DETAILED ACTION
Status of the Claims
In the communication dated October 8, 2025, claims 1-10 and 21-26 are pending. Claims 11-20 are presently cancelled, claims 1 and 3 are amended and claims 21-26 are newly added.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-26 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Dong et al US20200259330A1 in view of Books et al. US20210354577A1 is newly cited, as detailed further below in response to the claim amendments.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The actual filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/applying-online/eterminal-disclaimer.
This is a provisional nonstatutory double patenting rejection because the patentably indistinct claims have not in fact been patented.
Each of the double patenting rejections refers back to the claim comparison below:
Present application
Reference application 17/529,596
1. (Original) A battery system, comprising: at least one battery pack comprising: a direct current to direct current (DC/DC) pre-charger, at least one battery cell, a positive terminal and a negative terminal of the at least one battery cell electrically connected to a first positive bidirectional terminal and a first negative bidirectional terminal, respectively, associated with the DC/DC pre-charger, wherein the positive terminal and the negative terminal are electrically connected to a positive output terminal and a negative output terminal, respectively, of the at least one battery pack via at least one positive electrical connection and at least one negative electrical connection; a high voltage bus bar electrically connected to the positive output terminal and the negative output terminal of the at least one battery pack the HV bus bar being configured to operate at a voltage of at least about 100V; a low voltage (LV) bus bar electrically connected to one or more LV loads and configured to operate at a voltage of less than about 100V; and a communication bus bar electrically connected to the DC/DC pre-charger, wherein the DC/DC pre-charger is configured to selectively pre-charge the high voltage bus bar and/or discharge the high voltage bus bar via a second positive bidirectional terminal and a second negative bidirectional terminal.
1. (Currently amended) A battery system, comprising: a first battery string comprising a first plurality of high voltage battery packs each comprising at least 100 volts of direct current (Vdc) potential and connected in series, each battery pack comprising a direct current to direct current (DC/DC) converter and at least one battery cell, a second battery string connected in parallel with the first battery string, the second battery string comprising a second plurality of high voltage battery packs each comprising at least 100 volts of direct current (Vdc) potential and connected in series, each battery pack comprising a second direct current to direct current (DC/DC) converter and at least one battery cell; wherein a positive terminal and a negative terminal of at least one battery cell of each battery pack are electrically connected to a positive terminal and a negative terminal, respectively, associated with the respective DC/DC converter; a high voltage bus bar electrically connected to the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the at least one battery cell; a low voltage bus bar electrically connected to each DC/DC converter via respective direct flow paths, wherein each DC/DC converter is configured to: import power to the at least one battery cell from the low voltage bus bar; export an equal amount of power at a target current from the at least one battery cell to the low voltage bus bar; and (i) receive electrical power from the low voltage bus bar, increase the voltage of the electrical power, and then output the electrical power to the respective battery module of each battery pack; or (ii) receive electrical power from the respective battery module of each battery pack, decrease the voltage of the electrical power, and output the electrical power to the low voltage bus bar, wherein each DC/DC converter is configured to export from respective battery modules of each battery pack to the low voltage bus bar on a per-string basis; a communication bus bar electrically connected to the DC/DC converter; and at least one computing system configured to communicate with the DC/DC converter via the communication bus bar.
6. (Original) The battery system of claim 1, wherein a battery management system (BMS) within the at least one battery pack comprises a computing system configured to communicate with the DC/DC pre-charger via a communication bus bar.
1. . . . at least one computing system configured to communicate with the DC/DC converter via the communication bus bar.
2. (Original) The battery system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computing system comprises: a battery management system (BMS) within the at least one battery pack configured to communicate with the DC/DC converter and an energy storage management (ESM) system external to the at least one battery pack configured to communicate with the BMS.
7. (Original) The battery system of claim 1, wherein the first positive bidirectional terminal and the first negative bidirectional terminal are separately controllable from control of the DC/DC pre-charger.
3. (Original) The battery system of claim 1, wherein the positive terminal and the negative terminal associated with the DC/DC converter are controllable separate from control of the DC/DC converter.
8. (Original) The battery system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is configured to control the pre-charging or the discharging of the high voltage bus bar according to a set of parameters.
