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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhang et. al (USPUB 2018/0034282).
As to Claim 1, Zhang discloses a battery charging system comprising: a battery module including a plurality of rechargeable batteries (Figure 7, Element 228); and a charger connected to the battery module for charging (Element 212), wherein when the battery module and the charger are connected, the plurality of rechargeable batteries are disconnected from each other to receive external power separately from the charger (Element 216).
As to Claim 2, Zhang discloses the system of claim 1, wherein battery module comprising: a supply line connected to a plurality of rechargeable batteries in series; a charging port connected to the charger; and a plurality of charging lines extended to the plurality of rechargeable batteries from the charging port (Element 204).
As to Claim 3, Zhang discloses the system of claim 2, wherein the supply line provided with a plurality of disconnection switches for disconnecting the plurality of rechargeable batteries from each other, and in each of the plurality of charging lines, a connection switch is provided, which allows current to flow to the rechargeable battery (Elements 220).
As to Claim 4, Zhang discloses the system of claim 2, wherein the battery module further comprising a bypass line maintaining an electric connection of a power drive device with the battery module when the battery module is connected to the charger, wherein the bypass line is provided with a bypass rechargeable battery (Element 220, bypasses charge port).
As to Claim 5, Zhang discloses the system of claim 2, wherein the charging port is provided with a plurality of charging terminals connected to any one end of the plurality of charging lines, and the charger includes a charging plug engaged to the charging port, wherein the charging plug is provided with a plurality of charging tips connected to any one of the plurality of charging terminals (Element 216).
As to Claim 6, Zhang discloses the system of claim 5, wherein the charging port is formed in a cup shape, and the charging plug is formed in a column shape (Element 216).
As to Claim 7, Zhang discloses the system of claim 6, wherein the charger further comprising a lifting device that allows the plurality of charging tips to protrude toward the plurality of charging terminals while the charging plug is inserted into the charging port (Element 216).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT J GRANT whose telephone number is (571)270-5820. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9am - 5:30pm.
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, Drew Dunn can be reached at (571)272-2312. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/ROBERT GRANT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859