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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 14 recites the limitation "the bottom face." There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2 and 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yamauchi (US 2005/0106453).
Claim 1: Yamauchi discloses a battery shell including a shell body 10, 40 internally provided with an accommodating cavity (¶¶ 16, 51, 53); and heat dissipation recesses provided in at least one face of the shell body facing or facing away from the accommodating cavity (fig. 8C; ¶¶ 16, 55, 62, 135-136), wherein the heat dissipation recesses extend in a thickness direction of the shell body without penetrating the shell body (¶¶ 55, 59, 66, 78), a plurality of heat dissipation recesses are provided in the at least one face of the shell body and all the heat dissipation recesses are arranged at intervals (fig. 8C; ¶¶ 135-136).
Claim 2: Yamauchi discloses an end of the shell body in a first direction is provided with an opening in communication with the accommodating cavity (¶¶ 5, 16, 24, 51), any face of the shell body around a circumference of the opening is provided with a first region and second regions respectively located on two sides of the first region in the first direction, and the plurality of heat dissipation recesses are arranged at intervals in each of the first region and the two second regions (¶¶ 16, 135-136; fig. 8C).
Claim 15: Yamauchi discloses all the heat dissipation recesses are arranged in an outer surface of the shell body facing away from the accommodating cavity (¶¶ 55, 58, 62, 135-136).
Claim 16: Yamauchi discloses a battery cell including a shell body 10, 40 internally provided with an accommodating cavity (¶¶ 16, 51, 53); and heat dissipation recesses provided in at least one face of the shell body facing or facing away from the accommodating cavity (fig. 8C; ¶¶ 16, 55, 62, 135-136), wherein the heat dissipation recesses extend in a thickness direction of the shell body without penetrating the shell body (¶¶ 55, 59, 66, 78), a plurality of heat dissipation recesses are provided in the at least one face of the shell body and all the heat dissipation recesses are arranged at intervals (fig. 8C; ¶¶ 135-136); and an electrode assembly 12 accommodated in the accommodating cavity (¶¶ 15-16, 53).
Claim 17: Yamauchi discloses a power consuming device including a battery cell including a shell body 10, 40 internally provided with an accommodating cavity (¶¶ 16, 51, 53); and heat dissipation recesses provided in at least one face of the shell body facing or facing away from the accommodating cavity (fig. 8C; ¶¶ 16, 55, 62, 135-136), wherein the heat dissipation recesses extend in a thickness direction of the shell body without penetrating the shell body (¶¶ 55, 59, 66, 78), a plurality of heat dissipation recesses are provided in the at least one face of the shell body and all the heat dissipation recesses are arranged at intervals (fig. 8C; ¶¶ 135-136); and an electrode assembly 12 accommodated in the accommodating cavity (¶¶ 15-16, 53); and configured to supply electric energy (¶¶ 4-6).
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.
Claims 3-4 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamauchi (US 2005/0106453), as applied to claim 1, in view of Jang (US 2012/0189883).
Claim 3: Yamauchi is silent as to the claimed distribution density. However, in the same field of endeavor, Jang discloses a secondary battery cell having localized, non-penetrating grooves or depressions formed in a wall of the sealed case, and that the grooves fix the electrode assembly against movement to prevent internal short circuits (¶¶ 19, 21-22) and increase the case surface, improving the heat dissipation components of the battery (¶ 50). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to have provided transverse grooves, as taught by Jang, in the end margins of Yamauchi’s case in order to fix the electrode assembly and prevent internal short circuits and to further increase the case surface area and heat dissipation, as taught by Jang.
Claims 4-6 and 15: Jang discloses the heat-conducting structure is arranged in the second region close to the opening on at least one face of the shell body which is arranged around the circumference of the opening and parallel to a second direction, and the heat-conducting structure is located at a position corresponding to a tab of an electrode assembly and the second direction is a length direction of the opening and intersects the first direction with annular slots (¶¶ 16, 19, 21-24, 47-50).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamauchi (US 2005/0106453) in view of Jang (US 2012/0189883), as applied to claim 4 above, further in view of King (US 2022/0077523).
Claim 7: Modified Yamauchi is silent as to two heat-conducting structures being provided and arranged at positions corresponding to two tabs on the electrode assembly on a one-to-one basis. However, King, in the same field of endeavor, discloses a battery tab cooling system where dedeicated tab-cooling structures are provided in a one to one relationship. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to have provided in the case of modified Yamauchi, a groove at the position corresponding to each of the tabs on a one to one basis because King teaches providing a dedicated tab-cooling structure for each tab individually, each tab being a concentrated heat path from the electrode assembly (¶ 5).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamauchi (US 2005/0106453) in view of Jang (US 2012/0189883), as applied to claim 4 above, further in view of Hamada (US 5,510,203).
Modified Yamauchi is silent as to the recesses arranged at intervals in each of the two second side faces. Hamada, in the same field of endeavor, discloses a sealed prismatic battery casing 12 containing an electrode group 11 and electrolyte and sealingly closed by lid 13 (figs. 1-3) and recesses 22 arranged at intervals in each of the two second side faces. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to have formed in the outer surface of Yamauchi’s case a plurality of mutually spaced positioning recesses so that Yamauchi’s prismatic sealed cells could be stacked and bound into a module with binding members seared and retained by the recesses.
Claims 9-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamauchi (US 2005/0106453) in view of Jang (US 2012/0189883) and Hamada (US 5,510,203), as applied to claim 8, further in view of Deng (US 2017/0162923).
Modified Yamauchi is silent as to the claimed depth. However, in the same field of endeavor, Deng discloses a battery case whose outer surface is provided with a plurality of grooves having a depth to wall thickness ratio of 0.2-0.5 (¶¶ 43-45). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to have selected the ratios within and about Deng’s known window, balancing heat-dissipation and retention effectiveness against residual wall strength.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LARRY THROWER whose telephone number is (571)270-5517. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm MT M-F.
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/LARRY W THROWER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1754
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