6. (Original) The battery system of claim 1, wherein the DC/DC converter is configured to import the power or export the power based on a set of parameters.
7. (Original) The battery system of claim 6, wherein the at least one computing system is configured to provide the set of parameters to the DC/DC converter via the communication bus bar.
9. (Original) The battery system of claim 1, wherein the at least one battery pack comprises multiple battery packs electrically connected in series to form a string of battery packs.
1. (Currently amended) A battery system, comprising: a first battery string comprising a first plurality of high voltage battery packs each comprising at least 100 volts of direct current (Vdc) potential and connected in series . . .
10. (Original) The battery system of claim 9, wherein the battery system further comprises multiple strings of battery packs electrically connected in parallel, and wherein DC/DC pre-chargers in each of the battery packs are configured to pre-charge or discharge at least a portion of a total string voltage.
1. (Currently amended) A battery system, comprising: a first battery string comprising a first plurality of high voltage battery packs each comprising at least 100 volts of direct current (Vdc) potential and connected in series, each battery pack comprising a direct current to direct current (DC/DC) converter and at least one battery cell, a second battery string connected in parallel with the first battery string,
Claims 1, 4-5, 9-10 and 21-22 are provisionally rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claim 1 of copending Application No. 17/529,596 (reference application) in view of Dong US20200259330A1 and Books et al. US20210354577A1.
Regarding claim 1, the reference claims are silent as to the positive terminal and the negative terminal are electrically connected to a positive output terminal and a negative output terminal, respectively, of the at least one battery pack via at least one positive electrical connection and at least one negative electrical connection; LV configured to operate at a voltage of less than about 100V.
Dong discloses that the positive terminal and the negative terminal are electrically connected to a positive output terminal and a negative output terminal (¶25-26 – string power converter 214 may include a bidirectional non-isolated power converter, isolated power converter or a buck converter), , respectively, of the at least one battery pack via at least one positive electrical connection and at least one negative electrical connection (FIG. 3 - the electrical connection has a respective output from the DCDC converter) .
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to apply the system of Dong to the claimed reference application in order to support loads having different voltages thus improving the performance of the device (¶7).
Dong does not explicitly teach that the high voltage is at least about 100V and the low voltage is less than about 100V.
Books disclose a low voltage bus that is at less than 100 volts (¶22), thus, if a low voltage is less than 100 V, it follows that anything higher than 100V would be considered a high voltage.
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time of invention before the effective filing date to apply the teachings of Books to the system of the reference application as claimed as both are related to the same field of endeavor to control the supply of power through a DC/DC converter.
Regarding claim 4. The reference claims are silent as to the second positive bidirectional terminal of the DC/DC pre-charger is electrically connected to a positive external bidirectional terminal, and wherein the second negative bidirectional terminal of the DC/DC pre-charger is electrically connected to a negative external bidirectional terminal.
Dong discloses that the second positive bidirectional terminal of the DC/DC pre-charger is electrically connected to a positive external bidirectional terminal (FIG. 2 illustrates the converter 214 having separate terminals), and wherein the second negative bidirectional terminal of the DC/DC pre-charger is electrically connected to a negative external bidirectional terminal (FIG. 2 illustrates the converter 214 having separate terminals).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to apply the system of Dong to the claimed reference application in order to support loads having different voltages thus improving the performance of the device (¶7).
Regarding claim 5. The reference claims are silent as to the positive external bidirectional terminal and the negative external bidirectional terminal are electrically connected to the high voltage bus bar.
Dong discloses that the positive external bidirectional terminal and the negative external bidirectional terminal are electrically connected to the high voltage bus bar (each of the terminals of the converter 214 are electrically connected to the high-voltage busbar 206, one terminal is connected via module 208).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to apply the system of Dong to the claimed reference application in order to support loads having different voltages thus improving the performance of the device (¶7).
Regarding claim 10. The reference claims are silent as to DC/DC pre-chargers in each of the battery packs are configured to pre-charge or discharge at least a portion of a total string voltage.
Dong discloses that the battery system further comprises multiple strings of battery packs electrically connected in parallel (FIG. 2 – 208/210), and wherein DC/DC pre-chargers (214) in each of the battery packs are configured to pre-charge or discharge at least a portion of a total string voltage (¶23).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to apply the system of Dong to the claimed reference application in order to support loads having different voltages thus improving the performance of the device (¶7).
