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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) were submitted on 05/13/2024 and 01/07/2025. The submissions are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being 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 following must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
“a temperature sensor configured to detect and transmit a temperature of the charger/discharger” (claim 7)
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference characters not mentioned in the description:
“270” (Fig. 4)
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they are incomplete. 37 CFR 1.83(a) and 37 CFR 183(c) read as follows:
(a) The drawing in a nonprovisional application must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. However, conventional features disclosed in the description and claims, where their detailed illustration is not essential for a proper understanding of the invention, should be illustrated in the drawing in the form of a graphical drawing symbol or a labeled representation (e.g., a labeled rectangular box). In addition, tables that are included in the specification and sequences that are included in sequence listings should not be duplicated in the drawings.
(c) Where the drawings in a nonprovisional application do not comply with the requirements of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, the examiner shall require such additional illustration within a time period of not less than two months from the date of the sending of a notice thereof. Such corrections are subject to the requirements of § 1.81(d).
Figs. 5 and 8 are objected to because the unlabeled rectangular box(es) shown in the drawings should be provided with descriptive text labels. Although the boxes in the figures are numbered which allows a correlation to each box as one reads the specification, the numbers by themselves do not allow one to quickly ascertain the concept of the invention which is desirable during a later search of analogous art. The numbers should be complimented with words spelled out to facilitate future searches. The “110A” and “100B” boxes should be labeled as “battery chamber” and so forth, or redrawn in different shapes.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) and/or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) 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 abstract of the disclosure is objected to because:
The abstract should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as “The present disclosure provides …”.
A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
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 1-9 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 1, line 9 recites “refrigerant circulating therein”. This language is indefinite as to which feature is being referenced by “therein”. For examination, it is interpreted the refrigerant is circulating within the “charger/discharger cooling device”.
Claim 7, line 6 recites “the controller controls a power on/off”. This language is indefinite as to which of the following is intended:
“the controller controls a power on and a power off”
“the controller controls a power on or a power off” (interpretation for examination)
Claims 2-6 and 8-9 are further rejected for their dependency on other rejected claims.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The actual filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/applying-online/eterminal-disclaimer.
Claims 1-9 are provisionally rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1, 4, and 6-12 of copending Application No. 18/236,844 (original claims received 08/22/2023).
This is a provisional nonstatutory double patenting rejection because the conflicting claims have not in fact been patented.
The following table compares the instant and copending applications. The patentably indistinct claim language is identified with bold text.
Instant Application 18/236,898
Copending Application 18/236,844
Claim 1
A battery charging/discharging system comprising:
a battery chamber in which a battery is mounted;
a charger/discharger chamber forming a space isolated from the battery chamber and in which a charger/discharger configured to apply charging/discharging power to the battery is installed;
an air conditioner configured to adjust a temperature in the battery chamber;
and
a charger/discharger cooling device installed inside the charger/discharger chamber and configured to cool the charger/discharger using air in a low-temperature state generated through heat exchange between refrigerant circulating therein and air circulating inside the charger/discharger chamber.
Claim 1
A battery charging/discharging system comprising:
a battery chamber in which a battery is mounted;
a charger/discharger chamber forming a space isolated from the battery chamber and in which a charger/discharger configured to apply charging/discharging power to the battery is installed;
Claim 11
an air conditioner configured to adjust a temperature in the battery chamber is installed
Claim 1
a charger/discharger cooling device installed inside the charger/discharger chamber and configured to cool the charger/discharger using air in a low-temperature state generated through heat exchange between refrigerant circulating therein and air circulating inside the charger/discharger chamber;
Claim 2
The battery charging/discharging system of claim 1,
wherein the charger/discharger chamber is integrally configured in the form of one structure with the battery chamber.
Claim 4
The battery charging/discharging system of claim 1,
wherein the charger/discharger chamber is integrally configured in the form of one structure with the battery chamber.
Claim 3
The battery charging/discharging system of claim 1, wherein the charger/discharger cooling device includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator,
and a blowing fan configured to blow the air in the low-temperature state generated through heat exchange with the refrigerant flowing inside the evaporator toward the charger/discharger,
and the evaporator and the blowing fan are installed at positions adjacent to the charger/discharger.
Claim 6
The battery charging/discharging system of claim 1,
wherein the charger/discharger cooling device includes: a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator through which the refrigerant circulates;
and a blowing fan configured to blow the air in the low-temperature state generated through heat exchange with the refrigerant flowing inside the evaporator toward the charger/discharger,
and the evaporator and the blowing fan are installed at positions adjacent to the charger/discharger.
Claim 4
The battery charging/discharging system of claim 3,
wherein the blowing fan is disposed between the charger/discharger and the evaporator.
Claim 7
The battery charging/discharging system of claim 6,
wherein the blowing fan is disposed between the charger/discharger and the evaporator.
Claim 5
The battery charging/discharging system of claim 3,
wherein the blowing fan is integrally coupled with the evaporator.
Claim 8
The battery charging/discharging system of claim 6,
wherein the blowing fan is integrally coupled with the evaporator.
Claim 6
The battery charging/discharging system of claim 3,
wherein a space part in which the air circulates is formed between upper surfaces of the evaporator and the blowing fan and a ceiling surface of the charger/discharger chamber.
Claim 9
The battery charging/discharging system of claim 6,
wherein a space part in which the air circulates is formed between upper surfaces of the evaporator and the blowing fan and a ceiling surface of the charger/discharger chamber.
Claim 7
The battery charging/discharging system of claim 1, further comprising: a controller configured to control the charger/discharger
and control the temperature in the battery chamber through the air conditioner;
and a temperature sensor configured to detect and transmit a temperature of the charger/discharger to the controller,
and wherein the controller controls a power on/off of the charger/discharger cooling device according to the temperature of the charger/discharger detected through the temperature sensor.
