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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. CN2022103694502, filed on 2022 April 08.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 2024/04/17 and 2024/09/25 was/were filed after the mailing date of 2022/12/08. The submission(s) is/are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: A title that reflects the inventive concept of this particular Battery Control Circuit, Electronic Device and Charging Control Method, that separates it from other battery control circuits, electronic devices, and charging control methods.
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
¶ [0083] — Reference numeral typographical error: "first tab 133" recited where "first tab 134" is correct per ¶ [0051] and FIG. 4.
¶ [0084] — Reference numeral typographical error: "second tab 144 and the fourth tab 145" recited where "third tab 144 and fourth tab 145" is correct per ¶ [0051] and FIG. 4.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claim(s) 1, 4 is/are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 — the limitation "the battery comprises one or more bare cells" appears twice: once in the introductory listing and again embedded within the battery control circuit body.
Claim 4 — the preamble recites "The electronic device circuit according to claim 1," however, claim 1 is directed to "An electronic device,".
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1 – 2, 4 – 8, 11 – 17 is/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.
In the present instance, claims 1 – 2, 4 – 8, 11 – 17 recites the broad recitation "one or more charging links" and "one or more bare cells", and the claim also recites "the charging link" and "the bare cell". There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claims. The claim(s) are considered indefinite because there is a question or doubt as to which charging links correspond to which bare cells.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by WAKEFIELD (US 6625477 B1).
In re claim 1, WAKEFIELD discloses an electronic device (10), comprising: a battery (54), the battery comprises one or more bare cells (66A, 66B: interpreted as bare cells — individual constituent cells within battery 54 positioned on either side of intermediate tap 64; col. 5, ll. 24–27); and a battery control circuit, configured to control charging and discharging of a battery, wherein the battery control circuit comprises a processor and one or more charging links (38, 44; FIG. 4; col. 5, ll. 1–17), the charging link is electrically connected to the bare cell and the processor (col. 5, ll. 20–25), and the processor determines, based on a type of the bare cell, a charging policy to be performed by the charging link (col. 6, ll. 36–47: charging algorithm, in this case, interpreted as the charging policy).
In re claim 10, WAKEFIELD discloses a charging control method, used for controlling charging of a battery, wherein the charging control method is applied to a battery control circuit (38, 44; FIG. 4; col. 5, ll. 1–17), the battery comprises one or more bare cells (66A, 66B), and the charging control method comprises: when it is determined that the battery is electrically connected to a power supply unit, determining a type of the one or more bare cells in the battery (col. 5, ll. 38–48); and performing a corresponding charging policy based on the determined type of the one or more bare cells (col. 6, ll. 36–47).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or non-obviousness.
Claim(s) 2, 4 – 5, 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WAKEFIELD (US 6,625,477 B1), in view of JIA (CN 111262296 A).
In re claim 2, WAKEFIELD is silent to the charging link comprising a charging management chip, the charging management chip being electrically connected to the processor and the bare cell, and the processor controlling the charging management chip to process an input current and an input voltage of the charging link, and output a charging current and a charging voltage to the bare cell.
JIA discloses that the charging link comprises a charging management chip (IC1, IC2), the charging management chip is electrically connected to the processor (MCU/AP) and the bare cell (¶[0074]), and the processor controls the charging management chip to process an input current and an input voltage of the charging link, and output a charging current and a charging voltage to the bare cell (¶[0036], ¶[0040]: the output of a charging voltage alongside a charging current is inherent to the operation of any charging IC that operates within a defined voltage window).
It would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) to incorporate JIA’s dedicated per-cell charging management chip architecture into WAKEFIELD’s type-based battery control circuit, to achieve modular, hardware-efficient per-cell management of the input current and voltage supplied to each bare cell while preserving WAKEFIELD’s type-identification and algorithm-selection functionality.
In re claim 4, WAKEFIELD is silent to the number of charging links being the same as that of bare cells, and the charging link being electrically connected to the bare cell in a one-to-one correspondence.
JIA discloses that the number of charging links is the same as that of bare cells, and the charging link is electrically connected to the bare cell in a one-to-one correspondence (¶[0032]: battery 41, 43 connected in series with charging chip 42, 44 to form independent charging paths).
It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to incorporate JIA’s one-to-one per-cell charging link topology into WAKEFIELD’s type-based battery control circuit, to provide dedicated charging paths for each bare cell, enabling different charging parameters to be used for different battery characteristics, unaffected by differences in charging path impedance between cells, so that both bare cells can be fully charged.
