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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 & 5, regarding the “holder body” detachably supporting the used battery unit” have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Applicant's arguments filed 08/20/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant states the prior art fails to teach “the battery recognition unit, charge/discharge instruction acquisition unit, and charge/discharge management unit are all provided in the holder body”. Examiner respectfully disagrees. As disclosed in the prior rejection of claim 1, Titus (Figs.1, 2, 6, & 8) teaches a used battery unit holder (160/204) which comprises a holder body (208), where the battery status recognition unit (630) and processor (612) comprising the processes of charge/discharge instruction acquisition and charge/discharge management are all provided in the holder body (¶0057: 604 corresponds to 160, and as shown in Fig.2 the components of 160/204 are contained within the holder body 208).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 1-3 & 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Titus (USPGPN 2020/0376983 A1 – filed May 29, 2020), in view of Burden (USPGPN 2019/0067959 A1 – published Feb. 28, 2019) and Sato et al. (WIPO Publication WO 2014/119049 A1 – published Aug. 7, 2014).
Regarding Claim 1, Titus (Figs.1, 2, 6, & 8) teaches a used battery unit holder (160/204) comprising:
a holder body (208) configured to hold a used battery unit (220/608), the used battery unit being a rechargeable battery configured to be mounted in a battery-powered apparatus (¶0002: rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles, e.g. bicycles; Fig.1 shows a battery holster 140 for mounting of the used battery unit holder which would include mounting of the used battery unit), the used battery unit including a cell (¶0057: battery cells 608) and a battery housing (battery cells are known in the art to have a housing, as shown in Fig.2 where battery cells 220 are shown in two different orientations and therefore two different sides of the battery housing) accommodating the cell, the used battery unit being detachably attachable to a storage device (150) for storing a plurality of used battery units including the used battery unit (Fig.1: 150 holds multiple of 160/204 and therefore the used battery units within are detachably attached to 150), the battery housing of the used battery unit being supported by the holder body (Fig.2, battery cells and therefore battery housings are supported within the holder body), and the holder body being configured to be transported while being connected with the used battery unit during transportation (212: handle provided for transporting the holder body with the used battery units connected);
a connection unit (228/312A & 312B) provided on the holder body and connected to the used battery unit (¶0047: connected through 324A & 324B) held by the holder body to connect the used battery unit held by the holder body through a connection circuit (¶0047: 312A & 312B connect to corresponding contacts in a battery charging kiosk) included in the storage device in such a manner that the used battery unit can be charged;
a battery status recognition unit (630) provided on the holder body and connected to the used battery unit held by the holder body to recognize battery status (¶0057: program modules may cause temperature readings to be obtained and/or recorded); and
a hardware processor (612) provided on the holder body and configured to execute processes comprising:
a charge/discharge instruction process comprising acquiring charge/discharge instruction information based on the battery status recognized by the battery status recognition unit (¶0057: program modules may cause temperature readings to be obtained and/or recorded) to give a discharge instruction to a discharge-target battery unit to be discharged and give a charge instruction to a charge-target battery unit to be charged among the used battery units (¶0072: Method 800 teaches a communication network may set the charge or discharge current limit based on temperature data, which would be transmitted and processed through communication system 636); and
a charge/discharge management process comprising discharging from the discharge-target battery unit and charging the charge-target battery unit according to the charge/discharge instruction information acquired in the charge/discharge instruction acquisition process (¶0074: current output or input is reduced based on instructions received).
Titus fails to explicitly teach the used battery unit as detachably held by a holder body;
discharging to the storage device connection circuit;
battery status including a current value and a voltage value of the used battery unit; and
charging/discharging batteries so that SOCs (States Of Charge) of the discharge-target battery unit and the charge-target battery unit fall within a predetermined SOC range.
However, Burden teaches a battery system where battery status information includes a current value and voltage value (Fig.3, 110; ¶0010: voltage/current/power can be interchangeable), and charging/discharging between batteries (Fig.3, 140).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Titus to include voltage and current values to the battery status information, and charging/discharging between batteries. Burden discloses one skilled in the art understands that terms such as voltage, current, and power can be interchangeable, and including these values in battery status information allows for a system to charge a low battery with available charge from a highest charged battery, which can help conserve energy.