Regarding claim 21. the reference claims are silent as to the DC/DC pre-charger is configured to selectively pre-charge the HV bus bar and/or discharge the HV bus bar according to a pre-defined sequence of voltage steps controlled by a battery management system (BMS).
Dong discloses that the DC/DC pre-charger (214) is configured to selectively pre-charge the HV bus bar (206)and/or discharge the HV bus bar (206) according to a pre-defined sequence of voltage steps controlled by a battery management system (BMS) (¶27 – converter is a buck/boost converter which raises or lowers the voltage – the sequence of steps being that the voltage changes).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to apply the system of Dong to the claimed reference application in order to support loads having different voltages thus improving the performance of the device (¶7).
Regarding claim 22. the reference claims are silent as to the HV bus bar is configured to supply HV components, and wherein the LV bus bar is configured to supply auxiliary components.
Dong discloses that the HV bus bar (206) is configured to supply HV components (¶43 – bus 206 coupled to high voltage loads), and wherein the LV bus bar (209) is configured to supply auxiliary components (¶43 – low voltage loads).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to apply the system of Dong to the claimed reference application in order to support loads having different voltages thus improving the performance of the device (¶7).
Claims 2-3 and 6-8 are provisionally rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claim 1-3 and 6-7 of copending Application No. 17/529,596 (reference application) in view of Dong US20200259330A1, Books et al. US20210354577A1 and Zhou WO20212178530A1
Regarding claim 2, The reference claims are silent as to the at least one battery pack comprises at least one positive battery pack contactor and at least one negative battery pack contactor, and wherein the at least one positive battery pack contactor and the at least one negative battery pack contactor are configured to electrically separate the positive and negative terminals of the at least one battery cell from the positive and negative output terminals, respectively.
Zhou disclose that the at least one battery pack comprises at least one positive battery pack contactor (S1) and at least one negative battery pack contactor (S2) (FIG. 4d – the negative and positive terminals have corresponding switches S1/S2), and
wherein the at least one positive battery pack contactor and the at least one negative battery pack contactor are configured to electrically separate the positive and negative terminals of the at least one battery cell from the positive and negative output terminals, respectively (FIG. 4d - when the switches open the battery terminals will be isolated from each other).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to apply Zhou to the reference claims in order to improve the flexibility of the energy storage module and enhance the management effectiveness (Zhou; ¶5).
Regarding claim 3, the reference claims are silent as to the second positive bidirectional terminal and the second negative bidirectional terminal of the DC/DC pre-charger are electrically connected to the at least one positive electrical connection between the at least one positive battery pack contactor and the positive output terminal of the at least one battery back, and wherein the second negative bidirectional terminal of the DC/DC pre-charger is electrically connected to the at least one negative electrical connection between the at least one negative battery pack contactor and the negative output terminal of the at least one battery back.
Zhou discloses that the second positive bidirectional terminal and the second negative bidirectional terminal of the DC/DC pre-charger are electrically connected to the at least one positive electrical connection between the at least one positive battery pack contactor and the positive output terminal of the at least one battery back (in FIG. terminal of the DC/DC converter terminal is connected between the switch S1 and the positive battery terminal; partially reproduced and annotated FIG. 4d is illustrated below), and
wherein the second negative bidirectional terminal of the DC/DC pre-charger is electrically connected to the at least one negative electrical connection between the at least one negative battery pack contactor and the negative output terminal of the at least one battery back (in FIG. 4d the terminal of the DCDC converter terminal is connected between the switch S2 and the negative battery terminal; partially reproduced and annotated FIG. 4d is illustrated below).
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It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to apply Zhou to the reference claims in order to improve the flexibility of the energy storage module and enhance the management effectiveness (Zhou; ¶5).
Regarding claim 8. The reference claims are silent as to control the pre-charging or the discharging of the high voltage bus bar.
Zhou discloses that the computing system is configured to control the pre-charging or the discharging of the high voltage bus bar according to a set of parameters (¶94 – the BMU in each battery module can control the DC/DC converter of each group and realize information exchange).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to apply Zhou to the reference claims in order to improve the flexibility of the energy storage module and enhance the management effectiveness (Zhou; ¶5).
