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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`17/266, 162
`
`02/05/2021
`
`HIROAKI GONDOH
`
`083710-3417
`
`2799
`
`Rimon PC - Panasonic Corporation
`8300 Greensboro Dr.
`Suite 500
`McLean, VA 22102
`
`LUO, KAN
`
`1751
`
`PAPER NUMBER
`
`NOTIFICATION DATE
`
`DELIVERY MODE
`
`06/12/2024
`
`ELECTRONIC
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
`
`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e-mail address(es):
`USPTOmail @rimonlaw.com
`
`eofficeaction @appcoll.com
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`Office Action Summary
`
`Application No.
`17/266,162
`Examiner
`KAN LUO
`
`Applicant(s)
`GONDOH, HIROAKI
`Art Unit
`AIA (FITF) Status
`1751
`Yes
`
`-- The MAILING DATEof this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORYPERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensionsof time may be available underthe provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply betimely filed after SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing
`date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, evenif timely filed, may reduce any earned patent term
`adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`Status
`
`
`
`1) Responsive to communication(s)filed on 15 February 2024.
`C} A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
`2a)[¥) This action is FINAL.
`2b) (J This action is non-final.
`3) An election was madeby the applicant in responseto a restriction requirement set forth during the interview
`on
`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
`4)(2) Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quayle, 1935 C.D. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1.and 3-8 is/are pending in the application.
`)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s) _ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`Claim(s) 1 and 3-7 is/are allowed.
`Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected.
`[) Claim(s)__ is/are objectedto.
`C] Claim(s
`are subjectto restriction and/or election requirement
`)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you maybeeligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`http:/Awww.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
`
`) ) ) )
`
`Application Papers
`10) The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)() The drawing(s) filed on
`is/are: a)C] accepted or b)() objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121(d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12).) Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d)or (f).
`Certified copies:
`—_c)LJ None ofthe:
`b)LJ Some**
`a)D) All
`1.) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.1 Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.2.) Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been receivedin this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`*“ See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
`
`Attachment(s)
`
`1)
`
`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`
`2) (J Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3)
`
`4)
`
`(LJ Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`(Qj Other:
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20240603
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/266,162
`Art Unit: 1751
`
`Page 2
`
`DETAILED ACTION
`
`Notice of Pre-AlA orAIA Status
`
`The presentapplication,filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first
`
`inventorto file provisions of the AIA.
`
`Status of Application
`
`Claims 1 and 3-8 are pending. Claim1 is amended, claim 2 is cancelled, and claims 6-8 are new
`
`claims, submitted on 2/15/2024. Claims 1 and 3-8 are presented for examination.
`
`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
`
`1.
`
`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 forthin 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.
`
`2.
`
`The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966),
`
`that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are
`
`summarizedas follows:
`
`1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
`
`2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
`
`3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
`
`4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or
`
`nonobviousness.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/266,162
`Art Unit: 1751
`
`Page 3
`
`3.
`
`Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (US 20150079426 A1,
`
`IDS of 4/19/2021), in view of Freiman (US 20170084894 A 1).
`
`Regarding claim 8, Chen discloses a battery module (battery pack, [0062] and FIG.10)
`
`comprising: a plurality of batteries (80, FIG.10) eachincluding an exhaust valve (pressure-relief plate
`
`804, FIG. 10); and acooling path (guiding cover 70, FIG. 10) configured to cool and guide a gas ejected
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`from the exhaust valve to an outside of the battery module (through exhaust port 702 and mesh cover
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`60, [0065] and FIG.10),
`
`Chen discloses the temperaturefor igniting the gas is generally higher than 450°C ([0057]) and
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`the mixture being blown out cannotignite in the surrounding air ([(0066]) which reads on the claim
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`limitation “wherein the cooling path is configured to set atemperatureT (°C) of the gas at an outlet of
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`the cooling path to lower than or equal to 500°C” because the temperatureof the mixture being blown
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`out is necessarily and inherently lower than or equal to 450°C to avoid ignition in the surrounding air.
`
`Chen discloses a concern about the filtered staff may deposit on and block the pressure relief
`
`valve when runaway occursto the lithium ion battery, which may lead to sharp increase of pressurein
`
`the lithium ion battery and even explosion of the lithium ion battery ([0022]), the cooling path ([0061]-
`
`[0066]) includes at least one of a filter (mesh cover 60, FIG. 10) and according to other embodiments,
`
`the lithium ion battery can be formed with two or morelayers of mesh cover 60 ([0055]), Chen does not
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`explicitly disclose the cooling path includes a plurality of baffle plates.
