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 .
This final action is in response to Applicant’s filing dated October 31, 2025. Claims 1-17 are currently pending and have been considered, as provided in more detail below.
*Examiner Note: Claim language is bolded. Cited References and Applicant’s arguments are italicized. Examiner interpretations are preceded with an asterisk *.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed 10/31/25 have been considered but are moot because the arguments are directed toward subject matter that has not been previously considered and has necessitated a new grounds of rejection as outlined below. While the new ground of rejection may rely on some of the previous references applied in the prior rejection of record, new additional references have been added to the combination and introduced for Applicant’s consideration given the amended independent claims as discussed in detail below.
Response to Amendment
Regarding the rejections under 35 USC 103, amendments made to the claims have necessitated a new grounds of rejection as outlined below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
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.
Claims 1-6, 8 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shinohara (US 2021/0162883A1) in view of Chuang (US 2019/0270389 A1) further in view of Lee (KR102264429B1).
Regarding claim 1, Shinohara discloses A battery assembly (see at least para. [0006] of
Shinohara which discloses “A vehicle control device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is mounted on a vehicle having a first battery, a second battery”, Examiner interprets this configuration to be a battery assembly) for an electric vehicle (Fig. 7, 220 and see at least para. [0067] of Shinohara which discloses “the disclosure may be applied to a fuel cell vehicle 220“, *Examiner notes that a fuel cell vehicle is an electric vehicle), the battery assembly comprising:
a first battery unit (Fig. 1, 50 and see at least para. [0068] of Shinohara which discloses “The high voltage battery 50 in the embodiment can be regarded as the “first battery”);
a DC/DC converter (Fig. 1, 62 and see at least para. [0023] of Shinohara which discloses “a direct current-to-direct current (DC-to-DC) converter 62”);
a second battery unit (Fig. 1, 60 and see at least para. [0032] of Shinohara which discloses “The low voltage battery 60 is configured as a secondary battery”); and
a first electric connection interface (Fig. 1, 64 and see at least para. [0032] of Shinohara which discloses “The low voltage battery 60 is connected to low voltage power lines 64”, *Examiner interprets these power lines 64 to be the electrical connection interface) for electrically connecting the second battery unit (see at least para. [0067] of Shinohara which discloses “the low voltage battery 60 is connected to the DC-to-DC converter 62 via the low voltage power lines 64”);
the first battery unit being electrically connected to the DC/DC converter (see at least para. [0030] of Shinohara which discloses “The high voltage battery 50 … is connected to the high voltage power lines 54” and see at least para. [0067] of Shinohara which discloses “the DC-to-DC converter 62 is connected to the high voltage power lines 54”, *Examiner interprets that since DC/Dc converter 62 is connected to power line 54 which provides an electrical connection and power line 54 is connected to first battery 50, then the first battery 50 is indirectly connected to DC/DC converter 62);
the first electric connection interface (Fig. 1, 64 and see at least para. [0032] of Shinohara which discloses “The low voltage battery 60 is connected to low voltage power lines 64”); and
the first electric connection interface being electrically connected to the DC/DC converter (Fig. 1 illustrates first electric connection interface 64 is directly connected to DC/DC converter 62 and see at least para. [00032] which discloses “power lines 64 are connected to the high voltage power lines 54 via the DC-to-DC converter 62”).
Shinohara may not explicitly disclose a battery receptacle for selectively receiving a second
battery unit, the second battery unit having a same high nominal operational voltage as the first battery unit; the first electric connection interface being positioned in the battery receptacle.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Chuang discloses a battery receptacle for
selectively receiving a second battery unit (Fig. 4, 6 and see at least para. [0040] of Chuang which discloses “a battery receptacle 6. More specifically, two such batteries 2 are received”); the first electric connection interface being positioned in the battery receptacle (see at least para. [0039] of Chuang which discloses “external electrical power is supplied through the power input/output device 52 into the battery” and see at least para. [0048] of Chuang which discloses “the power input/output device 52 being electrically connected to a battery core 31 so that an effect of charging to and outputting electrical power from the battery 2 can be ensured”, *Examiner interprets that since device 52 connects with the battery 2, which is positioned in the battery receptacle 6, then it is clear that the electrical connection 52 will also be positioned in the battery receptacle).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date
of the claimed invention to modify the battery assembly of Shinohara to include a battery receptacle as taught in Chuang with a reasonable expectation of success in order to effectively house and receive a battery unit while also allowing the battery to be directly connected to the electric connection interface. See para. [0039] – [0040] of Chuang for motivation.
