DETAILED ACTION
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
2. Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. JP2024-026639, filed on 02/26/2024.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
3. 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.
4. Claims 1 and 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Persson et al. (US Patent Publication 2022/0176788) in view of Nagano et al. (US Patent Publication 2019/0255929).
a. Regarding claim 1, Persson teaches a power storage device comprising power storage module 140 including a plurality of power storage cells [multiple battery modules 140 are fixed to a downward facing side of the chassis floor [0039]; Each battery module 140 includes a plurality of battery cells (shown only in the cut-away portion of the leftmost module 140 of FIG. 2B) [0040]] and a case accommodating power storage module 140 includes first cover 110 [chassis floor 110 [0039]] covering power storage module 140 from above [battery modules 140 are fixed to a downward facing side of the chassis floor [0039]] and a second cover 150 [bottom plate 150 [0039]] covering power storage module 140 from below [cover plate 150 is fixed to the chassis floor to cover the battery modules [0039]; cover plate 150 fixed to the chassis floor 110 [0041]] and power storage module 140 is secured to first cover 110 [battery modules 140 are fixed to a downward facing side of the chassis floor 110 [0039]].
Persson does not specifically teach the second cover is detachably secured to the first cover.
Nagano teaches second cover 10 [battery unit 30 is covered from below by the under-cover 10; that is, the lower side of the battery unit 30 is covered by the under-cover 10. The under-cover 10 is a panel member mounted to protect the battery unit 30 and to improve an aerodynamic characteristic of the vehicle; under-cover 10 is composed of a plurality of (seven in the illustrated example) segments; namely, cover segments 12 of, 12 ob, 12 sf; 12 sc, 12 sb; under-cover 10 is divided into a plurality of cover segments 12 [0030]] is detachably secured to first cover 40 [FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the vehicle with an under-cover 10 removed from the vehicle [0024]; battery pack 32 is disposed below the floor of the vehicle and either directly or indirectly attached to the body or chassis of the vehicle [0029]; removal of the first cover segments 12 o allows to release of the attachment in the battery attaching positions 42, and thus demounting of the battery unit 30 from the vehicle [0035]] for the purpose of providing for reducing trouble in demounting the battery unit from the vehicle thus improving easiness in maintenance of the battery units and since it has been held that constructing a formerly integral structure in various elements involves only routine skill in the art. Nerwin v. Erlichman, 168 USPQ 177,179.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the power storage device taught by Persson to include the second cover detachably secured to the first cover as taught by Nagano because doing so would have provided for reducing trouble in demounting the battery unit from the vehicle thus improving easiness in maintenance of the battery units and since constructing a formerly integral structure in various elements involves only routine skill in the art.
b. Regarding claim 11, Persson in view of Nagano teaches (references to Persson) the power storage device according to claim 1 having first cover 110 [battery modules 140 are fixed to a downward facing side of the chassis floor 110 [0039]] and second cover 150 [bottom plate 150 [0039]].
Persson in view of Nagano does not specifically teach the second cover has higher rigidity than the first cover.
It would have been an obvious design choice before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device taught by Persson in view of Nagano to include the second cover that has higher rigidity than the first cover as a matter of routine engineering judgment given the differing structural/impact-protection functions of the two covers because it was well understood in the art, that a lower cover/support member bearing the battery's weight and absorbing road-side impacts is conventionally designed with greater structural rigidity than an upper cover whose function is primarily enclosure/sealing.
c. Regarding claim 12, Persson in view of Nagano teaches the power storage device according to claim 1. Persson further teaches, in a region where the case overlaps with power storage module 140 in an up-down direction, a distance in the up-down direction between first cover 110 and power storage module 140 is less than a distance in the up-down direction between second cover 150 and power storage module 140 [FIG. 2C shows a cross-section through plane IIC-IIC with the battery modules fixed to both the crossbeams 160 and the reinforcement structures 170, and with the cover plate 150 fixed to the chassis floor 110. The upper sides of the batter modules abut, or are arranged within 1 cm of, the first downward facing side of the chassis floor 110; the distal lower surface of each battery module 140 remains spaced apart by a distance S of between 5 and 10 cm from upward facing inner surface 151 of the cover plate 150 [0041]].