Claim 23 is provisionally rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claim 1-3 and 6-7 of copending Application No. 17/529,596 (reference application) in view of Dong US20200259330A1, Books et al. US20210354577A1 and Tagawa US20200220370A1
Regarding claim 23. The reference application does not explicitly teach the DC/DC pre-charger is configured to incrementally raise a voltage on the HV bus bar through multiple predetermined voltage steps to limit inrush current to less than about 5 A.
Dong teaches that the DC/DC pre-charger (214) is configured to incrementally raise a voltage (¶27 – DC/DC converter is a boost converter) on the HV bus bar (206) through multiple predetermined voltage steps (at least 2).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to apply the system of Dong to the claimed reference application in order to support loads having different voltages thus improving the performance of the device (¶7).
Dong does not explicitly disclose to limit inrush current to less than about 5 A.
Tagawa discloses to limit inrush current (¶59 – when the cell voltage is decreased, the Ic can flow as an inrush current, thus it is understood that when the voltage is increased, the inrush is limited).
Although Tagawa does not explicitly discloses that the inrush current is less than about 5 A, because it is known that an inrush current in the circuit is undesirable, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand to decrease the amount of inrush current as much as possible in order to avoid unwanted effects.
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for the system of reference application to prevent inrush current, as taught by Tagawa, in order to avoid stress to components of the system.
Claims 24 and 26 are provisionally rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claim 1-3 and 6-7 of copending Application No. 17/529,596 (reference application) in view of Dong US20200259330A1, Books et al. US20210354577A1 and Snyder et al. US20090212626A1.
Regarding claim 24. The reference application does not explicitly teach that the DC/DC pre-charger is further configured to controllably discharge the HV bus bar to the LV bus bar in response to a shutdown command from a battery management system (BMS).
Snyder discloses that the DC/DC pre-charger is further configured to controllably discharge the HV bus bar (104) to the LV bus bar (103) in response to a shutdown command from a battery management system (BMS) (¶90 – he PCC includes a DC-DC converter that isolates the voltages on the low voltage bus 103 from the high voltage bus 104, and provides power transfer between them as necessary).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the power transfer of Snyder to the system of the reference application in order to reduce the amount of power drawn which prevents degradation of the battery (¶6-8)
Regarding claim 26. The reference application does not explicitly disclose that a computing system of a battery management system (BMS) is configured to control operation of the DC/DC pre-charger, enforce pre-charging or discharging according to temperature, current, or voltage thresholds, and isolate the HV bus bar from the LV bus bar in an event of a fault.
Snyder discloses that a computing system of a battery management system (BMS) is configured to control operation of the DC/DC pre-charger, enforce pre-charging or discharging according to temperature, current, or voltage thresholds, and isolate the HV bus bar from the LV bus bar in an event of a fault. (¶90 - The PCC 106 isolates (i.e., electrically separates using a DC-DC converter) the FES voltage v_ucap from the battery voltage v_bus, representing the voltage of the DC bus, usually the same as the battery terminal voltage. v_ucap is the estimated theoretical voltage of a FES. The PCC includes a DC-DC converter that isolates the voltages on the low voltage bus 103 from the high voltage bus 104).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the power transfer of Snyder to the system of the reference application in order to reduce the amount of power drawn which prevents degradation of the battery (¶6-8)
Claim 25 is provisionally rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claim 1-3 and 6-7 of copending Application No. 17/529,596 (reference application) in view of Dong US20200259330A1, Books et al. US20210354577A1 and Xia et al. US20180178615A1.
Regarding claim 25. The reference application does not explicitly disclose that the at least one battery pack further comprises a coolant loop and a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater thermally coupled to the at least one battery cell, and wherein the DC/DC pre-charger is mounted to be cooled by the coolant loop.
