Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 27, 2026
Application No. 18/695,513

BATTERY MODULE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Mar 26, 2024
Priority
Dec 05, 2022 — RE 10-2022-0167628 +1 more
Examiner
MARTIN, ANGELA J
Art Unit
1727
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
LG Energy Solution Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
67%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 4m
Est. Remaining
36%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 67% — above average
67%
Career Allowance Rate
601 granted / 893 resolved
+2.3% vs TC avg
Minimal -31% lift
Without
With
+-31.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 12m
Avg Prosecution
55 currently pending
Career history
976
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
66.2%
+26.2% vs TC avg
§102
24.4%
-15.6% vs TC avg
§112
8.1%
-31.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 893 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . The pending claims are claims 1-10. 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) 1-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhang et al., CN 109103494. Regarding claim 1, Zhang et al., teaches a battery module (battery pack) (abstract), comprising: a plurality of battery assemblies (battery housing) (abstract), each battery assembly including a frame (flexible polymer soft-pack aluminum-plastic film polymer (0006) and at least one battery unit (battery pack) (0008; 0027), so that the at least one battery unit is disposed within the frame (shell) (0008), and a flexible rod configured to sequentially pass through the plurality of battery assemblies (Fig. 3-6), so that the plurality of battery assemblies jointly construct structure configured to be curved by bending the flexible rod (0016; Fig. 3-6). Regarding claim 2, Zhang et al., teaches wherein the frame has a perforated hole (hole made by the tab), and the flexible rod passes through the perforated hole (Fig. 5-7). Regarding claim 3, Zhang et al., teaches further comprising at least one conductive elastic piece (0030) (flexible polymer (0006), wherein the at least one conductive elastic piece (0030) (nylon 0009) is connected between one of the plurality of battery assemblies (Fig. 4-6) and another of the plurality of battery assemblies (Fig. 4-6). Regarding claim 4, Zhang et al., teaches wherein the plurality of battery assemblies are sequentially connected to each other (Fig. 4-6). Regarding claim 5, Zhang et al., teaches, where the flexible rod includes a metal (0009). Regarding claim 6, Zhang et al., teaches wherein the flexible rod is a coil tube (Fig. 6) (flexible shell 5). Regarding claim 7, Zhang et al., teaches further comprising a conductive elastic piece conductive elastic piece (0030) (nylon 0009) connected between two adjacent battery assemblies (Fig. 4-6) (battery cell 1) among the plurality of battery assemblies (battery 1; Fig. 6) so that the battery units of the two adjacent battery assemblies (battery cells 1) are electrically connected to each other (Fig. 4-6). Regarding claim 8, Zhang et al., teaches wherein the conductive elastic piece (0030) (nylon 0009) is deformed according to a bending of the battery module (0016). Regarding claim 9, Zhang et al., teaches wherein the atleast one battery unit includes an upper battery unit and a lower battery unit (0014; 0016; Fig. 4-6), wherein the upper battery unit is electrically connected to the lower battery unit through a conductive sheet (0030), and wherein the flexible rod passes between the upper battery unit and the lower battery unit (0008-0009; 0016; 0027) Regarding claim 10, Zhang et al., teaches wherein each battery assembly includes a pivotal joint (“ability to be bent in both forward and reverse directions”) (0016), and the plurality of battery assemblies are sequentially connected to each other through the pivotal joint (Fig. 4-6). Thus, the claims are anticipated. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANGELA J MARTIN whose telephone number is (571)272-1288. The examiner can normally be reached 7am-4pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Barbara Gilliam can be reached at 571-272-1330. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. ANGELA J. MARTIN Examiner Art Unit 1727 /ANGELA J MARTIN/Examiner, Art Unit 1727
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Prosecution Timeline

Mar 26, 2024
Application Filed
Oct 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
67%
Grant Probability
36%
With Interview (-31.4%)
3y 12m (~1y 4m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 893 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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