Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 17/812,418

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONDITIONING VEHICLE BATTERY INTERWORKING WITH SCHEDULED AIR CONDITIONING

Non-Final OA §103§112
Filed
Jul 13, 2022
Priority
Aug 11, 2021 — RE 10-2021-0106290
Examiner
MEHDIZADEH, NAVID Z
Art Unit
3669
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Kia Corporation
OA Round
5 (Non-Final)
75%
Grant Probability
Favorable
5-6
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 75% — above average
75%
Career Allowance Rate
295 granted / 391 resolved
+23.4% vs TC avg
Strong +26% interview lift
Without
With
+25.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 7m
Avg Prosecution
4 currently pending
Career history
397
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
13.7%
-26.3% vs TC avg
§103
45.6%
+5.6% vs TC avg
§102
18.1%
-21.9% vs TC avg
§112
20.1%
-19.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 391 resolved cases

Office Action

§103 §112
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 . Status of claims Claims 1, 4-6, 8, and 11-15 were previously pending. Claims 1 and 8 have been amended. No claims have been cancelled or newly added. Accordingly, claims 1, 4-6, 8, and 11-15 remain pending and have been examined in this application. 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicants’ submission filed on 4/29/2026 has been entered. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. 1, 4-6, 8, and 11-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. The claims are rejected for new matter. The newly amended features do not appear to have sufficient support in the specification. Specifically, with respect to independent claims 1 and 8, paragraph [0063] of the specification appears to be the closest of a support. While it is noted that charging when the SOC is below a preset reference level implies not charging when it is above the preset reference level, this is not expressly supported. Clarification is requested. In view of the above, dependent claims are also rejected as being dependent on the rejected base claim(s) and for failing to cure the deficiencies listed above. Appropriate correction and/or clarification is required to remedy the above-referenced deficiencies. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments, see pages 7-13 of Applicant’s reply, with respect to the rejection of claims 1, 4-6, 8, and 11-15 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, these rejections have been withdrawn in view of Applicant’s amendments. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Tonozuka (US 2012/0280050 A1). Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 Claims 1 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takizawa (US 2021/0013564 A1) in view of Ogaki (US 2019/0326652 A1) and Tonozuka (US 2012/0280050 A1). Regarding claim 1, Takizawa discloses (Takizawa does not disclose the strikethrough portions): A method for conditioning a vehicle battery interworking with scheduled air conditioning, the method comprising: (Takizawa - method for conditioning vehicle battery interworking with scheduled air conditioning -> Fig. 2-3, Par. 40-52) using a controller: (Takizawa - Fig. 1 (control device 100)) determining whether a scheduled departure time setting and a scheduled air conditioning execution setting are received after parking a vehicle; (Takizawa - determining scheduled start time and scheduled air conditioning (car is charging and not moving i.e. parked) -> Par. 40-46) determining whether a conditioning execution setting of a battery in the vehicle is received after the scheduled departure time setting (Takizawa - temperature adjuster setting occurs after scheduled departure time setting -> Par. 37-46; received interpreted as user input and operating condition established -> Par. 37-39) determining, using the controller, that a charging connector for receiving a charging power from outside is connected to charge the battery; (Takizawa - operating conditions are not established until car is parked and charging -> Fig.3, Par. 38-39; charging connector -> Fig. 1 (charging cable 220 connected to charging and discharging device 200); signal connector indicating connection -> Par. 31) in response to determining that the charging connector is connected to the battery, executing air conditioning and battery conditioning of the vehicle before a preset reference time of the scheduled departure time when the battery conditioning execution is received, and (Takizawa - execute air conditioning and battery conditioning for a preset time/before a preset reference time of the schedule start time/scheduled departure time -> Par. 37-46) while executing the scheduled air conditioning and battery conditioning, charging the battery with the charging power from outside through the charging connector (Takizawa - operating conditions are not established until car is parked and charging -> Fig.3, Par. 38-39; charging connector -> Fig. 1 (charging cable 220 connected to charging and discharging device 200); signal connector indicating connection -> Par. 