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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on January 8th 2026 has been entered.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on December 4th 2025 has been considered by the examiner.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed January 8th 2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 15, 17-29, 22-26, and 28-32 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of 35 U.S.C. 103.
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 text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 15 and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taniguichi et al. (US 20070131268 A1) in view of Chen et al. (US 20220029444 A1).
Regarding Claim 15, Taniguichi teaches an apparatus (Fig. 2) for managing safety of a secondary battery (2) (¶[6] “The present invention provides a power supply system for portable equipment having a function of forcedly avoiding an abnormality when the battery reaches an abnormal state”), the apparatus comprising:
a voltage measuring unit (3) configured to measure a voltage of a cell included in the secondary battery (¶[12] “Voltage detection portion 3 is composed of a well-known voltage monitor circuit, measures voltage V of power supply 2, and sends data to control portion 6”);
a temperature measuring unit (1) configured to measure a temperature of the cell included in the secondary battery (¶[12] “Temperature detection portion 1 provided in the vicinity of power supply 2 is composed of, for example, a thermistor, measures temperature T of power supply 2, and sends data to control portion 6”);
a discharging switch (5) connected in parallel with a charging and discharging path of the secondary battery (Fig. 2);
a load resistor connected between the discharging switch and a ground (¶[25] “Similar to the combination of switch 5 and display portion 4 in the first exemplary embodiment, a discharging circuit in which a switch and a resistor coupled in series with the switch are coupled to power supply 2, may be additionally provided”, see 4 and 5 in Fig. 2 for the placement);
and a control unit (6) operably coupled to the voltage measuring unit, the temperature measuring unit (1) and the discharging switch (5) (see connection arrows in Fig. 2), wherein the control unit is configured to:
measure a cell voltage and a cell temperature by using the voltage measuring unit and the temperature measuring unit (S1 and S2 in Fig. 3),
turn on the discharging switch to forcibly discharge the secondary battery through the load resistor when it is determined that a state where the cell voltage and the cell temperature are respectively equal to or greater than a critical voltage and a critical temperature according to a preset swelling management condition continues over a reference time (S3) (¶[15] “Firstly, in S1, when voltage V measured by voltage detection portion 3 is not lower than control operating voltage V1, temperature detection portion 1 measures temperature T as in S2. When temperature T is not lower than control operating temperature T1, control portion 6 turns on switch 5 so as to display a message indicating that an abnormality is being avoided on a display portion 4. Thereby, forced discharge is started (S3)”),
and turn off the discharging switch (S5) when a cell voltage or a cell temperature measured through the voltage measuring unit and the temperature measuring unit during the forced discharge falls below a preset safe voltage or a preset safe temperature according to the swelling management condition (S4) (¶[15] “Also during the forced discharge, voltage detection portion 3 continues measurement (S4). When voltage V reaches control termination voltage V2, the forced discharge is terminated and message display on display portion 4 is also ended (S5)”).
Taniguichi does not teach wherein the swelling management condition is set as a plurality of conditions, and the critical voltage, the critical temperature and the reference time are set independently for each condition among the plurality of conditions, and
wherein the critical voltage, the critical temperature, and the reference time are determined based on a designated swelling level of the secondary battery.
Chen teaches wherein the swelling management condition is set as a plurality of conditions (¶[22] “In some embodiments, the first condition may further include that working duration of the battery at a high voltage and at a high temperature exceeds a first value” see Table 2 of duration in specific voltage and temperature ranges, and table 3 where the expansion coefficient is calculated), and
the critical voltage, the critical temperature and the reference time are set independently for each condition among the plurality of conditions (see table 2), and
wherein the critical voltage, the critical temperature, and the reference time are determined based on a designated swelling level of the secondary battery (an expansion coefficient is calculated in table 3, and based on that coefficient, an allowable duration and at specific voltage and temperature is determined (based on table 2)).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Taniguichi to incorporate the teachings of Chen to provide wherein the swelling management condition is set as a plurality of conditions, and the critical voltage, the critical temperature and the reference time are set independently for each condition among the plurality of conditions, and
wherein the critical voltage, the critical temperature, and the reference time are determined based on a designated swelling level of the secondary battery,
in order to increase the accuracy of determining when the battery is in an overvoltage condition and therefore prevent damage to the battery.
