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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11-26-2025 has been considered by the examiner.
Response to Amendment
Amendments received 11-26-2025 have been considered,
Claims 10 and 19 have been amended.
Claims 6 and 17 have been previously canceled.
No new claims have been introduced.
Claims 1-5, 7-16, and 18-19 are currently pending.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-3, 7-9, 11, and 13-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moon (US 20200369156 A1) in view of Kim (US 20180281616 A1).
REGARDING CLAIM 1, Moon discloses, a driving power unit including a motor and an inverter (Moon: [ABS] The system includes a motor providing rotational force to wheels of the vehicle and a first battery storing electric energy for driving the motor. An inverter is connected to the first battery via a DC link terminal and performs a bidirectional power conversion between the DC link terminal and the motor); a main battery unit electrically connected to the driving power unit (Moon: [0026] a first battery 10 storing electric energy for driving the motor), the main battery unit including a first battery (Moon: [0026] a first battery 10 storing electric energy for driving the motor), the main battery unit being fixedly disposed in the electrified vehicle (Moon: [0026] a first battery 10 storing electric energy for driving the motor); a DC converter electrically connected to the main battery unit (Moon: [0026] bidirectional power conversion between the DC link terminal DC.sub.LINK and the motor 12, a direct current (DC) converter 13 connected to the DC link terminal DC.sub.LINK to down-convert a voltage VDC of the DC link terminal and output the down-converted voltage, a second battery) and including a connector (Moon: [0026] bidirectional power conversion between the DC link terminal DC.sub.LINK and the motor 12, a direct current (DC) converter 13 connected to the DC link terminal DC.sub.LINK to down-convert a voltage VDC of the DC link terminal and output the down-converted voltage, a second battery), wherein the DC converter is configured to convert charging power input through the connector (Moon: [0026] a bidirectional power conversion between the DC link terminal DC.sub.LINK and the motor 12, a direct current (DC) converter 13 connected to the DC link terminal DC.sub.LINK to down-convert a voltage VDC of the DC link terminal and output the down-converted voltage, a second battery 14 supplied with the voltage converted by the DC converter 13 and having a voltage that is less than that of the first battery 10, and a controller 100 configured to operate the inverter 11 and the DC converter 13 to charge regenerative braking energy generated from the motor 12 during braking of the vehicle in the first battery 10 and the second battery 14) and to transfer the converted charging power to the main battery unit (Moon: [0026] a bidirectional power conversion between the DC link terminal DC.sub.LINK and the motor 12, a direct current (DC) converter 13 connected to the DC link terminal DC.sub.LINK to down-convert a voltage VDC of the DC link terminal and output the down-converted voltage, a second battery 14 supplied with the voltage converted by the DC converter 13 and having a voltage that is less than that of the first battery 10, and a controller 100 configured to operate the inverter 11 and the DC converter 13 to charge regenerative braking energy generated from the motor 12 during braking of the vehicle in the first battery 10 and the second battery 15); and a controller (Moon: [FIG. 1(100)]) configured to: acquire second battery information on a second battery connected to the connector (Moon: [0009] The controller may be configured to calculate a chargeable energy amount of both the first battery and the second battery based on a state of charge of the first battery and the second battery during braking of the vehicle; [0039] the controller 100 may be configured to calculate the amount of energy E1 and E2 that may be charged in the respective batteries based on stages of charge of the first battery 10 and the second battery) through a battery management system (BMS) (Moon: [0009] The controller may be configured to calculate a chargeable energy amount of both the first battery and the second battery…).
Moon does not explicitly disclose determine whether to perform first charging control for charging the first battery with energy of the second battery based on the first and second battery information.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Kim discloses, determine whether to perform first charging control for charging the first battery with energy of the second battery (Kim: [0029] active cell balancing between the battery cells 111 of the first battery module 11 and the battery cells 121 of the second battery module 12; see [FIG. 2] BAT2 transferring to BAT1) based on the first and second battery information (Kim: [0029] Moreover, the controller 13 may be configured to monitor a state of charge (SOC) of each of the first and second battery modules 11 and 12. When the state of charge of one of the first and second battery modules 11 and 12 is less than a predetermined level), for the benefit of balancing between the battery cells of the first battery module and the battery cells of the second battery module thereby achieving extended battery life.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method disclosed by Moon to include battery balancing taught by Kim. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to extend battery life.