31) Ogaki teaches a power supply device for vehicle, in the same field of endeavor, comprising: determining whether a conditioning execution setting of a battery in the vehicle is received after the scheduled departure time setting and the scheduled air conditioning setting are received; and (Ogaki - multiple embodiments determining whether conditioning execution setting of battery is received after the scheduled departure time setting and the scheduled air conditioning setting are received -> Par. 6-20; scheduled departure time and scheduled air conditioning setting received before battery conditioning execution setting -> Par. 34-35) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Takizawa to include determining whether a battery conditioning setting is received after receiving a scheduled departure time setting and a scheduled air conditioning setting as taught by Ogaki. One would be motivated to make this modification to enable a vehicle to maximize its operating distance (Ogaki - Par. 42-43). Furthermore, this modification would account for the effect the air conditioning setting would have on the charge and temperature of the battery prior to the scheduled departure time. A person having ordinary skill in the art would have a reasonable expectation of success in combining the teachings of Takizawa and Ogaki. Additionally, the claimed invention is merely a combination of known elements of scheduled vehicle battery/air conditioning and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the results of the combination would have been predictable. The motivation to combine Takizawa and Ogaki from the 103 rejection of this claim is similarly applied to the rest of the 103 rejections below. Tonozuka teaches a temperature regulating device of an on-vehicle battery, in the same field of endeavor, comprising: in response to determining that the charging connector is connected to the battery, executing air conditioning and battery conditioning of the vehicle, and (Tonozuka – Fig. 3 and [0064-0067] - the vehicle arrives at the charge station 11 and the rapid charge connector 12 is connected to its equipment side at the time t2, the air conditioner unit 2 starts to cool the battery 1… the charge cannot start until the time t3 at when the battery temperature falls down to the target one in the comparative example) while executing the scheduled air conditioning and battery conditioning, preventing charging of the battery through the charging connector based on a status of charge of the battery being equal to or greater than a preset reference level of the status of charge and allowing charging of the battery with the charging power from outside through the charging connector based on the status of charge of the battery falling below at the preset reference level of the status of charge. (Tonozuka – Fig. 3 and [0064-0067] - the vehicle arrives at the charge station 11 and the rapid charge connector 12 is connected to its equipment side at the time t2, the air conditioner unit 2 starts to cool the battery 1… the charge cannot start until the time t3 at when the battery temperature falls down to the target one in the comparative example… the battery charge is ended because the battery SOC comes to a full charge state) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Takizawa to include executing air conditioning and battery conditioning of the vehicle in response to determining that the charging connector is connected to the battery, preventing charging of the battery when the status of charge is equal to or greater than a preset reference value, and allowing charging of the vehicle battery when the status of charge falls below the preset reference level as taught by Tonozuka. One would be motivated to make this modification to ensure that the temperature of the battery reaches the target temperature prior to charging to enhance battery life (Tonozuka – [0066-0067]). A person having ordinary skill in the art would have a reasonable expectation of success in combining the teachings of Takizawa and Tonozuka. Additionally, the claimed invention is merely a combination of known elements of battery charge scheduling and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the results of the combination would have been predictable. The motivation to combine Takizawa and Tonozuka from the 103 rejection of this claim is similarly applied to the rest of the 103 rejections below. Regarding claim 14, Takizawa, Ogaki, and Tonozuka teach the invention as claimed and as discussed above with respect to claim 1, and Takizawa further discloses: The method according to claim 1, wherein the executing comprises: calculating a start time of the air conditioning and a start time of the battery conditioning of the vehicle by inverse calculation based on the scheduled departure time; and (Takizawa - calculating start time by inverse calculation -> Par. 48) executing, respectively, the air conditioning and the battery conditioning of the vehicle at the calculated start time of the air conditioning and the calculated start time of the battery conditioning