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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on March 3rd 2025 has been considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the method and system as described in claims 6-8, 10, 16-18, and 20 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Figure 1 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g).
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 disclosure is objected to because the contents of the Summary and Detailed Description are not consistent with each other.
The summary of the Specification indicates that the fourth threshold is applied to the second battery, and the third threshold is applied to the first battery.
The detailed description of the Specification, as well as Fig. 8 of the drawings, indicate that the fourth threshold is applied to the first battery and the third threshold is applied to the second battery.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 11 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 should read “on-board charger configured to convert an AC voltage from an outside source” or similar language.
Claim 11 should read “on-board charger configured to convert an AC voltage from an outside source” or similar language.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 6-8, 10, 16-18, and 20 are objected for the following reasons:
Claim 6 recites the limitation “determining whether the voltage of the second battery exceeds a fourth threshold value.” The detailed description of the Specification, as well as Fig. 8 of the drawings, indicate that the fourth threshold is applied to the first battery. Therefore, it is not clear if the method in the claims or the method described in the description and drawings is the intended invention.
Claims 7-8 are objected to because they depend on Claim 6. Claim 16 is objected to for the same reasons as Claim 6, and Claims 17-18 and 20 are objected to because they depend on Claim 16.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 5 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 5 recites the following limitations: “wherein the operating of the first charging mode further comprises:
determining whether the voltage of the second battery exceeds the first threshold value when the voltage of the first battery does not exceed the third threshold value;
and switching to the first charging mode or maintaining the second charging mode…” (emphasis added).
It is unclear if the determination of comparing the voltage of the second battery to the first threshold and voltage of the first battery to the third threshold takes place during the first charging mode, the second charging mode, or before selecting a charging mode.
Claim 15 is rejected for the same reasons as Claim 5.
For the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that the determination takes place before choosing a charging mode (as in Claims 1 and 11).
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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 9, 11-15 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jang (US 20130134941 A1) in view of Odeohhara (US 20010005124 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Jang teaches a battery charging method (Fig. 3) of a battery charging system (Fig. 1) comprising an on-board charger (130) to convert an AC voltage from an outside into a DC voltage (¶[50] “The OBC (130) converts an externally-supplied AC power source to a DC voltage”),
a first battery (110),
and a second battery (120) having a lower rated voltage than that of the first battery (¶[49] “In view of the fact that the electrical loads are generally operated by a low voltage, e.g., 12V or 24V, the low voltage battery (120) is provided as a sub-battery that is separately mounted from the high voltage battery (110) which is a main battery supplying a driving power to the EV”),
the battery charging method comprising:
operating a first charging mode (S33-34 in Fig. 3) of turning on a switch between the on-board charger and the first battery and turning off a switch between the on-board charger and the second battery (¶[59] “The controller (131) may include a switch, where a first terminal of the switch is fixedly connected to AC power source, and a second terminal is selectively connected to the low voltage converter (135) or the high voltage converter”) when a voltage of the second battery exceeds a first threshold value (YES at S32) (¶[60] “If the output voltage level of the low voltage battery (120) is greater than the predetermined voltage level, the second terminal of the switch is connected to the high voltage converter (133) to drive the high voltage converter (133) and to provide a power charging source to the high voltage battery (110)”);
and operating a second charging mode (S35-36 in Fig. 3) when the voltage of the second battery does not exceed the first threshold value (NO at S32) (¶[61] “If the output voltage level of the low voltage battery (120) is less than the predetermined voltage level, the second terminal of the switch is connected to the low voltage converter (135) to drive the low voltage converter (135) and to provide a power charging source to the low voltage battery (120)”).
Jang does not explicitly teach a first switch between the on-board charger and first battery, or a second switch between the on-board charger and the second battery,
Odeohhara teaches a first switch (SW1) between the on-board charger (68) and first battery (64A), and a second switch (SW2) between the on-board charger and the second battery (64B).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Jang to incorporate the teachings of Odeohhara to provide a first switch between the on-board charger and first battery, and a second switch between the on-board charger and the second battery, in order to selectively charge one battery at a time.
Regarding Claim 2, Jang in view of Odeohhara teaches the battery charging method of claim 1.
Jang does not explicitly teach wherein the operating of the second charging mode comprises:
determining whether the voltage of the second battery exceeds a second threshold value
and switching the second charging mode to the first charging mode when the voltage of the second battery exceeds the second threshold value.
Odeohhara teaches wherein the operating of the second charging mode comprises:
determining whether the voltage of the second battery exceeds a second threshold value (208), and switching the second charging mode to the first charging mode (212) when the voltage of the second battery exceeds the second threshold value. (¶[81] “at step 208, it is determined whether the amount of electric energy in second battery 64B is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The process goes to step 210 if it is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (positive determination)”; ¶[82] “At step 210, the charge to second battery 64B is stopped by opening the switch SW2 and then, at step 212, the charge to main battery 64A is started (restarted) by closing the switch SW1”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Jang in view Odeohhara to further incorporate the teachings of Odeohhara to provide wherein the operating of the second charging mode comprises:
determining whether the voltage of the second battery exceeds a second threshold value
and switching the second charging mode to the first charging mode when the voltage of the second battery exceeds the second threshold value in order to charge the batteries more efficiently (see ¶[81] of Odeohhara).
