Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/204,407

POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM, CONTROL METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jun 01, 2023
Examiner
WILLIAMS, ARUN C
Art Unit
2859
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Honda Motor Co. Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
82%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 10m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 82% — above average
82%
Career Allow Rate
1138 granted / 1391 resolved
+13.8% vs TC avg
Strong +16% interview lift
Without
With
+16.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 10m
Avg Prosecution
38 currently pending
Career history
1429
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.5%
-38.5% vs TC avg
§103
56.0%
+16.0% vs TC avg
§102
33.4%
-6.6% vs TC avg
§112
2.2%
-37.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1391 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
DETAILED ACTION This is a first action on the merits, in response to the claims received 6/1/2023 . Claims 1- 6 are pending for prosecution below. Priority Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) (s) file on ha ve been considered by the examiner. An initialed copy is attached herewith. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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 -6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Konoto et al, (Konoto), (USNO. 2006/0029846) As for claim 1 , Konoto discloses and shows in Figs. 1 and 2 a power supply system comprising: one or more fuel cell outputs, each including a fuel cell and a voltage converter (Fig.8: DC/DC converter) configured to convert an output voltage of the fuel cell; a voltage adjuster (via bidirectional DC/DC converter) connected in parallel with the one or more fuel cell outputs to a load, the voltage adjuster including a diode (within bidirectional DC/DC converter : Fig. 2 ) and a regenerative DC power supply (ref’s rechargeable battery) ; and a control device (combination of mode control circuit and on/off control circuit) configured to control the one or more fuel cell outputs and the voltage adjuster, wherein the control device is configured to perform, after activating the fuel cell, limiting control through the voltage adjuster such that a voltage of each of the one or more fuel cell outputs becomes a target value and start power supply from the one or more fuel cell outputs to the load when the voltage of each of the one or more fuel cell outputs reaches the target value (par.[0011-0013,0051]) . As for claim 2 , Konoto discloses and shows in Fig. 10 control device is configured to perform control such that power is constantly supplied from the fuel cell to an auxiliary device (ref’s electric appliance) connected via the voltage adjuster while the power supply system is active (par.[0099]) As for claim 3 , Konoto discloses and shows control device is configured to output, to each of the one or more fuel cell outputs, a command for generating a current corresponding to a sum of power supplied to the load and power supplied to the auxiliary device divided by the number of the fuel cell outputs (par.[0099]) As for claim 4 , Konoto discloses control device is configured to control, after starting power supply from the one or more fuel cell outputs to the load, power output from the one or more fuel cell outputs such that power supplied from the one or more fuel cell outputs is a sum of power supplied to the load and power s upplied to the auxiliary device or a value of waste power required for the voltage adjuster to perform limiting control, whichever is higher (par.[0099]) As for claim 5 , Konoto discloses and shows in Figs. 1 and 2 a control method for a power supply system including one or more fuel cell outputs, each including a fuel cell and a voltage converter configured to convert an output voltage of the fuel cell, and a voltage adjuster (via bidirectional DC/DC converter) connected in parallel with the one or more fuel cell outputs to a load, the voltage adjuster including a diode (within bidirectional DC/DC converter: Fig. 2) and a regenerative DC power supply, the control method comprising: one or more computers activating the fuel cell; performing limiting control through the voltage adjuster such that a voltage of each of the one or more fuel cell outputs becomes a target value; and starting power supply from the one or more fuel cell outputs to the load when the voltage of each of the one or more fuel cell outputs reaches the target value (par.[0011-0013,0051]) . As for claim 6 , Konoto discloses and shows in Figs. 1 and 2 computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing a program for one or more computers in a power supply system including one or more fuel cell outputs, each including a fuel cell and a voltage converter configured to convert an output voltage of the fuel cell, and a voltage adjuster (via bidirectional DC/DC converter) connected in parallel with the one or more fuel cell outputs to a load, the voltage adjuster including a diode (within bidirectional DC/DC converter: Fig. 2) and a regenerative DC power supply, the program causing the one or more computers to: activate the fuel cell; perform limiting control through the voltage adjuster such that a voltage of each of the one or more fuel cell outputs becomes a target value; and start power supply from the one or more fuel cell outputs to the load when the voltage of each of the one or more fuel cell outputs reaches the target value (par.[0011-0013,0051]) . Contact Information Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT ARUN C WILLIAMS whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-9765 . The examiner can normally be reached on FILLIN "Work schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT M-F 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. . If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Julian Huffman can be reached on 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 an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ARUN C WILLIAMS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 01, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 07, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND DEVICES FOR POWERING A MESH NETWORK USING A PORTABLE POWER CASE
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Patent 12576744
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Patent 12580417
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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
82%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+16.5%)
2y 10m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1391 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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