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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Claims 1-8 and 15 in the reply filed on 03/11/2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)). Thus, Claims 9-14 are withdrawn from further consideration.
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 “precharge capacitor” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) 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 § 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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Machine Translation of JP 2019164897A, hereinafter 897’. in view of Machine Translation of JP 2008079415 A hereinafter 415’
As to claims 1 897’ discloses in figure 1, a battery apparatus [see element 100] connected to an external apparatus through a first link [see figure below] terminal and a second link terminal [see figure below], the battery apparatus comprising
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a first battery pack [11] and a second battery pack [21; see figure above] connected in parallel [see figure above[;
a first switching circuit [Switching circuits 13 and 14; see figure 1] comprising a first switch [SW 14 and see figure above] connected between a first terminal of the first battery pack and the first link terminal [see figure above], and a second switch [switch 13] connected between a second terminal of the first battery pack and the second link terminal;
a second switching circuit [switching circuits 34 and 33] comprising a third switch [switch 33; see figure above] connected between a first terminal of the second battery pack [battery (21) see figure above] and the first link terminal [see figure above], and a fourth switch [switch (23)connected between a second terminal of the second battery pack and the second link terminal [see figure above];
a first diagnosis circuit [circuit (17); see ¶0015 and ¶0017 ] comprising a first capacitor configured to charge a voltage of the first battery pack when the first switch and the second switch are closed;
a second diagnosis circuit [circuit (27); see figure above and also see ¶0020 and ¶0021] comprising a second capacitor configured to charge a voltage of the second battery pack when the third switch and the fourth switch are closed; and
a processor [master BMS (26) see figure above and also see ¶0020 and ¶0021 and ¶0024-025]; configured to diagnosis the first switching circuit based on the voltage of the first battery pack and a voltage of the first capacitor, and diagnose the second switching circuit based on the voltage of the second battery pack and a voltage of the second capacitor.
897’does not disclose explicitly, a first capacitor configured to charge a voltage of the first battery pack when the first switch and the second switch are closed; comprising a second capacitor configured to charge a voltage of the second battery pack when the third switch and the fourth switch are closed; and configured to diagnose the first switching circuit based on a voltage of the first capacitor, and diagnose the second switching circuit based on a voltage of the second capacitor.
415’ discloses in figure 1, a first capacitor [capacitor (22) ] configured to charge a voltage of the first battery pack [B0] when the first switch [switch S0] and the second switch [SW S1] are closed; comprising a second capacitor [capacitor 13] configured to charge a voltage of the second battery pack B2] when the third switch [ S2] and the fourth switch [S3] are closed; and configured to diagnose the first switching circuit based on a voltage of the first capacitor, and diagnose the second switching circuit based on a voltage of the second capacitor [a selected battery charges one of the capacitor and the charged capacitor discharged and the voltage is measured to determine switch abnormality; Thus, both the battery voltage and the capacitor voltage are used to determine switch the abnormality ; see ¶0023 -¶0025; ¶0034-0036 and ¶0042, ¶0046].
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was made to use capacitor and battery voltage of 897’ to determine switching status as taught by 415’ in order to detect abnormally of the switching device.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1)as being anticipated by 897’in view of 415’ , and in view of Winger et al. (US 20200153028), hereinafter Winger.
As to claim 8, neither 897’ nor 415’ discloses explicitly, wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor are different from a capacitor used for precharge.
Winger discloses in figure 4, wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor are different from a capacitor used for precharge [precharge capacitor (448); and see ¶0033, ¶0083-0084].
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was made to add precharge capacitor in 897’s apparatus as taught by Winger in order to protect battery damage due to a high voltage.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-7 are 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.
For Claim 2 :Primarily, the prior art of record does not disclose or suggest in the claimed combination: wherein the processor is configured to diagnose determine that the first switching circuit is normal when in response to a difference between the voltage of the first battery pack and the voltage of the first capacitor being less than or equal to a predetermined voltage.
For Claim 3:Primarily, the prior art of record does not disclose or suggest in the claimed combination: wherein the processor is configured to diagnose determine that the first switching circuit is faulty when in response to a difference between the voltage of the first.
For Claim 4 :Primarily, the prior art of record does not disclose or suggest in the claimed combination: wherein the processor is configured to determine that the first switching circuit is normal when in response to a voltage of the first capacitor being greater than a predetermined voltage percentage of the voltage of the first battery pack.
For Claim 5 :Primarily, the prior art of record does not disclose or suggest in the claimed combination: wherein the processor is configured to determine that the first switching is faulty in response to a voltage of the first capacitor being less than or equal to a predetermined ratio voltage percentage of the voltage of the first battery pack.
For Claim 6:Primarily, the prior art of record does not disclose or suggest in the claimed combination: wherein the first diagnosis circuit further comprises a fifth switch, and a sixth switch;;wherein the first switch is connected between the first terminal of the first battery pack and a node;;wherein the fifth switch and the first capacitor are connected in series between the node and the second link terminal;; and wherein the sixth switch is connected between the node and the first link terminal.
Claim 15 is allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
For Claim 15 :Primarily, the prior art of record does not disclose or suggest in the claimed combination: A diagnosis method of a battery apparatus including a plurality of battery packs connected in parallel, the diagnosis method comprising: charging a plurality of capacitors respectively provided in the plurality of battery packs; comparing a voltage of each of the plurality of battery packs with a voltage of a corresponding capacitor among the plurality of capacitors; in response to a difference between a voltage of a first battery pack among the plurality of battery packs and a voltage of a capacitor among the plurality of capacitors corresponding to the first battery pack being less than or equal to a predetermined voltage, determining that a first switching circuit connected to the first battery pack is normal; and in response to a difference between a voltage of a second battery pack among the plurality of battery packs and a voltage of a capacitor among the plurality of capacitors corresponding to the second battery pack being greater than the predetermined voltage, determining that a second switching circuit connected to the second battery pack is faulty.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAMUEL BERHANU whose telephone number is (571)272-8430. The examiner can normally be reached M_F.
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/SAMUEL BERHANU/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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