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 Amendment
The Amendment filed 1/12/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-12 remain pending in the application. Applicant’s amendments to the Claims have overcome every claim objection previously set forth in the Non-Final Office Action mailed 9/10/2025. The new grounds of rejection presented below are necessitated by the amendments. Accordingly, this Office Action is made Final.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 1/12/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The Applicant submits on page 10 of 12 of Remarks submitted 1/12/2026 that the human mind is not equipped with hardware to receive sensor measurements such as “a charging current measured at the current time” and “a surface temperature measured at the current time.” For a human mind to receive sensor measurements, the sensor measurements need to be converted to digital data that can be rendered and presented (visually, audibly, or other sensory means) to a human. In the pending claims, the claimed processor is directly receiving the sensor measurements. A human mind cannot receive sensor measurements directly. Therefore, claim 1 does not recite a mental process that can be performed in the human mind. Accordingly, claim 1 satisfy Step 2A, Prong One, of the two-step subject matter analysis and should be found to be directed to patent eligible subject matter.
The examiner submits that a while a human cannot receive sensor measurements directly, a human is capable use measuring instruments and record measurements on a medium such as a piece of paper. Any calculations based on said measurements is performable by a human or a computer through the use of a formula, which falls within the “Mental Processes” grouping of abstract ideas. The limitation of “a processor containing hardware” does not sufficiently amount to significantly more than the judicial exception of an abstract idea. See Electric Power Group, LLC v. ALSTOM SA.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
Claim 1 recites a semiconductor device for controlling charging a battery, comprising:
a memory configured to store the internal temperature estimated at a past time; and
a processor comprising hardware, the processor being configured to:
receive a first sensor measurement of a charging current measured at a current time;
receive a second sensor measurement of a surface temperature measured at the current time;
determine entropy heat of the battery at the current time using the charging current measured at the current time and the internal temperature estimated at the past time;
determine a heat generation amount of the battery from the charging current;
determine a heat radiation amount of the battery using a temperature difference between the internal temperature estimated at the past time and the surface temperature measured at the current time; and
estimate an internal temperature of the battery at the current time using the entropy heat, the heat generation amount, and the heat radiation amount.
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because under the broadest reasonable interpretation of the limitations of “receive,” “determine,” and “estimate,” the recited method covers the performance of the limitations in the mind. If a claim limitation, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of the limitation in the mind, then it falls within the “Mental Processes” grouping of abstract ideas. Accordingly, the claim recites and abstract idea. Claim 1 recites a semiconductor device, a memory, and a processor, performing said calculating, obtaining, and estimating. However, the abstract idea of calculating, obtaining and estimating is not integrated into a practical application, and therefore the claim does not sufficiently amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
Claims 2-10 do not appear to solve the deficiencies with reference to claim 1 and are also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101.
Claim 11 recites a method which is identical to the process carried out by the semiconductor device, memory, and control unit of claim 1. Mere instructions to apply an exception cannot provide an inventive concept.
Claim 12 does not appear to solve the deficiencies with reference to claim 11 and are also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-12 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 101, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 1, closest prior art Okada et al. (US 20160146896 A2) discloses a semiconductor device for controlling charging a battery (Figs. 1 and 17: power storage system 1 charging battery 110), comprising:
a memory (¶0035 and Fig. 11: memory device 250 with internal temperature calculator 245) configured to store the internal temperature estimated at a past time (¶0035 and Fig. 11: memory device 250 with internal temperature calculator 245); and
a processor (Fig. 1: controller 240) comprising hardware, the processor being configured to:
receive a first sensor measurement of a charging current measured at a current time (¶[44]: controller 240 acquires electric current information);
receive a second sensor measurement of a surface temperature measured at the current time (¶[47]: controller 240 acquires surface temperature TCM);
determine entropy heat (¶0038 and 0042: amount of heat generated QC calculated from entropy data 252) of the battery at the current time using the charging current measured at the current time and the internal temperature estimated at the past time (¶0045-0046: electric current information i and previous internal temperature TCE used for calculating chemical reaction heat QR , and subsequently used for calculating amount of heat generated QC);
determine a heat generation amount of the battery from the charging current (¶0045: Joule heat generation QJ from electric current, where Joule heat generation is used to calculate generated heat QC);
determine a heat radiation amount of the battery using a temperature difference (¶0048: discharged heat QC-BA discharged from the battery 110 in one second calculated from the difference between battery surface temperature TCM and air temperature TB); and
estimate an internal temperature of the battery at the current time using the entropy heat, the heat generation amount, and the heat radiation amount (¶0042-0043 and Fig. 6: internal temperature TCE is calculated through the steps including calculating generated heat in step S112, calculating discharged heat in step S114).