Shinohara, as modified by Chuang may not explicitly disclose the second battery unit having
a same high nominal operational voltage as the first battery unit.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Li (KR102264429B1) explicitly discloses a
replacement battery pack to have the same high nominal operational voltage as an existing battery pack (see at least page 2 of the translation of Lee which discloses “a recombinant lithium-ion battery pack having the same nominal voltage (201.6V) as the nickel-hydrogen battery pack”, *Accordingly, Lee explicitly teaches configuring a replacement battery pack to have the same nominal voltage as an existing battery pack. Therefore, Lee teaches that matching the nominal voltage between battery packs is a known and desirable design consideration for maintaining compatibility with vehicle electrical systems.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date
of the claimed invention to configure the second battery unit of Shinohara, as modified by Chuang, to have the same high nominal operational voltage as the first battery unit, as taught in Lee with a reasonable expectation of success in order maintain compatibility with the converter and electrical systems since voltage matching is a routine design choice that would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding claim 2, Shinohara, as modified by Chuang and Lee discloses further comprising a
second electric connection interface (Fig. 1, 54 and see at least para. [0028] of Shinohara which discloses “high voltage power lines 54”, *Examiner interprets the lines 54 to be the second electric connection interface) being configured for electrically connecting the battery assembly to an inverter unit (Fig. 1, 41/42 and see at least para. [0028] of Shinohara which discloses “the inverter 41, the inverter 42 is also connected to the high voltage power lines 54 and is configured as a well-known inverter circuit having six transistors and six diodes”), the first electric connection interface (Fig. 1, 64 and see at least para. [0032] of Shinohara which discloses “The low voltage battery 60 is connected to low voltage power lines 64”, *Examiner interprets these power lines 64 to be the first electrical connection interface) being electrically connected to the second electric connection interface (see at least para. [0032] of Shinohara which discloses “The low voltage power lines 64 are connected to the high voltage power lines 54 via the DC-to-DC converter 62”).
Regarding claim 3, Shinohara, as modified by Chuang and Lee discloses further comprising a
control unit (Fig. 1, 66 and 90 and see at least para. [0032] of Shinohara which discloses “An auxiliary 66 such as a steering system is connected to the low voltage power lines 64”, *Examiner interprets auxiliary 66 to be the control unit, since it is well known in the art that a steering system incorporates control unit mechanisms to control the vehicle and see at least para. [0034] which discloses “The charger 90 is connected to the high voltage power lines 54. The charger 90 is configured so that, when an equipment-side connector for charging equipment or power supply requesting equipment with an external power supply is connected to a vehicle-side connector 92, the charger 90 can perform external charging for charging the high voltage battery 50 using electric power from the charging equipment. The HV ECU 70 controls the charger 90”) being communicatively connected to the first electric connection interface (Fig. 1, 64 and see at least para. [0032] of Shinohara which discloses “The low voltage battery 60 is connected to low voltage power lines 64”, *Examiner interprets these power lines 64 to be the first electrical connection interface), the control unit being configured for selectively enabling and selectively disabling at least one of the electric connection between the first electric connection interface and the DC/DC converter and the electric connection between the first electric connection interface and the second electric connection interface (see at least para. [0036] of Shinohara which discloses “electric power (auxiliary electric power) Ph from the auxiliary 66 which is necessary to operate the auxiliary 66. The HV ECU 70 outputs control signals for the DC-to-DC converter 62 and the charger 90 via the output port”).
Regarding claim 4, Shinohara, as modified by Chuang and Lee discloses further comprising a
third electric connection interface (Fig. 1, 52 and see at least para. [0030] of Shinohara which discloses “A battery electronic control unit (battery ECU) 52 controls the high voltage battery 50”, *Examiner interprets ECU 52 to be third electric connection interface since an ECU is an electrical connection) being configured for electrically connecting the battery assembly to an inverter unit (Fig. 1, 41/42 and see at least para. [0028] of Shinohara which discloses “the inverter 41, the inverter 42 is also connected to the high voltage power lines 54 and is configured as a well-known inverter circuit having six transistors and six diodes” and see at least para. [0036] of Shinohara which discloses “the HV ECU 70 is connected to the engine ECU 24, the motor ECU 40, and the battery ECU 52 via the communication port”, *Examiner interprets that since this interconnection is present, then there is proof that the battery assembly is electrically connected to the inverter unit 41/42 via the third electric connection interface 52 since 52 is connected to ECU70 which is also connected to inverter 41/42), the third electric connection interface being electrically connected to the first battery unit (see at least para. [0031] of Shinohara which discloses “The battery ECU 52 receives, via the input port, signals from various sensors which are required to control the high voltage battery 50”, *Examiner interprets this is the third connection interface 52 connected to first battery unit 50 and Fig. 1 illustrates third electric connection interface 52 connected to first battery unit 50).