Moreover, Sato teaches that it is preferable to maintain a battery within a predetermined SOC range (Pg.3, Para.3: Using a battery within a desirable narrow area near the center of the SOC).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Titus to limit the SOC operational range so that the batteries fall within a predetermined SOC range. Doing so reduces the deterioration of the batteries allowing for increased battery lifetime, as evidenced by Sato.
Titus, in view of Burden and Sato, discloses the claimed invention except for the used battery unit is not detachably held in the holder body. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to configure the holder body to detachably hold a used battery unit, since it has been held that constructing a formerly integral structure in various elements involves only routine skill in the art. Nerwin v. Erlichman, 168 USPQ 177, 1. Doing so would allow a used battery unit to be replaced in the event of a cell failure, allowing continued used of the used battery unit holder without having to replace the entire system.
Regarding Claim 2, Titus, in view of Burden and Sato, further teaches wherein:
the connection unit is configured to connect the used battery unit held by the holder body to be able to be mutually charged/discharged through the connection circuit included in the storage device (as disclosed in the rejection of claim 1),
the charge/discharge instruction acquisition process acquires charge/discharge instruction information to give charge/discharge instructions between the discharge-target battery unit and the charge-target battery unit based on the battery status recognized by the battery status recognition unit (as disclosed in the rejection of claim 1), and
the charge/discharge management process discharges from the discharge-target battery unit and charges discharged power from the discharge-target battery unit to the charge-target battery unit according to the charge/discharge instruction information acquired in the charge/discharge instruction acquisition process in such a manner that the SOCs of the discharge-target battery unit and the charge-target battery unit fall within the predetermined SOC range (as disclosed in the rejection of claim 1).
Regarding Claim 3, Titus, in view of Burden and Sato, further teaches wherein:
the battery status recognition unit is configured to recognize temperature of the used battery unit held by the holder body as the battery status (as disclosed in the rejection of claim 1), and
the charge/discharge instruction acquisition process acquires the charge/discharge instruction information based on the battery status including the temperature of the used battery unit (as disclosed in the rejection of claim 1).
Regarding Claim 5, Titus (Figs.1, 2, 6, & 8) teaches a used battery storage system comprising:
a holder (208) which holds a used battery unit (220/608), the used battery unit being a recharging battery configured to be mounted in a battery-powered apparatus (¶0002: rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles, e.g. bicycles; Fig.1 shows a battery holster 140 for mounting of the used battery unit holder which would include mounting of the used battery unit), the used battery units including a cell and a battery housing accommodating the cell (220/608: battery cells have a housing), the battery housing of the used battery unit being supported by the holder (Fig.2, battery cells and therefore battery housings are supported within the holder), and the holder body being configured to be transported while being connected with the used battery units during transportation (212: handle provided for transporting the holder body with the used battery units connected);
a storage device (150) of used battery units, to which a plurality of the holders in which the battery units are held, respectively, can be detachably attached (Fig.1: 150 holds multiple of 160/204 and therefore the used battery units within are detachably attached to 150);
a connection unit (228/312A & 312B) provided in the holder to be connectable to the used battery unit (¶0047: connected through 324A & 324B) held by the holder;
a battery status recognition unit (630) connected to the used battery unit held by the holder through the connection unit to recognize battery status (¶0057: program modules may cause temperature readings to be obtained and/or recorded);
a hardware processor configured to execute processes comprising:
a charge/discharge instruction acquisition process comprising acquiring charge/discharge instruction information to give a discharge instruction to a discharge-target battery unit to be discharged and a charge instruction to a charge-target battery unit to be charged among a plurality of the used battery units (¶0072: Method 800 teaches a communication network may set the charge or discharge current limit based on temperature data, which would be transmitted and processed through communication system 636) based on the battery status recognized by the battery status recognition unit (¶0057: program modules may cause temperature readings to be obtained and/or recorded); and
a charge/discharge management process comprising discharging from the discharge-target battery unit and charging the charge-target battery unit according to the charge/discharge instruction information acquired in the charge/discharge instruction acquisition process (¶0074: current output or input is reduced based on instructions received).