REGARDING CLAIM 2, Moon, as modified, remain as applied above to claim 1, and further, Moon also discloses, acquires the second battery information via the DC converter (Moon: [0039] the state of charge (SOC) of each battery 10, 14, monitored by a battery management system or a hybrid controller provided within the vehicle).
Moon does not explicitly disclose a controller acquiring "via the DC converter". However, Moon does disclose a controller acquiring SOC of BATT2. Further, the specification is devoid of a benefit, improvement, or unanticipated result due to "via the DC converter". Thus, devoid an unanticipated result, resulting in an improvement (paradigm shift), the controllers acquiring SOC for BATT2 are considered parallel in service and result.
REGARDING CLAIM 3, Moon, as modified, remain as applied above to claim 1, and further, Kim also discloses, determine total available energy based on the second battery information and the battery information (Kim: [0029] Moreover, the controller 13 may be configured to monitor a state of charge (SOC) of each of the first and second battery modules 11 and 12. When the state of charge of one of the first and second battery modules 11 and 12 is less than a predetermined level ... active cell balancing between the battery cells 111 of the first battery module 11 and the battery cells 121 of the second battery module 12; see [FIG. 2] BAT2 transferring to BAT1).
The examiner respectfully submits, the controller can't balance the batteries without knowing their total.
REGARDING CLAIM 7, Moon, as modified, remain as applied above to claim 1, and further, Kim also discloses, the first battery is in a chargeable state (Kim: [FIG. 3]) and the second battery is in a dischargeable state (Kim: [FIG. 3]), the controller is configured to perform the first charging control (Kim: [ABS] the controller performs active cell balancing).
REGARDING CLAIM 8, Moon, as modified, remain as applied above to claim 1, and further, Moon also discloses, the controller is configured to forward a charging command to the BMS (Moon: [0010] When the controller operates the inverter to output the execution regenerative braking torque).
REGARDING CLAIM 9, Moon, as modified, remain as applied above to claim 1, and further, Kim also discloses, the second BMS is configured to control a charging current or charging power based on a temperature of the second battery in response to a start of the first charging control (Kim: [ABS] A controller then monitors a state of charge of each of the first and second battery modules; [0028] when the motor is driven for driving the vehicle, the controller 13 may be configured to turn on the first switch 14 to supply the summed voltage of the first and second battery modules 11 and 12 to the motor ... controller 13 may be configured to turn on the second switch 15 to supply electric power to the low-voltage load 19 required for driving the vehicle ... the controller 13 may be configured to monitor the state (e.g., charge amount, temperature, etc.) of the second battery module 12, and perform an operation of protecting the second battery module 12 by turning off the second switch 15 as required).
REGARDING CLAIM 11, Moon, as modified, remain as applied above to claim 1, and further, Kim also discloses, based on a result of determining that an SOC of the first battery reaches a target SOC after determining to perform the first charging control (Kim: [0008] the controller may be configured to perform the active cell balancing such that the first battery module is charged with energy stored in the second battery module when the vehicle is in a driving state, a charge amount of the first battery module is less than a first reference value, and a charge amount of the second battery module is greater than a second reference value), the controller is configured to suspend the first charging control (Kim: [0008] The controller may also be configured to perform the active cell balancing such that the first battery module is charged with external power when the vehicle is in a driving state, the charge amount of the first battery module is less than the first reference value, and the charge amount of the second battery module is equal to or less than the second reference value; [0011] The exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include: charging the first battery module by the controller using external power when the charge amount of the second battery module is equal to or less than the second reference value).
