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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 06/09/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant has amended claims 1, 3-6, and 9. Applicant has added new claims 10-15. Applicant argues that the amended subject matter distinguishes the present application from the prior art of record, Funk et al (US 20210376630 A1) and Truettner et al (US 20220094207 A1), with no further arguments for the content of Funk or Truettner.
Applicant's arguments filed 06/09/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
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.
Claim(s) 1-7 and 10-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yang et al (US 20200295408 A1)
Regarding claim 1, Yang teaches a power tool system, comprising: a plurality of power tools; (¶0161 “FIG. 7, the present disclosure also provides a portable power source system including the portable power supply device 100, a plurality of battery packs 200, and a power tool 300 adapted to the respective battery packs 200”)
a plurality of battery packs, each of the plurality of battery packs being configured to be removably coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of power tools via a first interface (¶0120 “[FIG 7] a first tool terminal 341 for connecting to the first battery pack terminal 231 to transmit the first type of data; and a second tool terminal 342 for connecting to the second battery pack terminal 232 to transmit the second type of data”)
and to a connected charger via a second interface, (¶0056 “[FIG 7] plurality of battery pack connection terminals 230 further includes a first battery pack terminal 231 and a second battery pack terminal 232, wherein the first battery pack terminal 231 is used to transmit the first type of data, and the second battery pack terminal 232 is used to transmit the second type of data”)
each of the plurality of battery packs comprising a memory configured to store power tool information received from the corresponding power tool and battery pack information gathered by the battery pack; (¶0070 “[FIG 2] battery pack 200 further includes a battery pack memory 246 to store data of the battery pack, as well as data of the electrical device connected to the battery pack 200”)
and the connected charger configured to concurrently and removably couple with the plurality of battery packs via a plurality of charger interfaces, (¶0133 “[FIG 6] FIG. 6, in a third example, the electrical device is a portable power supply device 100, and the portable power supply device 100 includes an adapter 110 formed by a plurality of adapter interfaces 111 for mounting one or more battery packs 200. In some examples, the plurality of battery packs 200 may be detachably mounted to the adapter interface 111”)
the connected charger comprising a housing, (FIG 6 depicts portable power supply device 100 as having a housing, ¶0135 “are accommodated in a cavity formed by the housing of the portable power supply device 100”)
a memory disposed within the housing, (¶0155 “identity information may be a serial number stored in the memory of the portable power supply device 100, and the memory may be located in the charge and discharge management module 133, and the memory is further capable of storing the data of the portable power supply device 100 and the data of the battery pack 200 and/or the power tool 300 that the battery pack transmits through the second connection terminal 142 and the second battery pack terminal 232”)
and a communications module disposed within the housing and operatively coupled to the memory, (¶0148 “[FIG 7] portable power supply device 100 further includes a communication device 120. The communication device 120 includes a wireless communication module 121 for establishing a wireless communication connection between the portable power supply device 100 and an external device”)
wherein the memory of the connected charger is configured to actively collect, receive and store, from each of the plurality of battery packs, the power tool information and the battery pack information stored in the memory of each of the plurality of battery packs, and to associate the stored information with the corresponding battery pack and power tool (¶0155 “identity information may be a serial number stored in the memory of the portable power supply device 100, and the memory may be located in the charge and discharge management module 133, and the memory is further capable of storing the data of the portable power supply device 100 and the data of the battery pack 200 and/or the power tool 300 that the battery pack transmits through the second connection terminal 142 and the second battery pack terminal 232”)
wherein the memory and the communications module are configured to group or organize collected information based on grouping factors, (¶0173 “communication device 120 may further include a storage module 122 for storing data information sent by the external device (for example, an upgrade file) and data information sent by the internal module of the portable power supply device 100 (for example, the state data of the portable power supply device 100, the battery pack 200, and the power tool 300).”)
