Status of Claims
In the communication filed on 01/29/2026, claims 1-17 are pending. Claims 1-17 are amended. No claims are new. No claims are presently cancelled.
Response to Arguments
The prior objection to the Drawings for not depicting the subject matter of claim 13” is withdrawn. The remaining drawing objection is maintained as detailed infra. An annotated copy of the drawings filed 01/29/2026 is attached to indicate the replacement sheet 1 (Fig. 1) is approved, but the replacement sheets 2-6 (Figs. 2a-2d, 3-5) are not approved.
The prior objections to the Specification and Claims are withdrawn due to the amendments.
The prior rejections under U.S.C. 112(b) are withdrawn due to the amendments.
The prior rejections under U.S.C. 112(d) are withdrawn due to the amendments.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-17 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the combination of references being used in the current rejection.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the following must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
The claim 1 limitation “the first electric battery unit is short-circuited by the system short-circuit via the first electric battery unit’s electrical connection to the component of the electrical system” is not drawn. Figs. 2b and 2c do not depict “200a” being short-circuited by “320”. Instead, the drawings depict “200a” connecting to “310”, which does not show how “200a” connects to and is short-circuited by “320”.
The claim 10 limitation “the second electric battery unit is short-circuited by the system short-circuit of the electrical system” is not drawn. Fig. 2c does not depict “200b” being short-circuited by “320”. Instead, the drawing depicts “200b” connecting to “310”, which does not show how “200b” connects to and is short-circuited by “320”.
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they are incomplete. 37 CFR 1.83(a) and 37 CFR 183(c) read as follows:
(a) The drawing in a nonprovisional application must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. However, conventional features disclosed in the description and claims, where their detailed illustration is not essential for a proper understanding of the invention, should be illustrated in the drawing in the form of a graphical drawing symbol or a labeled representation (e.g., a labeled rectangular box). In addition, tables that are included in the specification and sequences that are included in sequence listings should not be duplicated in the drawings.
(c) Where the drawings in a nonprovisional application do not comply with the requirements of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, the examiner shall require such additional illustration within a time period of not less than two months from the date of the sending of a notice thereof. Such corrections are subject to the requirements of § 1.81(d).
The drawings (Figs. 2a-2d, 3-5) are objected to because the unlabeled rectangular box(es) shown in the drawings should be provided with descriptive text labels. Although the boxes in the figures are numbered which allows a correlation to each box as one reads the specification, the numbers by themselves do not allow one to quickly ascertain the concept of the invention which is desirable during a later search of analogous art. The numbers should be complimented with words spelled out to facilitate future searches. For example, Fig. 4 needs to include text labels for reference characters “200”, “502”, “504”, “506”, “508, “510”, and “512”, each of which is presently drawn as a rectangular box.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) and/or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1, lines 1-2 recite “installing into and electrically connecting at least a first electric battery unit to an electrical system”. This language is indefinite as to the object of the phrasal verb “installing into”. For examination purposes, it is interpreted that “an electrical system”, rather than “at least a first electric battery unit”, is the object of “installing into”.
Claim 1, lines 115-16 recite “via the first electric battery unit’s electrical connection to the component of the electrical system”. There is insufficient antecedent basis in the claim for this “electrical connection”.
Claim 13, line 10 recites “a component”. This claim is indefinite as to whether this component is the same or different from “a component of the electrical system”, introduced prior in claim 1, line 5.
Claims 2-12 and 14-17 are further rejected for their dependency on other rejected claims.
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.
Claims 1-4, 7-9, 14, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tinglow et al. (US 2013/0049472 A1) in view of Tien et al. (US 2009/0066291 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Tinglow discloses a method (¶ [46]: “the faulty module is replaced”) for installing into and electrically connecting at least a first electric battery unit (“battery module 5”; Fig. 1) to an electrical system (“energy storage device 1”; Fig. 1).
Tinglow further discloses the first electric battery unit (5) has two terminals (Fig. 1 shows “5” having two power terminals).
Tinglow further discloses the method comprises the steps of the following.