Regarding Claim 3, Jang in view of Odeohhara teaches the battery charging method of claim 2.
Odeohhara further teaches wherein the operating of the second charging mode further comprises maintaining the second charging mode (No at 208) when the voltage of the second battery does not exceed the second threshold value (¶[81] “at step 208, it is determined whether the amount of electric energy in second battery 64B is equal to or greater than a predetermined value … the charge to second battery 64B continues if it is less than the predetermined value (negative determination)”).
Regarding Claim 4, Jang in view of Odeohhara teaches the battery charging method of claim 1.
Jang as modified does not teach wherein the operating of the first charging mode comprises:
determining whether a voltage of the first battery exceeds a third threshold value;
and terminating charging when the voltage of the first battery exceeds the third threshold value.
Odeohhara teaches wherein the operating of the first charging mode comprises:
determining whether a voltage of the first battery exceeds a third threshold value (¶[83] “at step 214, it is determined whether the amount of electric energy in main battery 64A reaches 100%. The process goes to step 216 if it reaches 100% (positive determination) );
and terminating charging when the voltage of the first battery exceeds the third threshold value (¶[84] “At step 216, the charge to main battery 64A is stopped by opening the switch SW1”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Jang in view of Odeohhara to further incorporate the teachings of Odeohhara to provide wherein the operating of the first charging mode comprises:
determining whether a voltage of the first battery exceeds a third threshold value;
and terminating charging when the voltage of the first battery exceeds the third threshold value in order to prevent the battery from overcharging.
Regarding Claim 5, Jang in view of Odeohhara teaches the battery charging method of claim 4.
Jang further teaches wherein the operating of the first charging mode further comprises:
determining whether the voltage of the second battery exceeds the first threshold value (¶[68] “A controller of the OBC first determines an output voltage level of a low voltage battery to drive any one of a high voltage converter or a low voltage converter in response to an output voltage level of the low voltage battery. The controller compares the output voltage of the low voltage battery with a predetermined voltage level (S32)”, the main battery );
and switching to the first charging mode or maintaining the second charging mode according to a result of comparing the voltage of the second battery with the first threshold value (see ¶[68] quoted above).
Jang does not explicitly teach when the voltage of the first battery does not exceed the third threshold value, however it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to not switch the charging mode to the first battery if it is already fully charged.
Regarding Claim 9, Jang in view of Odeohhara teaches the battery charging method of claim 1.
Odeohhara teaches wherein the first battery (64A) and the second battery (64B) mutually share earthing (see Fig. 4, where both batteries are connected to the same ground; ¶[60] “the negative electrodes of main battery 64A and the second battery 64B are both connected to ground (GND)”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Jang in view of Odeohhara to further incorporate the teachings of Odeohhara to provide wherein the first battery and the second battery mutually share earthing in order to minimize the number of connections.
Regarding Claim 11, Jang teaches a battery charging system (Fig. 1) comprising:
an on-board charger (130) configured to convert an AC voltage from an outside into a DC voltage (¶[50] “The OBC (130) converts an externally-supplied AC power source to a DC voltage”);
a first battery (110);
a second battery (120) having a lower rated voltage than that of the first battery (¶[49] “In view of the fact that the electrical loads are generally operated by a low voltage, e.g., 12V or 24V, the low voltage battery (120) is provided as a sub-battery that is separately mounted from the high voltage battery (110) which is a main battery supplying a driving power to the EV”);
a switch between the on-board charger and the first battery (¶[20] “the controller includes a switch in which a first terminal is fixedly connected to the low voltage battery, and a second terminal is selectively connected to the low voltage converter or the high voltage converter”);
a switch between the on-board charger and the second battery (see ¶[20]);
and a controller configured to operate a first charging mode (S33-34 in Fig. 3) of turning on a switch between the on-board charger and the first battery and turning off a switch between the on-board charger and the second battery (¶[59] “The controller (131) may include a switch, where a first terminal of the switch is fixedly connected to AC power source, and a second terminal is selectively connected to the low voltage converter (135) or the high voltage converter”) when a voltage of the second battery exceeds a first threshold value (YES at S32) (¶[60] “If the output voltage level of the low voltage battery (120) is greater than the predetermined voltage level, the second terminal of the switch is connected to the high voltage converter (133) to drive the high voltage converter (133) and to provide a power charging source to the high voltage battery (110)”);
and operating a second charging mode (S35-36 in Fig. 3) when the voltage of the second battery does not exceed the first threshold value (NO at S32) (¶[61] “If the output voltage level of the low voltage battery (120) is less than the predetermined voltage level, the second terminal of the switch is connected to the low voltage converter (135) to drive the low voltage converter (135) and to provide a power charging source to the low voltage battery (120)”).