Regarding claim 5, Shinohara, as modified by Chuang and Lee discloses wherein the second
electric connection interface (Fig. 1, 54 and see at least para. [0028] which discloses “high voltage power lines 54”, *Examiner interprets the lines 54 to be the second electric connection interface) and the third electric connection interface (Fig. 1, 52 and see at least para. [0030] of Shinohara which discloses “A battery electronic control unit (battery ECU) 52 controls the high voltage battery 50”, *Examiner interprets ECU 52 to be third electric connection interface since an ECU is an electrical connection) are formed by a common electric connection interface (see at least para. [0030] of Shinohara which discloses “The high voltage battery 50 is, e.g., a lithium-ion secondary battery and is connected to the high voltage power lines 54. A battery electronic control unit (battery ECU) 52 controls the high voltage battery 50”, *Examiner interprets that since the third electric connection interface 52 controls 50 which is connected to second electric connection interface 54, then a common electric connection is formed by the relationship of 52 and 54).
Regarding claim 6, Shinohara, as modified by Chuang and Lee discloses further comprising
the second battery unit (Fig. 1, 60 and see at least para. [0032] of Shinohara which discloses “The low voltage battery 60 is configured as a secondary battery”), the second battery unit being located in the battery receptacle (Fig. 4, 6 and see at least para. [0040] of Chuang which discloses “a battery receptacle 6. More specifically, two such batteries 2 are received”) and being electrically connected to the first electric connection interface (see at least para. [0048] of Chuang which discloses “the power input/output device 52 being electrically connected to a battery core 31 so that an effect of charging to and outputting electrical power from the battery 2 can be ensured”).
Regarding claim 8, Shinohara, as modified by Chuang and Lee discloses A vehicle (see at
least para. [0006] of Shinohara which discloses “a vehicle having a first battery, a second battery, a converter, and a power generation device and that controls the converter and the power generation device” and Fig. 7, 220 and see at least para. [0067] of Shinohara which discloses “the disclosure may be applied to a fuel cell vehicle 220“, *Examiner notes that a fuel cell vehicle is an electric vehicle) comprising the battery assembly according to claim 1, an inverter unit (Fig. 1, 41/42 and see at least para. [0028] of Shinohara which discloses “the inverter 41, the inverter 42 is also connected to the high voltage power lines 54 and is configured as a well-known inverter circuit having six transistors and six diodes”) and an electric traction machine (Fig. 1, 40 with MG1/MG2 and see at least para. [0003] of Shinohara which describes “The first battery supplies and receives electric power at least to and from a motor that outputs traction power” and see at least para. [0004] of Shinohara which discloses “the traction motor”, *Examiner interprets this to be the electric traction machine since it is well known in the art that an electric traction machine is an electric traction motor. Also note that para. [0029] of Shino hara discloses “The motor ECU 40 receives, via the input port, signals from various sensors which are required to control driving of the motors MG1, MG2”), the battery assembly being electrically connected to the inverter unit and the inverter unit being electrically connected to the electric traction machine such that the electric traction machine can be powered by the battery assembly (see at least para. [0004] of Shinohara which discloses “the first battery decreases due to power consumption by the traction motor, which may affect traveling of the vehicle” and see at least para. [0006] of Shinohara which discloses “the first battery being configured to supply and receive electric power to and from a traction motor via a first power line”).
Regarding claim 17, Shinohara discloses wherein the third electric connection interface (Fig.
1, 52 and see at least para. [0030] of Shinohara which discloses “A battery electronic control unit (battery ECU) 52 controls the high voltage battery 50”, *Examiner interprets ECU 52 to be third electric connection interface since an ECU is an electrical connection) is
configured for electrically connecting the first battery unit to the inverter unit (Fig. 1, 41/42 and see at least para. [0028] of Shinohara which discloses “the inverter 41, the inverter 42 is also connected to the high voltage power lines 54 and is configured as a well-known inverter circuit having six transistors and six diodes” and see at least para. [0036] of Shinohara which discloses “the HV ECU 70 is connected to the engine ECU 24, the motor ECU 40, and the battery ECU 52 via the communication port”, *Examiner interprets that since this interconnection is present, then there is proof that the battery assembly is electrically connected to the inverter unit 41/42 via the third electric connection interface 52 since 52 is connected to ECU70 which is also connected to inverter 41/42) while the first battery unit (see at least para. [0031] of Shinohara which discloses “The battery ECU 52 receives, via the input port, signals from various sensors which are required to control the high voltage battery 50”, *Examiner interprets this is the third connection interface 52 connected to first battery unit 50 and Fig. 1 illustrates third electric connection interface 52 connected to first battery unit 50) is electrically connected to the DC/DC converter (see at least para. [0030] of Shinohara which discloses “The high voltage battery 50 … is connected to the high voltage power lines 54” and see at least para. [0067] of Shinohara which discloses “the DC-to-DC converter 62 is connected to the high voltage power lines 54”, *Examiner interprets that since DC/Dc converter 62 is connected to power line 54 which provides an electrical connection and power line 54 is connected to first battery 50, then the first battery 50 is indirectly connected to DC/DC converter 62) and the second battery unit by the first electrical connection (Fig. 1, 64 and see at least para. [0032] of Shinohara which discloses “The low voltage battery 60 is connected to low voltage power lines 64”, *Examiner interprets these power lines 64 to be the first electrical connection).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shinohara (US 2021/0162883A1) in view of Chuang (US 2019/0270389A1) in view of Lee (KR102264429B1) and further in view of Falconer (US 2019/0291587A1),
Regarding claim 7, Shinohara, as modified by Chuang and Lee discloses the battery
receptacle (Fig. 4, 6 and see at least para. [0040] of Chuang which discloses “a battery receptacle 6. More specifically, two such batteries 2 are received”).