Tinglow further discloses maintaining, via a component (combo of “bypass switch 14-16”, “battery module supervision unit 17-20”, and “control unit 21-22”) of the electrical system (1), a system short-circuit (“bypass switch 14”; Fig. 1; ¶ [28]: “once the bypass switch is closed any further operations must therefore by inhibited until the faulty module is replaced”) which short-circuits (in the on-state, “14” completes a short-circuit across “battery modules 5-7” of the “energy storage device 1”; Fig. 1) the electrical system (1).
Tinglow further discloses while the system short-circuit (14) is maintained (¶ [28]: “once the bypass switch is closed any further operations must therefore by inhibited until the faulty module is replaced”) via the component (14-16, 17-20, & 21-22), installing the first electric battery unit (“battery module 5” is a replacement for the “faulty module” described by ¶ [28]) to the electrical system (1).
Tinglow further discloses installation further comprises electrically connecting (“battery module 5” is a replacement for the “faulty module” described by ¶ [28]; connection of “5” to the rest of the system “1” is accomplished by closing the local connection switch “51” via command from “17”) the terminals of the first electric battery unit (5) to the electrical system (1) via the component (14-16, 17-20, & 21-22) maintaining the system short-circuit (14) so as to include the first electric battery unit (5) in the electrical system (1) while the electrical system (1) is short-circuited (¶ [28]: “once the bypass switch is closed any further operations must therefore by inhibited until the faulty module is replaced”).
Tinglow further discloses while the system short-circuit (14) is maintained (¶ [28]: “once the bypass switch is closed any further operations must therefore by inhibited until the faulty module is replaced”), either prior to or after installation (system short-circuit “bypass switch 14” is maintained until after installation of “5”, per ¶ [28]) of the first electric battery unit (5), the first electric battery unit (5) is short-circuited by the system short-circuit (14) via the first electric battery unit’s electrical connection (“5” is short-circuited by “14”) to the component (14-16, 17-20, & 21-22) of the electrical system (1).
Though, as addressed supra, Tinglow discloses the first electric battery unit has two terminals, Tinglow does not disclose “a first local short circuit that locally short circuits the first electric battery unit”.
As addressed supra, Tinglow discloses that while the system short-circuit is maintained, either prior to or after installation of the first electric battery unit, the first electric battery unit is short-circuited by the system short-circuit via the first electric battery unit’s electrical connection to the component of the electrical system. However, Tinglow does not disclose “removing the first local short-circuit of the first electric battery unit”.
Tien teaches a method (method of operating each “BMS battery unit 40”) for installing into and electrically connecting (Abstract: “on-line repair or replacement of batteries, proceeds charge/discharge task uninterrupted during maintenance, and possesses high maintainability”) at least a first electric battery unit (“smart battery unit 10”; Figs. 1-2) to an electrical system (“Distributed Energy Storage Control System (DESCS)”; Fig. 5).
Tien teaches the first electric battery unit (10) has two terminals (“B+” and “B-”; Fig. 2) and a first local short circuit (“discharge bypass path control switch 43”; Figs. 1-2) that locally short circuits (“43” closes in response to either “discharge by-pass path on command” or “discharge path is open condition”, per Fig. 2) the first electric battery unit (10).
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Tien further teaches prior to or after installation (replacement of a “fault battery”; ¶ [8, 71, 88, 90], Abstract) of the first electric battery unit (10), removing the first local short-circuit (“43” is changed from closed to open after the replacement “10” is installed in changing from “discharge bypass” to “normal charge/discharge mode”; ¶ [38-39]; “43” may also change from closed to open if the system switches from discharging to charging, in which the “44” would close for “charge bypass”) of the first electric battery unit (10).
NOTE 1-1: Though Tien teaches removing the first local short circuit prior to or after installation of the first electric battery unit in the electrical system, Tien does not teach a system short-circuit. However, Tien is not relied upon to teach the system short-circuit. It was already established supra that Tinglow discloses the system short-circuit is maintained until after the completion of installing the first electric battery unit. Thus, Tien is not relied upon to teach that any step of the installation process occurs “while the system short-circuit is maintained”. Instead, Tien is merely relied upon to teach that a first local short-circuit is present across the terminals of the first electric battery unit and that the first local short-circuit is removed prior to or after installation of the first electric battery unit in the electrical system. The examiner further asserts that for the electrical system disclosed by Tinglow, “the first electric battery unit is short-circuited by the system short-circuit via the first electric battery unit’s electrical connection to the component of the electrical system” is true regardless of whether any local short-circuit is present. Thus, the incorporation of a local short-circuit does not render any feature of Tinglow to be non-functional.