Regarding Claim 26, Taniguichi teaches a method for managing safety of a secondary battery (2), comprising:
providing a discharging switch (5) connected in parallel with a charging and discharging path of the secondary battery (2) (Fig. 2) and a load resistor connected between the discharging switch and the ground (¶[25] “Similar to the combination of switch 5 and display portion 4 in the first exemplary embodiment, a discharging circuit in which a switch and a resistor coupled in series with the switch are coupled to power supply 2, may be additionally provided”, see 4 and 5 in Fig. 2);
measuring voltage and temperature of a cell included in the secondary battery (2) by using a voltage measuring unit (3) and a temperature measuring unit (1) (¶[15] “Firstly, in S1, when voltage V measured by voltage detection portion 3 is not lower than control operating voltage V1, temperature detection portion 1 measures temperature T as in S2);
turning on the discharging switch to forcibly discharge the secondary battery through the load resistor when a state where the cell voltage and the cell temperature are respectively equal to or greater than a critical voltage and a critical temperature according to a preset swelling management condition continues over a reference time (S3, ¶[15] “When temperature T is not lower than control operating temperature T1, control portion 6 turns on switch 5 so as to display a message indicating that an abnormality is being avoided on a display portion 4. Thereby, forced discharge is started (S3)”); and
turning off the discharging switch when a cell voltage or a cell temperature measured through the voltage measuring unit or the temperature measuring unit during the forced discharge falls below a preset safe voltage or a preset safe temperature according to the swelling management condition (¶[15] “Also during the forced discharge, voltage detection portion 3 continues measurement (S4). When voltage V reaches control termination voltage V2, the forced discharge is terminated and message display on display portion 4 is also ended (S5)”).
Taniguichi does not teach wherein the swelling management condition is set as a plurality of conditions, and the critical voltage, the critical temperature and the reference time are set independently for each condition among the plurality of conditions and
wherein the critical voltage, the critical temperature, and the reference time are determined based on a set swelling level of the secondary battery.
Chen teaches wherein the swelling management condition is set as a plurality of conditions (¶[22] “In some embodiments, the first condition may further include that working duration of the battery at a high voltage and at a high temperature exceeds a first value” see Table 2 of duration in specific voltage and temperature ranges, and table 3 where the expansion coefficient is calculated), and
the critical voltage, the critical temperature and the reference time are set independently for each condition among the plurality of conditions (see table 2), and
wherein the critical voltage, the critical temperature, and the reference time are determined based on a set swelling level of the secondary battery (an expansion coefficient is calculated in table 3, and based on that coefficient, an allowable duration and at specific voltage and temperature is determined (based on table 2)).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Taniguichi to incorporate the teachings of Chen to provide wherein the swelling management condition is set as a plurality of conditions, and the critical voltage, the critical temperature and the reference time are set independently for each condition among the plurality of conditions, and
wherein the critical voltage, the critical temperature, and the reference time are determined based on a set swelling level of the secondary battery,
in order to increase the accuracy of determining when the battery is in an overvoltage condition and therefore prevent damage to the battery.
Claim(s) 17-18 and 28-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taniguichi et al. (US 20070131268 A1) in view of Chen et al. (US 20220029444 A1) and further in view of Sim et al. (US 20140084873 A1).
Regarding Claim 17, Taniguichi in view of Chen teaches the apparatus for managing safety of the secondary battery according to claim 15.
Taniguichi in view of Chen further teaches wherein safe voltage (V2 (Taniguichi)) is set independently for each condition among the plurality of conditions (Table 2 (Chen)).
Taniguichi as modified does not explicitly teach a safe temperature.
