Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/085,816

BATTERY SYSTEM, CONTROL DEVICE, AND CONTROL METHOD

Final Rejection §103
Filed
Dec 21, 2022
Priority
Jun 26, 2020 — continuation of PCTJP2020025318
Examiner
HERNANDEZ, MANUEL J
Art Unit
2859
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Terawatt Technology K K
OA Round
2 (Final)
51%
Grant Probability
Moderate
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
95%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 51% of resolved cases
51%
Career Allowance Rate
337 granted / 664 resolved
-17.2% vs TC avg
Strong +44% interview lift
Without
With
+44.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 6m
Avg Prosecution
57 currently pending
Career history
735
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.6%
-38.4% vs TC avg
§103
83.1%
+43.1% vs TC avg
§102
7.9%
-32.1% vs TC avg
§112
6.0%
-34.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 664 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 . Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed 2/27/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. In response to applicant's argument that primary reference PARK is nonanalogous art (see page 10 of remarks), it has been held that a prior art reference must either be in the field of the inventor’s endeavor or, if not, then be reasonably pertinent to the particular problem with which the inventor was concerned, in order to be relied upon as a basis for rejection of the claimed invention. See In re Oetiker, 977 F.2d 1443, 24 USPQ2d 1443 (Fed. Cir. 1992). In this case, primary reference PARK is in the same field of endeavor, and discloses the structure and operation of the claimed battery system and method. It is therefore maintained that PARK as modified by ZHANG teaches the battery system of claim 1, the control device of claim 15, and the control method of claim 16 within the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claimed language. In response to applicant's argument that the references fail to show certain features of the invention, it is noted that the features upon which applicant relies (i.e., “the intentional, charging vs. discharging steady-state differentiation of connected units”, and “charging and discharging rate controls to achieve electrochemical preservation of the battery cells”, see page 10 of remarks) are not recited in the rejected claim(s). Although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are not read into the claims. See In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d 1181, 26 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1993). Drawings The drawings were received on 2/27/2026. These drawings are acceptable. 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 nonobviousness. This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention. Claim(s) 1, 12, and 14-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over PARK (US 2012/0268070; cited in previous office action) in view of ZHANG (US 2016/0240896; cited in previous office action). Regarding claim 1, PARK discloses a battery system comprising: a plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, Fig. 2; A, B, C, D, E, Figs. 3A-3C) arranged so as to be connected to each other in parallel (¶ 0012: it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for controlling the connection of a plurality of battery packs when connecting the battery packs in parallel or connecting an additional battery pack to parallel-connected batteries in parallel) and including at least one battery cell (¶ 0038: As shown in FIG. 2, at least one battery cell 10 is included in one battery pack); a plurality of switches (130, Figs. 2 and 3A-3C) provided for each of the plurality of battery units that can switch between a first state in which the battery unit is connected to a charging pathway or a discharge pathway, and a second state in which the battery unit is not connected to the charging pathway or the discharge pathway (¶ 0035: the switching unit 130 is included in each of first, second, and third battery packs 100, 200, and 300 to selectively open and close a charge/discharge path of each battery pack; ¶ 0036: the switching unit 130 may be a charging/discharging switch provided on a charge/discharge path of a battery pack); a charge control unit (part of 120, Fig. 2) that performs charging control on the plurality of battery units by controlling switching of the plurality of switches (¶ 0049: Although this embodiment shows that the second control unit 120 controls the first control unit 110 of each battery pack to open and close the switching unit 130 of each battery pack, the second control unit 120 may be connected to the switching unit 130 of each battery pack to directly control the switching unit 130; ¶ 0050: After the battery packs in the selected group are initially connected in parallel, the second control unit 120 charges or discharges the connected battery packs so that a difference in SOC between the connected battery packs and the non-connected battery pack falls within a predetermined range); and a discharge control unit (part of 120, Fig. 2) that