Shinohara, as modified by Chuang and Lee, may not explicitly disclose further comprising a
cooling system having at least one cooling channel and a cooling interface being fluidically connected to the cooling channel, the cooling interface being arranged in the battery receptacle.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Falconer discloses a cooling system having at least
one cooling channel (Fig. 4, 86 and see at least para. [0054] of Falconer which discloses “Cooling airflow may enter the channels 86 from underneath the electrified vehicle”, *Examiner interprets channels 86 to be a cooling channel) and a cooling interface being fluidically connected to the cooling channel, the cooling interface being arranged in the battery receptacle (see at least para. [0018] of Falconer which discloses “communicate a cooling airflow between a bottom surface of the secondary battery pack and the floor” and see at least para. [0054] of Falconer which discloses “Cooling airflow may enter the channels 86 from underneath the electrified vehicle 12 through the openings 88 for air cooling the bottom surface 70 of the secondary battery pack 54. In other embodiments, the cooling airflow could enter from above or from the sides”, *Examiner interprets this to be the cooling interface fluidly connected to the cooling channel and arranged in the battery housing/receptacle).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date
of the claimed invention to modify the battery assembly of Shinohara, as modified by Chuang and Lee, to include a cooling system having at least one cooling channel and a cooling interface being fluidically connected to the cooling channel, the cooling interface being arranged in the battery receptacle as taught in Falconer with a reasonable expectation of success in order to effectively keep a temperature of the second battery unit within a desired range so that the driving performance of a vehicle using the battery assembly is supported and improved. See para. [0018]-[0019] and [0054] of Shinohara for motivation.
Claims 9-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shinohara (US 2021/0162883A1) in view of Slosarczyk (US 2015/0217641 A1) in view of Scheucher (US 2014/0312845A1) and in view of Lee (KR102264429B1).
Regarding claim 9, Shinohara discloses A method for operating (see at least para. [0013] of
Shinohara which discloses “the vehicle control device of the disclosure, the power generation device may be a fuel cell configured to generate electric power using fuel”, *Examiner interprets this generation of power to assist the method in operating the vehicle) an electric vehicle (Fig. 7, 220 and see at least para. [0067] of Shinohara which discloses “the disclosure may be applied to a fuel cell vehicle 220“, *Examiner notes that a fuel cell vehicle is an electric vehicle) having a battery assembly see at least para. [0006] of Shinohara which discloses “A vehicle control device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is mounted on a vehicle having a first battery, a second battery”, Examiner interprets this configuration to be a battery assembly) comprising a first battery unit (Fig. 1, 50 and see at least para. [0068] of Shinohara which discloses “The high voltage battery 50 in the embodiment can be regarded as the “first battery”) and a second battery unit (Fig. 1, 60 and see at least para. [0032] of Shinohara which discloses “The low voltage battery 60 is configured as a secondary battery”), the battery assembly being electrically connected (see at least para. [0006] of Shinohara which discloses “electric power to and from a traction motor via a first power line, the second battery being connected to a second power line and having a rated voltage lower than a rated voltage of the first battery”, *Examiner interprets this as the electrical connection of the battery assembly) to an electric traction machine (Fig. 1, 40 with MG1/MG2 and see at least para. [0003] of Shinohara which describes “The first battery supplies and receives electric power at least to and from a motor that outputs traction power” and see at least para. [0004] of Shinohara which discloses “the traction motor”, *Examiner interprets this to be the electric traction machine since it is well known in the art that an electric traction machine is an electric traction motor. Also note that para. [0029] of Shino hara discloses “The motor ECU 40 receives, via the input port, signals from various sensors which are required to control driving of the motors MG1, MG2”), the method comprising: electrically connecting the first battery unit to the electric traction machine such that electric power flows from the first battery unit to the electric traction machine (see at least para. [0006] of Shinohara which discloses “the first battery being configured to supply and receive electric power to and from a traction motor via a first power line”, *Examiner interprets this as electrically connecting first battery unit to the electric traction machine so that power flows from first battery unit to the traction machine), and electrically connecting (see at least para. [0051] of