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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 3/4/2026 has been entered.
Claim Status
Claims 1-20 are pending. Claims 1-3, 9, and 17 are amended. Claims 4-8, 10, 12-16, 18, and 20 are previously presented. Claims 11 and 19 are original.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments regarding claims 1, 9, and 17 have been considered, but they are moot because no prior art rejection (e.g., under 35 U.S.C. 103) is currently applied to the pending claims.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 3/4/2026. These drawings are acceptable.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 9, and 17 are objected to because of the following informalities: perhaps the amended recitations “each secondary node…coupled only to…converter stages and...voltage sensors...” should be changed, since the secondary nodes appear to be coupled to other components, such as, e.g., the primary node.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-20 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Regarding claim 1, the disclosure as filed does not reasonably convey to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the inventor had possession of the claimed recitations “each secondary node being physically located within a battery pack”. While the specification mentions “a battery pack” several times, it does not disclose each secondary node within a battery pack.
Regarding claim 1, the disclosure as filed does not reasonably convey to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the inventor had possession of the claimed recitations “the primary node broadcasts, over a unidirectional communication link”. The “unidirectional communication link” is not mentioned in the specification, and paragraph 0071 discloses “Feedback from the secondary nodes can be used to present information from SmartCell system 300 via primary node 306”, i.e., communications from secondary nodes to the primary node is disclosed.
Regarding claim 1, the disclosure as filed does not reasonably convey to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the inventor had possession of the claimed recitations “wherein the one or more secondary nodes of each string of the group of strings independently: determines a respective modulator angle for the string based on the torque request, by executing a local control algorithm that computes a reference phase current and a corresponding switching pattern for the respective local power electronic converter stages”. While paragraph 0102 discloses “secondary nodes can receive the current modulator angle, compare it with their own modulator angle”, and paragraph 0147 discloses “secondary nodes can, depending on the requested torque, be able to calculate expected current shape. This calculation can have modulator angle, physical motor parameters and request information as input”, the specification does not appear to disclose said recitations.
Claims 2-8 are dependent from claim 1 and are therefore rejected for the same reasons as independent claim 1.
Regarding claim 3, the disclosure as filed does not reasonably convey to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the inventor had possession of the claimed recitations “each secondary node continues to execute its local control algorithm at a switching frequency of at least 10 kilohertz between the consecutive update events without receiving updated pulse width modulation information from the primary node”.
Regarding claim 9, the disclosure as filed does not reasonably convey to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the inventor had possession of the claimed recitations “each secondary node being physically located within a battery pack”; “broadcasting, from a primary node, torque request data and motor electrical angle data to each secondary node over a unidirectional communication link”; and “wherein one or more secondary nodes of each string of the group of strings: determines a respective modulator angle for the string based on the torque request, by executing a local control algorithm that computes a reference phase current and a corresponding switching pattern for the respective local power electronic converter stages”, for reasons similar to claim 1.
Claims 10-16 are dependent from claim 9 and are therefore rejected for the same reasons as independent claim 9.
Regarding claim 17, the disclosure as filed does not reasonably convey to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the inventor had possession of the claimed recitations “each secondary node being physically located within a battery pack”; “broadcasting, from a primary node, torque request data and motor electrical angle data to each secondary node over a unidirectional communication link”; and “one or more secondary nodes of each string of the group of strings: determines a respective modulator angle for the string based on the torque request, by executing a local control algorithm that computes a reference phase current and a corresponding switching pattern for the respective local power electronic converter stages”, for reasons similar to claim 1.
Claims 18-20 are dependent from claim 17 and are therefore rejected for the same reasons as independent claim 17.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-20 are allowed (subject to 112(a) rejections).
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 1, the prior art teaches a smart cell modulator as described in the office action with date 12/9/2025, and primary reference SLEPCHENKOV (Pub. No.: US 2021/0316637 A1) also discloses each smart battery cell comprises a respective electrochemical energy storage element (206, Fig. 2A) and a respective local power electronic converter stage (202, Fig. 2A; ¶ 0072-0074); and each local power electronic converter stage is operable in at least three states, including a positive state, a negative state, and a bypass state that electrically bypasses the respective electrochemical energy storage element while maintaining continuity of the string (¶ 0079, 0090). The prior art fails to disclose “the primary node broadcasts, over a unidirectional communication link, torque request data and motor electrical angle data to each of the one or more secondary nodes without transmitting any pulse width modulation signals or duty cycles, wherein the one or more secondary nodes of each string of the group of strings independently: determines a respective modulator angle for the string based on the torque request, by executing a local control algorithm that computes a reference phase current and a corresponding switching pattern for the respective local power electronic converter stages”. It would not have been obvious to modify the prior art to arrive at the claimed invention.
Claims 2-8 are dependent from claim 1 and are therefore allowable for the same reasons as independent claim 1.
Regarding claim 9, the prior art teaches a computer-implemented method as described in the office action with date 12/9/2025, and primary reference SLEPCHENKOV (Pub. No.: US 2021/0316637 A1) also discloses for individual smart battery cells, selectively placing the respective local power electronic converter stage in a positive state, a negative state, or a bypass state that electrically bypasses the respective electrochemical energy storage element while maintaining continuity of the string (¶ 0079, 0090). The prior art fails to disclose “the engaging comprises broadcasting, from a primary node, torque request data and motor electrical angle data to each secondary node over a unidirectional communication link without broadcasting any pulse width modulation patterns, and wherein one or more secondary nodes of each string of the group of strings: determines a respective modulator angle for the string based on the torque request, by executing a local control algorithm that computes a reference phase current and a corresponding switching pattern for the respective local power electronic converter stages”. It would not have been obvious to modify the prior art to arrive at the claimed invention.
Claims 10-16 are dependent from claim 9 and are therefore allowable for the same reasons as independent claim 9.
Regarding claim 17, the prior art teaches a computer program product as described in the office action with date 12/9/2025, and primary reference SLEPCHENKOV (Pub. No.: US 2021/0316637 A1) also discloses for individual smart battery cells, selectively placing the respective local power electronic converter stage in a positive state, a negative state, or a bypass state that electrically bypasses the respective electrochemical energy storage element while maintaining continuity of the string (¶ 0079, 0090). The prior art fails to disclose “the engaging comprises broadcasting, from a primary node, torque request data and motor electrical angle data to each secondary node over a unidirectional communication link without broadcasting any pulse width modulation patterns, and wherein one or more secondary nodes of each string of the group of strings: determines a respective modulator angle for the string based on the torque request, by executing a local control algorithm that computes a reference phase current and a corresponding switching pattern for the respective local power electronic converter stages”. It would not have been obvious to modify the prior art to arrive at the claimed invention.
Claims 18-20 are dependent from claim 17 and are therefore allowable for the same reasons as independent claim 17.
Furthermore, none of the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, teaches or suggests these claim features.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record on form PTO-892 and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MANUEL HERNANDEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-7916. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9a-5p ET.
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/Manuel Hernandez/Examiner, Art Unit 2859 9/21/2026
/DREW A DUNN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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