Xia discloses the at least one battery pack (38) further comprises a coolant loop and a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater thermally coupled to the at least one battery cell, and wherein the DC/DC pre-charger is mounted to be cooled by the coolant loop (¶70-71 – coolant driven by water pump 32 and PCT heater 37, then flows to the battery pack and the DC/DC converter).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art by the effective filing date to control the temperature, as taught by Xia, of the system of the claimed reference application, in order to prevent excessively high or low temperatures which causes inefficient operation (¶70-73).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 1, 4-5 and 21-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dong et al US20200259330A1 in view of Books et al. US20210354577A1.
Regarding claim 1. Dong discloses a battery system (FIG. 2), comprising:
at least one battery pack (battery module 202) comprising:
a direct current to direct current (DC/DC) pre-charger (¶27 – string power converter 214 provided as a DC/DC converter),
at least one battery cell (212),
a positive terminal and a negative terminal of the at least one battery cell (FIG. 2) electrically connected to a first positive bidirectional terminal and a first negative bidirectional terminal, respectively, associated with the DC/DC pre-charger (¶25-26 – string power converter 214 may include a bidirectional non-isolated power converter, isolated power converter or a buck converter), wherein the positive terminal and the negative terminal are electrically connected to a positive output terminal and a negative output terminal (FIG. 2 – positive and negative terminal of the battery cell are attached to a positive and negative terminal of converter 214), respectively, of the at least one battery pack via at least one positive electrical connection and at least one negative electrical connection (FIG. 3 - the electrical connection has a respective output from the DCDC converter);
a high voltage (HV) bus bar electrically connected to the positive output terminal and the negative output terminal of the at least one battery pack (FIG. 2 – each side of the battery module is connected to the first DC bus (206)) the HV bus bar being configured to operate at a voltage of at least about 100V (¶43 – bus 206 may be coupled to high voltage loads);
a low voltage (LV) bus bar electrically connected to one or more LV loads and configured to operate at a voltage of less than about 100V (¶43 bus 209 coupled to low voltage loads); and
a communication bus bar electrically connected to the DC/DC pre-charger (¶19 – energy storage system includes communication module; ¶23 – controller controls the switching of the power converter 214 thus having a communication channel to the converter),
wherein the DC/DC pre-charger (214) is configured to pre-charge the high voltage bus bar (206) and/or discharge the high voltage bus bar via a second positive bidirectional terminal and a second negative bidirectional terminal (¶23 - the string power converter 214 adds a DC voltage between the battery module 202 and the first DC bus 206).
Dong does not explicitly teach that the high voltage is at least about 100V and the low voltage is less than about 100V.
Books disclose a low voltage bus that is at less than 100 volts (¶22), thus, if a low voltage is less than 100 V, it follows that anything higher than 100V would be considered a high voltage.
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time of invention before the effective filing date to apply the teachings of Books to the system of Dong as both are related to the same field of endeavor to control the supply of power through a DC/DC converter.
Regarding claim 4. Dong discloses that the second positive bidirectional terminal of the DC/DC pre-charger is electrically connected to a positive external bidirectional terminal (FIG. 2 illustrates the converter 214 having separate terminals), and wherein the second negative bidirectional terminal of the DC/DC pre-charger is electrically connected to a negative external bidirectional terminal (FIG. 2 illustrates the converter 214 having separate terminals).
Regarding claim 5. Dong discloses that the positive external bidirectional terminal and the negative external bidirectional terminal are electrically connected to the high voltage bus bar (each of the terminals of the converter 214 are electrically connected to the high-voltage busbar 206, one terminal is connected via module 208).
Regarding claim 21. Dong discloses that the DC/DC pre-charger (214) is configured to selectively pre-charge the HV bus bar (206)and/or discharge the HV bus bar (206) according to a pre-defined sequence of voltage steps controlled by a battery management system (BMS) (¶27 – converter is a buck/boost converter which raises or lowers the voltage – the sequence of steps being that the voltage changes).
Regarding claim 22. Dong discloses that the HV bus bar (206) is configured to supply HV components (¶43 – bus 206 coupled to high voltage loads), and wherein the LV bus bar (209) is configured to supply auxiliary components (¶43 – low voltage loads).
Claims 2-3 and 6-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dong et al US20200259330A1 in view of Books et al. US20210354577A1 in further view of Zhou WO2021217530A1.
