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 .
Claim Status
Claims 1-12 are pending.
Drawings
Figures 4 and 6 are objected to for illegibility. The resolution of Figures 4 and 6 renders the lines illegible, and should be adjusted to improve clarity. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In the first sentence of [0035], the word “accompany” should be corrected to “accompanying”
The first clause of the first sentence of [0061], should be reworded for clarity, for example correcting to state “the number of support structures is plural”.
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.
Claims 1-2, 4, 6, 9, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yin et al. (CN213212309U – document previously provided by applicant).
Regarding Claim 1, Yin discloses a battery energy storage system ([n0006]), comprising: a liquid cooling unit ([n0011]; 21) having a coolant outlet ([n0063]) and a coolant inlet ([n0063]); a support structure (11; 12), wherein the support structure is at least partially open ([n0012]; 13), a first coolant channel (231; [n0063]) and a second coolant channel ([n0063])are provided inside the support structure ([n0063]), an inlet of the first coolant channel is in communication with the coolant outlet of the liquid cooling unit ([n0063]), and an outlet of the second coolant channel is in communication with the coolant inlet of the liquid cooling unit ([n0063]); and a plurality of battery modules ([n0008]; 3) mounted on the support structure ([n0057]), wherein a heat exchanger ([n0063]) is provided inside each of the plurality of battery modules ([n0063]), a coolant inlet of the heat exchanger is in communication with an outlet of the first coolant channel ([n0063]), and a coolant outlet of the heat exchanger is in communication with an inlet of the second coolant channel ([n0063]); and wherein a coolant from the liquid cooling unit ([n0063]) is configured to flow through the first coolant channel (231; [n0063]), the heat exchangers of the plurality of battery modules ([n0063]), and the second coolant channel in sequence ([n0063]), and flow back to the liquid cooling unit (21; [n0063])
Regarding Claim 2, Yin discloses the battery energy storage system according to Claim 1. Yin further discloses wherein the support structure comprises a support frame (1; 11), and the support frame comprises a plurality of support beams ([n0053]; 17 – see annotated Figure 3 below).
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Annotated Figure 3 from Yin et al. (CN213212309U)
Regarding Claim 4, Yin discloses the battery energy storage system according to Claim 1. Yin further discloses wherein the outlet of the first coolant channel is in communication with the coolant inlet of the heat exchanger ([n0063]) through a detachable adapter (“detachable connections” - [n0032]), and the coolant outlet of the heat exchanger is in communication with the inlet of the second coolant channel ([n0063]) through another detachable adapter (“the battery module 3 has a liquid cooling channel, which is connected to […] the return water pipe” -[n0063], in light of [n0032]).
Regarding Claim 6, Yin discloses the battery energy storage system according to Claim 1. Yin further discloses wherein the liquid cooling unit is fixed on the support structure (see annotated Figure 3 from Yin).
Regarding Claim 9, Yin discloses the battery energy storage system according to Claim 1. Yin further discloses wherein the number of the support structure is plural (11 – see annotated Figure 3 of Yin), wherein the liquid cooling unit is in communication with the first coolant channels ([n0063]) and the second coolant channels of the plurality of the support structures ([n0063]).
Regarding Claim 11, Yin discloses the battery energy storage system according to Claim 1. Yin further discloses wherein a thermal insulation layer ([n0070]) is provided inside a housing of the battery module ([n0070]).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 3 and 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yin et al. (CN213212309U – document previously provided by applicant) as applied to Claim 1 above, further in view of Miller (US20060152906A1).
Regarding Claim 3, Yin discloses the battery energy storage system according to Claim 1. Yin further discloses wherein the support structure comprises a support platform ([n0057]; 12), but does not explicitly disclose that the support platform is a ground platform or metal platform.
Miller discloses a storage rack for storing an array of battery cells (abstract). Miller further discloses a support structure ([0017,0018,0021]) wherein the support structure comprises a support platform ([0051]), and the support platform is a steel platform ([0051]) for steel’s strength and durability ([0037]). Both Yin and Miller are analogous to the current invention because they are both related to the same field of endeavor, namely support structures in battery assembly systems. 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 the battery energy storage system and support platform of Yin to be made of steel, as disclosed by Miller, for Miller’s taught purposes of introducing strength and durability from the material.
Regarding Claim 7, modified Yin discloses the battery energy storage system according to Claim 3. Yin further discloses the battery energy storage system comprising at least one battery cluster ([n0009]), wherein the battery cluster includes a plurality of battery modules ([n0009]) arranged in a stacked manner ([n0009]).
