DETAILED ACTION
This is the first Office action on the merits of Application No. 18/890,815. Claims 1-20 are pending.
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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 9/20/2024 has been considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 6 is objected to because of the following informalities:
in claim 6, line 3, the phrase “the at least a section” appears it may be –at least a section--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 1-4, 8-10, and 12-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mastandrea (European document EP3293783, cited on the IDS).
Regarding claim 1, Mastandrea discloses an apparatus comprising: a body component (106) associated with a vehicle body (100), wherein the body component comprises: an underbody section (Fig. 1) configured to form at least part of the vehicle body, and a battery housing structure (430) at the underbody section (paragraph [0045], injection molded), the battery housing structure comprising multiple compartment walls (420), the multiple compartment walls partitioning the battery housing structure into multiple compartments (e.g. Fig. 3A), each one of the multiple compartments being configured to accommodate one of the multiple battery cells associated with a vehicle battery (e.g. Fig. 4F), and at least one of the multiple compartment walls comprising at least one flow channel (425) configured for conveying a coolant for cooling at least one of the multiple battery cells; and wherein the body component is configured for housing the vehicle battery comprising multiple battery cells (Figs. 3-4).
Regarding claim 2, Mastandrea discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multiple compartments are arranged in a honeycomb pattern (holes 432 resemble honeycomb pattern).
Regarding claim 3, Mastandrea discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the body component is monolithic (paragraph [0045], injection molded).
Regarding claim 4, Mastandrea discloses the apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: at least one flow inlet and at least one flow outlet, the at least one flow inlet being arranged at a side of the body component opposite to the at least one flow outlet, and the at least one flow channel being arranged between the at least one flow inlet and the at least one flow outlet (Figs. 4C-4E).
Regarding claim 8, Mastandrea discloses the apparatus of claim 4, wherein at least one of the multiple compartment walls comprises at least two flow channels being arranged adjacent to each other (Figs. 3-4).
Regarding claim 9, Mastandrea discloses the apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least two flow channels are parallel to each other (Figs. 3-4).
Regarding claim 10, Mastandrea, as modified, discloses the apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least two flow channels are placed angularly to each other (The angular limitation (as minimally described in paragraph [0019] of applicant’s spec) appears to be broad enough include 0 degrees).
Regarding claim 12, Mastandrea discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the underbody section comprises a section of a chassis of the vehicle body (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 13, Mastandrea discloses the apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: an upper body section on the underbody section, wherein the upper body section is configured to house at least one of electrical connections (350), a cover element (340), and a means for insulating the battery housing structure at the underbody section (Fig 3B).
Regarding claim 14, Mastandrea discloses a battery pack (106) comprising: a body component; and a vehicle battery comprising multiple battery cells; and wherein the body component is associated with a vehicle body; and wherein the body component comprises: an underbody section configured to form at least part of the vehicle body, and a battery housing structure (430) at the underbody section, the battery housing structure comprising multiple compartment walls, the multiple compartment walls (420) partitioning the battery housing structure into multiple compartments, each one of the multiple compartments being configured to accommodate one of the multiple battery cells associated with the vehicle battery, and at least one of the multiple compartment walls comprising at least one flow channel (425) configured for conveying a coolant for cooling at least one of the multiple battery cells.
Regarding claim 15, Mastandrea discloses the battery pack of claim 14, wherein at least one of the multiple compartments comprises a space between the compartment wall and the battery cell inside the compartment (Fig. 3B).
Regarding claim 16, Mastandrea discloses the battery pack of claim 15, wherein the space is filled with adhesive (paragraph [0046]).
Regarding claim 17, Mastandrea discloses the battery pack of claim 15, wherein the vehicle battery comprises at least one busbar component (350) connecting at least two battery cells, at least a cover (340) of the body component housing the busbar component and at least a section of the at least one flow channel being configured for cooling the busbar component (closest hole 325 will cool due to proximately the bus bar).
Regarding claim 18, Mastandrea discloses the battery pack of claim 17, wherein the cover further comprises an elevated portion (Fig. 3B) extending away from the at least one of the multiple battery cells, wherein the elevated portion is configured to house the busbar component and the section of the at least one flow channel (Fig. 3B).
Regarding claim 19, Mastandrea discloses a mold comprising: a core part, wherein the mold is configured for casting a body component and the core part is configured for creating a cavity in the body component (paragraph [0045], injection molded), wherein the body component comprises: an underbody section configured to form at least part of a vehicle body, and a battery housing structure (430) at the underbody section, the battery housing structure comprising multiple compartment walls (420), the multiple compartment walls partitioning the battery housing structure into multiple compartments, each one of the multiple compartments being configured to accommodate one of the multiple battery cells associated with the vehicle battery (Figs. 3-4), and at least one of the multiple compartment walls comprising at least one flow channel (425) configured for conveying a coolant for cooling at least one of the multiple battery cells.
Regarding claim 20, Mastandrea discloses the mold of claim 19 further configured to cast the body component in a single step (paragraph [0045], injection molded).
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 5-7 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mastandrea (European document EP3293783, cited on the IDS).
Regarding claim 5, Mastandrea discloses the apparatus of claim 4, wherein at least a section of the at least one flow channel comprises a serpentine shape (adjacent the flow channel 434 has serpentine shape).
Mastandrea does not disclose the at least one flow channel comprises a serpentine shape. However, it would be obvious to have the channel follow the shape of 434 for better cooling.
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mastandrea to incorporate the at least one flow channel comprises a serpentine shape with a reasonable expectation of success to follow the shape of the cell and provide more efficient cooling. Furthermore, it has been held that changes in shape are a matter of choice which a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found obvious (MPEP 2144.04(IV)(B)).
Regarding claim 6, Mastandrea discloses the apparatus of claim 5 further comprising: a cover (340) at a top of at least one of the multiple compartments, wherein the cover is configured to house at least one busbar component (350) electrically connecting at least two battery cells with each other (paragraph [0032]), and wherein the at least a section of the at least one flow channel is configured for cooling the busbar component (closest hole 325 will cool due to proximately the bus bar).
Regarding claim 7, Mastandrea discloses the apparatus of claim 6, wherein the cover is positioned at the upper body section of the body component (e.g. Fig. 3A).
Regarding claim 11, Mastandrea discloses the apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one flow channel is housed at least partially by the cover (Fig. 3B).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Fees (US Patent Publication 20180105209) discloses a battery pack.
Glavaski (US Patent Publication 20240413477) discloses a battery and honeycomb pattern (Figs. 1 and 3).
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/LORI WU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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