Tien further teaches electrically connecting a first electric battery unit with a local short-circuit to enable the electrical system to bypass the first electric battery unit while installing it to enable on-line repair and replacement of batteries without interrupting the charging/discharging task (Abstract). This improves convenience for maintenance and installation of the electrical system (¶ [16, 71]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method and first electric battery unit disclosed by Tinglow to incorporate a local short-circuit into the first electrical battery unit and the removal thereof, as taught by Tien, to enable the electrical system to bypass the first electric battery unit while installing it to enable on-line repair and replacement of batteries without interrupting the charging/discharging task, thus improving convenience for maintenance and installation of the electrical system.
Regarding Claim 2, the combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches the method according to claim 1.
The combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches the method further comprises: receiving the first electric battery unit (Tinglow: “5”; Tien: “10”) for connection (gets connected via Tinglow’s “51”; Tien equivalent: “41” & “42”) to the electrical system (Tinglow: “1”; Tien: Fig. 5), where the received first electric battery unit (Tinglow: “5”; Tien: “10”) is already locally short-circuited (incorporated from Tien: as shown in Fig. 2, “10” is switched into the circuit by closing the discharge path of “41” & “42” and by opening “43”; opening “43” occurs in response to the discharge path being closed; thus, “43” was in closed state prior to getting connected to the electrical system) by the local short-circuit (Tien: “43”).
Regarding Claim 3, the combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches the method according to claim 1.
The combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches the first electric battery unit (Tinglow: “5”; Tien: “10”) comprises two terminals (Tien: “B+” and “B-”; Fig. 2) that are short-circuited by the first local short-circuit (Tien: “43”).
Regarding Claim 4, the combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches the method according to claim 3.
The combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches the method further comprises the step of: receiving the first electric battery unit (Tinglow: “5”; Tien: “10”) for connection (gets connected via Tinglow’s “51”; Tien equivalent: “41” & “42”) to the electrical system (Tinglow: “1”; Tien: Fig. 5), where the two terminals (Tien: “B+” & “B-”) of the first electric battery unit (Tinglow: “5”; Tien: “10”) are already locally short-circuited (incorporated from Tien: as shown in Fig. 2, “10” is switched into the circuit by closing the discharge path of “41” & “42” and by opening “43”; opening “43” occurs in response to the discharge path being closed; thus, “43” was in closed state prior to getting connected to the electrical system) by the local short-circuit (Tien: “43”).
Regarding Claim 7, the combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches the method according to claim 1.
The combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches the connection of the first electric battery unit (Tinglow: “battery module 5” gets connected into “energy storage device 1”) is part of an electrical system installation procedure (Tinglow: ¶ [28]: “the faulty module is replaced and the battery stack has been serviced”; thus, the method provided is for installation of a first electric battery unit into an electrical system; thus, the method is part of an electrical system installation procedure; see note 7-1 included infra).
The combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches the removal of the first local short-circuit (Tien: opening “43”) of the first electric battery unit (Tien: “10”) is performed during the electrical system installation procedure (removing the local short-circuit, taught by Tien, was incorporated into the method disclosed by Tinglow; thus, the removing the local short-circuit is also part of the electrical system installation procedure).
NOTE 7-1: The limitation “part of an electrical system installation procedure” is very broad. This can be interpreted such that any procedure of installing any component into an electrical system is considered “part of an electrical system installation procedure”.
Regarding Claim 8, the combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches the method according to claim 1.