and wherein the communications module is configured to transmit, from the memory, information previously received from a first one of the plurality of battery packs to a cloud- based computing system during a period of time in which the first one of the plurality of battery packs is disconnected from a corresponding one of the plurality of charger interfaces, (¶0193 “communication device 120 includes a Bluetooth module 1212 and a WIFI module 1211. The portable power supply device 100 can simultaneously communicate wirelessly with the remote server… portable power supply device may upload the information to the remote server 20 in a WIFI manner through the WIFI module 1211 in the communication device 120”, during a point where battery pack 200 is not connected to portable power supply 100)
while the connected charger continues to charge and/or receive information from a second one of the plurality of battery packs that remains removably coupled to a different one of the plurality of charger interfaces. (¶0161 “FIG. 7, the present disclosure also provides a portable power source system including the portable power supply device 100, a plurality of battery packs 200”)
Regarding claim 2, Yang teaches the system of claim 1. Yang wherein the communications module is a cellular transceiver configured to transmit the stored information via a cellular antenna. (¶0193 “portable power supply device may upload the information to the remote server 20 in a WIFI manner through the WIFI module 1211 in the communication device 120, or may send the information to the mobile terminal device 21 via the Bluetooth module 1212 in a Bluetooth manner, the mobile terminal device”)
Regarding claim 3, Yang teaches the system of claim 1. Yang wherein the power tool information comprises at least one of unique identification information related to the corresponding power tool or unique identification information related to the manufacturer, owner, and previous owners of the corresponding power tool. (¶0155 “identity information may be a serial number stored in the memory of the portable power supply device 100, and the memory may be located in the charge and discharge management module 133, and the memory is further capable of storing the data of the portable power supply device 100 and the data of the battery pack 200 and/or the power tool 300)
Regarding claim 4, Yang teaches the system of claim 1. Yang wherein the power tool information comprises at least one of historical information related to the operation of the corresponding power tool, (¶0182 “analysis and processing of the received data by the remote server 20, the data of the portable power supply device 100, the battery pack 200, and the power tool 300 uploaded by the portable power supply device 100 are categorized into three types: real-time data, statistical data, and history data”)
historical information related to the repair (¶0276 “identity information representing the power tool 300 and/or the upgrade device 500 is also stored in the storage module of the upgrade device 500, so that the power tool 300 and the upgrade device 500 can be matched correctly before the old application program 308 of the power tool 300 is rewritten, preventing a wrong program update, which causes the power tool 300 to fail to run correctly after the program is updated”)
and theft of the corresponding power tool, and historical information related to error codes, and alerts triggered by the corresponding power tool. (¶0178 “operating parameters of the battery pack 200 and the power tool 300 stored in the memory of the battery pack 200, including the fault information, the number of uses, the voltage, the current, the actual capacity of the battery pack 200, the usage frequency, the number of faults, the voltage, the current, the temperature, the speed, and the torque of the power tool 300”)
Regarding claim 5, Yang teaches the system of claim 1. Yang, wherein the corresponding power tool information comprises at least one of sensor related information gathered from one or more sensors disposed throughout the corresponding power tool, (¶0060 “FIG. 2, the normal operation of the battery pack 200 also relies on circuit components. The circuit components mainly include a battery pack controller 241, a temperature sensor 242, a first communication circuit 243, a second communication circuit 244, and a voltage detecting circuit 245”)
and information related to tool components of the corresponding power tool. (¶0123 “power tool 300 has identity information including whether the power tool 300 has a wireless communication module. After the normal operation mode ends, the first tool terminal 341 acquires the identity information of the power tool 300 through the first battery pack terminal 231”)
Regarding claim 6, Yang teaches the system of claim 1. Yang wherein the battery pack information includes at least one of unique identification information related to the corresponding battery pack, historical information related to the operation of the corresponding battery pack, cycles of operation, a power level, a state of health (SOH) status, a state of charge (SOC) status, historical information related to error codes, a lockdown status, and an unlock status related to the corresponding battery pack. (¶0131 “ the second type of data may be data for data analysis of the battery pack 200, for example, SOC data and SOH data related to the current operating state of the battery pack, and history data or statistical data stored in the battery pack memory 246, for example, the number of uses and the number of failures of the battery pack”)
Regarding claim 7, Yang teaches the system of claim 1. Yang wherein the plurality of battery packs are each a rechargeable battery pack comprising a series of rechargeable battery cells. (¶0054 “FIG. 1, an example of a battery pack 200 mainly includes…the battery cell group 220 including a plurality of battery cells 221”)
Regarding claim 10, Yang teaches the system of claim 1. Yang further teaches wherein the communications module is configured to transmit the stored information in bulk to the cloud-based computing system. (¶0215 “communication device 120 can selectively update the program of any one or more modules mounted on the bus by using the bus scheduling manner”)
Yang selects multiple battery packs 200 to send data from at the same time.
