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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: paragraph 0047 contains a trademark symbol. This appears to be a typographical error and must be corrected.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Thomas et al. (US 20190210470) in view of George et al. (US 20220037717) in view of Favaretto (US 11,117,625)
With respect to claim 13 Thomas teaches a battery pack (600) comprising: a base frame (602) which has a plate shape (see planar plate) and a first region on an upper surface (see Fig. 6C for example); and a plurality of batteries, each battery of the plurality of batteries (see batteries within battery module 610) having a cross-sectional footprint defined by an outermost profile (see profile see in Fig. 6) of a cross section parallel to the upper surface of the base frame, wherein the plurality of batteries are disposed inside the first region (see region formed with plate and sidewalls), wherein the first region extends in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction (see battery case axis 612: Fig. 6B: paragraph 20-22), wherein at least a first portion of a perimeter of the first region obliquely extends (see Fig. 6B: see curve in sidewalls) in a direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction (see between longitudinal sides and shorter or narrow ends: best seen in Fig. 6B), wherein the cross-sectional footprints of the plurality of batteries extend in the first direction and the second direction (see row and column directions), wherein at least some of the plurality of batteries are disposed side by side (see placement shown in Fig. 6B) in the first direction or the second direction (see columns and rows or longitudinal and latitudinal directions).
Thomas teaches battery architecture including a planar or plate base with an irregular perimeter however does not teach a plurality of types of batteries or wherein among the plurality of types of batteries, at least one type of battery is a special type battery, and wherein at least a first portion of a perimeter of the cross-sectional footprint of the special type battery obliquely extends in the direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction along the first portion of the perimeter of the first region and extends such that an angle difference between an extending direction of the first portion of the perimeter of the cross- sectional footprint and an extending direction of the first portion of the perimeter of the first region is less than a first angle.
George teaches the known use of a the know use of a special battery type (see trapezoidal paragraph 0036) to optimize the space with a cavity (paragraph 0006) such that a battery extends obliquely (paragraph 0066-68) in the direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction along the first portion of the perimeter of the first region.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify Thomas to try the known a special battery type as seen in George such that angle difference between an extending direction of the first portion of the perimeter of the cross-sectional footprint and an extending direction of the first portion of the perimeter of the first region is less than a first angle (resulting relationship would be substantially parallel) for the benefit of optimizing the cavity space with the number of batteries (paragraph 0077-78).
Favaretto teaches the known advantage of applying a battery system and frame (see Fig. 6) including special or angular/oblique shaped spaces and the arranging of batteries to fill those spaces on a vehicle floor efficiently (see zoomed section Fig. 6). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to use the shaped battery modules of George in the spaces of Thomas as seen in Favaretto along an oblique vehicle floor perimeter for the benefit of improving the utilization of the battery region and increasing the battery overall capacity.
Claims 17-18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Thomas et al. (US 20190210470) in view of George et al. (US 20220037717) in view of Favaretto (US 11,117,625) in view of Villaneuva et al. (US 20220402622)
With respect to claim 17 Thomas as modified above teaches the use of the battery pack system however do not teach the type batteries among the plurality of types have different chemical characteristics for each type and thus differ in at least one of energy output, energy efficiency, and safety. Villaneuva the known use of a shaped battery pack system wherein the type batteries among the plurality of types have different chemical characteristics for each type and thus differ in at least one of energy output, energy efficiency, and safety (see paragraph 0045). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to further modify Thomas to use different batteries with different characteristics for the benefit of utilizing any available chemistry to reduce system costs.
With respect to claim 18 Thomas teaches a normal type batteries (see rectangular battery modules) and wherein George teaches one or more special type batteries, wherein the cross-sectional footprint of the normal type battery is a rectangle (as seen in Thomas). Villaneuva the known use of a shaped battery pack system wherein the type batteries among the plurality of types have different chemical characteristics for each type and thus differ in at least one of energy output, energy efficiency, and safety (see paragraph 0045). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to further modify Thomas to use different batteries with different characteristics for the benefit of utilizing any available chemistry to reduce system costs.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14-16, and 19-26 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
With respect to claim 14 Thomas as modified above teaches the battery pack however at least one of a first type battery, a second type battery, a third type battery, and a fourth type battery, wherein the first type battery, the second type battery, the third type battery, and the fourth type battery each correspond to the special type battery, wherein a perimeter of the cross-sectional footprint of the first type battery includes a first side extending in the first direction, a second side and a third side each extending from both ends of the first side of the first type battery to one side in the second direction by different lengths, and a fourth side corresponding to the first portion of the perimeter of the cross-sectional footprint and connecting one ends of the second side and the third side of the first type battery in the second direction, wherein a perimeter of the cross-sectional footprint of the second type battery includes a first side extending in the first direction, a second side and a third side each extending from both ends of the first side of the second type battery to the other side in the second direction by different lengths, and a fourth side corresponding to the first portion of the perimeter of the cross-sectional footprint and connecting the other ends of the second side and the third side of the second type battery in the second direction, wherein a perimeter of the cross-sectional footprint of the third type battery includes a first side extending in the first direction, a second side extending from one end or the other end of the first side of the third type battery in the first direction to the one side in the second direction, and a third side corresponding to the first portion of the perimeter of the cross-sectional footprint and connecting the other end or the one end of the first side of the third type battery in the first direction and one end of the second side of the third type battery in the second direction, and wherein a perimeter of the cross-sectional footprint of the fourth type battery includes a first side extending in the first direction, a second side extending from one end or the other end of the first side of the fourth type battery in the first direction to the other side in the second direction, and a third side corresponding to the first portion of the perimeter of the cross-sectional footprint and connecting the other end or the one end of the first side of the fourth type battery in the first direction and the other end of the second side of the fourth type battery in the second direction. At least this further limitation is not taught or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
With respect to claim 15 Thomas as modified above teaches the battery pack however does not teach the plurality of types of batteries include at least one of a fifth battery and a sixth type battery, wherein the fifth type battery and the sixth type battery each correspond to the special type battery, wherein a perimeter of the cross-sectional footprint of the fifth type battery includes a first side and a second side disposed side by side in the first direction and extending in the second direction, a third side corresponding to the first portion of the perimeter of the cross-sectional footprint and connecting one ends of the first side and the second side of the fifth type battery in the second direction, and a fourth side corresponding to the first portion of the perimeter of the cross-sectional footprint and connecting the other ends of the first side and the second side of the fifth type battery in the second direction, and wherein a perimeter of the cross-sectional footprint of the sixth type battery includes a first side extending in the second direction and a second side of which both ends are connected to both ends of the first side of the sixth type battery and which protrudes from the first side of the sixth type battery to one side or the other side in the first direction and corresponds to the first portion of the perimeter of the cross-sectional footprint. At least this further limitation is not taught or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
With respect to claim 19 Thomas as modified above teaches the battery pack however does not teach in the at least some of the special type batteries, the first portion of the perimeter of the cross-sectional footprint is disposed adjacent to the first portion of the perimeter of the first region, wherein the normal type battery is disposed on a remaining portion of the first region in which the special type battery is not disposed, and wherein at least some of the batteries among the special type batteries disposed adjacent to the first portion of the perimeter of the first region have higher safety than at least some of the batteries among the normal type batteries that are not disposed adjacent to the first portion of the perimeter of the first region. At least this further limitation is not taught or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Michael Fin whose telephone number is (571)272-5921. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5:30.
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, Rexford Barnie can be reached at 571-272-7429. 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.
MICHAEL FIN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2836
/MICHAEL R. FIN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
Prosecution Insights