The combo of Tinglow & Tien further teaches the step of electrically connecting (Tinglow: ¶ [46]: “the faulty module is replaced”, connection of new battery performed by closing “51”; Tien: replacement of a “fault battery”, connection of new battery performed by closing “41” & “42”) the first electric battery unit (Tinglow: “5”; Tien: “10”), which is locally short-circuited (incorporated from Tien: as shown in Fig. 2, “10” is switched into the circuit by closing the discharge path of “41” & “42” and by opening “43”; opening “43” occurs in response to the discharge path being closed; thus, “43” was in closed state prior to getting connected to the electrical system) by the first local short-circuit (Tien: “43”), to the electrical system (Tinglow: “1”; Tien: Fig. 5) is performed before the step of removing the first local short-circuit (Tien: opening “43” in response to installation of new “10” and/or changing from discharging to charging) of the first electric battery unit (Tinglow: “5”; Tien: “10”).
Regarding Claim 9, the combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches the method according to claim 1.
The combo of Tinglow & Tien further teaches the step of removing the first local short-circuit (Tien: changing “43” from closed to open) of the first electric battery unit (Tien: “10”), which is locally short-circuited by the first local short-circuit (Tien: “43” in closed position), is performed before the step of electrically connecting (Tinglow: the first battery unit “5” does not get fully electrically connected to the rest of the system until “51” closes, which is the last step before removing the system short-circuit; thus, since it was already set forth for the removal of the local short-circuit to occur before the removal of the system short-circuit, it follows that Tinglow’s “51” does not close until after the local-short circuit incorporated within “5” per Tien’s modification, is removed) the first electric battery unit (Tinglow: “5”; Tien: “10”) to the electrical system (Tinglow: “1”; Tien: Fig. 5).
Regarding Claim 14, the combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches the method according to claim 1.
Tinglow discloses the method further comprises the step of: before maintaining the system short-circuit (“bypass switch 14”; Fig. 1; ¶ [28]: “once the bypass switch is closed any further operations must therefore by inhibited until the faulty module is replaced”) of the electrical system (1), short-circuiting (¶ [26]: “the control unit is adapted to send bypass orders … so as to bypass the battery unit by closing the bypass switch 14-16 … upon receiving information that any of the battery modules in the battery unit has a failure”) the electrical system (“energy storage device 1”; Fig. 1) so as to establish the system short-circuit (“14” in closed state) of the electrical system (1).
Regarding Claim 17, the combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches the method according to claim 1.
Tinglow discloses at least one (each of “5-13”) of the one or more electric battery units (“battery modules 5-13”; Fig. 1) comprises an electric battery (see note infra).
Tinglow further discloses at least one (each of “5-13”) of the one or more electric battery units (“battery modules 5-13”; Fig. 1) comprises an electric battery pack (see note infra).
NOTE: Both “an electric battery” and “an electric battery pack” are broad terms which are taught by the “battery module” disclosed by Tinglow. Including further claimed structural features of each of these terms would further limit the claimed invention.
Claims 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tinglow et al. (US 2013/0049472 A1) in view of Tien et al. (US 2009/0066291 A1) and Chen et al. (US 2022/0021093 A1).
Regarding Claims 5-6, the combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches the method according to claim 3.
The combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches the step of removing the first local short-circuit (Tien: opening “43”) of the first electric battery unit (Tien: “10”).
Regarding claim 5, the combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches the step of removing the first local short-circuit of the first electric battery unit, as addressed supra. However, Tinglow does not disclose “the step of removing the first local short-circuit of the first electric battery unit is performed by removing an electrically conductive member, which when applied is short-circuiting the two terminals of the first electric battery unit”.
Regarding claim 6, Tinglow does not disclose “the electrically conductive member is external to the first electric battery unit when the electrically conductive member is applied to the first electric battery unit”.
Chen teaches the step of removing the first local short-circuit (“3” causes “13” to be short-circuited per ¶ [81]; “3” is removable per ¶ [126, 151]) of the first electric battery unit (“battery unit 13”; Figs. 6-7) is performed by removing an electrically conductive member (“electroconductive part 3”; Fig. 7), which when applied is short-circuiting the two terminals of the first electric battery unit (13).
Chen further teaches the electrically conductive member (3) is external (see Fig. 7) to the first electric battery unit (13) when the electrically conductive member (3) is applied to the first electric battery unit (“13” with external “3”; Fig. 7).
