion in the axial direction is greater than a length of each of the cylindrical power storage cells in the axial direction (Yoshida Fig. 1)
Regarding claim 2, Yoshida teaches all features of claim 1, as described above. Yoshida further teaches the column portion being formed with an internal flow path (pipe shaped members 20, Yoshida Fig. 1) which extends in the axial direction and through which a refrigerant flows (outside air, Yoshida [36]).
Regarding claim 3, Yoshida teaches all features of claim 1, as described above. Yoshida further teaches a cooler (6, Yoshida Fig. 1) housed in the case to cool the cylindrical power storage cells, wherein the cooler is configured to cool the column portion from one end of the column portion in the axial direction by being in contact with the one end (Yoshida [42], outside air flows into column portion via holes 61).
Claims 1 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shimizu (JP2022016898A, English translation used for text citations, original document used for figure citations).
Regarding claim 1, Shimizu teaches a power storage module (Shimizu Fig. 1) comprising:
a plurality of cylindrical power storage cells disposed such that axial directions of the cylindrical power storage cells are substantially parallel to each other (50, Shimizu Fig. 1, [15])
at least one column portion disposed so as to be surrounded by the cylindrical power storage cells (20, Shimizu Fig. 1)
a case that houses the cylindrical power storage cells (40, Shimizu Fig. 1)
the column portion extends along the axial direction (Shimizu Fig. 1)
a length of the column portion in the axial direction is greater than a length of each of the cylindrical power storage cells in the axial direction (Shimizu Fig. 1)
Regarding claim 3, Shimizu teaches all features of claim 1, as described above. Shimizu further teaches a cooler housed in the case to cool the cylindrical power storage cells, wherein the cooler is configured to cool the column portion from one end of the column portion in the axial direction by being in contact with the one end (42, Shimizu Fig. 1).
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.
Claims 4 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shimizu.
Regarding claim 4, Shimizu teaches all features of claim 1, as described above. Shimizu further teaches a heat conductive member disposed between one end of the column portion in the axial direction and the case (42, Shimizu Fig. 1). Shimizu is silent to the relationship between a thermal conductivity of the heat conductive member and a thermal conductivity of each of the column portion and the case. However, since the purpose of the heat conductive member is to conduct heat, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a heat conductive member that has a higher thermal conductivity than each of the column portion and the case in order to achieve suitable heat transfer from the column portions to the case (40, Shimizu teaches that 40 functions as a heat sink).
Regarding claim 5, Shimizu teaches all features of claim 1, as described above. Fig. 1 of Shimizu does not teach a plurality of fins. However, Shimizu teaches that the case (40, Shimizu [16]) may be equipped with heat dissipation fins protruding from the surface opposite to the surface on which the battery cells (50, Shimizu) are placed, thus resulting the case including: a wall portion provided on one end side of the column portion in the axial direction, a plurality of fins disposed on the wall portion, and a region in which the fins are formed is provided at a position overlapping the column portion in the axial direction.
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add heat dissipation fins to the power storage module of Shimizu Fig. 1 in order to improve heat dissipation.
Claims 1 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nam (KR20090026648A, English translation used for text citations, original document used for figure citations).
Regarding claim 1, Nam teaches a power storage module (Nam Fig. 2a,2b) comprising:
a plurality of cylindrical power storage cells disposed such that axial directions of the cylindrical power storage cells are substantially parallel to each other (Nam Fig. 2b)
at least one column portion disposed so as to be surrounded by the cylindrical power storage cells (130, Nam Fig. 2a,2b)
a case that houses the cylindrical power storage cells (“case of the battery pack”, Nam pg. 7)
the column portion extends along the axial direction (Nam Fig. 2b)
Nam does not explicitly teach a length of the column portion in the axial direction being greater than a length of each of the cylindrical power storage cells in the axial direction. However, Fig. 2b of Nam depicts the column portion has having a length greater than the cap assembly of an individual battery cell in the axial direction. Since Nam depicts that this configuration and relationship between the lengths of the cap assembly and column portion is suitable, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to fabricate the power storage module of Nam to have a length of the column portion be greater than a length of the cap assembly, which is part of the cylindrical power storage cell, in the axial direction.
Regarding claim 2, Nam teaches all features of claim 1, as described above. Nam further teaches the column portion formed with a cavity portion filled with a fire extinguishing agent (fire extinguishing powder, Nam pg. 8).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Choi (US 2023/0207958 A1): appears to disclose a battery pack comprising cylindrical battery cells and a cavity portion filled with a fire extinguishing agent (Fig. 1, [0046-0047])
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/J.S.C./Examiner, Art Unit 1789
/MARLA D MCCONNELL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1789
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