Sim teaches a safe temperature (temperature of the first swelling condition (S530 in Fig. 5).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Taniguichi in view of Chen to incorporate the teachings of Sim to provide a safe temperature because the battery could still be damaged even if the voltage is low if the temperature is too high.
Regarding Claim 18, Taniguichi in view of Chen teaches the apparatus for managing safety of the secondary battery according to claim 15.
Taniguichi further teaches a memory unit (7) defining the critical voltage (V1), the critical temperature (T1), and the safe voltage (V2) according to the swelling management condition is recorded (¶[13] “Memory portion 7 has a nonvolatile memory and stores control operating temperature T1 that is the first temperature, control operating voltage V1 that is the first voltage, and control termination voltage V2 that is the second voltage”).
Taniguichi as modified does not explicitly teach the memory unit is specifically a look-up table;
Chen teaches that the memory unit is specifically a look-up table (¶[231-232] “The internal memory 121 may include a program storage area and a data storage area …. Optionally, the processor 110 may store, in a form of a table, duration of the 142 in each temperature range and each voltage range”, see also ¶[287]);
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Taniguichi in view of Chen to further incorporate the teachings of Chen to provide that the memory unit is specifically a look-up table; in order to effectively store and retrieve values.
Taniguichi in view of Chen does not explicitly teach the safe temperature.
Sim teaches a safe temperature (temperature of the first swelling condition (S530 in Fig. 5).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Taniguichi in view of Chen to incorporate the teachings of Sim to provide a safe temperature because the battery could still be damaged even if the voltage is low if the temperature is too high.
Regarding Claim 28, Taniguichi in view of Chen teaches the method for managing safety of the secondary battery according to claim 26.
Taniguichi in view of Chen further teaches wherein the safe voltage (V2 (Taniguichi)) is set independently for each condition among the plurality of conditions (Table 2 and 3 (Chen)).
Taniguichi in view of Chen does not explicitly teach a safe temperature.
Sim teaches a safe temperature (temperature of the first swelling condition (S530 in Fig. 5).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Taniguichi in view of Chen to incorporate the teachings of Sim to provide a safe temperature because the battery could still be damaged even if the voltage is low if the temperature is too high.
Regarding Claim 29, Taniguichi in view of Chen teaches the method for managing safety of the secondary battery according to claim 26.
Taniguichi further teaches referring to memory unit (7) defining the critical voltage, the critical temperature, and the safe voltage (V2) according to the swelling management condition (¶[13] “Memory portion 7 has a nonvolatile memory and stores control operating temperature T1 that is the first temperature, control operating voltage V1 that is the first voltage, and control termination voltage V2 that is the second voltage”).
Taniguichi as modified does not explicitly teach the memory unit is specifically a look-up table;
Chen teaches that the memory unit is specifically a look-up table (¶[231-232] “The internal memory 121 may include a program storage area and a data storage area …. Optionally, the processor 110 may store, in a form of a table, duration of the 142 in each temperature range and each voltage range”, see also ¶[287]);
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Taniguichi in view of Chen to further incorporate the teachings of Chen to provide that the memory unit is specifically a look-up table; in order to effectively store and retrieve values.
Taniguichi in view of Chen does not explicitly teach the safe temperature.
Sim teaches a safe temperature (temperature of the first swelling condition (S530 in Fig. 5).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Taniguichi in view of Chen to incorporate the teachings of Sim to provide a safe temperature because the battery could still be damaged even if the voltage is low if the temperature is too high.
Claim(s) 19 and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taniguichi et al. (US 20070131268 A1) in view of Chen et al. (US 20220029444 A1) and further in view of Lee (US 20210043914 A1).