d. Regarding claim 13, Persson in view of Nagano teaches (references to Persson) vehicle 1 comprising a vehicle body and power storage device 140 according to claim 1 secured to a bottom of the vehicle body [FIG. 1 schematically shows an electric vehicle 1 according to the disclosure. The vehicle is provided with an electromotor 3 for driving rotation of wheels 2. A controller 4 is configured for controlling an amount of power that is provided from a battery system 120 to the electromotor 3. The battery system 120 is attached at a bottom side of the vehicle to a chassis floor 110 which generally faces in a downward direction D during use of the vehicle [0038]].
5. Claims 2-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Persson et al. (US Patent Publication 2022/0176788) in view of Nagano et al. (US Patent Publication 2019/0255929) and Albery et al. (US 9,061,714).
a. Regarding claim 2, Persson in view of Nagano teaches the power storage device according to claim 1. Persson in view of Nagano does not specifically teach a third cover below a second cover that has higher rigidity than the third cover.
Albery teaches third cover 703 [capture plate 703 is designed to deform when a piece of road debris is large enough to hit the capture plate’s leading edge, col. 5 lines 57-59] below second cover 719 that has higher rigidity than third cover 703 [rigid blocking plate 719 is mounted directly above capture plate 703 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9-12, col. 7 lines 24-26; an easily broken mechanical coupler may be used to hold capture plate 703 in place until it hits a piece of road debris, at which time the mechanical couplers break and allow the capture plate to deform, col. 7 lines 20-23] for the purpose of providing a deformable, impact-absorbing third cover beneath the second cover to protect the battery module from road debris strikes.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the power storage device taught by Persson in view of Nagano to include a third cover below a second cover that has higher rigidity than the third cover as taught by Albery because doing so would have provided a deformable, impact-absorbing third cover beneath the second cover to protect the battery module from road debris strikes.
b. Regarding claim 3, Persson in view of Nagano and Albery teaches (references to Albery) the power storage device according to claim 2 wherein third cover 703 is detachably secured to second cover 719 from below [rigid blocking plate 719 is mounted directly above capture plate 703 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9-12, col. 7 lines 24-26; an easily broken mechanical coupler may be used to hold capture plate 703 in place until it hits a piece of road debris, at which time the mechanical couplers break and allow the capture plate to deform, col. 7 lines 20-23; so that the debris can be removed and the capture plate repaired or replaced, col. 5 lines 15-17].
c. Regarding claim 4, Persson in view of Nagano and Albery teaches (references to Persson) the power storage device according to claim 2 having a distance in the up-down direction between second cover 150 [bottom plate 150 [0039]] and power storage module 140 [multiple battery modules 140 are fixed to a downward facing side of the chassis floor [0039]; Each battery module 140 includes a plurality of battery cells (shown only in the cut-away portion of the leftmost module 140 of FIG. 2B) [0040]] in a region where the case overlaps with the power storage module 140 in an up-down direction [FIGS. 2B and 2C respectively show and a bottom view of the battery modules of FIG. 2A [0034]; the distal lower surface of each battery module 140 remains spaced apart by a distance S of between 5 and 10 cm from upward facing inner surface 151 of the cover plate 150 [0041]].
Persson in view of Nagano and Albery teaches (references to Albery) the power storage device according to claim 2 having second cover 719 [rigid blocking plate 719 is mounted directly above capture plate 703 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9-12, col. 7 lines 24-26] and third cover 703 [capture plate 703 is designed to deform when a piece of road debris is large enough to hit the capture plate’s leading edge, col. 5 lines 57-59].