REGARDING CLAIM 13, Moon, as modified, remain as applied above to claim 1, and further, Moon also discloses, a braking controller configured to determine a hydraulic braking amount (Moon: [0009] configured to calculate a chargeable energy amount of both the first battery and the second battery based on a state of charge of the first battery and the second battery during braking of the vehicle, determine an execution regenerative braking torque which is output from the motor based on the chargeable energy amount, and operate the inverter for the motor to output the execution regenerative braking torque) and a regenerative braking amount (Moon: [0009] configured to calculate a required braking torque based on a depressed amount of a brake pedal of the vehicle, calculate the maximum possible regenerative braking torque, which is the maximum value of the regenerative braking torque which is provided to the motor, based on the required braking torque) based on a total required braking amount determined by the controller (Moon: [0009] calculate the maximum allowable regenerative braking torque, which is the maximum value of the allowable regenerative braking torque, based on the chargeable energy amount and the predicted braking time), in controlling regenerative braking according to the regenerative braking amount (Moon: see [0009]).
Moon does not explicitly disclose, wherein the controller is further configured to determine whether to perform second charging control for charging the second battery with energy of the first battery.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Kim discloses, (Kim: see "balancing", threshold limits, and external power (regen braking) [0008]), for the benefit of balancing between the battery cells of the first battery module and the battery cells of the second battery module thereby achieving extended battery life.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method disclosed by Moon to include battery balancing taught by Kim. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to extend battery life.
REGARDING CLAIM 14, Moon, as modified, remain as applied above to claim 13, and further, Kim also discloses, based on a result of determining that the first battery is in a non-chargeable state and the second battery is in a chargeable state, the controller is further configured to determine to perform the second charging control (Kim: see "balancing", threshold limits, and external power (regen braking) [0008]).
REGARDING CLAIM 15, Moon discloses, a driving power unit including a motor and an inverter (Moon: [ABS]); a main battery unit electrically connected to the driving power unit (Moon: [0026]), the main battery unit including a first battery, the main battery unit being fixedly disposed in the electrified vehicle (Moon: [0026]); a DC converter electrically connected to the main battery unit and including a connector (Moon: [0026]), wherein the DC converter is configured to convert charging power input through the connector and to transfer the converted charging power of the main battery unit (Moon: [0026]); and a controller (Moon: [FIG. 1(100)]) configured to: acquire second battery information on a second battery connected to the connector (Moon: [0009]; [0039]) through a battery management system (BMS) (Moon: [0009]).
Moon does not explicitly disclose, compare regenerative energy loss due to a non-chargeable state of the first battery with path loss resulting from charging the second battery with energy from the first battery, and perform, based on a result of determining that the path loss is less than the regenerative energy loss, charging control for charging the second battery with energy of the first battery.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Kim discloses, (Kim: [0007-0014]; [0025-0040]), for the benefit of balancing between the battery cells of the first battery module and the battery cells of the second battery module thereby achieving extended battery life.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method disclosed by Moon to include battery balancing taught by Kim. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to extend battery life.
REGARDING CLAIM 16, Moon, as modified, remain as applied above to claim 13, and further, Moon also discloses, monitor a regenerative braking execution amount by the regenerative braking as the second charging control is performed, and performs a control operation so that the second battery is charged by the execution amount (Moon: [0009]).
Claim(s) 4 and 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moon (US 20200369156 A1) Kim (US 20180281616 A1) as applied to claim 3 above, and further in view of Botts (US 20200130511 A1).
REGARDING CLAIM 4, Moon, as modified, remain as applied above to claim 3, and further, Kim also discloses, the controller is further configured to: estimate a state of charge (SOC) of the second battery based on a voltage of the second battery in a no-load state (Kim: see [FIG. 1, 2, 3] switches 14 and 15 are open during sensing and balancing).
Moon in view of Kim do not explicitly disclose, the second battery information includes cell type information and rated capacity information; and estimate a state of health (SOH) of the second battery based on a result measured by applying a test current.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Botts discloses, the second battery information includes cell type information and rated capacity information (Botts: [0098] FIG. 2E depicts the combined performance of the battery system 230, including the first battery 232 and the second battery 234, with respect to the characteristics of capacity, discharge rate, charge rate, operating temperature, life, safety, toxicity, and cost); and estimate a state of health (SOH) of the second battery based on a result measured by applying a test current (Botts: [0059] state of health (SOH), state of power (SOP), and current (current received and/or current delivered), in any combination thereof), for the benefit of enhancing complex duty cycles using multiple chemistry battery systems of power.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method disclosed by a modified Moon to include battery diversity taught by Botts. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to enhance complex duty cycles using multiple chemistry battery systems of power.