Titus fails to explicitly teach the used battery unit as detachably held by a holder;
discharging to the storage device connection circuit;
battery status including a current value and a voltage value of the used battery unit; and
charging/discharging batteries so that SOCs (States Of Charge) of the discharge-target battery unit and the charge-target battery unit fall within a predetermined SOC range.
However, Burden teaches a battery system where battery status information includes a current value and voltage value (Fig.3, 110; ¶0010: voltage/current/power can be interchangeable), and charging/discharging between batteries (Fig.3, 140).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Titus to include voltage and current values to the battery status information, and charging/discharging between batteries. Burden discloses one skilled in the art understands that terms such as voltage, current, and power can be interchangeable, and including these values in battery status information allows for a system to charge a low battery with available charge from a highest charged battery, which can help conserve energy.
Moreover, Sato teaches that it is preferable to maintain a battery within a predetermined SOC range (Pg.3, Para.3: Using a battery within a desirable narrow area near the center of the SOC).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Titus to limit the SOC operational range so that the batteries fall within a predetermined SOC range. Doing so reduces the deterioration of the batteries allowing for increased battery lifetime, as evidenced by Sato.
Titus, in view of Burden and Sato, discloses the claimed invention except for the used battery unit is not detachably held in the holder body. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to configure the holder body to detachably hold a used battery unit, since it has been held that constructing a formerly integral structure in various elements involves only routine skill in the art. Nerwin v. Erlichman, 168 USPQ 177, 1. Doing so would allow a used battery unit to be replaced in the event of a cell failure, allowing continued used of the used battery unit holder without having to replace the entire system.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Titus, in view of Burden and Sato, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Jung (USPGPN 2013/0049698 A1 – published Feb, 28, 2013).
Regarding Claim 4, Titus as modified further teaches the used battery unit includes a plurality of cells in the battery housing (the PEDs taught by Ugrin include a battery, ¶0018: energy storage component of a PED; which by definition a battery may comprise one or more cells).
Titus as modified fails to explicitly teach wherein:
the battery status recognition unit is configured to recognize the battery status of each of a plurality of cells that constitute the used battery unit,
the charge/discharge instruction acquisition unit is configured to acquire the charge/discharge instruction information based on the battery status of each of the plurality of cells, and
the charge/discharge management unit is configured to charge or discharge each of the plurality of cells that constitute the used battery unit held by the holder body according to the charge/discharge instruction information acquired by the charge/discharge instruction acquisition unit until a voltage value difference among the plurality of cells becomes less than a predetermined tolerance.
However, Jung (Fig.3 & 17) teaches a cell balancing circuit (310) for balancing cells to be less than a predetermined tolerance (S14 to S15 to END) and controlled by a controller (300).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Titus, in view of Burden and Sato, to include a cell balancing circuit and the control method, taught by Jung, to monitor the cell voltages and charge or discharge the cells to maintain the voltage value difference to be less than a predetermined tolerance. Doing so allows the system to improve the lifespan of the battery by reducing the difference between battery cells, thus reducing the likelihood of a cell being overcharged or over discharged.
Claim(s) 6-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Titus, in view of Burden and Sato, as applied to claims 1 & 5 above, and further in view of NPL – EBIKE HACK “Battery cover disassembly” (Published 2017; hereinafter referred to as EBIKE).
Regarding Claim 6, Titus, as modified, fails to explicitly teach the holder body comprises a plate; and
the holder body is configured such that the used battery unit is held on the plate and taken out from the plate.