Okada does not explicitly disclose the controller unit obtaining a temperature difference between the internal temperature at the time before the predetermined time and the supplied surface temperature, and calculating a heat radiation amount of the battery from the temperature difference.
Shibuya discloses finding a core temperature comparing a target temperature with a surface temperature of a target clothing surface. However, this art is not analogous to the measuring and calculating temperatures with respect to batteries.
Okada solves the problem of accurately estimating a current internal temperature TCE (Fig. 6) using the surface temperature of the battery TCM in step S112 and the previous internal temperature of one second before in step S117. The examiner does not find any motivation of a person having person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to directly compare the surface temperature and the previous internal temperature.
Claims 2-10 are allowed by virtue of their dependence on claim 1.
Regarding claim 11, closest prior art Okada et al. (US 20160146896 A2) discloses a control method of charging a battery (Figs. 1 and 17: power storage system 1 charging battery 110), the control method comprising:
storing an internal temperature of the battery estimated at a past time in a memory (¶0035 and Fig. 11: memory device 250 with internal temperature calculator 245);
receiving a first sensor measurement of a charging current measured at the current time (¶[44]: controller 240 acquires electric current information);
receiving a second sensor measurement of a surface temperature measured at the current time (¶[47]: controller 240 acquires surface temperature TCM);
determining entropy heat (¶0038 and 0042: amount of heat generated QC calculated from entropy data 252) of the battery at the current time using the charging current measured at the current time and the internal temperature estimated at the past time (¶0045-0046: electric current information i and previous internal temperature TCE used for calculating chemical reaction heat QR , and subsequently used for calculating amount of heat generated QC);
determining a heat generation amount of the battery using the charging current measured at the current time (¶0045: Joule heat generation QJ from electric current, where Joule heat generation is used to calculate generated heat QC);
determining a heat radiation amount of the battery using a temperature difference (¶0048: discharged heat QC-BA discharged from the battery 110 in one second calculated from the difference between battery surface temperature TCM and air temperature TB); and
estimating an internal temperature of the battery at the current time using the entropy heat, the heat generation amount, and the heat radiation amount (¶0042-0043 and Fig. 6: internal temperature TCE is calculated through the steps including calculating generated heat in step S112, calculating discharged heat in step S114).
Okada does not explicitly disclose the controller unit obtaining a temperature difference between the internal temperature at the time before the predetermined time and the supplied surface temperature, and calculating a heat radiation amount of the battery from the temperature difference.
Shibuya discloses finding a core temperature comparing a target temperature with a surface temperature of a target clothing surface. However, this art is not analogous to the measuring and calculating temperatures with respect to batteries.
Okada solves the problem of accurately estimating a current internal temperature TCE (Fig. 6) using the surface temperature of the battery TCM in step S112 and the previous internal temperature of one second before in step S117. The examiner does not find any motivation of a person having person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to directly compare the surface temperature and the previous internal temperature.
Claim 12 is allowed by virtue of its dependence on claim 11.
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 Ryu-Sung Peter Weinmann whose telephone number is (703)756-5964. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5pm ET.
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/Ryu-Sung P. Weinmann/Examiner, Art Unit 2859 February 2, 2026
/JULIAN D HUFFMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859