In re claim 5, WAKEFIELD is silent to the battery control circuit further comprising a coulometer, the coulometer being electrically connected between the bare cell and the processor, and the processor monitoring a voltage, a current, and/or an electricity quantity of a corresponding bare cell through the coulometer, and controlling a charging process of a corresponding charging link based on a monitoring result.
JIA discloses that the battery control circuit further comprises a coulometer (first fuel gauge, second fuel gauge: each measuring the bare cell’s voltage, current, and cumulative charge quantity at the interface between the bare cell and the processor; ¶[0047], ¶[0049]), the coulometer is electrically connected between the bare cell and the processor, and the processor monitors a voltage, a current, and/or an electricity quantity of a corresponding bare cell through the coulometer, and controls a charging process of a corresponding charging link based on a monitoring result (¶[0047], ¶[0049]).
It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to incorporate JIA’s per-cell fuel gauge monitoring architecture into WAKEFIELD’s type-based battery control circuit, to monitor each bare cell’s voltage and current in real time and provide feedback to the system for controlling the charging current of the corresponding charging link.
In re claim 8, WAKEFIELD is silent to the battery control circuit further comprising a power management module, the power management module being electrically connected between the bare cell and the processor, and the processor controlling discharging of the bare cell through the power management module.
JIA discloses that the battery control circuit further comprises a power management module (PMI management unit), the power management module is electrically connected between the bare cell and the processor, and the processor controls discharging of the bare cell through the power management module (¶[0073]).
It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to incorporate JIA’s PMI management unit into WAKEFIELD’s type-based battery control circuit, to provide an integrated path management interface between the bare cell and the system that enables the processor to govern power delivery through a controlled discharge path, supplying power to the system via a dedicated output.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over WAKEFIELD (US 6625477 B1), in view of JIA (CN 111262296 A), and further in view of HAN (US 20140368159 A1).
In re claim 3, WAKEFIELD is silent to the battery control circuit further comprising a charging port, one end of the charging port being electrically connected to a power supply unit to receive the input current and the input voltage output by the power supply unit, the other end of the charging port being electrically connected to the charging management chip to output the input current and the input voltage to the charging management chip, and the processor being electrically connected to the charging port to detect a voltage change of the charging port, so as to determine a status of an electrical connection between the battery control circuit and the power supply unit.
HAN discloses that the battery control circuit further comprises a charging port (VBUS interface), one end of the charging port is electrically connected to a power supply unit (external adapter) to receive the input current and the input voltage, the other end of the charging port is electrically connected to the charging management chip, and the processor is electrically connected to the charging port to detect a voltage change of the charging port, so as to determine a status of an electrical connection between the battery control circuit and the power supply unit (¶[0054]).
It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to incorporate HAN’s VBUS voltage-change detection scheme into WAKEFIELD’s type-based battery control circuit, to enable the processor to monitor the status of the electrical connection with the power supply unit through the existing charging port interface and dynamically adapt the charging behavior in response.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over WAKEFIELD (US 6625477 B1), in view of JIA (CN 111262296 A), and further in view of KREISINGER (EP 0746895 B1).
In re claim 6, WAKEFIELD is silent to the battery further comprising one or more protection boards electrically connected to the bare cell, and the charging management chip being electrically connected to the corresponding bare cell through the protection board; and the protection board comprising a storage unit configured to store information about a type of the corresponding connected bare cell, and the processor receiving through communication between the charging management chip and the protection board a feedback signal comprising the information, to determine a type of each bare cell.
JIA discloses that the battery further comprises one or more protection boards, the protection board is electrically connected to the bare cell, and the charging management chip is electrically connected to the corresponding bare cell through the protection board (¶[0046]).
A PHOSITA would incorporate JIA's per-cell protection board architecture into WAKEFIELD's battery control circuit, to provide each bare cell with a dedicated protection board incorporating overcharge, over-discharge, overcurrent, and short-circuit protection, as well as modules for battery identification and monitoring.
JIA is silent to the protection board comprising a storage unit configured to store information about a type of the corresponding connected bare cell, and the processor receiving through communication between the charging management chip and the protection board a feedback signal comprising the information, to determine a type of each bare cell.
KREISINGER discloses that the protection board comprises a storage unit (memory 122: storing cell-type-specific charge parameters for battery cells 121, thereby encoding the type of each connected bare cell accessible to the charging controller through the charger port interface; ¶[0015]) configured to store information about a type of the corresponding connected bare cell, and the processor receives through communication between the charging management chip and the protection board a feedback signal comprising the information, to determine a type of each bare cell (controller 130, memory 122; ¶[0015], ¶[0016]).
