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 .
Status of Claims
Currently claims 1-16 are pending.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (U.S. 2022/0355139) in view of Chen (U.S. 2024/0072327.
With respect to claim 1, Lee discloses A fire extinguishing system of an energy storage system (see figures 1-5) comprising:
a plurality of battery racks (figure 2) each configured to receive a plurality of battery modules (#30), the fire extinguishing system comprising:
a sensing unit (500) configured to sense at least one of temperature, voltage, or smoke of each of the battery modules (paragraph 0005); and
a fire extinguishing unit (figure 2, #300) configured to spray a fire extinguishing agent to a battery module from among the battery modules based on at least one of values sensed by the sensing unit being higher than a preset threshold (paragraph 0041), wherein the fire extinguishing unit comprises a spray pipe (330) connected to a top of the battery module (as shown in figures 2 and 5-7), the spray pipe being configured to allow the fire extinguishing agent to be sprayed therethrough (paragraph 0043),
a plurality of spray holes (332) is formed through the spray pipe so as to correspond to positions of battery cells of the battery module (paragraph 0070). Lee fails to disclose the spray pipe is rotationally arranged such that the spray holes are arranged in a direction diagonal to the battery module.
Chen, paragraphs 0094-0095, discloses the spraying apparatus has a motor which can drive an angle of the spraying apparatus to be adjusted so that the spraying apparatus sprays the extinguishing agent to the battery cell in which a fire occurs.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the rotational movement of the spraying apparatus as disclosed by Chen into the system of Lee, allowing the spray pipe of lee to be rotationally arranged such that it can spray not just within the battery module but to where the fire within the module is located (and thus the direction can be diagonal as the spray pipe is rotated/adjusted to hit the desired cell location of the fire). The examiner notes, any spraying from 332 (see figure 10 of Lee) would still have to occur within the gap formed by 334a as it is against that of 31a as it correlates to within the casing that 334 is associated with).
With respect to claim 2, Lee as modified discloses the battery module comprises a top cover (top cover of 30 being below 31) having a plurality of through-openings (31a) formed so as to correspond to positions of vent holes of the battery cells (paragraph 0067), and the through-openings are formed through the top cover (as shown in figure 7, where 31a is shown, and beneath it).
With respect to claim 3, Lee as modified discloses each of the battery racks comprises: a main frame (11) on which pipes are installed (paragraph 0047); and a subframe (13) configured to support the battery module (paragraph 0047), the subframe having a seating groove (13a), in which the spray pipe is seated (see figure 7), formed therein, and the subframe comprises an extension portion extending from the seating groove inwardly of the battery rack (being the extension groove that extends away from 13a, as shown in figure 7, noted there being two extensions one above 31a and one going to where 13 is indicated), extension portion being formed in an insertion direction of the battery module (paragraph 0047 and 0064, as the battery modules are inserted from the front in, furthermore, figure 8 shows another extension section, being again the portion that extends about 13a, which 330 is within 13a, and thus the portion about it extending to the left and down abutting 30 would also be a part of the extension portion, taking that direction to then be the insertion direction).
With respect to claim 5, Lee as modified discloses a through-hole configured to allow the fire extinguishing agent sprayed from a spray hole from among the spray holes to pass therethrough is formed in the seating groove (as shown in figures 8-10), and the through-hole is formed at a position corresponding to a direction toward the spray hole (as shown in figure 8, where there is a through-hole aligned with and corresponding with the spray hole, there being a hole at 31a, the hole within 35, and then the hole in 33 itself).
With respect to claim 6, Lee as modified discloses the fire extinguishing system is configured to spray the fire extinguishing agent from the spray hole in a straight line toward the through-hole (as shown in figure 8, where the fluid is sprayed straight own as indicated by the arrow).
With respect to claim 7, Lee as modified discloses the fire extinguishing system is configured to spray the fire extinguishing agent from the spray hole in a straight line from the through-hole toward the top cover (as shown in figure 8).