of the vehicle; (Takizawa - executing at calculated start times -> Par. 48) wherein the start time of the air conditioning and the start time of the battery conditioning are respectively calculated based on different criteria. (Takizawa - scheduled start times for temperature adjuster and air conditioner may be based on different operating conditions/criteria (e.g. temperature adjuster operating condition may be battery temperature is lower than threshold value, battery charging has started, or fixed time before scheduled departure is reached vs. air conditioner operating condition may be on the basis of the schedule information 108A) -> Par. 28-29, Par. 37-39) Claims 4 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takizawa in view of Ogaki, Tonozuka, and Hirabayashi (US 2022/0281290 A1). Regarding claim 4, Takizawa, Ogaki, and Tonozuka teach the invention as claimed and as discussed above with respect to claim 1, and Takizawa further discloses (Takizawa does not disclose the strikethrough portions): The method according to claim 1, wherein the executing further comprises: executing indoor air conditioning of the vehicle (Takizawa - execute air conditioning and battery conditioning for a preset time/before a preset reference time of the schedule start time/scheduled departure time -> Par. 37-46) increasing a temperature of the battery to a preset reference temperature. (Takizawa - comparing predetermined temperature to temperature of battery and turning on battery heater if lower than predetermined temperature -> Par. 28, Par. 39-46) Hirabayashi teaches a vehicle air-conditioning controller, in the same field of endeavor, comprising: executing indoor air conditioning of the vehicle to a temperature set in the setting of the (Hirabayashi - executing indoor air conditioning to target temperature -> Par. 32-34, Par. 39-43) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Takizawa to include executing air conditioning to a set temperature as taught by Hirabayashi. One would be motivated to make this modification to achieve a comfortable vehicle interior and maximize travel distance via the remote capabilities (Hirabayashi – Par. 4-8). Furthermore, this modification would ensure a definitive target temperature that reflects a user’s preference. A person having ordinary skill in the art would have a reasonable expectation of success in combining the teachings of Takizawa and Hirabayashi. Additionally, the claimed invention is merely a combination of known elements of vehicle air conditioning control and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the results of the combination would have been predictable. The motivation to combine Takizawa and Hirabayashi from the 103 rejection of this claim is similarly applied to the rest of the 103 rejections below. Regarding claim 6, Takizawa, Ogaki, and Tonozuka teach the invention as claimed and as discussed above with respect to claim 1, and Takizawa further discloses (Takizawa does not disclose the strikethrough portions): The method according to claim 1, wherein the executing further comprises transmitting and displaying statuses of the scheduled air conditioning execution and battery conditioning execution to a remote communication terminal. (Takizawa - transmit and display statuses of execution -> Par. 18, Par. 34) Hirabayashi teaches a vehicle air-conditioning controller, in the same field of endeavor, comprising: The method according to claim 1, wherein the executing comprises transmitting and displaying statuses of the scheduled air conditioning execution and battery conditioning execution to a remote communication terminal. (Hirabayashi - remote communication terminal -> Par. 17, Par. 29, Par. 37) Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takizawa in view of Ogaki, Tonozuka, Hirabayashi, and Wu (US 2020/0238788 A1). Regarding claim 5, Takizawa, Ogaki, Tonozuka, and Hirabayashi teach the invention as claimed and as discussed above with respect to claim 4, and Takizawa further discloses (Takizawa does not disclose the strikethrough portions): comparing the preset reference temperature with a measured temperature of the battery, forming a second comparison; and (Takizawa - comparing predetermined temperature to temperature of battery and turning on battery heater if lower than predetermined temperature -> Par. 28, Par. 39-46) turning on or off power of a battery heater provided in the battery according to the second comparison to control the temperature of the battery (Takizawa - comparing predetermined temperature to temperature of battery and turning on battery heater if lower than predetermined temperature -> Par. 28, Par. 39-46) Hirabayashi teaches a vehicle air-conditioning controller, in the same field of endeavor, comprising: comparing the temperature set in the setting of the scheduled air conditioning execution with a measured indoor temperature of the vehicle, forming a first comparison; (Hirabayashi - comparing interior temperature to target to determine turning on or off indoor ventilation by air conditioning unit in order to maintain