It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to incorporate KREISINGER’s battery-resident cell-type storage scheme into WAKEFIELD’s battery control circuit, to enable the charger to retrieve battery-specific charging requirements directly from a memory on the protection board and proceed to charge the battery based on the battery-resident instructions, achieving a charger capable of charging batteries of various types with specific charging requirements.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over WAKEFIELD (US 6625477 B1), in view of JIA (CN 111262296 A), and further in view of KREISINGER (EP 0746895 B1), and KIM (US 7679315 B2).
In re claim 7, WAKEFIELD is silent to the protection board being provided with a radio frequency chip, the radio frequency chip being electrically connected to the storage unit, the charging management chip being provided with a radio frequency identification circuit, and the processor receiving the feedback signal through communication between the radio frequency identification circuit and the radio frequency chip.
KIM discloses that the protection board is provided with a radio frequency chip (RFID antenna 500; col. 7, ll. 30–42, col. 9, ll. 55–65) electrically connected to the storage unit (database 314; col. 7, ll. 30–42, col. 9, ll. 55–65), the charging management chip is provided with a radio frequency identification circuit (reader 210: reader 210, mounted in the device body and scanning the RFID antenna 500 on the battery-side protection circuit board; col. 1, ll. 9–15), and the processor receives the feedback signal through communication between the radio frequency identification circuit and the radio frequency chip (col. 1, ll. 9–15).
It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to implement the charging management chip–protection board communication in WAKEFIELD’s battery control circuit via KIM’s radio frequency identification scheme, to enable the reader in the device body to identify information stored in the protection board’s radio frequency chip through radio frequency, allowing the processor to receive the feedback signal comprising bare cell type information without requiring additional dedicated electrical contacts between the device and the protection board.
Claim(s) 11, 13 – 14, 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over WAKEFIELD (US 6625477 B1), in view of AHN (US 9099883 B2).
In re claim 11, WAKEFIELD is silent to the charging policy comprising: charging the bare cell until the bare cell is fully charged; stopping charging the bare cell; determining that the power supply unit is electrically connected to the battery; and performing a recharging policy on the bare cell.
AHN discloses that the charging policy comprises: charging the bare cell until the bare cell is fully charged (col. 9, ll. 35–37: 99% SOC target at step S111 encompasses the designed full-charge level of a bare cell); stopping charging the bare cell (col. 9, ll. 47–50); determining that the power supply unit is electrically connected to the battery (step S115: the negative determination at step S115 corresponds to a determination that the power supply unit remains electrically connected to the battery; col. 9, ll. 60–62); and performing a recharging policy on the bare cell (col. 2, ll. 5–17).
It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to incorporate AHN’s lifecycle-optimized recharging cycle into WAKEFIELD’s type-based charging framework, to retain the maximum charged state of the battery by recharging it when the battery undergoes a natural discharge for a certain time period by a certain rate of its charged capacity.
In re claim 13, WAKEFIELD does not expressly disclose when it is determined that the bare cell is a type-2 bare cell, the charging the bare cell until the bare cell is fully charged comprises charging the bare cell in a conventional charging mode until the bare cell is fully charged.
WAKEFIELD's type-specific charging algorithm for the lithium-type battery can be broadly interpreted as a conventional charging mode (col. 6, ll. 36–47).
In re claim 14, WAKEFIELD is silent to the performing a recharging policy on the bare cell comprising: when duration in which the power supply unit is electrically connected to the bare cell is less than or equal to a preset duration threshold, determining whether an electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than a second preset electricity quantity threshold, wherein when the electricity quantity of the bare cell is greater than or equal to the second preset electricity quantity threshold, continuing to determine whether duration in which the power supply unit is electrically connected to the bare cell is greater than the preset duration threshold, until duration in which the power supply unit is electrically connected to the bare cell is greater than the preset duration threshold; or when the electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than the second preset electricity quantity threshold, charging the bare cell in a conventional charging mode, until the bare cell is fully charged, and performing the recharging policy, or until the power supply unit is disconnected from the battery, and ending the charging process.
AHN discloses that the performing a recharging policy on the bare cell comprises: when duration in which the power supply unit is electrically connected to the bare cell is less than or equal to a preset duration threshold (time period TL), determining whether an electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than a second preset electricity quantity threshold (98% SOC), wherein when the electricity quantity of the bare cell is greater than or equal to the second preset electricity quantity threshold, continuing to determine whether duration in which the power supply unit is electrically connected to the bare cell is greater than the preset duration threshold, until duration in which the power supply unit is electrically connected to the bare cell is greater than the preset duration threshold (col. 9, ll. 47–50, col. 10, ll. 1–10); or when the electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than the second preset electricity quantity threshold, charging the bare cell in a conventional charging mode, until the bare cell is fully charged, and performing the recharging policy, or until the power supply unit is disconnected from the battery, and ending the charging process (col. 9, ll. 61–65; col. 10, ll. 1–7).