Regarding Claim 19, Taniguichi teaches an apparatus for managing safety of a secondary battery (¶[6] “The present invention provides a power supply system for portable equipment having a function of forcedly avoiding an abnormality when the battery reaches an abnormal state”), the apparatus comprising:
a voltage measuring unit configured to measure voltage(¶[12] “Voltage detection portion 3 is composed of a well-known voltage monitor circuit, measures voltage V of power supply 2, and sends data to control portion 6”);
a temperature measuring unit configured to measure temperature(¶[12] “Temperature detection portion 1 provided in the vicinity of power supply 2 is composed of, for example, a thermistor, measures temperature T of power supply 2, and sends data to control portion 6”);
a discharging switch (5) connected in parallel with a charging and discharging path of the secondary battery (Fig. 2);
a load resistor connected between the discharging switch and a ground (¶[25] “Similar to the combination of switch 5 and display portion 4 in the first exemplary embodiment, a discharging circuit in which a switch and a resistor coupled in series with the switch are coupled to power supply 2, may be additionally provided”, see 4 and 5 in Fig. 2);
and a control unit (6) operably coupled to the voltage measuring unit (3), the temperature measuring unit (1) and the discharging switch (5) (see connection arrows in Fig. 2), wherein the control unit is configured to:
measure voltages and temperatures through the voltage measuring unit and the temperature measuring unit (¶[15] “Firstly, in S1, when voltage V measured by voltage detection portion 3 is not lower than control operating voltage V1, temperature detection portion 1 measures temperature T as in S2),
turn on the discharging switch to forcibly discharge the secondary battery through the load resistor when it is determined that a state a voltage and a temperatures are respectively equal to or greater than a critical voltage and a critical temperature according to a preset swelling management condition continues over a reference time,
and turn off the discharging switch when the voltage and the temperature respectively measured through the voltage measuring unit and the temperature measuring unit during the forced discharge falls below a preset safe voltage or a preset safe temperature, respectively according to the swelling management condition (¶[15] “Also during the forced discharge, voltage detection portion 3 continues measurement (S4). When voltage V reaches control termination voltage V2, the forced discharge is terminated and message display on display portion 4 is also ended (S5)”).
Taniguichi does not teach wherein the swelling management condition is set as a plurality of conditions, and the critical voltage, the critical temperature and the reference time are set independently for each condition among the plurality of conditions, and
wherein the critical voltage, the critical temperature, and the reference time are determined based on a set swelling level of the secondary battery.
Chen teaches wherein the swelling management condition is set as a plurality of conditions (¶[22] “In some embodiments, the first condition may further include that working duration of the battery at a high voltage and at a high temperature exceeds a first value” see Table 2 of duration in specific voltage and temperature ranges, and table 3 where the expansion coefficient is calculated), and
the critical voltage, the critical temperature and the reference time are set independently for each condition among the plurality of conditions (see table 2), and
wherein the critical voltage, the critical temperature, and the reference time are determined based on a set swelling level of the secondary battery (an expansion coefficient is calculated in table 3, and based on that coefficient, an allowable duration and at specific voltage and temperature is determined (based on table 2)).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Taniguichi to incorporate the teachings of Chen to provide wherein the swelling management condition is set as a plurality of conditions, and the critical voltage, the critical temperature and the reference time are set independently for each condition among the plurality of conditions, and
wherein the critical voltage, the critical temperature, and the reference time are determined based on a set swelling level of the secondary battery,
in order to increase the accuracy of determining when the battery is in an overvoltage condition and therefore prevent damage to the battery.
Taniguichi as modified does not explicitly teach that the secondary battery pack contains a plurality of cells; or the control is based on the maximum value of a plurality of cell voltages and the maximum value of a plurality of cell temperatures.
Lee teaches that the secondary battery pack (100) contains a plurality of cells (110-1 to 110-n); and the control is based on the maximum value of a plurality of cell voltages (¶[35] “The primary protective circuit 140 may compare the highest voltage of the measured voltages of the plurality of battery cells 110-1 to 110-n with the first cut-off voltage”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Taniguichi in view of Chen to incorporate the teachings of Lee to provide the secondary battery pack (100) contains a plurality of cells (110-1 to 110-n) in order to increase the capacity of the battery pack, and control based on the maximum value of a plurality of cell voltages in order to improve the overall condition of the battery pack by making sure individual cells aren’t damaged.