Shinohara which discloses “The threshold S4 is a threshold for determining whether the amount of charge remaining in the low voltage battery 60 is large enough to charge the high voltage battery 50”, *Examiner interprets the fact that charge from second battery may charge first battery to be evidence that the second battery unit 60 and the first battery unit 50 are electrically connected) the second battery unit (Fig. 1, 60 and see at least para. [0032] of Shinohara which discloses “battery 60 is … a secondary battery”) to the first battery unit (Fig. 1, 50 and see at least para. [0068] of Shinohara which discloses “battery 50 … as the “first battery”) such that electric power flows from the second battery unit to the first battery unit (see at least para. [0051] of Shinohara which discloses “The threshold S4 is a threshold for determining whether the amount of charge remaining in the low voltage battery 60 is large enough to charge the high voltage battery 50” and see at least para. [0053] of Shinohara which discloses “The HV ECU 70 then charges the high voltage battery 50 with electric power from the low voltage battery 60”, *Examiner interprets the fact that charge from second battery may charge first battery to be evidence that the second battery unit 60 and the first battery unit 50 are electrically connected and that power flows from second battery unit to fist battery unit); electrically connecting the second battery unit (Fig. 1, 60 and see at least para. [0032] of Shinohara which discloses “battery 60 is … a secondary battery”) to the electric traction machine (Fig. 1, 40 with MG1/MG2 and see at least para. [0004] of Shinohara which discloses “the traction motor”, *Examiner interprets this to be the electric traction machine since it is well known in the art that an electric traction machine is an electric traction motor. Also note that para. [0029] of Shino hara discloses “The motor ECU 40 receives, via the input port, signals from various sensors which are required to control driving of the motors MG1, MG2”), such that electric power flows (see at least para. [0032] of Shinohara which discloses “The low voltage battery 60 is configured as a secondary battery with a lower voltage than the high voltage battery 50. For example, the low voltage battery 60 is a lithium-ion secondary battery. The low voltage battery 60 is connected to low voltage power lines 64. The low voltage power lines 64 are connected to the high voltage power lines 54 via the DC-to-DC converter 62”, *Examiner interprets this as an indirect connection which facilitates power flow) from the second battery unit to the electric traction machine (see at least para. [0036] of Shinohara which discloses “signals that are input to the HV ECU 70 further include, e.g., a voltage Vab of the low voltage battery 60 from a voltage sensor 61 a attached between terminals of the low voltage battery 60, a current Iab of the low voltage battery 60 from a current sensor 61b attached to the output terminal of the low voltage battery 60, and electric power (auxiliary electric power) Ph from the auxiliary 66 which is necessary to operate the auxiliary 66. The HV ECU 70 outputs control signals for the DC-to-DC converter 62 and the charger 90 via the output port. As described above, the HV ECU 70 is connected to the engine ECU 24, the motor ECU 40, and the battery ECU 52 via the communication port” and see at least para. [0048] which discloses “the motor MG1 is regeneratively driven to charge the low voltage battery 60”, *Examiner interprets the charge between the battery 60 and the traction machine MG1 to be evidence of power flowing between the battery unit and the traction machine, as broadly as recited).
Shinohara may not explicitly disclose a first operational mode (M1) and a second
operational mode (M2).
However, in the same field of endeavor, Slosarczyk discloses a method for operating an
electric vehicle with a first operational mode (M 1) (see at least para. [0012] of Slosarczyk which discloses “a first operational mode, the first operational mode comprising at least a first arrangement of switches”) and a second operational mode (M2) (see at least para. [0012] of Slosarczyk which discloses “a second operational mode, the second operational mode comprising at least a second arrangement of switches” and see at least para. [0035] of Slosarczyk which discloses “operational modes are selected from the group comprising: said main battery being connected to said electrical load and said auxiliary battery being isolated therefrom, being a normal-driving operational mode“).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date
of the claimed invention to modify the method for operating an electric vehicle with a battery assembly of Shinohara to include a first and second operational mode as taught in Slosarczyk with a reasonable expectation of success in order to effectively operate the electric vehicle in an efficient manner so that improved driving performance may be realized by strategically controlling the electrical system in the vehicle. See para. [0012] and [0035] of Slosarczyk for motivation.
