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. Drawings The drawings are objected to because : FIG. 1 contains generic box elements . Conventional features disclosed in the description and claims, where their detailed illustration is not essential for a proper understanding of the invention, should be illustrated in the drawing in the form of a graphical drawing symbol or a labeled representation ( e.g., a labeled rectangular box). ( MPEP 1.83 ) Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance. Specification The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. The following title is suggested: A title that reflects the inventive concept of this particular discharge balancing method that separates it from other discharge balancing methods. Claim Objections Claim s 2, 6-8, and 10 are objected to because of the following informalities: Regarding claim 2, for the limitation “and the number of the plurality of battery blocks and the plurality of cut-off battery cell voltages are the same” is confusing and difficult to understand. Regarding claim 6, in line 2, “generating” should be –generate--. Regarding claim 10, in line 9, “ preforming " should be -- perfor m -- . Appropriate correction is required. 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) 1 - 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MAEDA (US 20 21 / 0159551 A1) in view of NAKATSUJI (US 2010/0019725 A1) . Regarding claim 1 MAEDA discloses a battery equipment discharge balancing method, the battery equipment includes a battery module. (see Par. [0015]: "an innovative battery management system (BMS) with multiple battery packs is provided.") MAEDA further discloses the battery module includes a plurality of battery blocks connected in parallel (see FIG. 1B, which shows Battery Block 1 (102) and Battery Block 2 (104) feeding into a combined output I1+I2, depicting parallel connection architecture; see also Par. [0032]: "Output 138 and 140 are combined to provide a joint output 142.") Furthermore, MAEDA discloses performing a discharge process of the battery module (see Abstract: "detecting by the processor, a discharge condition associated with at least one of the first battery pack and the second battery pack ... and controlling by the processor, based on the determined discharge ratio, a discharge rate of the first battery pack using a first voltage controller and a discharge rate of the second battery pack using a second voltage controller"; see also Par. [0032]: "Battery pack discharge occurs when a discharge condition is met ..."). MAEDA further discloses adjusting a next discharge ratio of each of the battery blocks during a next discharge process of the battery module (see FIG. 2, Par. [0035]: "... the microcontroller evaluates a plurality of parameters of each battery pack, including a SOH, SOC and battery discharge voltage. In block B210, the microcontroller 120 uses these parameters to determine a discharge ratio for the battery packs 110 and 112"). MAEDA is silent to each of the battery blocks includes a plurality of battery cells connected in series, measuring a voltage of each of the battery cells in each of the battery blocks to generate a plurality of battery cell voltages, determining at least one of the plurality of battery cell voltages reaching a cut-off discharge voltage, obtaining a minimum battery cell voltage in each of the battery blocks respectively to generate a plurality of cut-off battery cell voltages, and adjusting the next discharge ratio according to the plurality of cut-off battery cell voltages. NAKATSUJI discloses each of the battery blocks includes a plurality of battery cells connected in series (see Par. [0040]: "The set battery 14 includes a plurality of secondary batteries 141, 142, and 143 connected in series"). NAKATSUJI further discloses measuring a voltage of each of the battery cells in each of the battery blocks to generate a plurality of battery cell voltages (see Par. [0041]: "The terminal voltages Vb1, Vb2, and Vb3 across a plurality of the secondary batteries 141, 142, and 143, respectively, are detected by the voltage detection circuit 20 and inputted into the A/D converter 19 in the control IC 18."). Furthermore, NAKATSUJI discloses determining at least one of the plurality of battery cell voltages reach ing a cut-off discharge voltage (see Par. [0007]: "... the discharge ends when the lowest voltage among the terminal voltages α11, α12, and α13 has dropped to the cut-off voltage of discharge, Vt ..."). NAKATSUJI further discloses obtaining a minimum battery cell voltage (see Par. [0020]: "... which is a lowest terminal voltage among the terminal voltages across the plurality of secondary batteries detected by the voltage detection portion ..."). It would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art ( PHOSITA ) to incorporate NAKATSUJI’s per-cell voltage detection and minimum cell voltage identification as an additional parameter