Albery further teaches a distance in the up-down direction between second cover 719 and third cover 703 [rigid blocking plate 719 is mounted directly above capture plate 703 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9-12, col. 7 lines 24-26; the capture plate is illustrated in FIG. 7 which shows that the front edge 701 of capture plate 703 is slightly lower, 40 i.e., closer to the road surface 705, than front lower surface 707 of battery pack 709. Note that only the front portion of battery pack 709 is shown. Typically edge 701 is positioned between 5 and 25 millimeters lower than lower battery pack surface 707, preferably between 10 and 20 millimeters lower, 45 still more preferably between 10 and 15 millimeters lower, and in the preferred embodiment edge 701 is positioned approximately 10 millimeters lower than lower battery pack surface 707, col. 5 lines 39-49, claim 16] for the purpose of providing a defined clearance between the third cover and the second cover for positioning the third cover immediately beneath the power storage module with only a small spacing sufficient to trap road debris before it reaches the power storage module.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device taught by Persson in view of Nagano and Albery to include a distance in the up-down direction between the second cover and the third cover is less than a distance in the up-down direction between the second cover and the power storage module in a region where the case overlaps with the power storage module as taught by Albery because doing so would have provided a defined clearance between the third cover and the second cover for positioning the third cover immediately beneath the power storage module with only a small spacing sufficient to trap road debris before it reaches the power storage module.
6. Claims 5-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Persson et al. (US Patent Publication 2022/0176788) in view of Nagano et al. (US Patent Publication 2019/0255929) and Sugizaki et al. (US Patent Publication 2017/0267089).
a. Regarding claim 5, Persson in view of Nagano teaches the power storage device according to claim 1 having first cover 110 [chassis floor 110 [0039]], power storage module 140 [multiple battery modules 140 are fixed to a downward facing side of the chassis floor [0039]; Each battery module 140 includes a plurality of battery cells (shown only in the cut-away portion of the leftmost module 140 of FIG. 2B) [0040]], and second cover 150 [cover plate 150 is fixed to the chassis floor to cover the battery modules [0039]; cover plate 150 fixed to the chassis floor 110 [0041]].
Persson in view of Nagano does not specifically teach the first cover includes a top panel above the power storage module and a securing unit on the top panel, wherein the power storage module is secured to the securing unit, and the second cover is secured to the securing unit from below.
Sugizaki teaches first cover 3 [floor panel 3 constituting a floor of a passenger compartment 2 [0022]] includes top panel 34 above power storage module 32 and securing unit 38 on top panel 34 [Referring to FIG. 5, the fixing members 38 are provided with holding portion reinforcing regions 38 a welded to the upper surface of the battery cover 34; battery cover 34 fastened to the floor panel 3 together with the fixing members 38 [0037]] wherein power storage module 32 is secured to securing unit 38 [A holding structure in which the battery cover 34 holds the battery modules 32 is described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the holding structure provided on the side of the cross frame 35 f of the battery cover 34 [0031]], and second cover 31 is secured to securing unit 38 from below [battery cover 34 is fastened to the flange 31 a of the battery case 31 at a position outside the sealing member 36 a and is consequently secured to the battery case 31 without compromising waterproof functionality [0028]] for the purpose of providing for simplifying service while maintaining accurate positioning of the battery modules during cover removal and installation.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device taught by Persson in view of Nagano to include the first cover top panel above the power storage module and securing unit on the top panel, the power storage module secured to the securing unit, and the second cover secured to the securing unit from below as taught by Sugizaki because doing so would have provided for simplifying service while maintaining accurate positioning of the battery modules during cover removal and installation.