With respect to claim 8, Lee as modified discloses the battery rack is formed such that the extension portion (taking the end of the extension portion, shown in figure 8, extending past 330 and abutting that of 30) and the top cover (being the top cover of 30) come into contact with each other upon insertion of the battery module in a state in which the extension portion and the top cover are spaced apart from each other (as the top cover and 30 are spaced apart from one another, but come into contact at the left side, as seen in figure 8).
With respect to claim 9, Lee as modified discloses a bent angle of the extension portion is set to an angle such that the subframe contacts the top cover based on the subframe being pressed by the battery module (as shown in figure 8, where the extension portion is then abutting that of 30, see figure 8 where the portion adjacent 330 abuts that of 30).
With respect to claim 10, Lee as modified discloses a length from a center of the spray pipe (center of 330) to an end of the extension portion (being that of 13 about it) is set to a length such that a bent end of the subframe comes into contact with the top cover based on the subframe being pressed by the battery module (as shown in figure 8, where the subframes section of the frame is in contact with 30).
With respect to claim 11, Lee as modified discloses a spray angle of the fire extinguishing agent from a spray hole from among the spray holes is set based on at least one of a bent angle of the extension portion, a distance from a center of the spray pipe to a point where the extension portion and the top cover contact each other, and a range of a through-opening from among the through-opening of the top cover (as the spray holes angle that it is able to move would have to align with the through opening shown in figure 8, to allow the fluid to be sprayed within the top cover and into the battery modules).
With respect to claim 12, Lee as modified discloses wherein a maximum angle at which a spray hole from among the spray holes is rotationally arranged is based on a position in front of a through-opening from among the through-openings such that the fire extinguishing agent is not sprayed to the through-opening (as all the angles that can be in figure 8, would be to some degree down or angled down such that fluid passes through 31a and into the space of 33).
With respect to claim 13, Lee as modified discloses a minimum angle at which a spray hole from among the spray holes is rotationally arranged is based on an upper surface of the top cover such that the fire extinguishing agent is not sprayed out of the top cover (as the angle of spray requires the spray from 330 to go into that of 31a and into 33, the spray goes into the top cover and not out of the top cover).
With respect to claim 14, Lee as modified discloses a minimum angle at which a spray hole from among the spray holes is rotationally arranged is based on a point where the top cover and the extension portion contact each other such that the fire extinguishing agent is not sprayed out of the top cover (as the top cover and the extension portion contacts one another as shown in figure 8, where a minimum angle defined there of the spray hole would still have the fluid being sprayed to within 35 in figure 8, and thus would not be sprayed out of the top cover (as the fluid would be going within the cover).
With respect to claim 15, Lee as modified discloses a spray hole from among the spray holes of the spray pipe is rotationally arranged inwardly of the battery rack (as shown in figure 10, the spray hole 332 rotates, and being rotationally arranged along the length of the battery rack allows it to be rotated inwardly with respect to the rack, as Chen discloses the rotational movement it is understood going in both directions to reach the cells within the casing of Lee).
With respect to claim 16, Lee as modified discloses a distance from the spray pipe to the top cover is in a range of 8 millimeters (mm) to 12 mm (as shown in figure 8, where the spray pipe 330 is noted adjacent at times touching the top cover 30 as well as there being gaps between the two, it is understood that some distance between the two can be taken then between 8 and 12 mm).
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee and Chen as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Kim (U.S. 2014/0322566).
With respect to claim 4, Lee discloses the extension portion but fails to disclose the extension portion is bent in a direction diagonal to a direction toward the top cover.
Kim, paragraph 0081 and figures 7-9, discloses an extension portion (being that of 72 and 70) that is bent in a direction diagonal to a direction towards the top cover (being the top cover of 400), such angled bent direction being diagonal allows for any fluid out of a vent hole to be discharge outwardly of the housing.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the diagonal bent of an extension portion as disclosed by Kim into that of Lee as modified allowing the fluid to be discharged outwardly from the housing, and thus allowing the fluid fluids to be removed from the vent and then flowing in a direction away from the housing.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH A GREENLUND whose telephone number is (571)272-0397. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm EST.
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/JOSEPH A GREENLUND/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752
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