target temperature -> Par. 30-34) turning on or off indoor ventilation, according to the comparison, to control an indoor temperature of the vehicle to be maintained to the temperature set in the setting of the scheduled air conditioning execution; (Hirabayashi - comparing interior temperature to target to determine turning on or off indoor ventilation by air conditioning unit in order to maintain target temperature -> Par. 30-34) Wu teaches a temperature regulating system of in-vehicle battery, in the same field of endeavor, comprising: turning on or off power of a battery heater provided in the battery according to the second comparison to control the temperature of the battery to be maintained to the preset reference temperature. (Wu - turning on or off battery heater to maintain battery to reference temperature -> Par. 272) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Takizawa to include maintaining the battery temperature at a reference temperature as taught by Wu. One would be motivated to make this modification in order to maximize performance of the battery (Wu – Par. 3-4). Furthermore, this modification would promote protection of battery health. A person having ordinary skill in the art would have a reasonable expectation of success in combining the teachings of Takizawa and Wu. Additionally, the claimed invention is merely a combination of known elements of vehicle battery temperature control and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the results of the combination would have been predictable. The motivation to combine Takizawa and Wu from the 103 rejection of this claim is similarly applied to the rest of the 103 rejections below. Claims 8, 13, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takizawa in view of Ogaki, Tonozuka, and Kim (US 2015/0258909 A1). Regarding claim 8, Takizawa discloses (Takizawa does not disclose the strikethrough portions): A system for conditioning a vehicle battery interworking with scheduled air conditioning comprising: (Takizawa - system for conditioning vehicle battery interworking with scheduled air conditioning -> Fig. 1, Par. 40-52) a scheduled departure time setting, a scheduled air conditioning execution setting after parking a vehicle, and a conditioning execution setting of the vehicle battery after the scheduled departure time setting (Takizawa - user may set scheduled departure time, air conditioning setting, battery conditioning setting -> Par. 29, Par. 37, Par. 48, claims 4-5; determining scheduled start time and scheduled air conditioning (car is charging and not moving i.e. parked) -> Par. 40-46; temperature adjuster setting occurs after scheduled departure time setting -> Par. 37-46; received interpreted as user input and operating condition established -> Par. 37-39) a controller configured to: (Takizawa - Fig. 1 (control device 100)) determine whether the scheduled departure time setting, the scheduled air conditioning execution setting, and the conditioning execution setting of the battery in the vehicle are received, (Takizawa - determine if scheduled start time setting, scheduled air conditioning setting, and battery conditioning setting are received -> Par. 37-46) determine whether, based on a resulting determination, to execute or not execute indoor air conditioning and battery conditioning of the vehicle before the scheduled departure time; (Takizawa - determine whether to execute air conditioning and battery conditioning for a preset time/before a preset reference time of the schedule start time/scheduled departure time based on whether operating conditions are established -> Par. 38-46) determine that a charging connector for receiving a charging power from outside is connected to charge the battery; (Takizawa - operating conditions are not established until car is parked and charging -> Fig.3, Par. 38-39; charging connector -> Fig. 1 (charging cable 220 connected to charging and discharging device 200); signal connector indicating connection -> Par. 31) in response to determining that the charging connector is connected to the battery, execute the battery conditioning when the conditioning execution setting is received; and (Takizawa - execute air conditioning and battery conditioning for a preset time/before a preset reference time of the schedule start time/scheduled departure time -> Par. 37-46) while executing the scheduled air conditioning and battery conditioning, charge the battery with the charging power from outside through the charging connector based on a status of charge of the battery falling below a preset reference level of the status of charge. (Takizawa - operating conditions are not established until car is parked and charging -> Fig.3, Par. 38-39; charging connector -> Fig. 1 (charging cable 220 connected to charging and discharging device 200); signal connector indicating connection -> Par. 31) Kim teaches a system and control method for reserved charge of battery for vehicle, in the same field of endeavor, comprising: an Audio Video Navigation (AVN) including a transceiver and one or more of a button or a touch