Shinohara does describe a battery system with two battery sources and a switching control
unit that controls switching elements of the power conversion circuits such that different energy sources are selectively connected to vehicle systems based on the operating state (see at least para. [0007] of Shinohara which discloses “the state of charge of the second battery has been increased at the time the vehicle switches from the state in which it is possible to charge the first battery with the electric power from the power generation device to the state in which it is not possible to charge the first battery with the electric power from the power generation device when a restriction on the operation of the power generation device is predicted during traveling of the vehicle”, *This teaches mod-dependent control of battery power routing in a multi battery vehicle system and one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that such switching control enables different operational configurations of battery usage and could be combined with known battery isolation techniques to facilitate a bypass type operation.
Shinohara, as modified by Slosarczyk may not explicitly disclose bypassing the first battery;
the second battery unit having a same high nominal operational voltage as the first battery unit.
However, Scheucher discloses bypassing the first battery unit (see at least para. [0246] of
Scheucher which discloses “The battery monitor bus is isolated from the battery output/input 503” and see at least para. [0247] of Scheucher which discloses “bus 489A is isolated from the battery output/input 503”, *This explicitly teaches selective electrical connection and disconnection of battery modules such that one battery module supplies power to the vehicle while another battery module is electrically isolated and bypassed).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date
of the claimed invention to apply this known battery isolation technique of bypassing the first battery to the battery routing of Shinohara, as modified by Slosarczyk in the second operational mode (M2) as taught in Scheucher with a reasonable expectation of success in order to bypass the first battery unit while supplying traction power from the second battery unit for enhanced driving performance of the electric vehicle.
Shinohara, as modified by Slosarczyk and Scheucher may not explicitly disclose the second
battery unit having a same high nominal operational voltage as the first battery unit.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Lee (KR102264429B1) explicitly discloses a
replacement battery pack to have the same high nominal operational voltage as an existing battery pack (see at least page 2 of the translation of Lee which discloses “a recombinant lithium-ion battery pack having the same nominal voltage (201.6V) as the nickel-hydrogen battery pack”, *Accordingly, Lee explicitly teaches configuring a replacement battery pack to have the same nominal voltage as an existing battery pack. Therefore, Lee teaches that matching the nominal voltage between battery packs is a known and desirable design consideration for maintaining compatibility with vehicle electrical systems.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date
of the claimed invention to configure the second battery unit of Shinohara, as modified by Chuang, to have the same high nominal operational voltage as the first battery unit, as taught in Lee with a reasonable expectation of success in order maintain compatibility with the converter and electrical systems since voltage matching is a routine design choice that would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding claim 10, the combination of Shinohara in view of Slosarczyk and Scheucher
discloses wherein the second operational mode (M2) (see at least para. [0012] of Slosarczyk which discloses “a second operational mode, the second operational mode comprising at least a second arrangement of switches” and see at least para. [0035] of Slosarczyk which discloses “operational modes are selected from the group comprising: said main battery being connected to said electrical load and said auxiliary battery being isolated therefrom, being a normal-driving operational mode“).
Slosarczyk further discloses comprises electrically disconnecting the first battery unit (Fig.
1, 50 and see at least para. [0068] of Shinohara which discloses “The high voltage battery 50 in the embodiment can be regarded as the “first battery”) from the electric traction machine and electrically disconnecting the first battery unit from the second battery unit (Fig. 1, 60 and see at least para. [0032] of Shinohara which discloses “The low voltage battery 60 is configured as a secondary battery” and see at least para. [0093] of Slosarczyk which discloses “while the auxiliary battery 25 is kept disconnected in order to ensure it remains fully charged and ready for use” and para. [0139] of Slosarczyk discloses “The power management system then performs an active test, by disconnecting and connecting the batteries”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date
of the claimed invention to modify the method for operating an electric vehicle with a battery assembly of Shinohara to include electrically disconnecting the first battery unit from the electric traction machine and electrically disconnecting the first battery unit from the second battery unit as taught in Slosarczyk with a reasonable expectation of success in order to effectively use the full power capacity of the second battery unit without being restrained by potential power limitations of the DC/DC converter.
Regarding claim 11, the combination of Shinohara in view of Slosarczyk and Scheucher
discloses wherein the second operational mode (M2) (see at least para. [0012] of Slosarczyk which discloses “a second operational mode, the second operational mode comprising at least a second arrangement of switches” and see at least para. [0035] of Slosarczyk which discloses “operational modes are selected from the group comprising: said main battery being connected to said electrical load and said auxiliary battery being isolated therefrom, being a normal-driving operational mode“) comprises electrically connecting the first battery unit to the electric traction machine such that electric power flows from the first battery unit to the electric traction machine (see at least para. [0006] of Shinohara which discloses “the first battery being configured to supply and receive electric power to and from a traction motor via a first power line”, *Examiner interprets this as electrically connecting first battery unit to the electric traction machine so that power flows from first battery unit to the traction machine).