Jang does not explicitly teach a first switch between the on-board charger and first battery, or a second switch between the on-board charger and the second battery,
Odeohhara teaches a first switch (SW1) between the on-board charger (68) and first battery (64A), and a second switch (SW2) between the on-board charger and the second battery (64B).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Jang to incorporate the teachings of Odeohhara to provide a first switch between the on-board charger and first battery, and a second switch between the on-board charger and the second battery, in order to selectively charge one battery at a time.
Regarding Claim 12, Jang in view of Odeohhara teaches the battery charging system of claim 11.
Jang does not explicitly teach wherein, in the second charging mode, the controller determines whether the voltage of the second battery exceeds a second threshold value, and switches to the first charging mode when the voltage of the second battery exceeds the second threshold value.
Odeohhara teaches wherein, in the second charging mode (206), the controller determines whether the voltage of the second battery exceeds a second threshold value (208), and switches to the first charging mode (212) when the voltage of the second battery exceeds the second threshold value. (¶[81] “at step 208, it is determined whether the amount of electric energy in second battery 64B is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The process goes to step 210 if it is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (positive determination)”; ¶[82] “At step 210, the charge to second battery 64B is stopped by opening the switch SW2 and then, at step 212, the charge to main battery 64A is started (restarted) by closing the switch SW1”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Jang in view Odeohhara to further incorporate the teachings of Odeohhara to provide wherein, in the second charging mode, the controller determines whether the voltage of the second battery exceeds a second threshold value, and switches to the first charging mode when the voltage of the second battery exceeds the second threshold value in order to charge the batteries more efficiently (see ¶[81] of Odeohhara).
Regarding Claim 13, Jang in view of Odeohhara teaches the battery charging system of claim 12.
Odeohhara further teaches wherein, in the second charging mode, the controller maintains the second charging mode (No at 208) when the voltage of the second battery does not exceed the second threshold value (¶[81] “at step 208, it is determined whether the amount of electric energy in second battery 64B is equal to or greater than a predetermined value … the charge to second battery 64B continues if it is less than the predetermined value (negative determination)”).
Regarding Claim 14, Jang in view of Odeohhara teaches the battery charging system of claim 11,
Jang as modified does not teach wherein, in the first charging mode, the controller determines whether a voltage of the first battery exceeds a third threshold value, and terminates charging when the voltage of the first battery exceeds the third threshold value.
Odeohhara teaches wherein, in the first charging mode, the controller determines whether a voltage of the first battery exceeds a third threshold value (¶[83] “at step 214, it is determined whether the amount of electric energy in main battery 64A reaches 100%. The process goes to step 216 if it reaches 100% (positive determination) ),
and terminates charging when the voltage of the first battery exceeds the third threshold value (¶[84] “At step 216, the charge to main battery 64A is stopped by opening the switch SW1”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Jang in view of Odeohhara to further incorporate the teachings of Odeohhara to provide wherein, in the first charging mode, the controller determines whether a voltage of the first battery exceeds a third threshold value, and terminates charging when the voltage of the first battery exceeds the third threshold value in order to prevent the battery from overcharging.
Regarding Claim 15, Jang in view of Odeohhara teaches the battery charging system of claim 14.
Jang further teaches wherein, in the first charging mode, the controller determines whether the voltage of the second battery exceeds the first threshold value (¶[68] “A controller of the OBC first determines an output voltage level of a low voltage battery to drive any one of a high voltage converter or a low voltage converter in response to an output voltage level of the low voltage battery. The controller compares the output voltage of the low voltage battery with a predetermined voltage level (S32)”, the main battery ),
and switches to the first charging mode or maintaining the second charging mode according to a result of comparing the voltage of the second battery with the first threshold value (see ¶[68] quoted above).
Jang does not explicitly teach when the voltage of the first battery does not exceed the third threshold value, however it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to not switch the charging mode to the first battery if it is already fully charged.
Regarding Claim 19, Jang in view of Odeohhara teaches the battery charging system of claim 11.
Jang as modified does not explicitly teach wherein the first battery and the second battery mutually share earthing.
Odeohhara teaches wherein the first battery (64A) and the second battery (64B) mutually share earthing (see Fig. 4, where both batteries are connected to the same ground; ¶[60] “the negative electrodes of main battery 64A and the second battery 64B are both connected to ground (GND)”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Jang in view of Odeohhara to further incorporate the teachings of Odeohhara to provide wherein the first battery and the second battery mutually share earthing in order to minimize the number of connections.
Regarding Claims 6-8, 10, 16-18, and 20, the claims do not permit examination due to the issues under 35 U.S.C 112(a) outlined above.
Conclusion
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/A.B./Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/JULIAN D HUFFMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859