DETAILED ACTION
The office action is in response to application filed on 10-3-24. Claims 1-11 are pending in the application and have been examined.
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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: the claim recited “terminal 30c of the vehicle” should be “terminal (30c) of the vehicle”
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 (a) as being unpatentable over US 2014/0327450 to Schmauss et al. (“Schmauss”) in view of US 2015/0084345 to Klinkig et al. (“Klinkig”).
Regarding claim 1, Schmauss discloses a circuit assembly for diagnosis of a service disconnect line of an electrically operated vehicle with a high-voltage on-board network and a low-voltage on-board network (para; 0001 and fig. 1), the circuit assembly comprising: a first terminal (top R1); a second terminal (bottom R2); a first controllable switching element; a second controllable switching element (para; 0010, lines 5-8, in which device a first switching element is connected between the high supply voltage potential and the connection point, and a second switching element is connected between the connection point and the low supply voltage potential); a service disconnect line (line break) connected between the first terminal and the second terminal and comprises at least one manual disconnecting element, wherein during the operation of the circuit assembly in the vehicle, a voltage present at the second terminal is acquired using a measuring device (first current measurement resistor R1 and second current measurement resistor R2); and a computing unit (control circuit 2) evaluating voltage information representing the voltage, the computing unit, depending on the voltage information, disconnects or does not disconnect the high-voltage on-board network from consumers connected to it (paras; 0028-0031), the computing unit executes a test routine to detect a fault (par 40-42) in the service disconnect line, to iteratively impress different voltage ((S2) to iteratively applying the voltage to the line) or current levels by operating the first and the second switching elements at the first terminal and/or the second terminal, to acquire the respective voltage present at the second terminal (voltages Vout at the connection point 5) with the measuring device, and for the computing unit to evaluate the voltage information that represents the voltage (test voltage source 3),
But, Schmauss does not discloses the second terminal is terminal 30c of the vehicle.
However, Klinkig disclose the second terminal is terminal 30c of the vehicle (para; 0014, lines 15-16, the control unit 9 also evaluates the time gradient of the potential KL30Z).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Schmauss by adding KL30Z as part of its configuration as taught by Klinkig, in order to detect the internal cell, short-circuit in the starter battery or corrosion of a pole terminal and the control unit generates a control signal that the start/stop command is not executed.
Regarding claim 2, Schmauss discloses the computing unit detects a short circuit of the service disconnect line to a potential of the low-voltage on-board network (para; 0010, device for connecting a load to the high or low potential of a supply voltage (3) with the aid of switching elements, and for testing the state of the connection of the load to a connection point between the switching elements) or to a reference potential (at #3 reference potential 2.5V) as a fault (para; 0017, line interruption is checked as part of a prespecified test scheme in which short circuits of the connection point to the high and/or the low supply voltage potential and also further fault symptoms are also tested).
Regarding claim 3, Schmauss discloses the computing unit is designed to detect an interruption in the service disconnect line as a fault (para; 0017, line interruption is checked as part of a prespecified test scheme in which short circuits of the connection point to the high and/or the low supply voltage potential and also further fault symptoms are also tested).
Regarding claim 4, Schmauss discloses the first (HS), controllable switching element is connected between a supply voltage (3) and a node point (5) of a voltage divider (R1 and R2) consisting of two resistors, wherein a series circuit (para; 0027, line 15, series resistor) of the voltage divider consisting including the two resistors (R1, R2) is connected between the first terminal and a reference potential (at #3 reference potential 2.5V).
Regarding claim 5, Schmauss discloses the computing unit drives the first switching element successively from a conductive state into a non-conductive state (paras; 0028-0031), and concludes a presence of a short circuit (para; 0017, line interruption is checked as part of a prespecified test scheme in which short circuits of the connection point to the high and/or the low supply voltage potential and also further fault symptoms are also tested) of the service disconnect line to the potential of the low-voltage on-board network if the potential of the low-voltage on-board network is detected at the second terminal (paras; 0003 and 0028) in both switch positions of the first switching element (after powering the load, the circuit provides a test voltage (3) to the output (5) to test of everything is ok or if the line (Vout) is faulty (par 40-42)).
Regarding claim 6, Schmauss discloses a second (LS), controllable switching element is connected via a resistor to the second terminal (fig. 1, LS connected to R2).
Regarding claim 7, Schmauss discloses the computing unit drives the second switching element successively from a conductive state into a non-conductive state (fig. 2 and para; 0034), or vice versa, and to conclude a presence of a short circuit (para; 0017, line interruption is checked as part of a prespecified test scheme in which short circuits of the connection point to the high and/or the low supply voltage potential and also further fault symptoms are also tested) of the service disconnect line to the reference potential if the reference potential is detected at the second terminal in both switch positions of the second switching element (para; 0010).
Regarding claim 8, Schmauss discloses a current is injected into the first terminal by a first, fixed or changeable current source (para; 0010, lines 9-10, voltage or current source which can be connected to the connection point).
Regarding claim 9, Schmauss discloses the computing unit determines a presence of a short circuit (para; 0017, line interruption is checked as part of a prespecified test scheme in which short circuits of the connection point to the high and/or the low supply voltage potential and also further fault symptoms are also tested) of the service disconnect line to a potential of the low-voltage on-board network (para; 0010, device for connecting a load to the high or low potential of a supply voltage with the aid of switching elements, and for testing the state of the connection of the load to a connection point between the switching elements) if the potential of the low-voltage on-board network is detected at the second terminal (paras; 0003 and 0028).
Regarding claim 10, Schmauss discloses the computing unit determines a presence of a short circuit (para; 0017, line interruption is checked as part of a prespecified test scheme in which short circuits of the connection point to the high and/or the low supply voltage potential and also further fault symptoms are also tested) of the service disconnect line to a reference potential (at #3 reference potential 2.5V) if the reference potential of the on-board network is detected at the second terminal.
Regarding claim 11, Schmauss discloses the second terminal is connected to a switchable current source assembly via a resistor (R1 and R2), so loading the second terminal or injecting a current into it (first current measurement resistor R1 and second current measurement resistor R2).
Response to argument
Applicant’s argument filed on 10-3-24 with respect to claims 1-12 has been fully considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection.
Conclusion
Applicant’s amendment necessitated the new grounds of rejection presented in this office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ESAYAS G YESHAW whose telephone number is (571)270-1959. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Sat 9AM-7PM.
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/ESAYAS G YESHAW/Examiner, Art Unit 2836 /JARED FUREMAN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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