Chen further teaches the electrically conductive member is externally applied for the advantage of convenience of connecting to the first electric battery unit (¶ [35]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the first local short-circuit disclosed by the combo of Tinglow & Tien to be an electrically conductive member that be externally applied, as taught by Chen, to be more convenient to connect to the first electric battery unit.
Claims 10-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tinglow et al. (US 2013/0049472 A1) in view of Tien et al. (US 2009/0066291 A1) and Hale (US 2018/0099579 A1).
Regarding Claim 10, the combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches the method according to claim 1.
The combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches wherein the method further comprises the steps of the following.
The combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches while the system short-circuit (Tinglow: “bypass switch 14”) is maintained (Tinglow: ¶ [28]: “once the bypass switch is closed any further operations must therefore by inhibited until the faulty module is replaced”), and after the step of electrically connecting the first electric battery unit (Tinglow: “5”; Tien: “10”) to the electrical system (Tinglow: “1”; Tien: Fig. 5) and after the step of removing the first local short-circuit (Tien: changing “43” from closed to open) of the first electric battery unit (Tinglow: “5”; Tien: “10”), the following occurs.
The combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches while the system short-circuit is maintained (Tinglow: ¶ [28]: “once the bypass switch is closed any further operations must therefore by inhibited until the faulty module is replaced”), and after the step of electrically connecting the first electric battery unit (Tinglow: “battery module 5” is a replacement for the “faulty module” described by ¶ [28]) to the electrical system (Tinglow: “1”) and after the step of removing the first local short-circuit (Tien: changing “43” from closed to open) of the first electric battery unit (Tinglow: “5”, modified per Tien’s “10”), whereupon the second electric battery unit (Tinglow: “6”) is short-circuited (“14” in on-state applies a short across “5-7” due to their parallel configuration; Fig. 1) by the system short-circuit (Tinglow: “14”) of the electrical system (Tinglow: “1”). This is true regardless of whether there is a local short-circuit present in the first electric battery unit and/or the further electric battery unit, due to the parallel configuration of the system short-circuit (Tinglow: “14”) with the both electric battery units.
Tinglow does not disclose “electrically connecting a second electric battery unit, which is locally short-circuited by a second local short-circuit, to the electrical system so as to include the second electric battery unit in the electrical system”.
Tinglow further does not disclose “removing the second local short-circuit of the second electric battery unit”.
Hale further teaches electrically connecting a second electric battery unit (“sub-battery B 130” including “cell modules A-N 140”; Figs. 1-2; ¶ [53]: “cell modules … may be swapped in ; thus the process of connecting the “sub-battery A-N 130” and their internal “cell modules A-N 140” should be repeated, depending on how many faulty electric battery units there are), which is locally short-circuited (“switch 142” within “sub-battery B 130” of Fig. 1; ¶ [44]: “switches 246 and 247” collectively form the switch 142 and could be implemented as one double-throw switch”; “power bypass switch 246” controlled by “cell module power bypass 244” of Fig. 2) by a second local short-circuit (“246” in closed-state; ¶ [44]: “246 is closed to bypass the cell module … thereby maintaining continuity of the series circuit”; ¶ [46]: “any number of cell modules may be bypassed”), to the electrical system (Fig. 1 “battery system”) so as to include the second electric battery unit (“sub-battery B 130”) in the electrical system (Fig. 1 “battery system”).
Hale further teaches after the step of electrically connecting (¶ [46]: “the top cell module “Cell Module A” can be switched into the series circuit by closing the power isolation switch 247 to connect it to the first end 231 of the series circuit 230, and by opening the power bypass switch 246”) the first electric battery unit (“sub-battery A 130” including “cell modules A-N 140”; Figs. 1-2) to the electrical system (Fig. 1 “battery system”) and after the step of removing (¶ [46]: “the top cell module “Cell Module A” can be switched into the series circuit … by opening the power bypass switch 246”) the first local short-circuit (“power bypass switch 246”, as part of “142”) of the first electric battery unit (“sub-battery A 130”), removing (process is repetitive for multiple “cell modules” and “sub-batteries” per ¶ [53]) the second local short-circuit (“246” within “”sub-battery B 130”) of the second electric battery unit (“sub-battery B 130” including “cell modules A-N 140”).