in MAEDA’s multi-block discharge ratio adjustment framework to improve the discharge management method and reduce battery degradation ( Par. [00 05 ] , [0007] ) . Such a combination would result in a system that obtains a minimum battery cell voltage in each of the battery blocks respectively to generate a plurality of cut-off battery cell voltages, and adjusts the next discharge ratio of each battery block according to those cut-off battery cell voltages. Regarding claim 2 , MAEDA discloses wherein the plurality of battery blocks respectively have the same number of the battery cells (see FIGS 1 A, 1B, where each battery block has 1 battery pack, and Par. [0019]: “In one aspect, the battery packs 110 and 112 include a Lithium-ion cell, …”) MAEDA is silent to the number of the plurality of battery blocks and the plurality of cut-off battery cell voltages are the same. NAKATSUJI discloses the number of the plurality of battery blocks and the plurality of cut-off battery cell voltages are the same (see Par. [0041]: "The terminal voltages Vb1, Vb2, and Vb3 across a plurality of the secondary batteries 141, 142, and 143, respectively, are detected by the voltage detection circuit 20 ..."). It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to configure MAEDA’s plurality of battery blocks to be equal in number to the plurality of cut-off battery cell voltages in order to streamline the control logic, thereby lower ing memory requirements and reduc ing computational complexity . In a state where these numbers are different, the system must utilize dynamic mapping or lookup tables to associate specific voltage triggers with their corresponding physical blocks. However, aligning these numbers into a 1-to-1 correspondence eliminates the algorithmic overhead of searching for block-to-sensor associations. Regarding claim 3 , MAEDA is silent to at least one of the plurality of battery cell voltages reaches the cut-off discharge voltage, and the battery module is defined as fully discharged. NAKATSUJI discloses wherein at least one of the plurality of battery cell voltages reaches the cut-off discharge voltage, and the battery module is defined as fully discharged (see Par. [0007]: "... the discharge ends when the lowest voltage among the terminal voltages α11, α12, and α13 has dropped to the cut-off voltage of discharge, Vt ..." and Par. [0063]: "When the terminal voltage Vb1, which is the lowest voltage among the terminal voltages Vb3, Vb2, and Vb1 obtained by the A/D converter 19, has dropped to the cut-off voltage of discharge, Vt, the switching element 12 is turned OFF ... to stop the discharge in order to prevent overdischarge of the set battery 14."). It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to modify the battery management system of MAEDA to include the discharging termination criteria of NAKATSUJI to prevent overdischarge of the set battery and prolong the life of the battery cells (see Par. [0005] -[ 0006]) Regarding claim 4 , MAEDA is silent to ranking the plurality of battery cell voltages of each of the battery blocks to obtain the cut-off battery cell voltage of each of the battery blocks. NAKATSUJI discloses to obtain the cut-off battery cell voltage of each of the battery blocks (see Par. [0063]: "When the terminal voltage Vb1, which is the lowest voltage among the terminal voltages Vb3, Vb2, and Vb1 obtained by the A/D converter 19, has dropped to the cut-off voltage of discharge, Vt ..."). It would have been obvious to a PHOSITA to configure MAEDA to identify the lowest cell voltage as taught by NAKATSUJI to accurately detect the specific cell that reaches the cut-off threshold first, thereby preventing the battery from being over-discharged (Par. [0008]) and ensuring the battery module is not damaged by over-discharge (Par. [0054]) . Specifically, utilizing this identification to inform a balancing discharge operation helps to improve the battery lifetime by reducing the capacity discrepancy between cells, ensuring uniform aging across the block. The limitation that ranking the plurality of battery cell voltages of each of the battery blocks is inherent to the minimum voltage identification established in NAKATSUJI. Identifying a minimum value from a set of measured values necessarily involves comparing and ordering those values , where a minimum value is ranked 1st lowest, and the other values are ranked 2nd or more lowest . Regarding claim 5 , MAEDA discloses calculating the next discharge ratio of each of the battery blocks according to a current discharge ratio (see FIG. 2, Par. [0028]-[0029]: "... the microcontroller 120 uses the monitored data to determine a discharge ratio from data structure 122"; "Based on the discharge ratio of data structure 122, the microcontroller 120 instructs the voltage converters 106 and 108 to adjust the output from each battery pack to balance the discharge between battery packs 110 and 112 ..."). MAEDA is silent to