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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the cross-shaped valve (claim 25) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claim(s) 13-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Haussmann et al. (German Patent Publication DE102020213093A1, “Haussmann”).
Regarding claim 13, Haussmann discloses a thermal management module (40, fig 2) for an electric vehicle (¶0001), wherein the thermal management module is configured to be placed in a cooling circuit (20) in an electric vehicle, and wherein the thermal management module is configured to regulate or control the flow of a coolant in the cooling circuit (¶0030), wherein the thermal management module comprises at least one regulator (42, 30), wherein the at least one regulator is configured to regulate or control the flow of the coolant through at least one heat sink (see ¶0015).
Regarding claim 14, Haussmann further discloses wherein the at least one heat sink is a predetermined component (¶0015).
Regarding claim 15, Haussmann further discloses wherein the at least one regulator (42, 30) is configured to reverse a flow direction of the coolant through at least one part of the cooling circuit (¶0031).
Regarding claim 16, Haussmann further discloses wherein the at least one regulator (42, 30) is a valve (42).
Regarding claim 17, Haussmann, in annotated embodiment (fig 5), further discloses wherein the at least one regulator (30, 46) is a pump (30) with a check valve (46).
Regarding claim 18, Haussmann, in another embodiment (fig 8), further discloses wherein the at least one heat sink (50) is an electric motor (at least for operating the fan).
Regarding claim 19, Haussmann further discloses at least one bypass, wherein the at least one bypass (see annotated fig 2 below) is configured to circumvent at least one predetermined element (see annotated fig 2 below).
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Regarding claim 20, Haussmann further discloses a cooling circuit for an electric vehicle (¶0002), comprising at least one thermal management module according to claim 13.
Regarding claim 21, Haussmann discloses a method for cooling a battery for a quick charging process of an electric vehicle (see ¶0012), comprising the following steps:
b) detecting a starting point of a quick charging process (see ¶0012),
d) activating a coolant flow through at least one heat sink (see ¶0015),
e) detecting an end point of the quick charging process (see ¶0026-0027), and
g) deactivating the coolant flow through the at least one heat sink (see ¶0026-0027).
Regarding claim 22, Haussmann further discloses the following steps:
c) a first reversal of a flow direction of the coolant (fig 2, ¶0031), and
f) a second reversal of the flow direction of the coolant, wherein the first reversal of the flow direction of the coolant takes place after step (a) detecting the starting point of the quick charging process and after the second reversal of the flow direction of the coolant takes place after step (e) (see ¶0026-0027).
Regarding claim 23, Haussmann further discloses the following step:
a) detecting at least one starting state parameter (“charging state”) that characterizes a starting state and outputting information characterizing the starting state (see ¶0026-0027).
Regarding claim 24, Haussmann further discloses wherein the at least one starting state parameter, which characterizes a starting state, is a charging state of the battery (see ¶0026-0027)
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(s) 25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hausmann as applied to claim 16 above, and further in view of Kang (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0038568, “Kang”).
Regarding claim 25, Hausmann discloses all previous claim limitations. However, Hausmann does not explicitly disclose wherein the at least one regulator is a cross-shaped valve. Kang, however, discloses a regulator for refrigerant (fig 1, ¶0002) which is a cross-shaped valve. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for Hausmann to provide the valve of Kang in order to allow for more operation modes (see ¶0078-0081).
Claim(s) 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hausmann as applied to claim 17 above, and further in view of Kleinschuster (German Patent Publication DE102020109853A1).
Regarding claim 26, Haussmann further discloses wherein the pump is a centrifugal pump. However, Hausmann does not explicitly disclose wherein the pump is a centrifugal pump. Kleinschuster, however, discloses a thermal management module wherein the pump is a centrifugal pump (¶0006). It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for Hausmann to provide the pump of Kleinschuster in order to optimize the movement of the fluid.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HARRY E ARANT whose telephone number is (571)272-1105. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10-6 ET.
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/HARRY E ARANT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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