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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Obashi et al. (US 2013/0273829 A1)
Re. claim 1: Obashi discloses an energy storage box, comprising:
a box body (12, 30); (see fig. 4)
a power distribution box (circuitry behind batteries 60 in Fig. 5) and an energy storage device (60), wherein the power distribution box and the energy storage device are both arranged in the box body, and the energy storage device has a first medium flow path (80, 48, 112); and (see fig. 1-3, 5, 10; para. 0037-0041, 0083-0089)
a heat exchange mechanism, wherein the heat exchange mechanism comprises:
a heat exchange device (50), wherein at least part of the heat exchange device is arranged in the power distribution box, and the heat exchange device has a second medium flow path (second 48 and 112); and
a temperature adjustment device (fan, 80, 82), wherein the temperature adjustment device communicates with the first medium flow path to form a first medium circulation flow path, the temperature adjustment device is connected to the second medium flow path to form a second medium circulation flow path, (see fig. 6, para. 0038)
the first medium circulation flow path and the second medium circulation flow path comprise a heat exchange medium (air) therein, and the temperature adjustment device is configured to adjust the temperature of the heat exchange medium (air is re-cooled and cycled). (see para. 0046)
Claim(s) 1-3, 14, and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Xiong et al. (US 2024/0021912 A1).
Re. claims 1 and 20: Xiong discloses an energy storage system (600) comprising an energy storage box, comprising:
a box body (10); (see fig. 1-2)
a power distribution box (21, 22) and an energy storage device (11), wherein the power distribution box and the energy storage device are both arranged in the box body, and the energy storage device has a first medium flow path (103); and (see fig. 4; para. 0031-0035)
a heat exchange mechanism, wherein the heat exchange mechanism comprises:
a heat exchange device (61, 62), wherein at least part of the heat exchange device is arranged in the power distribution box (21), and the heat exchange device has a second medium flow path (105); and (see fig. 5; para. 0037-0039)
a temperature adjustment device (5), wherein the temperature adjustment device
communicates with the first medium flow path (103) to form a first medium circulation flow path (104), the temperature adjustment device is connected to the second medium flow path to form a second medium circulation flow path, (see fig. 7, 8; para. 0031-0032)
the first medium circulation flow path and the second medium circulation flow path comprise a heat exchange medium therein (refrigerant), and the temperature adjustment device is configured to adjust the temperature of the heat exchange medium. (see para. 0035-0039)
Re. claim 2: Xiong discloses wherein the second medium flow path (103) communicates with the first medium flow path (105), so that the heat exchange medium (refrigerant) whose temperature is adjusted by the temperature adjustment device (5) flows into the second medium flow path through part of the first medium flow path. (see fig. 7, 8; para. 0035-0037)
Re. claim 3: Xiong discloses wherein the heat exchange device (61, 62) comprises:
a first heat exchange member (flow channels), a first medium flow channel (inlet flow channel) is formed in the first heat exchange member and the first heat exchange member is attached to the power distribution box (21), (see fig. 7; para. 0031, 0037-0039)
the first medium flow channel is formed as at least part of the second medium flow path (105), and the first medium flow channel communicates with the temperature adjustment device (5) to form the second medium circulation flow path. (see fig. 7, 8; para. 0035-0037)
Re. claim 14: Xiong discloses a main control box (12), wherein the main control box is connected to the energy storage device (11) to control the energy storage device, and the main control box is provided with a flow disturbance member (121) therein, so that air flows in the main control box. (see fig. 2; para. 0038-0042)
Re. claim 15: Xiong discloses wherein the temperature adjustment device (5) has a medium inlet and a medium outlet (51), and the first medium flow path is communicated between the medium inlet and the medium outlet to form the first medium circulation flow path. (see fig. 2, 5; para. 0035-0036)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-12, and 16-19 are 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Re. claim 4: the limitations of “wherein the heat exchange device further comprises: a first heat sink, and the first heat sink is arranged on the first heat exchange member to dissipate heat from the first heat exchange member” in combination with the remaining limitations in the claim cannot be found in the prior art.
Re. claim 5: the limitations of “wherein the heat exchange device further comprises: a first air supply member, and the first air supply member is adapted to blow air toward the first heat exchange member” in combination with the remaining limitations in the claim cannot be found in the prior art.
Re. claim 6: the limitations of “wherein the heat exchange device further comprises: a second heat exchange member, a second medium flow channel is formed in the second heat exchange member and the second heat exchange member is arranged on the power distribution box” in combination with the remaining limitations in the claim cannot be found in the prior art.
Re. claim 11: the limitations of “the first drive pump is connected between the second medium flow path and the temperature adjustment device to drive a heat exchange medium to circulate in the second medium circulation flow path” in combination with the remaining limitations in the claim cannot be found in the prior art.
Re. claim 12: the limitation of “the second drive pump is arranged in the first medium circulation flow path to drive a heat exchange medium to circulate in the first medium circulation flow path” in combination with the remaining limitations in the claim cannot be found in the prior art.
Re. claim 16: the limitations of “the first pipeline is communicated between the medium inlet and an outlet of the corresponding first medium flow path, and the second pipeline is communicated between the medium outlet and an inlet of the corresponding first medium flow path” in combination with the remaining limitations in the claim cannot be found in the prior art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Eisenhour (US 8,574,734 B2) discloses a vehicle battery cooling system comprising a 2-phase system. Chi et al. (US 2020/0067156 A1) discloses a battery pack with cooling fins.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ADAM B DRAVININKAS whose telephone number is (571)270-1353. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9a-6p MT.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JAYPRAKASH (JP) N GANDHI can be reached at 571-272-3740. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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January 16, 2026
/ADAM B DRAVININKAS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2835