DETAILED ACTION
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: “system a coolant” is believed to be in error for --system comprising a coolant--; “within the housing” is believed to be in error for --into the housing--. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 12 is objected to because of the following informalities: “with at least one temperature sensor” is believed to be in error for --with the at least on temperature sensor--. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 13 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the instructions” is believed to be in error for --the instruction--. Appropriate correction is required.
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) 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee 2023/0035877.
In regards to Independent Claim 12, Lee teaches a thermal runaway suppression system (as shown in figure 3) configured for use in a battery pack (on battery 100, which may be part of a battery pack as shown in figure 2) having a plurality of battery cells (paragraph [0035] and in figure 2, although not positively recited as part of the claim) and a thermal management system including a coolant (coolant and thermal management system are not positively recited as part of the thermal runaway system, and are claimed as part of the battery pack which is not positively recited in the preamble) configured for thermal exchange with the plurality of battery cells and at least one temperature sensor for monitoring a temperature of the plurality of battery cells (piezoelectric element 220 acts as a temperature sensor that creates a voltage drop when the battery 100 expands due to an increase in temperature, paragraph [0048]), the thermal runaway suppression system comprising: a bladder (210, formed of flexible plastic, paragraph [0043], such that it can act as a bladder) configured to be located within the battery pack having the plurality of battery cells (210 formed as single unit with each cell 100 as shown in figure 4), the bladder containing a fire-retardant chemical therein (paragraph [0044]); a controller in communication with at least one temperature sensor and configured for receipt of a signal indicative of the temperature of the plurality of battery cells that is generated by the at least one temperature sensor (connection circuit 230 acts as a controller that receives voltage drop from 220); an actuating device in communication with the controller (241 acts as an actuation device to allow movement of 242, paragraph [0058]); and a first blade configured to be moved by the actuating device based on an instruction received by the actuating device from the controller (242 actuates when receiving signal passed through 230 and 241, paragraph [0058]), wherein the first blade is configured to pierce the bladder and release the fire-retardant chemical into the battery pack when moved by the actuating device (paragraph [0059]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-11 are allowed.
Claims 13-19 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: prior art fails to teach, in combination with the other limitations of independent claim 1, a plurality of second blades configured to pierce at least one of the coolant line, heat sink, and coolant outlet line to release the coolant into the housing; prior art fails to teach, in combination with the other limitations of independent claim 9, a plurality of second blades to pierce a component of a battery thermal management system located within the housing that carries a coolant to release the coolant into the battery pack; and prior art fails to teach, in combination with the other limitations of dependent claim 13¸that a second blade is configured to pierce a component of the thermal management system located within the battery pack to release the coolant into the battery pack. The closest prior art of Lee 2023/0035877 teaches a second blade (two blades 242 shown in figure 3); however, both blades are designed to pierce the fire extinguishing pack, not a thermal management system that carries a coolant, such that the blades of Lee would not be capable of piercing a thermal management system.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN M SUTHERLAND whose telephone number is (571)270-1902. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5.
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/STEVEN M SUTHERLAND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752
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