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Shinohara in view of Slosarczyk and Scheucher
discloses wherein the second operational mode (M2) (see at least para. [0012] of Slosarczyk which discloses “a second operational mode, the second operational mode comprising at least a second arrangement of switches” and see at least para. [0035] of Slosarczyk which discloses “operational modes are selected from the group comprising: said main battery being connected to said electrical load and said auxiliary battery being isolated therefrom, being a normal-driving operational mode“) comprises electrically connecting (see at least para. [0051] of Shinohara which discloses “The threshold S4 is a threshold for determining whether the amount of charge remaining in the low voltage battery 60 is large enough to charge the high voltage battery 50”, *Examiner interprets the fact that charge from second battery may charge first battery to be evidence that the second battery unit 60 and the first battery unit 50 are electrically connected) the first battery unit (Fig. 1, 50 and see at least para. [0068] of Shinohara which discloses “battery 50 … as the “first battery”) to the second battery unit (Fig. 1, 60 and see at least para. [0032] of Shinohara which discloses “battery 60 is … a secondary battery”) such that electric power flows from the first battery unit (50) to the second battery unit (see at least para. [0039] of Shinohara which discloses “electric power on the high voltage power line 54 (electric power from the high voltage battery 50) to a predetermined low voltage and the sum of the auxiliary electric power Ph and power Psoc2 that is required for the state of charge SOC2 of the low voltage battery 60 to become closer to a target state of charge SOC2* (basically the control center value S2ref) is supplied from the high voltage power line 54 to the low voltage power line 64”, *Examiner interprets this as electric power flowing from first battery unit to the second battery unit).
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Shinohara in view of Slosarczyk and Scheucher
discloses further comprising assessing a desired energy capacity of the second battery unit based on a planned drive cycle (see at least para. [0041] of Shinohara which discloses “a planned travel route and the hybrid vehicle 20 is traveling a predetermined distance (e.g., several kilometers) before the restricted area. An example of when the operation of the engine 22 is restricted during traveling of the hybrid vehicle 20 is when the hybrid vehicle 20 is currently located in the restricted area. When a restriction on the operation of the engine 22 is predicted and when the operation of the engine 22 is restricted during traveling of the hybrid vehicle 20, the operation of the engine 22 is restricted, and therefore regenerative driving of the motor MG1 is restricted and supply of electric power generated by the motor MG1 to the high voltage power line 54 is also restricted” and see at least para. [0042] of Shinohara which discloses “When the HV ECU 70 executes this routine, the HV ECU 70 receives the state of charge SOC1 of the high voltage battery 50 and the state of charge SOC2 of the low voltage battery 60“).
Regarding claim 14, the combination of Shinohara in view of Slosarczyk and Scheucher
discloses wherein assessing a desired energy capacity comprises selecting one out of a number of predefined energy capacities (see at least para. [0063] of Shinohara which discloses “the threshold S1 may be set to a value slightly lower than the upper limit threshold S1max, or may be set to a value corresponding to the full charge capacity of the high voltage battery 50 or a value slightly lower than the value corresponding to the full charge capacity of the high voltage battery 50” and see at least para. [0064] of Shinohara which discloses “the threshold S2 may be set to a value slightly lower than the upper limit threshold S2max, or may be set to a value corresponding to the full charge capacity of the low voltage battery 60 or a value slightly lower than the value corresponding to the full charge capacity of the low voltage battery 60”, *Examiner interprets the ability to set a value corresponding to a charge capacity to be selecting a predefined energy capacity).
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shinohara (US 2021/0162883A1) in view of Slosarczyk (US 2015/0217641 A1) in view of Scheucher (US 2014/0312845 A1) in view of Lee (KR102264429 B1) and further in view of Chuang (US 2019/0270389A1).
Regarding claim 15, Shinohara, as modified by Slosarczyk, discloses the second battery unit
(Fig. 1, 60 and see at least para. [0032] of Shinohara which discloses “The low voltage battery 60 is configured as a secondary battery”).
Shinohara, as modified by Slosarczyk, may not explicitly disclose inserting the second
battery unit into the battery assembly.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Chuang discloses inserting the second battery unit
into the battery assembly (see at least para. [0040] of Chuang which discloses “two such batteries 2 are received, in a manner of being arranged side by side, into and retained in the battery receptacle 6… The battery receptacle 6 is formed, internally, with two battery compartments 62 as being divided and defined by the division ribs 61. Each of the battery compartments 62 receives one of the batteries 2 therein. The battery receptacle 6 has an external wall that is provided, on two opposite sides thereof, with support shafts 63, such that the battery receptacle 6 are shaft-supported by the support shafts 63 on the electric vehicle A and thus, the batteries 2 cab be securely stored in the electric vehicle”, *Examiner interprets this as inserting the second battery unit (since there are 2 batteries) into the battery assembly).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date
of the claimed invention to modify the method for operating an electric vehicle with a battery assembly of Shinohara, as modified by Slosarczyk to include inserting the second battery unit into the battery assembly with a reasonable expectation of success in order to effectively manage the desired energy capacity of the electric vehicle navigation range with the vehicle weight. See para. [0038] and [0040] of Chuang for motivation.