Regarding claim 2. Dong does not explicitly discloses that the at least one battery pack comprises at least one positive battery pack contactor and at least one negative battery pack contactor, and wherein the at least one positive battery pack contactor and the at least one negative battery pack contactor are configured to electrically separate the positive and negative terminals of the at least one battery cell from the positive and negative output terminals, respectively.
Zhou disclose that the at least one battery pack comprises at least one positive battery pack contactor (S1) and at least one negative battery pack contactor (S2) (FIG. 4d – the negative and positive terminals have corresponding switches S1/S2), and
wherein the at least one positive battery pack contactor and the at least one negative battery pack contactor are configured to electrically separate the positive and negative terminals of the at least one battery cell from the positive and negative output terminals, respectively (FIG. 4d - when the switches open the battery terminals will be isolated from each other).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to apply Zhou to Dong in order to improve the flexibility of the energy storage module and enhance the management effectiveness (Zhou; ¶5).
Regarding claim 3. Because Dong does not explicitly teach the contactors, Dong does not explicitly teach the second positive bidirectional terminal of the DC/DC pre-charger is electrically connected to the at least one positive electrical connection between the at least one positive battery pack contactor and the positive output terminal of the at least one battery pack, and wherein the second negative bidirectional terminal of the DC/DC pre-charger is electrically connected to the at least one negative electrical connection between the at least one negative battery pack contactor and the negative output terminal of the at least one battery pack
Zhou discloses that the second positive bidirectional terminal of the DC/DC pre-charger is electrically connected to the at least one positive electrical connection between the at least one positive battery pack contactor and the positive output terminal of the at least one battery pack (in FIG. terminal of the DC/DC converter terminal is connected between the switch S1 and the positive battery terminal; partially reproduced and annotated FIG. 4d is illustrated below), and
wherein the second negative bidirectional terminal of the DC/DC pre-charger is electrically connected to the at least one negative electrical connection between the at least one negative battery pack contactor and the negative output terminal of the at least one battery pack (in FIG. 4d the terminal of the DCDC converter terminal is connected between the switch S2 and the negative battery terminal; partially reproduced and annotated FIG. 4d is illustrated below).
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It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to apply Zhou to Dong in order to improve the flexibility of the energy storage module and enhance the management effectiveness (Zhou; ¶5).
Regarding claim 6. Dong does not explicitly teach a battery management system (BMS) within the at least one battery pack comprises a computing system configured to communicate with the DC/DC pre-charger via a communication bus bar.
Zhou discloses a battery management system (BMS) (battery management unit BMU) within the at least one battery pack comprises a computing system configured to communicate with the DC/DC pre-charger via a communication bus bar (FIG. 5 – where the computing system is a combination of the centralized monitoring system and the battery management unit).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to apply Zhou to Dong in order to improve the flexibility of the energy storage module and enhance the management effectiveness (Zhou; ¶5).
Regarding claim 7. Dong does not explicitly teach the first positive bidirectional terminal and the first negative bidirectional terminal are separately controllable from control of the DC/DC pre-charger.
Zhou discloses that the first positive bidirectional terminal and the first negative bidirectional terminal are separately controllable from control of the DC/DC pre-charger (FIG. 4d shows switches to control terminals; ¶100, lines 27-39).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to apply Zhou to Dong in order to improve the flexibility of the energy storage module and enhance the management effectiveness (Zhou; ¶5).
Regarding claim 8. Dong does not explicitly disclose a computing system is configured to control the pre-charging or the discharging of the high voltage bus bar according to a set of parameters.
Zhou discloses that a computing system is configured to control the pre-charging or the discharging of the high voltage bus bar according to a set of parameters (¶94 – the BMU in each battery module can control the DC/DC converter of each group and realize information exchange).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to apply Zhou to Dong in order to improve the flexibility of the energy storage module and enhance the management effectiveness (Zhou; ¶5).
Regarding claim 9. Although Dong FIG. 1 illustrates a portion where the battery modules are connected in series, it is unclear whether this is actually occurring or the dotted line is indicating some other feature.
Zhou discloses that the at least one battery pack comprises multiple battery packs electrically connected in series to form a string of battery packs (FIG. 1 illustrates two modules in series).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to apply Zhou to Dong in order to improve the flexibility of the energy storage module and enhance the management effectiveness (Zhou; ¶5).