It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to incorporate AHN’s time-bounded monitoring and threshold-triggered recharging protocol into WAKEFIELD’s type-based charging framework, to enable the system to detect when the battery’s charge has fallen below a preset threshold following the preset monitoring period and re-engage charging to restore the battery to its maximum charged state.
In re claim 16, WAKEFIELD discloses that when it is determined that the bare cell is a type-2 bare cell, the performing a recharging policy on the bare cell further comprises: (tap voltage circuit 62: lithium-type battery, identified by a tap voltage above 2 V, reads on type-2 bare; col. 5, ll. 38–48).
WAKEFIELD is silent to when duration in which the power supply unit is electrically connected to the bare cell is greater than the preset duration threshold, determining whether an electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than a third preset electricity quantity threshold; when the electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than the third preset electricity quantity threshold, charging the bare cell in the conventional charging mode; when an electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than a fifth preset electricity quantity threshold, continuing to charge the bare cell in the conventional charging mode until an electricity quantity of the bare cell is greater than or equal to the fifth preset electricity quantity threshold; and when the electricity quantity of the bare cell is greater than or equal to the fifth preset electricity quantity threshold, stopping charging the bare cell and the performing the recharging policy, or waiting until the power supply unit is disconnected from the battery and ending the charging process.
AHN discloses that when it is determined that the bare cell is a type-2 bare cell, the performing a recharging policy on the bare cell further comprises: when duration in which the power supply unit is electrically connected to the bare cell is greater than the preset duration threshold, determining whether an electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than a third preset electricity quantity threshold (98% SOC) (col. 9, ll. 47–50, col. 10, ll. 1–4); when the electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than the third preset electricity quantity threshold, charging the bare cell in the conventional charging mode (col. 10, ll. 1–7); when an electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than a fifth preset electricity quantity threshold (99% SOC), continuing to charge the bare cell in the conventional charging mode until an electricity quantity of the bare cell is greater than or equal to the fifth preset electricity quantity threshold (col. 9, ll. 35–37); and when the electricity quantity of the bare cell is greater than or equal to the fifth preset electricity quantity threshold, stopping charging the bare cell and the performing the recharging policy, or waiting until the power supply unit is disconnected from the battery and ending the charging process (col. 9, ll. 37–40; col. 9, ll. 61–65).
It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to incorporate AHN’s time-bounded monitoring and threshold-triggered recharging sequence for the type-2 scenario into WAKEFIELD’s type-based charging framework, to enable the system to detect when the type-2 bare cell’s charge has fallen below the preset monitoring threshold following the preset duration and re-engage conventional charging to restore the battery to its maximum charged state.
Claim(s) 12, 15, 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over WAKEFIELD (US 6625477 B1), in view of AHN (US 9099883 B2), and further in view of PARK (US 20120169284 A1).
In re claim 12, WAKEFIELD discloses that when it is determined that the bare cell is a type-1 bare cell, the charging the bare cell until the bare cell is fully charged comprises: (tap voltage circuit 62: NiMH-type battery, identified by a tap voltage below 2 V, reads on type-1 bare cell; col. 5, ll. 38–48).
WAKEFIELD is silent to when an electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than a first preset electricity quantity threshold, charging the bare cell in a fast charging mode until the bare cell is fully charged; or when an electricity quantity of the bare cell is greater than or equal to the first preset electricity quantity threshold, charging the bare cell in a conventional charging mode until the bare cell is fully charged.
PARK discloses that when it is determined that the bare cell is a type-1 bare cell, the charging the bare cell until the bare cell is fully charged comprises: when an electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than a first preset electricity quantity threshold (SOCref_1), charging the bare cell in a fast charging mode until the bare cell is fully charged (first-phase constant-current charging with charge current I1; ¶[0039]); or when an electricity quantity of the bare cell is greater than or equal to the first preset electricity quantity threshold, charging the bare cell in a conventional charging mode until the bare cell is fully charged (second-phase constant-current charging with lesser charge current I2; ¶[0039]).
It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to apply PARK’s multi-stage constant-current charging protocol to the type-1 bare cell scenario in WAKEFIELD’s type-based battery control circuit, to achieve faster overall charging while avoiding the capacity degradation associated with high-current charging at elevated state-of-charge levels.