performs discharge control of the plurality of battery units by controlling switching of the plurality of switches (¶ 0049-0050: see above), wherein the charge control unit includes a first switch control unit (part of 120, Fig. 2) that simultaneously sets “a” (where “a” is an integer equal to or greater than 2) selected switches to the first state and sets the plurality of switches except the “a” switches to the second state (¶ 0063: the second control unit 120 charges the battery packs A, B, C, and E connected in parallel… as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3C; in this case, “a” is equal to four), and the discharge control unit includes a second switch control unit (part of 120, Fig. 2) that simultaneously sets “b” (where b<a) selected switches to the first state and sets the plurality of switches except the “b” switches to the second state (¶ 0062: as shown in FIG. 3B, the second control unit 120 connects the selected battery packs A, B, and E in parallel via the switching unit 130 of each battery pack. Then, the second control unit 120 discharges the battery packs A, B, and E; in this case, “b” is equal to three). PARK fails to disclose the at least one battery cell has a negative electrode that is free of a negative electrode active material. ZHANG discloses at least one battery cell has a negative electrode that is free of a negative electrode active material (¶ 0048: this battery contains no active anode material and can be referred to as an anode-free rechargeable battery; ¶ 0052: the anode current collector is metal or another conductive material that will not react with the ions or form an alloy with the ions used in the anode-free battery). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to incorporate the negative electrode free of a negative electrode active material of ZHANG into the battery system of PARK to produce an expected result of a suitable battery cell for the plurality of battery units. The modification would be obvious because one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to reduce battery weight and volume, and increase energy density of the battery (ZHANG, ¶ 0051). Regarding claim 12, PARK discloses the number of the plurality of battery units is 3 or more (¶ 0032, 0060). Regarding claim 14, PARK as modified by ZHANG teaches the battery system as applied to claim 1, but PARK fails to disclose the ratio of the discharge rate for each battery cell during discharge control to the charge rate for each battery cell during charging control is 2 or more. ZHANG further discloses the ratio of the discharge rate for each battery cell during discharge control to the charge rate for each battery cell during charging control is 2 or more (¶ 0091, 0093). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to incorporate the ratio of the discharge rate to the charge rate of ZHANG into the battery system of PARK to produce an expected result of a suitable battery charging protocol for the plurality of battery units. The modification would be obvious because one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to provide high coulombic efficiency (ZHANG, ¶ 0034, 0061, 0091). Regarding claim 15, PARK discloses a control device for a battery system comprising: a plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, Fig. 2; A, B, C, D, E, Figs. 3A-3C) arranged so as to be connected to each other in parallel (¶ 0012: it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for controlling the connection of a plurality of battery packs when connecting the battery packs in parallel or connecting an additional battery pack to parallel-connected batteries in parallel) and including at least one battery cell (¶ 0038: As shown in FIG. 2, at least one battery cell 10 is included in one battery pack); a plurality of switches (130, Figs. 2 and 3A-3C) provided for each of the plurality of battery units that can switch between a first state in which the battery unit is connected to a charging pathway or a discharge pathway, and a second state in which the battery unit is not connected to the charging pathway or the discharge pathway (¶ 0035: the switching unit 130 is included in each of first, second, and third battery packs 100, 200, and 300 to selectively open and close a charge/discharge path of each battery pack; ¶ 0036: the switching unit 130 may be a charging/discharging switch provided on a charge/discharge path of a battery pack); wherein the control device comprises: a charge control unit (part of 120, Fig. 2) that performs charging control on the plurality of battery units by controlling switching of the plurality of switches (¶ 0049: Although this embodiment shows that the second control unit 120 controls the first control unit 110 of each battery pack to open and close the switching unit 130 of each battery pack, the second control unit 120 may be connected to the switching unit 130 of each battery pack to directly control the switching unit 130; ¶ 0050: After the battery packs in the selected group are initially connected in parallel, the second control unit 120 charges or discharges the connected battery packs so that