calculating the next discharge of each of the batteries according to the cut-off battery cell voltage of each of the batteries . NAKATSUJI discloses the cut-off battery cell voltage of each of the battery blocks (see Par. [0063]: "When the terminal voltage Vb1, which is the lowest voltage among the terminal voltages Vb3, Vb2, and Vb1 obtained by the A/D converter 19, has dropped to the cut-off voltage of discharge, Vt ..."). It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to incorporate NAKATSUJI's cut-off battery cell voltage identification into MAEDA's multi-block discharge ratio calculation framework, and substitute NAKATSUJI's cut-off battery cell voltage for MAEDA's generalized battery discharge voltage parameter in the discharge ratio calculation. This substitution allows the discharge ratio to be governed by the specific cell most vulnerable to degradation, rather than a block average. This more effectively 'prevents over-discharge of the set battery' (Par. [0063]) and ensures that the discharge is stopped at the optimal moment to avoid 'shortening the life of the battery' (Par. [0005]). Regarding claims 6 and 7 , MAEDA discloses calculating the next discharge ratio of each of the battery blocks according to the temporary adjustment parameter of each of the battery blocks, and calculating the temporary adjustment parameter of each of the battery blocks according to a current discharge ratio (see Par. [0028]-[0029]: "... the microcontroller 120 uses the monitored data to determine a discharge ratio from data structure 122"; "Based on the discharge ratio of data structure 122, the microcontroller 120 instructs the voltage converters 106 and 108 to adjust the output from each battery pack to balance the discharge between battery packs 110 and 112 ...") . MAEDA is silent to ranking the plurality of cut-off battery cell voltages to generate a minimum cut-off battery cell voltage, calculating a temporary adjustment parameter of each of the battery blocks according to the plurality of the cut-off battery cell voltages and the minimum cut-off battery cell voltage, each of the cut-off battery cell voltages, and the minimum cut-off battery cell voltage of each of the battery blocks. NAKATSUJI discloses generating a minimum cut-off battery cell voltage (see Par. [0047]: "... a secondary battery having the terminal voltage higher than the lowest voltage among the terminal voltages Vb1, Vb2, and Vb3 ..."; Par. [0063]: "When the terminal voltage Vb1, which is the lowest voltage among the terminal voltages Vb3, Vb2, and Vb1 ...") . NAKATSUJI further discloses calculating an adjustment parameter (discharge current/duty cycle) for each block based on the relationship between individual terminal voltages and the lowest terminal voltage (see Abstract; Fig. 2; and Par. [0047]: "...discharging the secondary battery having the terminal voltage higher than the lowest voltage... with a discharge current larger than that of the secondary battery having the lowest voltage"). It would have been obvious to a PHOSITA to configure MAEDA with NAKATSUJI’s adjustment logic to calculate the discharge ratio based on the variance between individual cell voltages and the minimum voltage. One would be motivated to do so to eliminate 'variations in the remaining capacities' (Par. [0006]) and 'variations in the voltages' (Par. [0008]) among cells, where identifying the 1st lowest value allows the system to prioritize the most depleted cell. This configuration helps to improve the battery lifetime by reducing the discrepancy between cells through a balanced discharge operation, thereby preventing the module from being 'damaged by over-discharge' (Par. [0054]) while 'prolonging the life' of the battery (Par. [0005]). The limitation that ranking the plurality of battery cell voltages of each of the battery blocks is inherent to the minimum voltage identification established in NAKATSUJI. Identifying a minimum value from a set of measured values necessarily involves comparing and ordering those values , where a minimum value is ranked 1st lowest, and the other values are ranked 2nd or more lowest . Regarding claim 8 , MAEDA discloses obtaining the next discharge ratio of each of the battery blocks (see Par. [0035]: "... the microcontroller 120 uses these parameters to determine a discharge ratio for the battery packs"). MAEDA is silent to normalizing the temporary adjustment parameter of each of the battery blocks. It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to apply normalization to MAEDA's intermediate adjustment parameters to obtain discharge ratios for each battery block, as normalization is a fundamental mathematical principle for converting a set of raw values into proportional ratios and offers improved ease of comparison . Regarding claims 9 and 10 , MAEDA discloses controlling each of the battery blocks to performing the next discharge process respectively through a control circuit by the