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
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.
1. Claims 1, 3, 9, 10, 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Rhee et al. (US20220021073).
2. Regarding claims 1, 3, 9, 10, 14, Rhee teaches a battery pack (see Figs. below), comprising: a plurality of cell units stacked in a first direction, each cell unit including a cell stack including one battery cell or a plurality of battery cells stacked and a cell cover accommodating the cell stack; and a pack case comprising a pack tray on which the plurality of cell units is seated and a pack cover covering the plurality of cell units and coupled to the pack tray, wherein the cell cover has a top open portion and the pack cover has a fire extinguishing material input zone to feed a fire extinguishing material into the cell cover through the top open portion of the cell cover, and wherein at least a portion of the fire extinguishing material input zone is configured to be heat-melted so that the fire extinguishing material is fed into the cell cover (see Figs. below).
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3. Regarding claims 9 and 10, Rhee teaches wherein the cell cover covers both sides of the cell stack in a widthwise direction of the cell stack and a bottom of the cell stack (sealing the electrode assembly on three sides thereof, may be a component configured to seal the electrode assembly by overlapping and bonding the pouch-type member on three sides of the electrode assembly, usually an upper side and both lateral sides except one side that is a lower side, in a state in which the electrode assembly is accommodated in the pouch-type member. The can-type member, accommodating the electrode assembly therein while sealing the electrode assembly on one side thereof, may be a component configured to seal the electrode assembly by overlapping and bonding the can-type member on one side of the electrode assembly, usually an upper surface except for three sides that are a lower side and both lateral sides, in a state in which the electrode assembly is accommodated in the can-type member [0050]).
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 of this title, 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.
4. Claims 4, 11, 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rhee et al. (US20220021073) as applied to claim 1 in view of Kim et al. (US 20240226621 PCT filed 5/10/2022).
5. Regarding claims 4, 11, 15, the complete discussion of Rhee as applied to claim 1 is incorporated herein. Rhee teaches a plurality of secondary battery cells may be mounted and installed as a battery module in an electric vehicle [0005]. However, they are silent about the limitations of claims 4 and 11.
6. Kim teaches wherein the fire extinguishing material is cooling water, and wherein the pack cover includes a flow channel in which the cooling water flows inside (The fire-extinguishing system may use an indirect injection method, in which water or fire-extinguishing chemical is injected close to a battery or onto an entire region, on which the battery is installed, in the event of fire of the battery [0004]; As the fire-extinguishing chemical, all commonly used fire-extinguishing chemicals such as gas-based fire-extinguishing chemicals such as HFC-23/HFC- 125/HFC227ea, CF3CF2C(O)CF(CF3)2, and water may be applied [0066]).
7. Kim teaches wherein the battery pack includes a busbar frame assembly including a busbar electrically connected to an electrode lead of the battery cell, and disposed on each of a front side and a rear side of the cell stack in a lengthwise direction of the cell stack and coupled to the cell cover (Here, a busbar holder 31b may be provided inside the case 31, and the busbar holder 31b may communicate with the through-part 31a. The busbar holder 31b may be disposed at a position corresponding to the vent hole of each battery cell 33 [0078]).
8. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Rhee with Kim’s teaching for the benefit of the fire-extinguishing part further comprising a pipe fitting member provided on a path through which the fire-extinguishing chemical supplied with respect to the battery rack (abstract).
9. Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rhee et al. (US20220021073) as applied to claim 1 in view of Kogami et al. (US 20220255182 PCT filed 6/15/2020).
10. Regarding claim 12, the complete discussion of Rhee as applied to claim 1 is incorporated herein.
11. Kogami teaches a thermal insulation pad between each of the cell units of the plurality of cell units (Stopper 7 is disposed in a gap between adjacent battery cells 1 [0062]; Stopper 7 preferably is made of a hybrid material of an inorganic powder such as silica aerogel and a fibrous reinforcing material, and has an integral structure with heat insulating layer 5 [0064]) for the benefit of separator 2 including heat insulating layer 5 and stopper 7, having excellent heat insulation characteristics and thus can thermally insulate adjacent battery cells 1 from each other in an ideal state [0064].
12. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Rhee with Kogami’s teachings for the benefit of separator 2 including heat insulating layer 5 and stopper 7, having excellent heat insulation characteristics and thus can thermally insulate adjacent battery cells 1 from each other in an ideal state [0064].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 5-8, 13 are allowable over the prior art of record.
Conclusion
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/OLATUNJI A GODO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752
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