REGARDING CLAIM 18, Moon discloses, controlling the second battery to a connector of a DC converter electrically connected to the main battery unit (Moon: [0026] bidirectional power conversion between the DC link terminal DC.sub.LINK and the motor 12, a direct current (DC) converter 13 connected to the DC link terminal DC.sub.LINK to down-convert a voltage VDC of the DC link terminal and output the down-converted voltage, a second battery).
Moon does not explicitly disclose, determining, by a controller, to perform first charging control for charging the first battery with energy of the second battery based on first battery information and second battery information.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Kim discloses, determining, by a controller, to perform first charging control for charging the first battery with energy of the second battery based on first battery information and second battery information (Kim: see "balancing", threshold limits, and external power (regen braking) [0008]), for the benefit of balancing between the battery cells of the first battery module and the battery cells of the second battery module thereby achieving extended battery life.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method disclosed by Moon to include battery balancing taught by Kim. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to extend battery life.
Moon, as modified, does not explicitly disclose, connecting a swappable battery unit including a second battery and a second BMS. The examiner respectfully submits, the duplication of parts or steps is well within the scope of customary practices for one of ordinary skill and is not typically considered an inventive step in the absence of an unanticipated result, resulting in an improvement (paradigm shift). Further, making an old device portable or movable without producing any new and unexpected result involves only routine skill in the art and is not typically considered an inventive step.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Botts discloses, (Botts: [0085] the first BMS 246, the second BMS 256, and/or the third BMS 266), for the benefit of one or more controllers may be configured to cause the first battery and the second battery to power the drive motor, and to cause the drive motor to charge the first battery and the second battery (performing a plurality of tasks).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method disclosed by a modified Moon to include the duplication of parts/steps taught by Boots. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to perform a plurality of tasks.
REGARDING CLAIM 19, Moon discloses, second battery connected to a connector of a DC converter electrically connected to a main battery unit including a first battery (Moon: [0026] a voltage VDC of the DC link terminal and output the down-converted voltage, a second battery 14 supplied with the voltage converted by the DC converter 13 and having a voltage that is less than that of the first battery 10, and a controller 100 configured to operate the inverter 11 and the DC converter 13 to charge regenerative braking energy generated from the motor 12 during braking of the vehicle in the first battery 10 and the second battery), receiving, by a controller, a first battery information on the first battery (Moon: [0039] the controller 100 may be configured to calculate the amount of energy E1 and E2 that may be charged in the respective batteries based on stages of charge of the first battery 10 and the second battery 14 (S121). The calculation in step S121 may be performed based on the state of charge (SOC) of each battery 10, 14, monitored by a battery management system or a hybrid controller provided within the vehicle, and the maximum capacity corresponding to the specification of each battery 10, 14) and a second battery information on the second battery (Moon: [0039] the controller 100 may be configured to calculate the amount of energy E1 and E2 that may be charged in the respective batteries based on stages of charge of the first battery 10 and the second battery 14 (S121). The calculation in step S121 may be performed based on the state of charge (SOC) of each battery 10, 14, monitored by a battery management system or a hybrid controller provided within the vehicle, and the maximum capacity corresponding to the specification of each battery 10, 15); wherein the first battery in fixed to the electrified vehicle (Moon: [0026] a first battery 10 storing electric energy for driving the motor) and electrically connected to the DC converter (Moon: [0026] bidirectional power conversion between the DC link terminal DC.sub.LINK and the motor 12, a direct current (DC) converter 13 connected to the DC link terminal DC.sub.LINK to down-convert a voltage VDC of the DC link terminal and output the down-converted voltage, a second battery) and a motor configured to serve as driving force for the vehicle (Moon: [ABS] The system includes a motor providing rotational force to wheels of the vehicle and a first battery storing electric energy for driving the motor. An inverter is connected to the first battery via a DC link terminal and performs a bidirectional power conversion between the DC link terminal and the motor).
