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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-7 and 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 20190097192 A1) in view of Wahl (US 20120070703 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kim discloses a battery pack (title) comprising:
at least one battery module (title);
a pack frame accommodating the at least one battery module (abstract discloses a case frame to accommodate the battery module which reads on the pack frame);
a venting hole formed in the pack frame ([0036] discloses a case outlet 250 for discharging gas generated from the battery cells which can be considered the claimed venting hole, as can be seen in fig. 2 the venting hole is formed in the pack case);
a mesh structure covering the venting hole ([0038 discloses a mesh member 370. [0058] discloses a cover outlet 350 which is disposed to face the case outlet 250, as can be seen in fig. 5 the mesh structure 370 covers the cover outlet 350 and the case outlet 250/venting hole);
a duct member is formed between the mesh structure and the pack frame ([0032] discloses a case cover 300. Inside the case cover 300 is an anti-exposure channel 360 [0059] that guides gas generated during ignition of the battery cells toward the cover outlet [0060] and which can be considered the claimed duct member. As can be seen in fig. 2, the case cover slots into the pack frame 200. As such, this would result in a configuration wherein the duct member is formed between, for example, one wall of the pack frame and the mesh member, falling within the limitations of the instant claim. Fig. 2 is provided below.
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Kim does not disclose that an adsorption member is formed on the duct member, however the inclusion of an adsorption member along a ventilation path where gas generated from battery cells is guided is known in the art and would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. For example, Wahl discloses a pack frame/housing 6 for a group of battery cells 2 and 3 (see fig. 1), wherein the housing is provided with a venting line 20 for conveying gases or vapors from the system ([0028], fig. 1). Whal further discloses an adsorption material 19 as a means for separating out poisonous or environmentally harmful substances from the gases or vapors provided on an inside of the venting line , so that these poisonous substances cannot pose danger to the environment ([0029], see also fig. 1, which has been provided below
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As a result, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include adsorption material along the walls of the duct member/channel 360 of Kim. A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to do this to separate out poisonous or environmentally harmful substances from the gases or vapors that travel through the duct member, so that these poisonous substances cannot pose danger to the environment, as taught by Whal, and doing so would result in a battery pack according to the instant claims.
Regarding claim 2, modified Kim discloses the battery pack of claim 1, wherein the duct member includes:
a body part (cover 300),
a hole part formed in the body part (part 350, see fig. 3 of Kim and claim 1 rejection above); and
an extension part extending from a lower end of the body to protrude in a direction perpendicular to the body part ([0038] discloses guide barriers which can be considered the claimed extension part, as can be seen in fig. 4, the guide barriers extend in a direction perpendicular to the body part. The “floor” of the body part (as depicted in fig. 1) also extends perpendicularly to the side walls of the body part and can be considered the claimed extension part. Which part of the body part is a “lower” end is a matter of the subjective perspective of the viewer, or subjective in the sense that it depends on the gravitational orientation of the battery pack, which can be arbitrarily selected according to the preference of the user. However, taking the longitudinal side of the pack frame as the lower end, as depicted in fig. 1, the extension part/guide barriers and body floor of Kim would meet this limitation as they run in both horizontal and vertical directions, and therefore can be considered to extend (vertically) from a lower end of the body or horizontally extend away from the lower side wall of the body part.
Regarding claim 3, modified Kim discloses the battery pack of claim 2, wherein the adsorption member is formed on the extension part (after modification with Whal to include adsorption material along the edges of the gas guide path of Kim, modified Kim would meet this limitation as the extension part/guide barriers and body floor of Kim define the gas guide path).
Regarding claim 4, modified Kim discloses the battery pack of claim 2, wherein the extension part includes;
A bottom part extending from the body part (see fig. 4, the floor of the body part extends away from the side walls); and
a front part and a side part each extending from the bottom part (depending on the perspective of the viewer, the guide barriers and the opposite wall or first wall can be considered the claimed front and side parts, see for example fig. 4, and annotated version of which has been provided below).
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Regarding claim 5, modified Kim discloses the battery pack of claim 4, wherein the adsorption member is formed on an outer surface of the bottom part (after modification with Whal to include adsorption material along the edges of the gas guide path of Kim, modified Kim would meet this limitation as the bottom extension part Kim helps define the gas guide path)
Regarding claim 6, modified Kim discloses the battery pack of claim 4, wherein the adsorption member is formed on an outer surface of the front part (after modification with Whal to include adsorption material along the edges of the gas guide path of Kim, modified Kim would meet this limitation as the front extension part Kim helps define the gas guide path).
Regarding claim 7, modified Kim discloses the battery pack of claim 4, wherein the adsorption member is formed on an outer surface of the side part (after modification with Whal to include adsorption material along the edges of the gas guide path of Kim, modified Kim would meet this limitation as the side extension part Kim helps define the gas guide path).