However, EBIKE (Pg.5, Fig.1 and Pg.7, Fig.1) teaches a holder body (Pg.1, Para.1: battery compartment) comprises a plate (bottom plate as shown in Pg.5, Fig.1), and the holder body is configured such that the used battery unit (Pg.5, Fig.1 battery cells) is held on the plate and taken out from the plate (Pg.7, Fig.1 shows the used battery unit/battery cells are held within the battery compartment on the plate and taken out from the plate).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Titus, in view of Burden and Sato, with EBIKE to include a plate and configure the holder body such that the used battery unit is held on the plate and taken out from the plate. Doing so helps ensure the used battery unit is secured when the holder body is in motion, avoiding damage to the used battery unit caused by collisions with other internal components.
Regarding Claim 7, Titus, as modified, fails to explicitly teach the holder comprises a plate; and
the holder is configured such that the used battery unit is held on the plate and taken out from the plate.
However, EBIKE (Pg.5, Fig.1 and Pg.7, Fig.1) teaches a holder (Pg.1, Para.1: battery compartment) comprises a plate (bottom plate as shown in Pg.5, Fig.1), and the holder is configured such that the used battery unit (Pg.5, Fig.1 battery cells) is held on the plate and taken out from the plate (Pg.7, Fig.1 shows the used battery unit/battery cells are held within the battery compartment on the plate and taken out from the plate).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Titus, in view of Burden and Sato, with EBIKE to include a plate and configure the holder such that the used battery unit is held on the plate and taken out from the plate. Doing so helps ensure the used battery unit is secured when the holder body is in motion, avoiding damage to the used battery unit caused by collisions with other internal components.
Regarding Claim 8, Titus, as modified, fails to explicitly teach wherein the holder body comprises a bottom plate on which the used battery unit is placed, and side plates configured to surround left and right side portions and a back-side portion of the used battery unit.
However, EBIKE (Pg.5, Fig.1 and Pg.7, Fig.1) teaches a holder body (Pg.1, Para.1: battery compartment) comprises a bottom plate (bottom plate as shown in Pg.5, Fig.1) on which the used battery unit is placed (Pg.7, Fig.1 shows the used battery unit/battery cells are held within the battery compartment on the plate), and side plates configured to surround left and right side portions (Pg.7, Fig.1 shows the upper section of the holder body comprises side plates that cover the left and right side portions of the used battery unit) and a back-side portion (Pg.7, Fig.1 shows the upper section of the holder body comprises a top plate the covers a back-side portion of the used battery unit) of the used battery unit.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Titus, in view of Burden and Sato, with EBIKE to include a bottom plate on which the used battery unit is placed, and side plates configured to surround left and right side portions and a back-side portion of the used battery unit. Doing so helps ensure the used battery unit is protected from exterior debris which could damage the used battery unit.
Regarding Claim 9, Titus, as modified, fails to explicitly teach wherein the holder comprises a bottom plate on which the used battery unit is placed, and side plates configured to surround left and right side portions and a back-side portion of the used battery unit.
However, EBIKE (Pg.5, Fig.1 and Pg.7, Fig.1) teaches a holder (Pg.1, Para.1: battery compartment) comprises a bottom plate (bottom plate as shown in Pg.5, Fig.1) on which the used battery unit is placed (Pg.7, Fig.1 shows the used battery unit/battery cells are held within the battery compartment on the plate), and side plates configured to surround left and right side portions (Pg.7, Fig.1 shows the upper section of the holder body comprises side plates that cover the left and right side portions of the used battery unit) and a back-side portion (Pg.7, Fig.1 shows the upper section of the holder body comprises a top plate the covers a back-side portion of the used battery unit) of the used battery unit.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Titus, in view of Burden and Sato, with EBIKE to include a bottom plate on which the used battery unit is placed, and side plates configured to surround left and right side portions and a back-side portion of the used battery unit. Doing so helps ensure the used battery unit is protected from exterior debris which could damage the used battery unit.
Conclusion
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 JOHN P ONDRASIK whose telephone number is (703)756-1963. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Julian Huffman can be reached at (571) 272-2147. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JOHN P ONDRASIK/ Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/JULIAN D HUFFMAN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