The combination does not explicitly teach using the maximum value of a plurality of cell temperatures; however, this would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art since a higher temperature indicates a high likelihood of damage or deterioration in batteries.
Regarding Claim 30, Taniguichi teaches a method for managing safety of a secondary battery, comprising:
providing a discharging switch (5) connected in parallel with a charging and discharging path of the secondary battery (2) and a load resistor connected between the discharging switch and the ground (¶[25] “Similar to the combination of switch 5 and display portion 4 in the first exemplary embodiment, a discharging circuit in which a switch and a resistor coupled in series with the switch are coupled to power supply 2, may be additionally provided”, see 4 and 5 in Fig. 2);
measuring voltages and temperatures through a voltage measuring unit (3) and a temperature measuring unit (1) (¶[15] “Firstly, in S1, when voltage V measured by voltage detection portion 3 is not lower than control operating voltage V1, temperature detection portion 1 measures temperature T as in S2);
turning on the discharging switch to forcibly discharge the secondary battery through the load resistor when it is determined that a state where a voltage and a temperature are respectively equal to or greater than a critical voltage and a critical temperature according to a preset swelling management condition continues over a reference time (S3, ¶[15] “When temperature T is not lower than control operating temperature T1, control portion 6 turns on switch 5 so as to display a message indicating that an abnormality is being avoided on a display portion 4. Thereby, forced discharge is started (S3)”); and
turning off the discharging switch when a voltage and a temperature measured through the voltage measuring unit and the temperature measuring unit during the forced discharge falls below a preset safe voltage or a preset safe temperature according to the swelling management condition (¶[15] “Also during the forced discharge, voltage detection portion 3 continues measurement (S4). When voltage V reaches control termination voltage V2, the forced discharge is terminated and message display on display portion 4 is also ended (S5)”).
Taniguichi does not teach wherein the swelling management condition is set as a plurality of conditions, and the critical voltage, the critical temperature and the reference time are set independently for each condition among the plurality of conditions and
wherein the critical voltage, the critical temperature, and the reference time are determined based on a set swelling level of the secondary battery.
Chen teaches wherein the swelling management condition is set as a plurality of conditions (¶[22] “In some embodiments, the first condition may further include that working duration of the battery at a high voltage and at a high temperature exceeds a first value” see Table 2 of duration in specific voltage and temperature ranges, and table 3 where the expansion coefficient is calculated), and
the critical voltage, the critical temperature and the reference time are set independently for each condition among the plurality of conditions (see table 2), and
wherein the critical voltage, the critical temperature, and the reference time are determined based on a set swelling level of the secondary battery (an expansion coefficient is calculated in table 3, and based on that coefficient, an allowable duration and at specific voltage and temperature is determined (based on table 2)).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Taniguichi to incorporate the teachings of Chen to provide wherein the swelling management condition is set as a plurality of conditions, and the critical voltage, the critical temperature and the reference time are set independently for each condition among the plurality of conditions, and
wherein the critical voltage, the critical temperature, and the reference time are determined based on a set swelling level of the secondary battery,
in order to increase the accuracy of determining when the battery is in an overvoltage condition and therefore prevent damage to the battery.
Taniguichi as modified does not explicitly teach that the secondary battery pack contains a plurality of cells; or the control is based on the maximum value of a plurality of cell voltages and the maximum value of a plurality of cell temperatures.
Lee teaches that the secondary battery pack (100) contains a plurality of cells (110-1 to 110-n); and the control is based on the maximum value of a plurality of cell voltages (¶[35] “The primary protective circuit 140 may compare the highest voltage of the measured voltages of the plurality of battery cells 110-1 to 110-n with the first cut-off voltage”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Taniguichi in view of Chen to incorporate the teachings of Lee to provide the secondary battery pack (100) contains a plurality of cells (110-1 to 110-n) in order to increase the capacity of the battery pack, and control based on the maximum value of a plurality of cell voltages in order to improve the overall condition of the battery pack by making sure individual cells aren’t damaged.