Moon does not explicitly disclose, determining, by a controller, to perform first charging control for charging the first battery with energy of the second battery based on first battery information and second battery information.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Kim discloses, (Kim: see balancing [0029]), for the benefit of balancing between the battery cells of the first battery module and the battery cells of the second battery module thereby achieving extended battery life.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method disclosed by Moon to include battery balancing taught by Kim. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to extend battery life.
Moon, as modified, does not explicitly disclose the duplication of essential steps/parts.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Botts discloses, in a state where a swappable battery unit including a second battery and a second BMS for controlling the second battery (Botts: [0085]), for the benefit of one or more controllers may be configured to cause the first battery and the second battery to power the drive motor, and to cause the drive motor to charge the first battery and the second battery (performing a plurality of tasks).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method disclosed by a modified Moon to include the duplication of parts/steps taught by Boots. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to perform a plurality of tasks.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moon (US 20200369156 A1) in view of Kim (US 20180281616 A1) (Kim ‘616) and in further view of Botts (US 20200130511 A1) as applied to claim 4 above, and further in view of Kim (US 20150070024 A1) (Kim ‘024).
REGARDING CLAIM 5, Moon, as modified, remain as applied above to claim 4, and further, Kim ‘616 also discloses, the controller is configured to estimate the SOC based on an open circuit voltage table for each cell type (Kim ‘616: [0007] a first battery module having a plurality of battery cells connected to each other in series; a second battery module having a plurality of battery cells connected to each other in series, the second battery module being connected to the first battery module in series; and a controller configured to monitor a state of charge of each of the first and second battery modules, and when the state of charge of one of the first and second battery modules is less than a predetermined level, configured to perform active cell balancing between the battery cells of the first battery module and the battery cells of the second battery module; see [FIG. 1, 2, 3] switches 14 and 15 are open during sensing and balancing).
Moon, as modified, does not explicitly disclose, estimate the SOH based on an internal resistance table for each cell type.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Kim ‘024 discloses, estimate the SOH based on an internal resistance table for each cell type (Kim ‘024: [0020-0021] The SOH estimating unit may include deterioration internal resistance data ... estimate a first SOH of the at least one battery cell, based on the initial capacity data and the current capacity data; estimate a second SOH of the at least one battery cell, based on the initial internal resistance data and the current internal resistance data; and estimate the SOH of the at least one battery cell, based on the first SOH and the second SOH), for the benefit of an internal resistance estimating unit for generating current internal resistance data based on the cell voltage data and the current data, and a state of health (SOH) estimating unit for estimating an SOH of the at least one battery cell based on the current capacity data and the current internal resistance data.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method disclosed by a modified Moon to include resistance data taught by Kim ‘024. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to determine an internal resistance estimating unit for generating current internal resistance data based on the cell voltage data and the current data, and a state of health (SOH) estimating unit for estimating an SOH of the at least one battery cell based on the current capacity data and the current internal resistance data.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moon (US 20200369156 A1) in view of Kim (US 20180281616 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Snyder (US 20130241485 A1) and Wenger (US 20130218385 A1).
REGARDING CLAIM 10, Moon as modified, remain as applied above to claim 4, and further, Moon as modified, does not explicitly disclose, the second BMS is configured to control an operation of a cooling fan based on a vehicle speed and a temperature of the second battery in response to the start of the first charging control.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Snyder discloses, (Snyder: [0058] this fan can be configured to create air flow over batteries or other components during heat generating use. More specifically, the fan can be configured, for example, to create air flow over batteries or other charging components during the battery charging process), for the benefit of monitoring, managing, and regulating power generation and power consumption.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method disclosed by a modified Moon to include managing battery health taught by Snyder. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to monitor, manage, and regulate power generation and power consumption.
