DETAILED ACTION
This is on the merits of Application No. 18/960085, filed on 11/26/2024. Claims 1-20 are pending. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS), submitted on 08/20/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements have been considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 8-9 and 18-19 are 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 8 states “wherein a plurality of leg openings are formed in the plastic material”. It is unclear what these “leg openings” are and how to interpret this limitation. A review of the drawings show “leg openings” 66 in Fig. 4. No other figure shows leg openings 66. They are only described in par. [0036], which simply states “As shown in FIG. 4, the bridge legs 54 may include one or more leg openings 66 in the plastic material 62 with, in some embodiments, the wire mesh 64 extends across the leg openings 66. Inclusion of the leg openings 66 allows for rapid depressurization in the vent passage 50 between the cell bridge 48 and the battery cells 44 during the early stage of a thermal event so that the plastic material 62 can quickly melt.” However, looking at element 66 in Fig. 4, there does not appear to be anything different between element 66 and the rest of the plastic material 62. Is there meant to be some kind of opening at 66 not shown? It is unclear how to interpret, and thus how to examine this limitation.
The same applies to claim 18.
Claims 9 and 19 are rejected for being dependent on claims 8 and 18, respectively.
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.
Claims 1, 3, 5-11, 13, and 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 2021/0074960 to Stude et al.
Stude discloses:
(Claim 1) A rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) of a vehicle (Fig. 1A, 2, 3), comprising: a plurality of battery cells (12), the plurality of battery cells including a plurality of vent passages (passages between battery cells) to exhaust hot vent gas from the plurality of battery cells (see par. [0051], Fig. 2); and a cell bridge (1) disposed over the plurality of vent passages, the cell bridge comprising a wire mesh (2, 21, par. [0088], [0089]) and a plastic material (6, par. [0079], [0090]).
(Claim 11) A vehicle (Fig. 2), comprising: a vehicle body; a powertrain disposed in the vehicle body; and a rechargeable energy storage system operably connected to the powertrain, the RESS including: a plurality of battery cells, the plurality of battery cells including a plurality of vent passages to exhaust hot vent gas from the plurality of battery cells; and a cell bridge disposed over the plurality of vent passages, the cell bridge comprising a wire mesh and a plastic material (see claim 1 above).
(Claims 3 and 13) wherein the wire mesh is configured to contain particles greater than a predetermined threshold size in a vent passage defined between the cell bridge and the plurality of battery cells (inherent in the mesh structure).
(Claims 5 and 15) wherein the cell bridge is connected to and supportive of a cover of the RESS (see Fig. 2).
(Claims 6 and 16) wherein the cell bridge is secured to the cover via an adhesive layer (par. [0102]).
(Claims 7 and 17) wherein the wire mesh is a steel material (Par. [0089]).
(Claims 8 and 18 as best understood) wherein a plurality of leg openings are formed in the plastic material (par. [0121], Fig. 3 element 1B. Although unclear what exactly is meant by “leg openings” the insulation element formed between batteries is interpreted as a “leg opening”).
(Claims 9 and 19) wherein the wire mesh extends through the plurality of leg openings (see Fig. 3, 1B extends through leg openings and includes the mesh).
(Claims 10 and 20) wherein the cell bridge is formed by overmolding the plastic material over the wire mesh (it is noted that this recites a product-by-process limitation. Even though product-by-process claims are limited by and defined by the process, determination of patentability is based on the product itself. The patentability of a product does not depend on its method of production).
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 2, 4, 12, and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Stude.
(Claims 2 and 12) wherein the plastic material is configured to melt when exposed to temperatures greater than 150 degrees Celsius.
(Claims 4 and 14) wherein the predetermined threshold size is a 0.9 millimeter effective diameter.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified, with a reasonable expectation of success, the structure of Stude to have the plastic material configured to melt when exposed to temperatures greater than 150 degrees Celsius and the wire mesh configured to contain particles greater than a threshold size of 0.9 millimeter effective diameter, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Proll (US 2023/0216106) discloses a cell cooling cover for a battery module.
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/TIMOTHY HANNON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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