processor according to the next discharge ratio of each of the battery blocks (see Par. [0028]-[0029]: "... the microcontroller 120 uses the monitored data to determine a discharge ratio from data structure 122"; "Based on the discharge ratio of data structure 122, the microcontroller 120 instructs the voltage converters 106 and 108 to adjust the output from each battery pack to balance the discharge between battery packs 110 and 112 ..."). MAEDA is silent to detecting the voltage of each of the battery cells by a processor to generate the plurality of battery cell voltages, comparing whether the plurality of battery cell voltages being greater than the cut-off discharge voltage by the processor, determining at least one of the plurality of battery cell voltages reaching the cut-off discharge voltage by the processor, ranking the plurality of cut-off battery cell voltages by the processor to generate a minimum cut-off battery cell voltage, and calculating the next discharge ratio of each of the battery blocks in the next discharge process according to each of the cut-off battery cell voltages and the minimum cut-off battery cell voltage by the processor. NAKATSUJI discloses detecting the voltage of each of the battery cells by a processor to generate the plurality of battery cell voltages (see Par. [0041]: "The terminal voltages Vb1, Vb2, and Vb3 across a plurality of the secondary batteries 141, 142, and 143, respectively, are detected by the voltage detection circuit 20 and inputted into the A/D converter 19 in the control IC 18"; Par. [0045]: "The control portion 21 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs, for example, predetermined arithmetic processing, a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which a predetermined control program is pre-stored, a RAM (Random Access Memory) in which data is stored temporarily ..."). NAKATSUJI further discloses comparing whether the plurality of battery cell voltages being greater than the cut-off discharge voltage by the processor, and determining at least one of the plurality of battery cell voltages reaching the cut-off discharge voltage by the processor (see Par. [0047]: "The imbalance reduction processing portion 212 performs imbalance reduction processing when at least one of the terminal voltages ... has dropped to or below the cut-off voltage of discharge, Vt"; Par. [0063]: "When the terminal voltage Vb1, which is the lowest voltage among the terminal voltages Vb3, Vb2, and Vb1 obtained by the A/D converter 19, has dropped to the cut-off voltage of discharge, Vt ..."). Furthermore, NAKATSUJI discloses generating a minimum cut-off battery cell voltage (see Par. [0047]: "... a secondary battery having the terminal voltage higher than the lowest voltage among the terminal voltages Vb1, Vb2, and Vb3 ..."; Par. [0063]: "When the terminal voltage Vb1, which is the lowest voltage among the terminal voltages Vb3, Vb2, and Vb1 ..."). It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to incorporate NAKATSUJI's per-cell cut-off voltage identification into MAEDA's processor-implemented discharge ratio calculation framework, to identify and respond to the specific cell with the lowest voltage. This would allow the system to compensate for 'variations in the remaining capacities' (Par. [0006]) and 'variations in the voltages' (Par. [0008]), where the 1st lowest value is identified to establish a baseline for the other cells ranked 2nd or more lowest . This configuration ensures that the discharge ratio is calculated to improve battery lifetime by reducing cell discrepancy through a balanced discharge operation, preventing any single cell from being 'damaged by over-discharge' (Par. [0054]) while 'prolonging the life' of the battery set (Par. [0005]). Such a combination would result in a system that calculates the next discharge ratio of each of the battery blocks in the next discharge process according to each of the cut-off battery cell voltages and the minimum cut-off battery cell voltage by the processor. The limitation that ranking the plurality of battery cell voltages of each of the battery blocks is inherent to the minimum voltage identification established in NAKATSUJI. Identifying a minimum value from a set of measured values necessarily involves comparing and ordering those values , where a minimum value is ranked 1st lowest, and the other values are ranked 2nd or more lowest . Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT DOMINIQUE JOHANN DJANAL-MANN whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-4697 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT Monday - Friday 8:00 - 17:00 . Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Drew Dunn can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT (571) 272-2312 . The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /D. JOHANN DJANAL-MANN/ Examiner, Art Unit 2859 /JOHN T TRISCHLER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859