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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 11/26/25 has been entered.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 is allowable over the prior art of record.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
(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.
1. Claims 1 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Sun et al. (US20230026926, Filed 9/1/2021)
2. Regarding claims 1 and 2, Sun teaches a battery module (see Figure below), comprising: a battery cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked; and a pressure drop sheet formed as a flat rectangular sheet and positioned on one side of the battery cell stack wherein the pressure drop sheet covers the plurality of battery cells, wherein the pressure drop sheet includes a ventilation layer and a sacrificial layer on a surface of the ventilation layer and directly faces the battery cell stack, wherein, before reaching a critical temperature, the sacrificial layer is maintained and the sacrificial layer is exposed to the battery cell stack, and after reaching the critical temperature, the sacrificial layer is lost and the ventilation layer is exposed to the battery cell stack (see Fig. below).
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3. Claims 2, 4, 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun et al. (US20230026926, Filed 9/1/2021) in view of Liu et al. (US20160254578).
4. Liu teaches wherein the ventilation layer is permeable to gas (openings permit gases [0098]) and the sacrificial layer is non-permeable to gas (layer impedes and ideally prevents hot gases [0079]), wherein the sacrificial layer is lost upon reaching a critical temperature (these sacrificial members are formed from a material that thermally decomposes. Upon thermal decomposition of the sacrificial members, a void or channel in the thermal energy absorbing material is formed in the space occupied by the sacrificial member prior to decomposition [0086]), such that the gas permeability after reaching the critical temperature of the pressure drop sheet is higher than the gas permeability before reaching the critical temperature (The sacrificial members are formed from a material that does not thermally decompose when exposed to an environment below a first temperature and does thermally decompose when exposed to an environment at a second temperature that is greater than the first temperature [0088]).
5. Regarding claims 4 and 8, Liu teaches wherein the ventilation layer includes the inorganic particles, wherein the inorganic particles include ZrO2, SiC (the electrical energy storage cell barrier comprises a layer of thermal insulating material….thermal insulating material is one that includes ceramic fiber, such as a ceramic fiber paper. Examples of suitable ceramic fibers include silicon carbide, zirconia 0022]).
6. 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 Sun with the above teachings of Liu for the benefit of sacrificial members provided within the thermal energy absorbing materials (Liu, abstract).
7. Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun et al. (US20230026926, Filed 9/1/2021) in view of Liu et al. (US20160254578) and further in view of Lim et al. (US 20230352780, PCT filed 12/8/21).
8. Lim teaches outer layer has a gas permeability of 4-40 barrer [0021], and wherein the inner layer has a gas permeability of 1.6 e5 to 1.6 e7 barrer [0023] for a ratio (1.6 e7/40) for the benefit of discharging the gases generated inside of a secondary battery more effectively [0075]
9. 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 Ha with Lim’s teachings for the benefit of discharging the gases generated inside of a secondary battery more effectively.
10. Claims 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun et al. (US20230026926, Filed 9/1/2021) in view of Liu et al. (US20160254578) and further in view of Wilson et al. (US 20230023362, PCT filed 12/18/20)
11. Wilson teaches wherein the density of the ceramic fiber is 0.5 g/cm3 or less (the bulk density of the cohesive mat may range from 0.05 to 0.3 g/cm3 [0048]), wherein the average length of the ceramic fiber is 1 to 50 mm (ceramic filaments have a length of at least 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 7, mm, 8 mm, 9 mm [0047]) for the benefit of a component of a ceramic article used as a battery thermal barrier [0051].
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 Sun with Wilson’s teachings for the benefit of a component of a ceramic article used as a battery thermal barrier.
Conclusion
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/OLATUNJI A GODO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752