a difference in SOC between the connected battery packs and the non-connected battery pack falls within a predetermined range); and a discharge control unit (part of 120, Fig. 2) that performs discharge control of the plurality of battery units by controlling switching of the plurality of switches (¶ 0049-0050: see above), the charge control unit includes a first switch control unit (part of 120, Fig. 2) that simultaneously sets “a” (where “a” is an integer equal to or greater than 2) selected switches to the first state and sets the plurality of switches except the “a” switches to the second state (¶ 0063: the second control unit 120 charges the battery packs A, B, C, and E connected in parallel… as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3C; in this case, “a” is equal to four), and the discharge control unit includes a second switch control unit (part of 120, Fig. 2) that simultaneously sets “b” (where “b” is an integer less than “a”) selected switches to the first state and sets the plurality of switches except the “b” switches to the second state (¶ 0062: as shown in FIG. 3B, the second control unit 120 connects the selected battery packs A, B, and E in parallel via the switching unit 130 of each battery pack. Then, the second control unit 120 discharges the battery packs A, B, and E; in this case, “b” is equal to three). PARK fails to disclose the at least one battery cell has a negative electrode that is free of a negative electrode active material. ZHANG discloses at least one battery cell has a negative electrode that is free of a negative electrode active material (¶ 0048: this battery contains no active anode material and can be referred to as an anode-free rechargeable battery; ¶ 0052: the anode current collector is metal or another conductive material that will not react with the ions or form an alloy with the ions used in the anode-free battery). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to incorporate the negative electrode free of a negative electrode active material of ZHANG into the battery system of PARK to produce an expected result of a suitable battery cell for the plurality of battery units. The modification would be obvious because one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to reduce battery weight and volume, and increase energy density of the battery (ZHANG, ¶ 0051). Regarding claim 16, PARK discloses a control method for a battery system comprising: a plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, Fig. 2; A, B, C, D, E, Figs. 3A-3C) arranged so as to be connected to each other in parallel (¶ 0012: it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for controlling the connection of a plurality of battery packs when connecting the battery packs in parallel or connecting an additional battery pack to parallel-connected batteries in parallel) and including at least one battery cell (¶ 0038: As shown in FIG. 2, at least one battery cell 10 is included in one battery pack); a plurality of switches (130, Figs. 2 and 3A-3C) provided for each of the plurality of battery units that can switch between a first state in which the battery unit is connected to a charging pathway or a discharge pathway, and a second state in which the battery unit is not connected to the charging pathway or the discharge pathway (¶ 0035: the switching unit 130 is included in each of first, second, and third battery packs 100, 200, and 300 to selectively open and close a charge/discharge path of each battery pack; ¶ 0036: the switching unit 130 may be a charging/discharging switch provided on a charge/discharge path of a battery pack); wherein the control method comprises the steps of: executing charge controls on the plurality of battery units by controlling the switching of the plurality of switches (¶ 0049: Although this embodiment shows that the second control unit 120 controls the first control unit 110 of each battery pack to open and close the switching unit 130 of each battery pack, the second control unit 120 may be connected to the switching unit 130 of each battery pack to directly control the switching unit 130; ¶ 0050: After the battery packs in the selected group are initially connected in parallel, the second control unit 120 charges or discharges the connected battery packs so that a difference in SOC between the connected battery packs and the non-connected battery pack falls within a predetermined range); and executing discharge controls on the plurality of battery units by controlling the switching of the plurality of switches (¶ 0049-0050: see above), and wherein the charge control step includes a first switch control step that simultaneously sets “a” (where “a” is an integer equal to or greater than 2) selected switches to the first state and sets the plurality of switches except the “a” switches to the second state (¶ 0063: the second control unit 120 charges the battery packs A, B, C, and E connected in parallel… as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3C; in this case, “a” is equal to four), and the discharge control step includes a second switch control step that simultaneously sets “b” (where “b” is an integer less than “a”) selected switches to the first state and sets the plurality of switches except the “b” switches to the second state (¶ 0062: as shown in FIG. 3B, the second control unit 120 connects the selected battery packs A, B, and E in parallel via the switching unit 130 of each battery pack. Then, the second control unit 120 discharges the battery packs A, B, and E; in this case, “b” is equal to three). PARK fails to disclose the at least one battery cell has a negative electrode that is free of a negative electrode active material. ZHANG discloses at least one battery cell has a negative electrode that is free of a negative electrode active material (¶ 0048: this battery contains no active anode material and can be referred to as an anode-free rechargeable battery; ¶ 0052: the anode current collector is metal or another conductive material that will not react with the ions or form an alloy with the ions used in the anode-free battery). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to incorporate the negative electrode free of a negative electrode active material of ZHANG into the battery system of PARK to produce an expected result of a suitable battery cell for the plurality of battery units. The modification would be obvious because one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to reduce battery weight and volume, and increase energy density of the battery (ZHANG, ¶ 0051). Claim(s) 2-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over PARK in view of ZHANG as applied to claims 1, 12, and 14-16 above, and further in view of SEPE, JR. (US 2018/0166892; hereinafter referred to as SEPE; cited in previous office action). Regarding claim 2, PARK as modified by ZHANG teaches the battery system as applied to claim 1, but fails to disclose a buffer capacitor connected in series with the plurality of battery units, and a buffer capacitor control unit that controls the buffer capacitor to reduce a current supplied to the plurality of battery units by absorbing at least some of the supplied current when a current supplied from a charger connected to the plurality of battery units is equal to or greater than a first threshold. SEPE discloses a buffer capacitor connected in series with the plurality of battery units, and a buffer capacitor control unit that controls the buffer capacitor to reduce a current supplied to the plurality of battery units by absorbing at least some of the supplied current when a current supplied from a charger connected to the plurality of battery units is equal to or greater than a first threshold (¶ 0007: wherein integration of the battery management system, the super-capacitor management, and the load management system with the hybrid controller routes bidirectional power and energy such that battery stress is reduced (the battery stress is reduced by keeping the charging and the discharging current within optimal range of the battery; the current levels are not necessarily the same for charging and discharging); ¶ 0075: the super-capacitor can not only supply pulsed power, but it now can also absorb pulsed power from the load while keeping the battery current constant such that the incoming pulsed power does not stress the battery; ¶ 0080: Harvest states collect energy through the hybrid system from an external source or charger; the disclosure of “keeping the charging current.. within optimal range” implies a threshold). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to incorporate the buffer capacitor of SEPE into the battery system of PARK as modified by ZHANG to produce an expected result of a battery system including a buffer capacitor. The modification would be obvious because one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to reduce battery stress (SEPE, abstract, ¶ 0007). Regarding claim 3, PARK as modified by ZHANG and SEPE teaches the buffer capacitor reduces the supplied current to the first threshold (SEPE, ¶ 0007, 0075, 0080). Claim(s) 4-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over PARK in view of ZHANG as applied to claims 1, 12, and 14-16 above, and further in view of FUJII (US 6,160,377; cited in previous office action). Regarding claim 4, PARK as modified by ZHANG teaches the battery system as applied to claim 1 but fails to teach the first switch control unit switches one switch selected from among the “a” switches in the first state from the first state to the second state and switches one switch selected from among the switches other than the “a” switches in the second state to the first state when a predetermined first switching condition is satisfied. FUJII discloses the first switch control unit switches one switch selected from among the “a” switches in the first state from the first state to the second state and switches one switch selected from among the switches other than the “a” switches in the second state to the first state when a predetermined first switching condition is satisfied (col 11, ll. 52 – col 12, ll. 34). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to incorporate the switching based on a predetermined first switching condition being satisfied of FUJII into the battery system of PARK as modified by ZHANG to produce an expected result of a battery system with a modified switching condition. The modification would be obvious because one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to reduce the total charging time (FUJII, col 7, ll. 13-21). Regarding claim 5, PARK as modified by ZHANG and FUJII teaches the predetermined first switching condition includes the state-of-charge of at least one of the battery units associated with the “a” switches in the first state becoming equal to or greater than a second threshold (FUJII, col 11, ll. 52 – col 12, ll. 34). Regarding claim 6, PARK as modified by ZHANG and FUJII teaches the predetermined first switching condition includes a predetermined time having passed since any of the “a” switches in the first state were switched from the second state to the first state (FUJII, col 6, ll. 59-67: According to the present invention, the time necessary to charge the battery pack up to 90% is defined as a reference time. A plurality of battery packs are selected one by one and are then subjected to charge until the reference time. When all the battery packs have been charged up to 90% of the fully charged level, these battery packs are charged in parallel. Since all the battery packs have been charged up to 90%, the remaining 10% charge is a top-off charge (supplemental charge); col 7, ll. 25-31: the reference time can be selected by taking into consideration various conditions such as the capacity of the battery pack, the relationship between the time and the charged capacity and the magnitude of a load driven by the battery or batteries; the “reference time” is interpreted as the predetermined time). Claim(s) 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over PARK in view of ZHANG as applied to claims 1, 12, and 14-16 above, and further in view of CHIUEH (US 2017/0133865; cited in previous office action). Regarding claim 7, PARK as modified by ZHANG teaches the battery system as applied to claim 1, but fails to disclose a converter connected in series with the plurality of battery units, and a converter control unit that controls the converter to reduce a discharge current from the plurality of battery units and supply the current to a load by stepping down a voltage on the plurality of battery units side and applying the voltage to a load side when the current required by the load connected to the plurality of battery units is less than or equal to a third threshold. CHIUEH discloses a converter (130, Fig. 1) connected in series with the plurality of battery units (120, Fig. 1), and a converter control unit (110, Fig. 1) that controls the converter to reduce a discharge current from the plurality of battery units and supply the current to a load (50, Fig. 1) by stepping down a voltage on the plurality of battery units side (¶ 0041, 0046-0047: buck mode) and applying the voltage to a load side when the current required by the load connected to the plurality of battery units is less than or equal to a third threshold (¶ 0020, 0042-0044, 0047). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to incorporate the converter and converter control unit of CHIUEH into the battery system of PARK as modified by ZHANG to produce an expected result of a battery system including a converter. The modification would be obvious because one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to match and stabilize voltage levels between the battery units and the load, ensuring safe and efficient power transfer. Regarding claim 8, PARK as modified by ZHANG and CHIUEH teaches the converter steps down the voltage on the plurality of battery units side so that the discharge current from the plurality of battery units reaches the third threshold value, and then applies the voltage to the load side (CHIUEH, ¶ 0020, 0042-0044, 0047). Claim(s) 9-10 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over PARK in view of ZHANG as applied to claims 1, 12, and 14-16 above, and further in view of ISHIBASHI (US 2012/0161714; cited in previous office action). Regarding claim 9, PARK as modified by ZHANG teaches the battery system as applied to claim 1, but fails to disclose the second switch control unit switches one switch selected from among the “b” switches in the first state from the first state to the second state and switches one switch selected from among the switches other than the “b” switches in the second state to the first state when a predetermined second switching condition is satisfied. ISHIBASHI discloses the second switch control unit switches one switch selected from among the “b” switches in the first state from the first state to the second state and switches one switch selected from among the switches other than the “b” switches in the second state to the first state when a predetermined second switching condition is satisfied (¶ 0089-0102). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to incorporate the switching based on a predetermined second switching condition being satisfied of ISHIBASHI into the battery system of PARK as modified by ZHANG to produce an expected result of a battery system with a modified switching condition. The modification would be obvious because one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to provide discharging power without stopping power supply when two or more battery modules discharge (ISHIBASHI, ¶ 0015). Regarding claim 10, PARK as modified by ZHANG and ISHIBASHI teaches the predetermined second switching condition includes the state-of-charge of at least one of the battery units associated with the “b” switches in the first state becoming less than or equal to a fourth threshold (ISHIBASHI, ¶ 0089-0102). Regarding claim 13, PARK as modified by ZHANG teaches the battery system as applied to claim 1, but fails to disclose each of the plurality of battery units includes three battery cells connected in parallel to each other. ISHIBASHI discloses each of the plurality of battery units includes two or more battery cells connected in parallel to each other (¶ 0071). It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the battery units each having three parallel cells. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to incorporate the plurality of battery units including battery cells connected in parallel of ISHIBASHI into the battery system of PARK as modified by ZHANG to produce an expected result of a battery system with battery units comprised of battery cells connected in parallel. The modification would be obvious because one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to achieve a desired amp-hour (Ah) capacity and total energy storage while maintaining a specific voltage. Claim(s) 9 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over PARK in view of ZHANG as applied to claims 1, 12, and 14-16 above, and further in view of SKIPPER (US 2014/0217986; cited in previous office action). Regarding claim 9, PARK as modified by ZHANG teaches the battery system as applied to claim 1, but fails to disclose the second switch control unit switches one switch selected from among the “b” switches in the first state from the first state to the second state and switches one switch selected from among the switches other than the “b” switches in the second state to the first state when a predetermined second switching condition is satisfied. SKIPPER discloses the second switch control unit switches one switch selected from among the “b” switches in the first state from the first state to the second state and switches one switch selected from among the switches other than the “b” switches in the second state to the first state when a predetermined second switching condition is satisfied (¶ 0031-0032). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to incorporate the switching based on a predetermined second switching condition being satisfied of SKIPPER into the battery system of PARK as modified by ZHANG to produce an expected result of a battery system with a modified switching condition. The modification would be obvious because one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to extend the lifetime of the battery system (¶ 0007, 0027). Regarding claim 11, PARK as modified by ZHANG and SKIPPER teaches the predetermined second switching condition includes a predetermined time having passed since any of the “b” switches in the first state were switched from the second state to the first state (¶ 0031-0032). Conclusion THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 MANUEL HERNANDEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-7916. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9a-5p ET. 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. /Manuel Hernandez/Examiner, Art Unit 2859 4/19/2026 /TAELOR KIM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2836
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 21, 2022
Application Filed
Jan 09, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Feb 27, 2026
Response Filed
Apr 22, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12508935
CONTROL DEVICE, SERVER, AND STORAGE MEDIUM CONFIGURED TO FIX A MASTER VEHICLE THAT CONTROLS ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLY OF A PLURALITY OF VEHCLES BASED ON ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLY INFORMATION
3y 5m to grant Granted Dec 30, 2025
Patent 12390038
SYSTEM AND METHOD OF PROVIDING PACKING INVENTORY SENSING AND MANAGEMENT OF A SUPPLY COMPARTMENT FOR A STORAGE RECEPTACLE
1y 4m to grant Granted Aug 19, 2025
Patent 12385981
BATTERY MONITORING DEVICE INCLUDING CALCULATION OF IMPEDANCE USING INDEPENDENT ELECTRICAL PATH TO A RESPONSE SIGNAL INPUT
3y 9m to grant Granted Aug 12, 2025
Patent 12377748
SMART EV CHARGER WITH ADAPTIVE INTERFACE AND MULTI-PROTOCOL COMPATIBILITY
3y 10m to grant Granted Aug 05, 2025
Patent 12377738
PRECISION CHARGING CONTROL OF AN UNTETHERED VEHICLE WITH A MODULAR VEHICLE CHARGING SURFACE
1y 9m to grant Granted Aug 05, 2025
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
51%
Grant Probability
95%
With Interview (+44.5%)
3y 6m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 664 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month