Hale further teaches extending the method to incorporate connecting a second electric battery unit for the advantage of adapting the method to a wider range of applications, such as for an electric system comprising many batteries, including of different chemistries (¶ [56]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method disclosed by the combo of Tinglow & Tien to incorporate the connection of a further electric battery unit and the removal of the local short-circuit therefrom, as taught by Hale, to adapt the method to a wider range of applications, such as for an electric system comprising many batteries, including of different chemistries.
Regarding Claim 11, the combo of Tinglow, Tien, & Hale teaches the method according to claim 10.
The combo of Tinglow, Tien, & Hale teaches the method further comprises the step of removing the system short-circuit (Tinglow: “bypass 14”; ¶ [28]: “once the bypass switch is closed any further operations must therefore by inhibited until the faulty module is replaced”) of the electrical system (Tinglow: “1”) after electrically connecting the first electric battery unit (Tinglow: “5”; Tien: “10”) and removing the first local short-circuit (Tien: opening “43”) of the first electric battery unit (Tinglow: “5”; Tien: “10”).
Regarding Claim 12, the combo of Tinglow, Tien, & Hale teaches the method according to claim 11.
Tinglow further discloses the step of removing the system short-circuit (¶ [28]: opening of the bypass switch … only when the battery stack has been disconnected”) is performed by removing a second electrically conductive member (“14” and “15” of the electrical connection of the “bypass relay 25” which is “a mechanically latched relay or a magnetically latched relay”; thus “14” is embodied as a mechanical feature which is engaged/disengaged by mechanical or magnetic movement; thus, the conductive path within “14” is considered an electrically conductive member which gets removed from circuit by mechanical or magnetic force) which when applied is short-circuiting (in the on-state, “14” completes a short-circuit across “battery modules 5-7” of the “energy storage device 1”; Fig. 1) the electrical system (“energy storage device 1”; Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 13, the combo of Tinglow, Tien, & Hale teaches the method according to claim 11.
Tinglow further discloses the step of removing the system short-circuit (¶ [28]: “opening of the bypass switch … only when the battery stack has been disconnected”; ¶ [27]: “disconnecting the battery modules … by opening the module contactors 51-59”) is performed when the following situation is valid.
Tinglow further discloses one or more contactors (“51” within first electric battery unit “5”; “52” within further electric battery unit “6”; Fig. 1), the contactor being included in one or more of the first and further electric battery units (5, 6) and switchable between an open position and a closed position, is/are in the open position (“51” and “52” in open position per ¶ [27-28]).
Claims 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tinglow et al. (US 2013/0049472 A1) in view of Tien et al. (US 2009/0066291 A1) and Vance et al. (US 2012/0091963 A1).
Regarding Claims 15-16, the combo of Tinglow & Tien teaches the method according to claim 1.
Regarding claim 15, Tinglow does not disclose “the electrical system is a vehicle electrical system of a vehicle”.
Regarding claim 16, Tinglow does not disclose “the electrical system is a vehicle high voltage system of a vehicle”.
Vance teaches the electrical system is a vehicle electrical system (“vehicle system 10 including a high voltage battery 12”; Fig. 1; ¶ [15]) of a vehicle (intended for electric vehicles per ¶ [4]).
Vance teaches the electrical system is a vehicle high voltage electrical system (“vehicle system 10 including a high voltage battery 12”; Fig. 1; ¶ [15]) of a vehicle.
Vance further teaches the vehicle high voltage electrical system to broaden the industrial applicability of the electrical system to include battery electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles (¶ [4]). The method similarly involves the connection and disconnection of electric battery units and local short circuits so the system can function without every battery in-circuit.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method and electrical system disclosed by the combo of Tinglow & Tien for the electric system to be a vehicle high voltage electrical system, as taught by Vance, to broaden the industrial applicability of the electrical system to include battery electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 Daniel P McFarland whose telephone number is (571)272-5952. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM Eastern.
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.
/DANIEL P MCFARLAND/ Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/DREW A DUNN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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