b. Regarding claim 6, Persson in view of Nagano and Sugizaki teaches (references to Sugizaki) the power storage device according to claim 5 wherein securing unit 38 extends downward from top panel 34 [Referring to FIG. 5, the fixing members 38 are provided with holding portion reinforcing regions 38 a welded to the upper surface of the battery cover 34 [0037]; holding portion reinforcing regions 38 a have openings 38 d through which the sealing bolts 42 are inserted. With this arrangement, the sealing bolts 42 are enabled to be directly seated in the battery cover 34 [0038]; fixing members 38 securing the battery unit 30 to the floor panel 3 are welded to the battery cover 34 so as to surround the sealing bolts 42; fixing members 38 have the openings 38 d through which the sealing bolts 42 are inserted [0042]] for the purpose of providing the securing unit with openings through which bolts are inserted extending downward to be directly seated in the top panel for holding and waterproof functionality.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device taught by Persson in view of Nagano and Sugizaki to include the securing unit that extends downward from the top panel as taught by Sugizaki because doing so would have provided the securing unit with openings through which bolts are inserted extending downward to be directly seated in the top panel for holding and waterproof functionality.
c. Regarding claim 7, Persson in view of Nagano and Sugizaki teaches (references to Sugizaki) the power storage device according to claim 5 having securing unit 38 [Referring to FIG. 5, the fixing members 38 are provided with holding portion reinforcing regions 38 a welded to the upper surface of the battery cover 34 [0037], power storage module 32 [A holding structure in which the battery cover 34 holds the battery modules 32 is described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the holding structure provided on the side of the cross frame 35 f of the battery cover 34 [0031]], first cover 3 [floor panel 3 constituting a floor of a passenger compartment 2 [0022]] and second cover 31 [battery cover 34 is fastened to the flange 31 a of the battery case 31 at a position outside the sealing member 36 a and is consequently secured to the battery case 31 without compromising waterproof functionality [0028]].
Sugizaki further teaches frame member 35 surrounding securing unit 38 and power storage module 32, sealing member 36 sealing between frame member 35 and second cover 31 [Referring to FIG. 4, the battery cover 34 covers the upper opening of the battery case 31 in a sealed manner with a sealing member 36 provided between itself and a flange 31 a of the battery case 31 to waterproof the battery unit 30 [0028]], first cover 3 and second cover 31 are secured to frame member 35 [fixing members 38 securing the battery unit 30 to the floor panel 3 are welded to the battery cover 34 so as to surround the sealing bolts 42. With this arrangement, the fixing members 38 reinforce a fastening portion between the battery cover 34 and the upper frame member 35 [0042]] and sealing member 36 is disposed in a vicinity where second cover 31 is secured to frame member 35 [FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the holding structure provided on the side of the cross frame 35 f of the battery cover 34 [0031]] for the purpose of providing environmental sealing adjacent fastening locations to prevent moisture ingress while permitting removable covers and structural support.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device taught by Persson in view of Nagano and Sugizaki to include the frame member surrounding the securing unit and power storage module, the sealing member between the frame member and second cover, the first and second cover secured to the frame member and the sealing member where the second cover is secured to the frame member as taught by Sugizaki because doing so would have provided environmental sealing to prevent moisture ingress while permitting removable covers and structural support.
d. Regarding claim 8, Persson in view of Nagano and Sugizaki teaches the power storage device according to claim 7.
Persson further teaches second cover 150 secured to frame member 160, 162 [crossbeams 160 are at their distal ends connected to side rails 162, the crossbeams and side rails together forming a frame [0040]] below power storage module 140 [FIG. 2C shows a cross-section through plane IIC-IIC with the battery modules fixed to both the crossbeams 160 and the reinforcement structures 170; Each battery module 140 is individually mounted, via flanges 147 of its casing 142 to two crossbeams 160 of chassis floor 110 using bolts 145 [0040]; structures 170 are typically fixed to the cover plate 150 using bolts 159 which extend through the support structures 170 into the flanges 147 of the module casings 142 so that the modules in this manner are also fixed to the cover plate; the distal lower surface of each battery module 140 remains spaced apart by a distance S of between 5 and 10 cm from upward facing inner surface 151 of the cover plate 150 [0041]].
7. Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Persson et al. (US Patent Publication 2022/0176788) in view of Nagano et al. (US Patent Publication 2019/0255929), Sugizaki et al. (US Patent Publication 2017/0267089), and Lee et al. (US Patent Publication 2020/0259140).
a. Regarding claim 9, Persson in view of Nagano and Sugizaki teaches (references to Sugizaki) the power storage device according to claim 5 having a fastener member fastening second cover 31 and securing unit 38 [fixing members 38 securing the battery unit 30 to the floor panel 3 are welded to the battery cover 34 so as to surround the sealing bolts 42. With this arrangement, the fixing members 38 reinforce a fastening portion between the battery cover 34 and the upper frame member 35 [0042]; battery cover 34 is fastened to the flange 31 a of the battery case 31 at a position outside the sealing member 36 a and is consequently secured to the battery case 31 [0028]].
Persson in view of Nagano and Sugizaki does not specifically teach the second cover includes a cover body and an extending ridge receding upward from the cover body, wherein the fastener member fastens the extending ridge and the securing unit.
Lee teaches second cover 220 [lower cover 220 on which the battery stack 10 is placed [0039]] includes extending ridge 221 receding upward from the cover body [Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the above-described lower cover 220 may include a stepped portion 221 formed therein in a stepped shape inward from a lower surface thereof [0056]], fastener member 412 fastens extending ridge 221 and securing unit 212b [fastening member 412 may be inserted into the first binding hole 212 b 1 and the second binding hole 2211 in the direction perpendicular to the lower cover 220, and the stepped portion 221 and the binding portion 212 b may be bound to each other by the second fastening member 412 [0067]] for the purpose of providing the lower cover with an upwardly recessed fastening portion and to fasten that portion to the downwardly extending upper-cover support structure and increase the structural rigidity between the lower cover and securing unit without changing the function of the enclosure.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device taught by Persson in view of Nagano and Sugizaki to include the second cover extending ridge receding upward from the cover body and fastener member that fastens the extending ridge and securing unit as taught by Lee because doing so would have provided the lower cover with an upwardly recessed fastening portion and to fasten that portion to the downwardly extending upper-cover support structure and increase the structural rigidity between the lower cover and securing unit without changing the function of the enclosure.
8. Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Persson et al. (US Patent Publication 2022/0176788) in view of Nagano et al. (US Patent Publication 2019/0255929), Sugizaki et al. (US Patent Publication 2017/0267089), Lee et al. (US Patent Publication 2020/0259140), and Lee et al. (US Patent Publication 2024/0190228).
a. Regarding claim 10, Persson in view of Nagano, Sugizaki, and Lee ‘140 teaches (references to Lee) the power storage device according to claim 9 having fastener member 412 and the cover body [Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the above-described lower cover 220 may include a stepped portion 221 formed therein in a stepped shape inward from a lower surface thereof [0056]].
Persson in view of Nagano, Sugizaki, and Lee ‘140 does not specifically teach the fastener member has a lower end at the same position as or above an undersurface of the cover body in the up-down direction.
Lee ‘228 teaches fastener member 43 has a lower end at the same position as or above an undersurface of cover body 37 in the up-down direction [cover fastening bolt 43 penetrating the under cover 37 [0103]; the head of the cover fastening bolt 43 and the lower end portion of the under cover 37 may be commonly aligned with the minimum ground clearance LH [0104]] for the purpose of providing for improving durability of the battery enclosure against impacts from road debris while reducing localized loading on the fastener.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device taught by Persson in view of Nagano, Sugizaki, and Lee ‘140 to include the fastener member that has a lower end at the same position as or above an undersurface of the cover body in the up-down direction as taught by Lee ‘228 because doing so would have provided for improving durability of the battery enclosure against impacts from road debris while reducing localized loading on the fastener.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jeffrey Ryan Larsen whose telephone number is (571) 270-5458. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday 8am-4pm est.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amy Weisberg can be reached on (571) 270-5500. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/J. R. L./
Examiner, Art Unit 3612
/AMY R WEISBERG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3612
Prosecution Insights