The combination does not explicitly teach using the maximum value of a plurality of cell temperatures; however, this would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art since a higher temperature indicates a high likelihood of damage or deterioration in batteries.
Claim(s) 20 and 32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taniguichi et al. (US 20070131268 A1) in view of Chen et al. (US 20220029444 A1) further in view of Lee (US 20210043914 A1) and further in view of Chishima et al. (JP 2017085684A).
Regarding Claim 20, the combination of Taniguichi, Chen and Lee teaches the apparatus for managing safety of the secondary battery according to claim 19.
Taniguichi further teaches the control unit is configured to receive a power from the secondary battery to start an operation (¶[12] “Power supply 2 constantly feeds control portion 6”, see Fig. 2 where all the equipment is powered by power supply 2).
The combination of Taniguichi, Chen, and Lee does not teach a timer unit configured to apply an operation start signal to the control unit whenever a predetermined time passes,
and come into a sleep mode or a power-off mode after turning off the discharging switch.
Chishima teaches a timer unit (107) configured to apply an operation start signal to the control unit whenever a predetermined time passes (¶[22] “After setting the electronic device 101 to standby in S201, referring to the time since the battery cell 202 is attached to the electronic device 101 in S202, if it exceeds the predetermined time, the process goes to S203”);
and come into a sleep mode or a power-off mode after turning off the discharging switch (see ¶[21-22] where the system goes through steps S203-S205 and then to S206 which is a standby mode).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Taniguichi, Chen, and Lee to incorporate the teachings of Chishima to provide a timer unit configured to apply an operation start signal to the control unit whenever a predetermined time passes, and come into a sleep mode or a power-off mode after turning off the discharging switch in order to regularly check the battery for a swelling condition.
Regarding Claim 32, the combination of Taniguichi, Chen, and Lee teaches the method for managing safety of the secondary battery according to claim 30.
Taniguichi further teaches receiving a power from the secondary battery (2) to start an operation (¶[12] “Power supply 2 constantly feeds control portion 6”, see Fig. 2 where all the equipment is powered by power supply 2);
The combination of Taniguichi, Chen, and Lee does not teach receiving an operation start signal from a timer unit whenever a predetermined time passes;
and after the turning off the discharging switch, coming into a sleep mode or a power-off mode.
Chishima teaches receiving an operation start signal from a timer unit (107) whenever a predetermined time passes (¶[22] “After setting the electronic device 101 to standby in S201, referring to the time since the battery cell 202 is attached to the electronic device 101 in S202, if it exceeds the predetermined time, the process goes to S203”);
and after the turning off the discharging switch, coming into a sleep mode or a power-off mode (see ¶[21-22] where the system goes through steps S203-S205 and then to S206 which is a standby mode).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Taniguichi, Chen, and Lee to incorporate the teachings of Chishima to provide receiving an operation start signal from a timer unit whenever a predetermined time passes; and after the turning off the discharging , coming into a sleep mode or a power-off mode in order to regularly check the battery for a swelling condition.
Claim(s) 31 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taniguichi et al. (US 20070131268 A1) in view of Chen et al. (US 20220029444 A1) and further in view of Chishima et al. (JP 2017085684A).
Regarding Claim 31, Taniguichi in view of Chen teaches the method for managing safety of the secondary battery according to claim 26.
Taniguichi further teaches receiving a power from the secondary battery (2) to start an operation (¶[12] “Power supply 2 constantly feeds control portion 6”, see Fig. 2 where all the equipment is powered by power supply 2);
Taniguichi in view of Chen does not teach receiving an operation start signal from a timer unit whenever a predetermined time passes;
and after the turning off the discharging switch, coming into a sleep mode or a power-off mode.