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shinohara (US 2021/0162883A1) in view of Chuang (US 2019/0270389 A1) in view of Lee (KR102264429B1) and further in view of Scheucher (US 2014/0312845A1) and further in view of Ojima (US 2009/0233129A1).
Regarding claim 16, Shinohara, as modified by Chuang and Lee discloses wherein the
second electric connection interface is configured for electrically connecting the second battery unit to the inverter unit, and discloses the DC/DC converter (Fig. 1, 62 and see at least para. [0023] of Shinohara which discloses “a direct current-to-direct current (DC-to-DC) converter 62”).
Shinohara, as modified by Chuang and Lee may not explicitly disclose bypassing the first
battery unit and the DC/DC converter.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Scheucher discloses bypassing the first
battery unit (see at least para. [0246] of Scheucher which discloses “The battery monitor bus is isolated from the battery output/input 503” and see at least para. [0247] of Scheucher which discloses “bus 489A is isolated from the battery output/input 503”, *This explicitly teaches selective electrical connection and disconnection of battery modules such that one battery module supplies power to the vehicle while another battery module is electrically isolated and bypassed) (see at least para. [0061] of Scheucher which discloses “The intermediate DC bus is selectively coupled with a first DC output and/or a DC/AC inverter and/or a third DC/DC converter” and see at least para. [0062] of Scheucher which discloses “The third DC/DC converter is coupled to a second DC output and a third DC output. The first DC bus is coupled to a first DC/DC converter which, in turn, is selectively coupled to the intermediate DC bus and/or the third DC bus and/or a DC charge bus”, *Scheucher discloses an electric vehicle battery system in which an individual battery module is selectively electrically connected directly to a traction DC bus supplying an inverter, while other battery modules are electrically isolated, and in which traction power path does not include a DC/DC converter. Therefore, Scheucher discloses a second electric connection interface configured to electrically connect a second battery unit to an inverter unit while bypassing both a first battery unit).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date
of the claimed invention to apply this known battery isolation technique of bypassing the first battery to the battery routing of Shinohara, as modified by Slosarczyk in the second operational mode (M2) as taught in Scheucher with a reasonable expectation of success in order to bypass the first battery unit while supplying traction power from the second battery unit for enhanced driving performance of the electric vehicle.
Shinohara, as modified by Chuang and Lee and Scheucher may not explicitly disclose
bypassing the DC/DC converter.
However, Ojima discloses bypassing the DC/DC converter (see at least para. [0010] of Ojima
which discloses “ bypassing a DC/DC converter”, *Ojima teaches the use of a bypass circuit/line that directly connects the battery to the power feeding circuit bypassing the DC/DC converter when the converter is stopped or cannot be used. See at least para. [0032] of Ojima which discloses “A bypass line (bypass circuit) 62 connectable to the bus line 24 a of the power feeding circuit 20 is provided for the battery 18, bypassing the DC/DC converter 22”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date
of the claimed invention to modify the battery assembly of Shinohara, as modified by Chuang, Lee and Scheucher to include bypassing the DC/DC converter as taught in Ojima with a reasonable expectation of success in order to improve power efficiency. See para. [0013] of Ojima for motivation.
Additional Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's
disclosure. Jiang (US 10,106,038B2) discloses an energy storage system for a vehicle includes an energy storage unit having a plurality of energy storage modules connected in series, a plurality of sensing units for sensing state of charges of the plurality of energy storage modules, a pair of primary voltage terminals, wherein the series connected plurality of energy storage modules is connectable across the pair of primary voltage terminals to supply energy storage power at a first voltage level to support primary electrical functions of the vehicle, a pair of secondary voltage terminals, and an energy storage management system and a controller. Kelty (US2012/0041626 A1) discloses a method of optimizing the operation of the power source of an electric vehicle, the power source comprised of a first battery pack (e.g., a non-metal-air battery pack) and a second battery pack (e.g., a metal-air battery pack). The power source is optimized to minimize use of the least efficient battery pack (e.g., the second battery pack) while ensuring that the electric vehicle has sufficient power to traverse the expected travel distance before the next battery charging cycle. Further optimization may be achieved by setting at least one acceleration limit and/or at least one maximum speed limit based on vehicle efficiency and the state-of-charge (SOC) of the first and second battery packs.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/DANA D IVEY/Examiner, Art Unit 3662
/D.D.I/January 24, 2026
/JELANI A SMITH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3662