Regarding claim 10. Dong discloses that the battery system further comprises multiple strings of battery packs electrically connected in parallel (FIG. 2 – 208/210), and wherein DC/DC pre-chargers (214) in each of the battery packs are configured to pre-charge or discharge at least a portion of a total string voltage (¶23).
Claim 23 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dong et al US20200259330A1 in view of Books et al. US20210354577A1 in further view of Tagawa US20200220370A1.
Regarding claim 23. Dong teaches that the DC/DC pre-charger (214) is configured to incrementally raise a voltage (¶27 – DC/DC converter is a boost converter) on the HV bus bar (206) through multiple predetermined voltage steps (at least 2).
Dong does not explicitly disclose to limit inrush current to less than about 5 A.
Tagawa discloses to limit inrush current (¶59 – when the cell voltage is decreased, the Ic can flow as an inrush current, thus it is understood that when the voltage is increased, the inrush is limited).
Although Tagawa does not explicitly discloses that the inrush current is less than about 5 A, because it is known that an inrush current in the circuit is undesirable, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand to decrease the amount of inrush current as much as possible in order to avoid unwanted effects.
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for the system of Dong to prevent inrush current, as taught by Tagawa, in order to avoid stress to components of the system.
Claims 24 and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dong et al US20200259330A1 in view of Books et al. US20210354577A1 in further view of Snyder et al. US20090212626A1
Regarding claim 24. Dong does not explicitly teach that the DC/DC pre-charger is further configured to controllably discharge the HV bus bar to the LV bus bar in response to a shutdown command from a battery management system (BMS).
Snyder discloses that the DC/DC pre-charger is further configured to controllably discharge the HV bus bar (104) to the LV bus bar (103) in response to a shutdown command from a battery management system (BMS) (¶90 – he PCC includes a DC-DC converter that isolates the voltages on the low voltage bus 103 from the high voltage bus 104, and provides power transfer between them as necessary).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the power transfer of Snyder to the system of Dong in order to reduce the amount of power drawn which prevents degradation of the battery (¶6-8)
Regarding claim 26. Dong does not explicitly disclose that a computing system of a battery management system (BMS) is configured to control operation of the DC/DC pre-charger, enforce pre-charging or discharging according to temperature, current, or voltage thresholds, and isolate the HV bus bar from the LV bus bar in an event of a fault.
Snyder discloses that a computing system of a battery management system (BMS) is configured to control operation of the DC/DC pre-charger, enforce pre-charging or discharging according to temperature, current, or voltage thresholds, and isolate the HV bus bar from the LV bus bar in an event of a fault. (¶90 - The PCC 106 isolates (i.e., electrically separates using a DC-DC converter) the FES voltage v_ucap from the battery voltage v_bus, representing the voltage of the DC bus, usually the same as the battery terminal voltage. v_ucap is the estimated theoretical voltage of a FES. The PCC includes a DC-DC converter that isolates the voltages on the low voltage bus 103 from the high voltage bus 104).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the power transfer of Snyder to the system of Dong in order to reduce the amount of power drawn which prevents degradation of the battery (¶6-8)
Claim 25 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dong et al US20200259330A1 in view of Books et al. US20210354577A1 in further view of Xia et al. US20180178615A1
Regarding claim 25. Dong does not explicitly disclose that the at least one battery pack further comprises a coolant loop and a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater thermally coupled to the at least one battery cell, and wherein the DC/DC pre-charger is mounted to be cooled by the coolant loop.
Xia discloses the at least one battery pack (38) further comprises a coolant loop and a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater thermally coupled to the at least one battery cell, and wherein the DC/DC pre-charger is mounted to be cooled by the coolant loop (¶70-71 – coolant driven by water pump 32 and PCT heater 37, then flows to the battery pack and the DC/DC converter).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art by the effective filing date to control the temperature, as taught by Xia, of the system of Dong, in order to prevent excessively high or low temperatures which causes inefficient operation (¶70-73).
Related Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Son et al. US20190084437A1 discloses using the high voltage bus bar to charge the low voltage bus bar.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS 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 of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/PAMELA J JEPPSON/Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/DREW A DUNN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859