Regarding claim 12 modified Kim discloses the battery pack of claim 1, further comprising a fixing member,
wherein the fixing member coupled the mesh structure, the duct member, and the pack frame to one another ([0039] and [0058] of Kim discloses that the case cover 300 is coupled to the case frame 200. While a specific structure or fixing mechanism is not disclosed, whatever is chosen would couple the case cover to the case frame and therefore could be considered to couple the mesh structure, duct member, and pack frame together. Routine selection of ordinary coupling means would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art).
Regarding claim 13, modified Kim discloses a device comprising the battery pack of claim 1 (title discloses a vehicle).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 20190097192 A1) in view of Wahl (US 20120070703 A1), and further in view of Tanner (US 20200006722 A1).
Regarding claim 8, modified Kim discloses the battery pack of claim 2, wherein the body part is fixed to the pack frame ([0011] discloses that the case cover may include a cover frame coupled to the case frame, ([0039] and [0058] of Kim discloses that the case cover 300 is coupled to the case frame 200), and
wherein the extension part extends into the pack frame (the case cover 300 (which includes the extension part) extends into the pack frame, see fig. 2).
Kim does not specifically disclose that the body is fixed to the outside of the pack frame. However, two body parts are provided that each serve the function of, among other things, closing the openings formed at either end of the pack frame. Coupling mechanisms for similar structures (such as end plates) are very well known in the art and would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to choose from.
For example, Tanner discloses various housing configurations for battery modules and battery packs [0001]. One such configuration involves the fixing of two end plates to a housing structure 32 provided with openings formed at both ends ([0020], see also fig. 2, which shows the housing with the end plates attached, as well as fig. 3, which shows the housing with the end plates unattached). Tanner discloses a technique of coupling the end plates to the housing/frame which involves fixing the end plate (analogous to the claimed body part) to the outside of the pack frame. For example, [0030] discloses that the sidewalls of the housings include protrusions 54 (visible in fig. 3) which form grooves along the side of the housing. [0030] additionally discloses a fastener 80 which extends through the grooves in exterior of the housing sidewall and additionally through openings 74 provided in the endplates, such that the endplates are fixed to the outside of the pack frame. [0030] discloses that such an arrangement enables the coupling of the housing to the endplate, as well as potentially enabling the coupling of the housing to other structure as needed, such as a battery pack.
As a result, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the coupling technique disclosed by Tanner for coupling endplates to housing to couple the case covers of modified Kim to the pack frame, resulting in a configuration where the body/case cover 300 is fixed to an outside of the pack frame. Such implementation would be nothing more than the routine selection of a known battery housing coupling method, and a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would be motivated to do this to obtain a known technique that enables easy attachment of end cover structures to battery housing, and to secure attachment of the housing to further structures, such as for example the pack case of Kim (see [0079] and fig. 6).
Claim(s) 9-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 20190097192 A1) in view of Wahl (US 20120070703 A1), and further in view of Zhou (US 20190326565 A1).
Regarding claim 9, modified Kim discloses the battery pack of claim 1, but does not disclose that the pack frame includes a separate upper and lower pack housing. However, battery housing configurations wherein the housing comprises separate upper and lower pack housing are well known in the art and would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the battery pack of Kim.
For example, Zhou discloses a battery pack including a plurality of cells and provided with a housing (abstract), wherein the housing comprises an upper and a lower housing ([0033] discloses a housing 10 and a battery pack cover 20 that can be considered the claimed lower and upper housing, respectively, these parts can be seen in fig. 2). As a result, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a configuration wherein a battery housing is provided with a cover (reading as the claimed upper and lower pack housing) as disclosed by Zhou, as this would be nothing more than the simple substitution of one known battery housing configuration for another with the predictable result of success. After doing this, the battery pack according to claim 9 is obtained, including wherein the venting hole and the mesh structure are found in the lower pack housing, Zhou discloses a structure wherein most of the housing is the lower housing, with the upper housing being simply a cover, and Kim discloses that the venting hole and mesh structure are formed in, for example the side of the housing (see fig. 6), which would correlate to the lower housing of Kim modified with Zhou.
Regarding claim 10, modified Kim discloses the battery pack of claim 9, wherein the duct member is disposed in the lower pack housing (see fig. 6 of Kim and claim 9 rejection above).
Regarding claim 11, modified Kim discloses the battery pack of claim 9, wherein the adsorption member is disposed in the lower pack housing (see fig. 6 of Kim and claim 9 rejection above).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZACKARY R COCHENOUR whose telephone number is (703)756-1480. The examiner can normally be reached 1-9:00PM ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nicholas Smith can be reached at (571) 272-8760. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ZACKARY RICHARD COCHENOUR/ Examiner, Art Unit 1752
/NICHOLAS A SMITH/ Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752