Chishima teaches receiving an operation start signal from a timer unit (107) whenever a predetermined time passes (¶[22] “After setting the electronic device 101 to standby in S201, referring to the time since the battery cell 202 is attached to the electronic device 101 in S202, if it exceeds the predetermined time, the process goes to S203”);
and after the turning off the discharging switch, coming into a sleep mode or a power-off mode (see ¶[21-22] where the system goes through steps S203-S205 and then to S206 which is a standby mode).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Taniguichi in view of Chen to incorporate the teachings of Chishima to provide receiving an operation start signal from a timer unit whenever a predetermined time passes; and after the turning off the discharging switch, coming into a sleep mode or a power-off mode in order to regularly check the battery for a swelling condition.
Claim(s) 22 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taniguichi et al. (US 20070131268 A1) in view of Chen et al. (US 20220029444 A1) and further in view of Park (KR 20160067600 A).
Regarding Claim 22, Taniguichi in view of Chen teaches the apparatus for managing safety of the secondary battery according to claim 15.
Taniguichi in view of Chen does not teach a battery management system comprising the apparatus for managing safety of a secondary battery.
Park teaches a battery management system (30, Fig. 1),
comprising the apparatus for managing safety of the secondary battery (battery cell overprotection deceive 200) according to claim 15 (as taught by Taniguichi in view of Chen above).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Taniguichi in view of Chen to incorporate the teachings of Park to provide a battery management system comprising the apparatus for managing safety of the secondary battery in order to incorporate overcharge protection along with other feature such as cell balancing.
Regarding Claim 24, the combination of Taniguichi, Chen and Park teaches the battery management system according to claim 22.
Taniguichi as modified by Chen and Park does not teach a load device comprising the battery management system.
Park further teaches a load device (EV or HEV, ¶[1] “the present disclosure relates to a battery cell overcharge protection device and method capable of protecting overcharge that may occur during balancing of battery cells in a high voltage battery management system used in a hybrid vehicle and an electric vehicle”), comprising the battery management system according to claim 22 (as taught by Taniguichi in view of Park above).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Taniguichi, Chen and Park to further incorporate the teachings of Park to provide a load device comprising the battery management system in order to take advantage of the improved battery safety and performance in a battery operated device such as an electric vehicle.
Claim(s) 23 and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taniguichi et al. (US 20070131268 A1) in view of Chen et al. (US 20220029444 A1) further in view of Lee (US 20210043914 A1) and further in view of Park (KR 20160067600 A).
Regarding Claim 23, the combination of Taniguichi, Chen and Lee teaches the apparatus for managing safety of a secondary battery according to claim 19.
The combination of Taniguichi, Chen and Lee does not teach a battery management system comprising the apparatus for managing safety of the secondary battery.
Park teaches a battery management system (30, Fig. 1),
comprising the apparatus for managing safety of the secondary battery (battery cell overprotection deceive 200) according to claim 19 (as taught by the combination of Taniguichi in view of Lee above).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Taniguichi, Chen and Lee to incorporate the teachings of Park to provide a battery management system comprising the apparatus for managing safety of the secondary battery in order to incorporate overcharge protection along with other feature such as cell balancing.
Regarding Claim 25, the combination of Taniguichi, Chen, Lee and Park teaches the battery management system according to claim 23.
Taniguichi as modified by Chen, Lee and Park does not teach a load device comprising the battery management system.
Park further teaches a load device (EV or HEV, ¶[1] “the present disclosure relates to a battery cell overcharge protection device and method capable of protecting overcharge that may occur during balancing of battery cells in a high voltage battery management system used in a hybrid vehicle and an electric vehicle”), comprising the battery management system according to claim 23 (as taught by the combination of Taniguichi, Chen, Lee and Park above).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Taniguichi, Chen, Lee and Park to further incorporate the teachings of Park to provide a load device comprising the battery management system in order to take advantage of the improved battery safety and performance in a battery operated device such as an electric vehicle.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AIMAN BICKIYA whose telephone number is (571)270-0555. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30 - 6 PM EST.
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/A.B./Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/JULIAN D HUFFMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859