In re claim 15, WAKEFIELD discloses that when it is determined that the bare cell is a type-1 bare cell, the performing a recharging policy on the bare cell further comprises: (tap voltage circuit 62; col. 5, ll. 38–48).
WAKEFIELD is silent to when duration in which the power supply unit is electrically connected to the bare cell is greater than the preset duration threshold, determining whether an electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than a third preset electricity quantity threshold; when the electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than the third preset electricity quantity threshold, charging the bare cell in a fast charging mode, and detecting an electricity quantity; when the electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than a fourth preset electricity quantity threshold, continuing to charge the bare cell in the fast charging mode until an electricity quantity of the bare cell is greater than or equal to the fourth preset electricity quantity threshold; and when the electricity quantity of the bare cell is greater than or equal to the fourth preset electricity quantity threshold, stopping charging the bare cell and performing the recharging policy, or waiting until the power supply unit is disconnected from the battery and ending the charging process.
AHN discloses that when it is determined that the bare cell is a type-1 bare cell, the performing a recharging policy on the bare cell further comprises: when duration in which the power supply unit is electrically connected to the bare cell is greater than the preset duration threshold, determining whether an electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than a third preset electricity quantity threshold (98% SOC) (col. 9, ll. 47–65).
AHN further discloses that when it is determined that the bare cell is a type-1 bare cell, the performing a recharging policy on the bare cell further comprises: when the electricity quantity of the bare cell is greater than or equal to the fourth preset electricity quantity threshold, stopping charging the bare cell and performing the recharging policy, or waiting until the power supply unit is disconnected from the battery and ending the charging process (col. 9, ll. 47–65).
A PHOSITA would incorporate AHN's time-bounded monitoring and threshold-triggered recharging cycle into WAKEFIELD's type-based battery control circuit, to maintain the maximum charged state of the battery by detecting natural discharge during the monitoring period and initiating a compensating recharge when the bare cell's charge falls below the preset threshold.
AHN is silent to when the electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than the third preset electricity quantity threshold, charging the bare cell in a fast charging mode, and detecting an electricity quantity; and when the electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than a fourth preset electricity quantity threshold, continuing to charge the bare cell in the fast charging mode until an electricity quantity of the bare cell is greater than or equal to the fourth preset electricity quantity threshold.
PARK discloses that when it is determined that the bare cell is a type-1 bare cell, the performing a recharging policy on the bare cell further comprises: when the electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than the third preset electricity quantity threshold, charging the bare cell in a fast charging mode, and detecting an electricity quantity (first-phase constant-current charging with charge current I1 and SOC monitoring; ¶[0039]); and when the electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than a fourth preset electricity quantity threshold (SOCref_1), continuing to charge the bare cell in the fast charging mode until an electricity quantity of the bare cell is greater than or equal to the fourth preset electricity quantity threshold (¶[0039]).
It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to apply PARK’s multi-stage constant-current charging protocol to the type-1 bare cell recharging scenario in WAKEFIELD’s type-based battery control circuit, to achieve faster restoration of the bare cell’s charge following natural discharge while avoiding the capacity degradation associated with high-current charging at elevated state-of-charge levels.
In re claim 17, WAKEFIELD is silent to when the electricity quantity of the bare cell is greater than or equal to the third preset electricity quantity threshold, continuing to determine whether duration in which the power supply unit is electrically connected to the bare cell is greater than the preset duration threshold, until an electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than the third preset electricity quantity threshold.
AHN discloses that the performing a recharging policy on the bare cell further comprises: when the electricity quantity of the bare cell is greater than or equal to the third preset electricity quantity threshold (98% SOC at step S119), continuing to determine whether duration in which the power supply unit is electrically connected to the bare cell is greater than the preset duration threshold, until an electricity quantity of the bare cell is less than the third preset electricity quantity threshold (col. 10, ll. 1–10).
It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to incorporate AHN’s discharge-level gated wait cycle into WAKEFIELD’s type-based charging framework, to prevent premature recharging of the type-1 bare cell when its capacity remains at or above the preset threshold at the end of the monitoring period, conserving recharge cycles by ensuring that charging is re-initiated only after the battery has discharged sufficiently through natural discharge.
Prior Art Disclaimer
The prior art applied in this Office Action includes foreign patent documents that were originally published in languages other than English. Machine-generated translations of these documents were utilized to assess their relevance and content.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DOMINIQUE JOHANN DJANAL-MANN whose telephone number is (571)272-4697. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00 - 17:00.
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.
/D. JOHANN DJANAL-MANN/Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/DREW A DUNN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
Prosecution Insights