`
`Freiman teaches the venting of batterycells of an electrified vehicle battery pack ([0001]) and
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`the venting system 74 includes a spacer plate 88 for preventing blockage of the vent port 76 ([0050] and
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`FIG. 5). The spacer plate 88 includesa plurality of perforations 94 (see FIG. 6). The perforations 94
`
`ensure the free flow of gaseous byproducts even if portions of the spacer plate 88 become blocked by
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`solid electrode debris or other debris ([0052]). A skilled artisan would have found it obvious to replace
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`somelayers of mesh cover of Chen with a plurality of spacer plates for a plurality of baffle plates, as
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/266,162
`Art Unit: 1751
`
`Page 4
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`taught by Freiman, in order to prevent blockage of the pressurerelief valve thus avoid sharp increase of
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`pressure in the lithium ion battery and even explosion of the lithium ion battery, as desired by Chen.
`
`It would have been obvious for one having ordinaryskill in the art before the effectivefiling date
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`of the claimed invention, to replace some layers of mesh cover of Chen with a plurality of baffle plates
`
`and arrive at the claimed “the cooling pathincludes a plurality of baffle plates”, as taught by Freiman,in
`
`order to prevent blockage of the pressure relief valve thus avoid sharpincrease of pressure in the
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`lithium ion battery and even explosion of the lithium ion battery, as desired by Chen.
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`Modified Chen further discloses the gas and the vapor can pass through the through holes 608
`
`({0054]), and when thermal runaway occurs, the temperaturein the lithium ion battery is generally
`
`higher than 400°C ([0008]); and the mesh cover defines a number of through holes 608, and each
`
`through hole 608 has a shapeofcircle, ellipse or square and has a sectional area of 0.1~ 5 mm?, which
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`translates toanopening size A (diameter) of 0.36%2.52 mm for a shapeofcircle for the through hole,
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`falling within the range of smaller thanor equal to 3.5 mmas claimed and arrive at “the plurality of
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`baffle plates have an opening size A (mm) of smaller than or equal to 3.5mm, and the plurality of baffle
`
`plates limit a size of an ejected object included in the gas when the temperature T is higher than or
`
`equal to 350°C” because modified Chen renders obvious to replace some layers of mesh cover with a
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`plurality of baffle plates with a plurality of perforations, as set forth above taught by Freiman, and it is
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`obvious to have the same opening sizeAfor the plurality of perforations of the baffle plates to ensure
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`effective passage of gas and vapor through the through holes when thermal runaway occurs, as desired
`
`by Chen.
`
`It would have been further obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective
`
`filing date of the claimed invention, to have the same opening size A for the plurality of perforations of
`
`the baffle plates and arrive at the claimed “the plurality of baffle plates have an opening size A (mm) of
`
`smaller than or equal to 3.5 mm, and the plurality of baffle plates limit a size of an ejected object
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/266,162
`Art Unit: 1751
`
`Page5S
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`included in the gas when the temperatureT is higher than or equal to 350°C”, as taught by Freiman,in
`
`order to prevent blockage of the pressurerelief valve avoiding sharp increase of pressure in the lithium
`
`ion battery and even explosion of the lithium ion battery and to ensure effective passage of gas and
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`vapor through the through holes when thermal runaway occurs, as desired by Chen.
`
`Allowable Subject Matter
`
`A.
`
`Claims 1 and 3-7 are allowable after the amendment made on February 15, 2024.
`
`With the amendment submitted on February 15, 2024, the closest prior art is considered to be
`
`Chen (US 20150079426A1, IDS of 4/19/2021) and Bagaria (Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process
`
`Industries, 56 (2018), 518-523).
`
`The following isan Examiner’s statement of reasonsfor allowable claims 1 and 3-7:
`
`The invention of the independent claim1is directed to a battery module comprising: a plurality
`
`of batteries each including an exhaust valve; and a cooling path configured to cool and guide agas
`
`ejected from the exhaust valve to an outside of the battery module, wherein: the cooling path is
`
`configured to set a temperature T (°C) of the gas at an outlet of the cooling path to lower than or equal
`
`to 500°C, the cooling path includes at least one of a filter or a baffle plate, the filter has an opening size
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`A (mm) of smaller than or equal to 3.5 mm or the baffle plate has the opening size A (mm) equivalent to
`
`smaller than or equal to 3.5 mm,the at least one of the filter or the baffle plate limits a size of an
`
`ejected object included in the gas when the temperatureT is higher than or equal to 350°C, and the
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`cooling path is formed based on a condition of a formula 1: T < 350-{Ln(A/3.5)}/0.008.