screen, wherein the AVN is configured to receive: (Kim - AVN to receive settings by user -> Par. 33-39) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Takizawa to include an interface unit as taught by Kim. One would be motivated to make this modification so that a driver has an interface to input settings (including a preset reference level of the status of charge) to reflect a desired outcome (Kim - Par. 21-22), and an appropriate state of charge can be achieved before the departure time (Kim – Par. 42-45). Furthermore, this modification would promote convenience and ease of use for a user. A person having ordinary skill in the art would have a reasonable expectation of success in combining the teachings of Takizawa and Kim. Additionally, the claimed invention is merely a combination of known elements of vehicle control input and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the results of the combination would have been predictable. The motivation to combine Takizawa and Kim from the 103 rejection of this claim is similarly applied to the rest of the 103 rejections below. Ogaki teaches a power supply device for vehicle, in the same field of endeavor, comprising: a scheduled departure time setting, a scheduled air conditioning execution setting after parking a vehicle, and a conditioning execution setting of the vehicle battery after the scheduled departure time setting and the scheduled air conditioning execution setting; and (Ogaki - multiple embodiments determining whether conditioning execution setting of battery is received after the scheduled departure time setting and the scheduled air conditioning setting are received -> Par. 6-20; scheduled departure time and scheduled air conditioning setting received before battery conditioning execution setting -> Par. 34-35) Tonozuka teaches a temperature regulating device of an on-vehicle battery, in the same field of endeavor, comprising: in response to determining that the charging connector is connected to the battery, executing air conditioning and battery conditioning of the vehicle, and (Tonozuka – Fig. 3 and [0064-0067] - the vehicle arrives at the charge station 11 and the rapid charge connector 12 is connected to its equipment side at the time t2, the air conditioner unit 2 starts to cool the battery 1… the charge cannot start until the time t3 at when the battery temperature falls down to the target one in the comparative example) while executing the scheduled air conditioning and battery conditioning, preventing charging of the battery through the charging connector based on a status of charge of the battery being equal to or greater than a preset reference level of the status of charge and allowing charging of the battery with the charging power from outside through the charging connector based on the status of charge of the battery falling below at the preset reference level of the status of charge. (Tonozuka – Fig. 3 and [0064-0067] - the vehicle arrives at the charge station 11 and the rapid charge connector 12 is connected to its equipment side at the time t2, the air conditioner unit 2 starts to cool the battery 1… the charge cannot start until the time t3 at when the battery temperature falls down to the target one in the comparative example… the battery charge is ended because the battery SOC comes to a full charge state) Regarding claim 13, Takizawa, Ogaki, Tonozuka, and Kim teach the invention as claimed and as discussed above with respect to claim 8, and Takizawa further discloses (Takizawa does not disclose the strikethrough portions): The system according to claim 8, (Takizawa - transmit and display statuses of execution -> Par. 18, Par. 34) Kim teaches a system and control method for reserved charge of battery for vehicle, in the same field of endeavor, comprising: The system according to claim 8, further comprising a communication terminal configured to receive and display statuses o(Kim - communication terminal either on vehicle or remote configured to receive and display -> Par. 9, Par. 33-39) Regarding claim 15, Takizawa, Ogaki, Tonozuka, and Kim teach the invention as claimed and as discussed above with respect to claim 8, and Takizawa further discloses: The system according to claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to: calculate a start time of the air conditioning and a start time of the battery conditioning by inverse calculation based on the scheduled departure time; and (Takizawa - calculating start time by inverse calculation -> Par. 48) execute, respectively, the air conditioning and the battery conditioning of the vehicle at the calculated start time of the air conditioning and the calculated start time of the battery conditioning of the vehicle; (Takizawa - executing at calculated start times -> Par. 48) wherein the start time of the air conditioning and the start time of the battery conditioning are respectively calculated based on different criteria. (Takizawa - scheduled start times for temperature adjuster and air conditioner may be based on different operating conditions/criteria (e.g. temperature