Regarding Claim 8, modified Yin discloses the battery energy storage system according to Claim 7. Yin further discloses wherein the number of the support structure is plural (11 – see annotated Figure 3 of Yin), and the plurality of support structures are fixed on the ground platform one after another (see annotated Figure 3 of Yin), wherein the liquid cooling unit is fixed in at least one of the plurality of support structures ([n0051-n0052]); the battery cluster and the battery management module located at a bottom or a top of the battery cluster ([n0031, n0040]) are fixed in at least another one of the plurality of support structures (see annotated Figure 1 of Yin below, noting that Figures 3 and 1 represent the same embodiment as discussed here); and the power conversion unit is fixed in at least yet another one of the plurality of support structures ([n0040]).
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Annotated Figure 1 from Yin et al. (CN213212309U)
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Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. as being unpatentable over Yin et al. (CN213212309U – document previously provided by applicant).
Regarding Claim 5, Yin discloses the battery energy storage system according to Claim 1. Yin further discloses the battery energy storage system further comprising a battery management module ([n0042]; 41 – see annotated Figure 1 of Yin), wherein a housing of the battery management module (11 – see annotated Figure 1 of Yin) and a housing of the power conversion unit (11 – see annotated Figure 1 of Yin) are dustproof ([n0054]) and waterproof ([n0054]), but does not disclose wherein any one or more of a battery management module and a power conversion unit are fixed on the support structure. However, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the current invention would to recognize that fixing the battery management system to the support structure amounts to no more than rearrangement of parts without modifying operation of the device (Yin discloses that the main functions of the battery management system are battery cluster management, current sharing, protection, and switching [n0049] – functions not affected by their specific placement) and is consequently rendered obvious to said person (see MPEP 2144(VI)(C)).
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Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yin et al. (CN213212309U – document furnished by applicant) in view of Chen et al. (CN113381108A – English translation of document furnished with Office Action).
Regarding Claim 10, Yin discloses the battery energy storage system according to Claim 1. Yin further discloses wherein the number of the support structure is plural (11 – see annotated Figure 3 of Yin), the battery energy storage system further comprises a firefighting unit ([n0066]), the firefighting unit comprises a plurality of fire extinguishing pipelines (51 – see annotated Figure 3 of Yin; [n0068]) provided in parallel ([n0068]) and a detection and alarm module ([n0068]), wherein the plurality of fire extinguishing pipelines are configured to provide extinguishing media ([0068]) to battery clusters in the plurality of the support structures, respectively (see annotated Figure 3 of Yin); and the detection and alarm modules are configured to detect whether the battery clusters in the plurality of support structures are on fire ([n0067]) and raise an alarm once the fire starts, respectively ([n0067]). However, Yin does not disclose that there is a plurality of detection and alarm modules provided in parallel.
Chen discloses an energy storage system ([n0007]) that comprises a firefighting unit ([n0008]). Chen further discloses that there is a plurality of detection ( [0013, 0045]) and alarm modules ([0013, 0045]) provided in parallel ([0013, 0045]). Both Yin and Chen are analogous to the current invention because they are both related to the same field of endeavor, namely firefighting units in battery energy storage systems. 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 the firefighting unit of Yin such that there are a plurality of detection and alarm modules provided in parallel as taught by Chen, because doing so amounts to no more than the duplication of parts or combination of known elements for the known results of sensing and consequently alerting the presence of a fire (see MPEP 2144.04(VI)(B)).
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Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yin et al. (CN213212309U – document furnished in applicant disclosure) in view of Akihisa et al. (JP2014099354A – English translation furnished with Office Action).
Regarding Claim 12, Yin discloses the battery energy storage system according to Claim 1. Yin does not, however, discloses where a pressure relief port is provided in a housing of the battery module, and a pressure limiting valve is arranged at the pressure relief port.
Akihasa discloses a battery module ([0001]). Akihasa further discloses wherein a pressure relief port (abstract) is provided in a housing of the battery module (abstract), and a pressure limiting valve (abstract) is arranged at the pressure relief port (abstract) for the purpose of ejecting combustible gases ([0002]). Both Yin and Akihasa are analogous to the current invention because they are both related to the same field of endeavor, namely battery modules. 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 the battery module surface of Yin such that there is a pressure relief port provided in a housing of the battery module and a pressure limiting valve arranged at the pressure relief port as taught by Akihasa, because doing so amounts to nothing more than combination of known elements according to their established functions for the predictable result of ejecting combustible gases (see MPEP 2143(I)(A)).
References cited but not relied upon
The following prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to the applicant’s disclosure:
Li et al. (CN112968239 - document previously provided in applicant disclosure) discloses a battery energy storage system with a liquid cooling unit, support structures, a plurality of battery modules, and a firefighting unit.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kent G. Mendoza whose telephone number is (571)482-9953. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 8:30-5:00 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Susan Leong can be reached at (571)270-1487. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/K.G.M./Examiner, Art Unit 1754
/SUSAN D LEONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1754
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