Moon, as modified, does not explicitly disclose, the second BMS is configured to control an operation of a cooling fan based on a vehicle speed.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Wenger discloses, (Wenger: [0077] VCU 12 is an electronic controller configured to control the electrical systems and subsystems of the electric vehicle. For example, VCU 12 may control fan and water pump motors, control and monitor vehicle speed and vehicle motor speed, receive and execute driver inputs and commands, and control the heating and cooling system of the electric vehicle), for the benefit of extending the range that the vehicle can travel on the battery pack before a recharge.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method disclosed by a modified Moon to include controlling cooling systems based upon vehicle speed taught by Wenger. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to extend the range that the vehicle can travel on the battery pack before a recharge.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moon (US 20200369156 A1) in view of Kim (US 20180281616 A1) as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Erozlu (US 20230038012 A1) and Goei (US 20190351783 A1).
REGARDING CLAIM 12, Moon, as modified, remain as applied above to claim 11, and further, Moon as modified, fails to disclose, based on a result of determining that a total path is longer than a total remaining distance range determined based on available energy on the first battery and available energy of the second battery, or a chargeable point is able to be reached.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Erozlu discloses, (Erozlu: [0011] In response to determining the destination is out of the partial recharge range from the location of the suggested charging station, the processing circuitry may be further configured to determine, along the route to the destination, an additional location corresponding to the partial recharge range, select an additional suggested charging station based on the additional location corresponding to the partial recharged range, and generate for display, at the display, the additional suggested charging station), for the benefit of selecting a charging station based on the location corresponding to the vehicle range.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method disclosed by a modified Moon to include estimated range and recharging taught by Erozlu. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to selecting a charging station based on the location corresponding to the vehicle range.
Moon, as modified, does not explicitly disclose, the controller is further configured to determine, as the target SOC, an SOC with which a charging reservation point.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Goei discloses, (Goei: [0044] a request for a charge reservation session via his dApp 404a which is connected to the MEC 402 via the cloud 416 ranging from a one-time charge near his current location to a series of charges at different locations according to a Trip Plan), for the benefit of generating the control data to schedule the charging location between the mobile charging platform and the electric vehicle responsive to first position data received from the mobile charging platform application, second position data received from the electric vehicle.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method disclosed by a modified Moon to include charging reservations taught by Goei. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to generate the control data to schedule the charging location between the mobile charging platform and the electric vehicle responsive to first position data received from the mobile charging platform application, second position data received from the electric vehicle.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11-26-2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. To the examiner’s best understanding, the applicant has contended that the prior art of Moon (US 20200369156 A1) in view Kim (US 20180281616 A1) because combining the prior art would not have a reasonable expectation for success. Specifically, because the system of Moon the batteries are parallel, wherein the system of Kim is in series. Further, the prior art would not have a reasonable expectation for success because a first battery is high voltage and a second battery is low voltage. The examiner respectfully disagrees.
First, Kim (US 20180281616 A1) discloses, “[0026] the series-connected battery groups may be connected to each other in parallel” and “[0028] The first switch 14 may be connected between the first battery module 11 and the high-voltage load 18, and the second switch 15 may be connected between the second battery module 12 and the low-voltage load”
Further, in response to applicant's argument that the prior art is non-analogous art, it has been held that a prior art reference must either be in the field of the inventor’s endeavor or, if not, then be reasonably pertinent to the particular problem with which the inventor was concerned, in order to be relied upon as a basis for rejection of the claimed invention.
Lastly, to the examiner’s best understanding, the choice of battery arrangement and voltage levels is considered routine customization/optimization through routine experimentation or common knowledge for one of ordinary skill. Determining an optimal battery arrangement or power levels is considered to be well within the scope of customary practices for one of ordinary skill. Because Moon (US 20200369156 A1) in view of Kim (US 20180281616 A1) discloses that the arrangement can be parallel or series and batteries can be high-voltage or mixed voltage, the examiner respectfully maintains the rejection of the independent claims under 35 USC §103, obviousness.
Conclusion
Applicant's submission of an information disclosure statement under 37 CFR 1.97(c) with the timing fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(p) on 11-26-2025 prompted the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 609.04(b). 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 AARRON SANTOS whose telephone number is (571)272-5288. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday: 8:00am - 4:30pm.
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/A.S./Examiner, Art Unit 3663
/ANGELA Y ORTIZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3663