adjuster operating condition may be battery temperature is lower than threshold value, battery charging has started, or fixed time before scheduled departure is reached vs. air conditioner operating condition may be on the basis of the schedule information 108A) -> Par. 28-29, Par. 37-39) Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takizawa, Ogaki, Tonozuka, Kim, and Hirabayashi. Regarding claim 11, Takizawa, Ogaki, Tonozuka, and Kim teach the invention as claimed and as discussed above with respect to claim 8, and Takizawa further discloses (Takizawa does not disclose the strikethrough portions): The system according to claim 8, wherein, when the indoor air conditioning and battery conditioning of the vehicle are executed before the scheduled departure time, the controller is further configured to: execute the indoor air conditioning of the vehicle(Takizawa - execute air conditioning and battery conditioning for a preset time/before a preset reference time of the schedule start time/scheduled departure time -> Par. 37-46) increase a temperature of the battery to a preset reference temperature. (Takizawa - comparing predetermined temperature to temperature of battery and turning on battery heater if lower than predetermined temperature -> Par. 28, Par. 39-46) Hirabayashi teaches a vehicle air-conditioning controller, in the same field of endeavor, comprising: execute the indoor air conditioning of the vehicle to a temperature set in the scheduled air conditioning execution setting; (Hirabayashi - executing indoor air conditioning to target temperature -> Par. 32-34, Par. 39-43) Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takizawa, Ogaki, Tonozuka, Kim, Hirabayashi, and Wu. Regarding claim 12, Takizawa, Ogaki, Tonozuka, Kim, and Hirabayashi teach the invention as claimed and as discussed above with respect to claim 11, and Takizawa further discloses (Takizawa does not disclose the strikethrough portions): The system according to claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to: compare the preset reference temperature with a measured temperature of the battery, forming a second comparison; and (Takizawa - comparing predetermined temperature to temperature of battery and turning on battery heater if lower than predetermined temperature -> Par. 28, Par. 39-46) turn on or off power of a battery heater provided in the battery, according to the second comparison, to control the temperature of the battery(Takizawa - comparing predetermined temperature to temperature of battery and turning on battery heater if lower than predetermined temperature -> Par. 28, Par. 39-46) Hirabayashi teaches a vehicle air-conditioning controller, in the same field of endeavor, comprising: compare the temperature set in the scheduled air conditioning execution setting with a measured indoor temperature of the vehicle, forming a first comparison, (Hirabayashi - comparing interior temperature to target to determine turning on or off indoor ventilation by air conditioning unit in order to maintain target temperature -> Par. 30-34) turn on or off indoor ventilation, according to the first comparison, to control the indoor temperature of the vehicle to be maintained to the temperature set in the scheduled air conditioning execution setting, (Hirabayashi - comparing interior temperature to target to determine turning on or off indoor ventilation by air conditioning unit in order to maintain target temperature -> Par. 30-34) Wu teaches a temperature regulating system of in-vehicle battery, in the same field of endeavor, comprising: turn on or off power of a battery heater provided in the battery, according to the second comparison, to control the temperature of the battery to be maintained to the preset reference temperature. (Wu - turning on or off battery heater to maintain battery to reference temperature -> Par. 272). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NAVID MEHDIZADEH whose telephone number is (571)272-7691. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:30 AM-5:00 PM. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James Trammell can be reached on (571)-272-6712. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /NAVID Z. MEHDIZADEH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3669
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Prosecution Timeline

Show 5 earlier events
Jun 26, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 18, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103, §112
Oct 21, 2025
Response Filed
Dec 29, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §103, §112
Mar 02, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Apr 29, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
May 05, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 21, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103, §112 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

5-6
Expected OA Rounds
75%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+25.7%)
2y 7m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
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