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 on 04/15/2026 has been entered. No claims have been added or cancelled. Thus, claims 1-18 remain pending in this application.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-2, 7-8, 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kristjansson (US 2019/0214837).
Regarding claims 1, 7 and 13, Kristjansson teaches a battery charging method (¶¶ 0049-0055), comprising:
obtaining an external charging power supply (¶ 0013; The two batteries are rechargeable through a single charging node 102 when connected to an external power source);
PNG
media_image1.png
474
798
media_image1.png
Greyscale
charging a main battery (fig. 1, element 106) according to a reference strategy based on the external charging power supply (¶ 0041; the charge control electronics 316 determine that the appropriate charge rate for the second battery is C2); and
charging a backup battery (fig. 1, element 104) according to a follow strategy (¶ 0004; the charge control circuitry determines a charge rate for the first battery based on a detected battery parameter and controls the adjustable resistance to charge the first battery at the determined charge rate) based on the external charging power supply to maintain a target parameter of the backup battery in a charging process based on the external charging power supply and a target parameter of the main battery in the charging process based on the external charging power supply in a target range (¶ 0016; the adjustable constant current limiter 114 limits current along the charge path 112 to charge the first battery 104 at a constant rate
corresponding to an active current limit set by charge control electronics),
the backup battery and the main battery being connected in parallel (¶ 0004 and fig. 1; at least two batteries with disparate charge characteristics that are connected in parallel), and the target parameter representing battery power (¶¶ 0034, 0050; The fuel gauge IC 336, 338 monitors battery parameters, such as state of charge, current, voltage, and temperature, and reports this information to the charge control electronics…the determination operation 502 determines the target charge rates for each of the batteries based on an assessment of reported battery parameter
values as compared to stored time-charge profile information);
wherein charging the backup battery according to the follow charging strategy includes:
obtaining a first target charging current and a second target charging current (¶¶ 0041, 0050; the determination operation 502 determines the target charge rates (more than one target charge rates) for each of the batteries based on an assessment of reported battery parameter values as compared to stored time-charge profile information);
determining one of the first target charging current and the second target charging current as a target charging current for charging the backup battery (¶¶ 0050, 0051; the determination operation 502 accesses corresponding values in one or more stored tables, and determines a target charge rate (C1) for the first battery); and
charging the backup battery according to the target charging current (¶¶ 0004, 0051; The current is set to enable a charge flow to the first battery at the corresponding
determined target charge rate (C1) by the charge control circuitry).
Regarding claims 2, 8 and 14, Kristjansson teaches wherein charging the backup battery (fig. 1, element 104) according to the target charging current includes:
in response to a current value of the target charging current being larger than zero, charging the backup battery with the current value of the target charging current (¶ 0051; The current is set to enable a charge flow to the first battery at the corresponding
determined target charge rate (C1)); and
in response to the current value of the target charging current being equal to zero, stopping charging the backup battery with the current value of the target charging current (¶ 0016; the charge control electronics of the electronic device 100 adjustably controls the active current limit based on dynamically-detected battery and system parameters, such as charge state or temperature).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-6, 9-12, 15-18 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claims 3, 9 and 15, Kristjansson fails to teach wherein determining one of the first target charging current and the second target charging current as the target charging current includes: determining a smaller one of the first target charging current and the second target charging current as the target charging current.
Regarding claims 4, 10 and 16, Kristjansson fails to teach wherein determining one of the first target charging current and the second target charging current as the target charging current includes: determining a greater one of the first target charging current and the second target charging current as the target charging current.
Regarding claims 5, 11 and 17, Kristjansson fails to teach the battery charging method further comprising: periodically obtaining power and voltage of the main battery and power and voltage of the backup battery; wherein: the first target charging current is determined based on a difference between the power of the backup battery and the power of the main battery in one period; and the second target charging current is determined based on a difference between the voltage of the backup battery and the voltage of the main battery in the one period.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 04/15/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
On the remarks, Applicant argues that “Kristjansson discloses "determin[ing] a target charge rate (C1) for the first battery and different target charge rate (C2) for the second battery." Kristjansson, [0050]. That is, although Kristjansson discloses determining multiple target charge rates, such charge rates are in fact for charging different batteries, respectively. Kristjansson does not disclose selecting one charge rate from the multiple determined target charge rate for charging the second battery (the alleged backup battery). For at least the reasons discussed above, Kristjansson does not disclose "charging the backup battery according to a target charging current [that is one of the first target charging current and the second charging current," as recited in amended claim 1.”
The Examiner respectfully disagrees with the arguments as stated above, because Kristjansson discloses the determination operation 502 determines the target charge rates for each of the batteries based on an assessment of reported battery parameter values as compared to stored time-charge profile information in ¶ 0050. Further, a current adjustment operation 504 sets a current limit for an adjustable active current limiter that is in the charge path of the first battery. The current is set to enable
a charge flow to the first battery at the corresponding determined target charge rate (C1) in ¶¶ 0031-0032, 0051, 0055. Therefore, the cited prior art still reads on the newly amended limitations.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZIXUAN ZHOU whose telephone number is (571)272-6739. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
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, Julian Huffman can be reached at (571) 272-2147. 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.
/ZIXUAN ZHOU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859 04/29/2026
Prosecution Insights