Regarding claim 11, Yang teaches the system of claim 1. Yang wherein the communications module is configured to transmit information associated with a battery pack that is not connected to the connected charger at the time of transmission. (¶0193 “communication device 120 includes a Bluetooth module 1212 and a WIFI module 1211. The portable power supply device 100 can simultaneously communicate wirelessly with the remote server… portable power supply device may upload the information to the remote server 20 in a WIFI manner through the WIFI module 1211 in the communication device 120”, during a point where battery pack 200 is not connected to portable power supply 100)
Regarding claim 12, Yang teaches the system of claim 1. Yang wherein the communications module is configured such that the connected charger transmits information to the cloud-based computing system without use of a mobile phone, tablet, computer, and processor-enabled gateway device. (¶0171 “communication device 120 to communicate in the WIFI mode with the mobile phone application, the control privileges of the portable power supply device through the Bluetooth mode can be automatically obtained”)
Regarding claim 13, Yang teaches the system of claim 1. Yang wherein the grouping factors comprise geographical location of a power tool, operator, job site, age of a power tool, predictive maintenance required, duration of operation, and amount of charge left in a battery pack. (¶0131 “first type of data may be the battery voltage, the charging current, the battery group voltage and the like of the battery pack 200 to implement normal operation of the battery pack 200 and the charger 400; the second type of data may be data for data analysis of the battery pack 200, for example, SOC data and SOH data related to the current operating state of the battery pack, and history data or statistical data stored in the battery pack memory 246, for example, the number of uses and the number of failures of the battery pack”)
Regarding claim 14, Yang teaches the system of claim 1. Yang further teaches wherein the communications module is configured to selectively transfer information associated with a particular battery pack, a particular power tool, and a particular group of battery packs and power tools. (¶0215 “communication device 120 can selectively update the program of any one or more modules mounted on the bus by using the bus scheduling manner”)
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.
Claim(s) 8 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang modified by Funk et al (US 20210376630 A1)
Regarding claim 8, Yang teaches the system of claim 4. Yang does not teach wherein the historical information related to the operation of the corresponding power tool comprises information related to runtime.
Funk teaches wherein the historical information related to the operation of the corresponding power tool comprises information related to runtime. (¶0050 "average run time information may be used as being predictive of a next task of the tool 110")
Therefor it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to modify the system as taught by Yang wherein the historical information related to the operation of the corresponding power tool comprises information related to runtime as taught by Funk. Yang and Funk both disclose systems for charging a power tool battery which communicates battery pack specific information during charging. The modification would be obvious because one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to improve control, monitoring, and/or operation of individual power tools among a plurality of power tools which may be located at a construction site.
Regarding claim 9, Yang teaches the system of claim 1. Yang does not teach wherein the communications module is configured to schedule or delay transmission of stored information based on at least one of current charging operations of the connected charger, an amount of information stored in the memory, availability of wireless communications, strength of signal for available communications channels, and a duration of time since a previous transmission.
Funk teaches wherein the communications module is configured to schedule or delay transmission of stored information based on at least one of current charging operations of the connected charger, (¶0018 "battery pack as further described herein may be configured to communicate to the battery charger certain operational data to enable efficient and predictive charging of the battery pack by a battery charger to a predetermined or desired charge level")
and a duration of time since a previous transmission. (¶0039 "the communications manager 232 may define a separate interval or period at which to communicate the operational parameters to the network 170 for transfer to network devices")
Therefor it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to modify the system as taught by Yang wherein the communications module is configured to schedule or delay transmission of stored information based on at least one of current charging operations of the connected charger and a duration of time since a previous transmission as taught by Funk. Yang and Funk both disclose systems for charging a power tool battery which communicates battery pack specific information during charging. The modification would be obvious because one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to improve control, monitoring, and/or operation of individual power tools among a plurality of power tools which may be located at a construction site.
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang modified by Abbott et. al (WO 2023076955 A), Abott has a priority date of 10/27/2021
Regarding claim 15, Yang teaches the system of claim 1. Yang wherein the communications module is configured to transmit the stored information at a desired predetermined time.
Abbott wherein the communications module is configured to transmit the stored information at a desired predetermined time. (¶0067 “power tool battery charger 102 periodically transmits the usage data and/or other power tool device data to the server 106 based on a predetermined schedule (e.g., every eight hours)”)
Therefor it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to modify the system as taught by Yang wherein the communications module is configured to transmit the stored information at a desired predetermined time as taught by Abbott. Yang and Abbott both disclose a charging system for a cordless power tool battery charger which collects battery specific data to a cloud server. The modification would be obvious because one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to efficiently transmit data when the session of operation has been completed.
Prior Art Not Relied Upon
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure can be found in the attached PTO-892 Notice of References Cited by Examiner attached to this correspondence.
Mergener et al (US 20160311094 A1) discloses an adapter for a power tool which communicably interfaces with the power tool to transmit use information to a cloud server.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LISA M KOTOWSKI whose telephone number is (571)270-3771. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8a-5p.
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, Julian Huffman can be reached at (571) 2722147. 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.
/LISA KOTOWSKI/Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/JULIAN D HUFFMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
