DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
Response to Arguments
Applicant has amended independent claim 1. The amended portions “a plurality of battery packs each including a terminating resistor integrated therein” and “a harness configured to selectively connect the terminating resistor included integrated in a target battery pack among the plurality of battery packs” change the scope of the claim to necessitate a terminating resistor on each battery pack.
Applicant has submitted a replacement drawing for FIG 1, which does not incorporate further detail for the structure of Harness 3. The drawings filed 6 April 2026 are accepted, and examiner withdraws objection to drawings.
Applicant's arguments filed 6 April 2026 have been fully considered but they are moot, new grounds of rejection are presented herein as necessitated by amendment.
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 and 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shimizu et al (US 20160247389 A1) modified by Harknet et al (US 20190027937 A1)
Regarding claim 1, Shimizu teaches a power supply system, comprising: a plurality of battery packs [each including a terminating resistor integrated therein]; (¶0023 “FIG. 2, the battery monitoring device 1 monitors the batteries 11a, 11b, 11c and 11d constituted of a plurality of cells 5 connected in series (described later with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7)”)
a control section configured to perform communication control on each of the battery packs via at least one communication line; (¶0044 “wire harness 211 includes a CAN communication line, a power supply line and a ground line. The wire harness supplies electric power to the battery monitoring device 101 and the battery ECU 151, and transmits and receives various kinds of signals by communication conforming to a CAN protocol”)
[and a harness configured to selectively connect the terminating resistor included integrated in a target battery pack among the plurality of battery packs to the at least one communication line.]
Shimizu does not explicitly disclose ; however, Shimizu ¶0054 describes the communication bus bars 45 and each “communication bus bar 45 may also be provided at the one end of this second antenna, and a termination resistor maybe provided at an upstream side end of this communication bus bar 45”. Indicating structural support for including a termination resistor connected to each battery 5. Shimizu does not teach a power supply system, comprising: [a plurality of battery packs] each including a terminating resistor integrated therein; and a harness configured to selectively connect the terminating resistor included integrated in a target battery pack among the plurality of battery packs to the at least one communication line.
Harknet teaches a power supply system, comprising: [a plurality of battery packs] each including a terminating resistor integrated therein; (¶0018 “[FIG 2] proper placement of the terminating resistor 46 at each end of the CAN bus 42, each power source 14 includes a resistor 46 and a user-activated switch 50”)
a control section configured to perform communication control on each of the battery packs via at least one communication line;
and a harness configured to selectively connect the terminating resistor included integrated in a target battery pack among the plurality of battery packs to the at least one communication line. (¶0018 “[FIG 2] switch 50 is in the closed position, the resistor 46 operates as a terminating resistor at one end of the CAN bus 42. When the switch 50 is in the open position, the resistor 46 is not connected to the CAN bus 42”)
Therefor it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to modify the power supply system as taught by Shimizu wherein each battery pack includes a terminating resistor integrated therein and a harness configured to selectively connect the terminating resistor included integrated in a target battery pack among the plurality of battery packs to the at least one communication line as taught by Harknet. Shimizu and Harknet both disclose power supply systems comprising multiple power sources which are in communication with one another via a CAN bus. Particularly Shimizu FIG 6 shares a similar structure to Harknet FIG 2, resulting in discrete power sources which are electrically insulated/isolated from one another. Harknet ¶0014 discloses a controller 22 which is in communication with the power sources 14 via a CAN bus line. The modification would be obvious because one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to improve battery performance through dynamic battery selection and minimize bus reflections which may result in battery management system fault errors.
Regarding claim 2, Shimizu modified by Harknet teaches the power supply system according to Claim 1. Shimizu modified by Harknet does not teach wherein the communication line extends in a predetermined direction along predetermined positions each corresponding to one of the battery packs, and wherein the terminating resistor connected to the communication line is the terminating resistor included in the battery pack corresponding to the predetermined position located at a terminal end of the communication line in the predetermined direction.
Harknet further teaches wherein the communication line extends in a predetermined direction along predetermined positions each corresponding to one of the battery packs, (¶0020 “FIG. 2, the power generation system 10 is illustrated with four power sources 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D”)
and wherein the terminating resistor connected to the communication line is the terminating resistor included in the battery pack corresponding to the predetermined position located at a terminal end of the communication line in the predetermined direction. (¶0018 “proper placement of the terminating resistor 46 at each end of the CAN bus 42, each power source 14 includes a resistor 46 and a user-activated switch 50”)
Therefor it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to further modify the power supply system as taught by Shimizu modified by Harknet wherein the communication line extends in a predetermined direction along predetermined positions each corresponding to one of the battery packs, and wherein the terminating resistor connected to the communication line is the terminating resistor included in the battery pack corresponding to the predetermined position located at a terminal end of the communication line in the predetermined direction as further taught by Harknet. The modification would be obvious because one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to improve battery performance through dynamic battery selection and minimize bus reflections which may result in battery management system fault errors.
Prior Art Not Relied Upon
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure can be found in the attached PTO-892 Notice of References Cited by Examiner attached to this correspondence.
Takao et al (US 20110074214 A1) discloses a battery apparatus arranged to form a communication bus which has termination resistors connected to the communication bus which can be adjusted depending on a connection state between the battery apparatus and another module.
Schuler et al (US 20210382843 A1) discloses a bus-capable device arrangement having a switchable terminating resistor.
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 LISA M KOTOWSKI whose telephone number is (571)270-3771. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8a-5p.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Julian Huffman can be reached at (571) 2722147. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LISA KOTOWSKI/Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/JULIAN D HUFFMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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