`
`Chen discloses eachand every claimed limitation of the amended claim 1 as set forth in the non-
`
`final Office Action, except the limitation “the cooling pathis formed based ona condition of a formula 1:
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`T < 350-{Ln(A/3.5)}/0.008”. Although Chen discloses the necessity of prevention the mixture being
`
`blown out in the surrounding air from ignition in order to improve safety performance of the lithium ion
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/266,162
`Art Unit: 1751
`
`Page 6
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`battery ([0066]), and the facts such as, athreshold temperature T of generally higher than 450°C
`
`({0057]) of the exhaust gas at outlet of cooling path for igniting the gas, an opening size A (diameter) of
`
`the filter with a range of 0.36%2.52 mm calculated from a sectional area of 0.1~ 5 mm? ([0054]), anda
`
`chamber having a volume of 0.3~5mm? jointly enclosed by the mesh cover and the pressurerelief plate
`
`50 ([0053] and [0056]), Chen does not disclose or suggest that the cooling path is provided to limit the
`
`size of the particles ejection from the outlet to a predetermined value or less thana predetermined
`
`value. Thus one having ordinary skill in the art would not find it obvious to combine the teaching of
`
`Bagaria regarding the relationship between the ratio of minimum ignition energy (MIE) and the ratio of
`
`shifted size distribution of particle size in diameters MIE,/MIE =d,3/d,? in Eq. (2) on page 522. Thus the
`
`closest prior art taken individually and/or in combination fails to disclose, teach, suggest, or otherwise
`
`render obvious the claimed limitation “the cooling path is formed based on a condition of a formula 1: T
`
`< 350-{Ln(A/3.5)}/0.008” for the reasonsset forth above.
`
`Claims 3-4 and 6 are allowed for the same reasonsas discussed with regards to claim1 since
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`they each contains the allowable subject matter of claim 1.
`
`The invention of the independent claim 5 is directed to a battery module comprising: a plurality
`
`of batteries each including an exhaust valve; and a cooling path configured to cool and guide agas
`
`ejected from the exhaust valve to an outside of a module, wherein the cooling path is configured such
`
`that a temperatureT of the gas at an outlet of the cooling pathis lower than or equal to 500°C and a
`
`diameter B of an ejected object in the gas discharged from the outlet is smallerthan or equal to 3.5 mm
`
`based on a condition of a formula 2: B < 3.5e{0.008(350- T)}.
`
`Chen discloses eachand every claimed limitation of the amended claim 1 as set forth in the non-
`
`final Office Action, except the limitation “the cooling pathis configured such that a diameter B of an
`
`ejected object in the gas discharged from the outlet is smaller than or equal to 3.5mm based ona
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/266,162
`Art Unit: 1751
`
`Page 7
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`condition of aformula 2: B < 3.5e{0.008(350 -T)}”. Although Chen discusses the necessity of prevention
`
`from igniting the mixture being blown out in the surrounding air ([0066]), and the facts such as, the
`
`threshold temperature T (450 °C) of the exhaust gas at outlet of cooling path for igniting the gas
`
`({0057]), an opening size A (diameter)of the filter with a range of 0.36%2.52 mm calculated from a
`
`sectional area of 0.1~5 mm? ([0054]), and a chamber having a volume of 0.3~5mm? jointly enclosed by
`
`the mesh cover and the pressurerelief plate 50 ({0053] and [0056]), Chen does not disclose or suggest
`
`that the cooling path is provided to limit the size of the particles ejection from the outlet toa
`
`predeterminedvalue or less than a predetermined value. Thus one having ordinaryskill in the art would
`
`not find it obvious to combine the teaching of Bagaria regarding the relationship between the ratio of
`
`minimum ignition energy (MIE) and the ratio of shifted size distribution of particle size in diameters
`
`MIE,/MIE,=d,3/d23 in Eq. (2) on page 522. Thus the closest prior art taken individually and/or in
`
`combinationfails to disclose, teach, suggest, or otherwise render obvious the claimed limitation “the
`
`cooling path is configured such that a diameter B of an ejected object in the gas discharged from the
`
`outlet is smaller than or equal to 3.5 mm based on a condition of a formula 2: B < 3.5e{0.008(350 - T)}”
`
`for the reasons set forth above.
`
`Claim 7 is allowed for the same reasons as discussed with regards toclaim 5 since it contains the
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`allowable subject matter of claim 5.
`
`Conclusion
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`5.
`
`Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presentedin this Office
`
`action. Accordingly, THIS ACTIONIS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the
`
`extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
`
`A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from
`
`the mailing date of this action.
`
`In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS ofthe mailing date
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/266,162
`Art Unit: 1751
`
`Page 8
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`of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH
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`shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory
`
`action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing
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`date of the advisory action.
`
`In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than
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`SIX MONTHS from the date ofthis final action.
`
`6.
`
`Anyinquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner
`
`should be directed to KAN LUO whose telephone number is (571)270-5753. The examiner can normally
`
`be reached M-F, 9:00AM - 5:00PM EST.
`
`Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a
`
`USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use
`
`the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
`
`If attempts to reachthe examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor,
`
`Jonathan Leong can be reached on (571)270-1292. The fax phone number for the organization where
`
`this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
`
`Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from
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`Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To
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`https ://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and
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`571-272-1000.
`
`/K. L./
`Examiner, Art Unit 1751
`6/3/2024
`
`/Haroon S. Sheikh/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1751
`
`