Claim 1
a controller configured to control the charger/discharger
Claim 11
an air conditioner configured to adjust a temperature in the battery chamber
Claim 10
The battery charging/discharging system of claim 1,
further comprising a temperature sensor configured to detect and transmit a temperature of the charger/discharger to the controller,
wherein the controller controls a power on/off of the charger/discharger cooling device according to the temperature of the charger/discharger detected through the temperature sensor.
Claim 8
The battery charging/discharging system of claim 1,
wherein the air conditioner includes: a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator through which the refrigerant circulates;
a blowing fan configured to blow the air in the low-temperature state generated through heat exchange with refrigerant flowing inside the evaporator into the battery chamber;
and a heater disposed at an upstream side of the blowing fan to heat the air.
Claim 11
the air conditioner includes: a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator through which the refrigerant circulates;
a blowing fan configured to blow the air in the low-temperature state generated through heat exchange with refrigerant flowing inside the evaporator into the battery chamber;
and a heater disposed at an upstream side of the blowing fan to heat the air.
Claim 9
The battery charging/discharging system of claim 8,
wherein the heater, the evaporator, and the blowing fan are sequentially disposed in an air flow direction.
Claim 12
The battery charging/discharging system of claim 11,
wherein the heater, the evaporator, and the blowing fan are sequentially disposed in an air flow direction.
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.
Claims 1-4, 6, and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang et al. (CN 210380335 U; hereinafter “Yang-1”) in view of Yang et al. (CN 211764993 U; hereinafter “Yang-2”).
Regarding Claim 1, Yang-1 discloses a battery charging/discharging system (¶ [46]: “charging battery cabinet 100”; Figs. 1-3) comprising the following features.
Yang-1 further discloses a battery chamber (space within a “battery compartment 200”; Figs. 1-2, 4, 7-8;) in which a battery (battery within “200”; Figs. 1-2, 4, 7-8; ¶ [47]: “the battery to be charged is placed in the battery compartment 200”) is mounted.
Yang-1 further discloses a charger/discharger chamber (remainder of “100” outside of each “200”, including “power supply area 110”, “charging area 120”, and “air intake area 130”; Fig. 2) forming a space isolated (outer housing of “200” isolates the interior of “200”; Figs. 2, 4) from the battery chamber (200) and in which a charger/discharger (“power supply device 300”; Fig. 2) configured to apply charging/discharging power (¶ [55]: “the battery is connected to the charging device and charged by the power supply device 300”) to the battery (within “200”) is installed.
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Yang-1 further discloses an air conditioner (combo of “air inlet 140”, “air intake fans 520”, “second door 400”, “exhaust fan 190”, “cooling fan 260”; Figs. 2, 5) configured to adjust a temperature (¶ [72]: “520 to selectively direct external airflow … improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the charging battery cabinet”; ¶ [62]: “cooling fan 260 starts, which speeds up the airflow within the charging area 120 and improves the battery's heat dissipation efficiency”) in the battery chamber (200).
NOTE 1-1: It is interpreted that claim 1 does not distinguish any feature of the “air conditioner” from being distinct from any feature of the “charger/discharging cooling device”.
Yang-1 further discloses a charger/discharger cooling device (combo of “air inlet 140”, “air intake fans 520”, “second door 400”, “exhaust fan 190”, “cooling fan 260”; Figs. 2, 5) installed inside the charger/discharger chamber (110, 120, 130) and configured to cool (¶ [64]: “airflow flows upward to the power supply area 110 to dissipate heat from the power supply device 300 located in the power supply area 110”; ¶ [73]: “the airflow in the battery compartment 200 and the air duct 160 can enter the power supply area 110 from the front side to dissipate heat from the power supply device 300”) the charger/discharger (300) using air in a low-temperature state (because the air is cooler than the features being cooled, the air is interpreted to be in a low-temperature state).
As addressed supra, Yang-1 discloses a charger/discharger cooling device installed inside the charger/discharger chamber and configured to cool the charger/discharger using air in a low-temperature state. However, Yang-1 does not disclose the air in a low-temperature state is “generated through heat exchange between refrigerant circulating therein and air circulating inside the charger/discharger chamber”.
Yang-2 teaches a cooling device (combo of “condenser 610”, “compressor 620”, “evaporator 630”, along with connected fans, air ducts, and refrigerant lines; Figs. 2-3, 5-6; analogous to the “charger/discharger cooling device” per note 1-2, included infra) using air in a low-temperature state generated through heat exchange between refrigerant (function performed by “evaporator 630”) circulating therein and air circulating inside the charger/discharger chamber (inside of “cabinet body 100”, except for “battery box 300”; includes “first cavity 110”, “second cavity 120”, and “third cavity 130”; Fig. 3).
NOTE 1-2: Though Yang-2’s teachings are not with respect to a charger/discharger cooling device as claimed, Yang-2’s teachings are with respect to a cooling device. Yang-2 is not relied upon to teach the charger/discharger cooling device, which is already set forth supra by Yang-1. Each of the cooling devices taught by Yang-1 and Yang-2 produce low-temperature air to cool devices. Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art understands the teachings of Yang-2 are applicable to the analogous features of Yang-1’s battery charging/discharging system.
Yang-2 further teaches generating air in a low-temperature state via a refrigerating device to produce colder air, thus improving cooling effect.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the charger/discharger cooling device / air conditioner disclosed by Yang-1 to incorporate features to perform heat exchange between refrigerant and air circulating inside the charger/discharger chamber, based on the teachings of Yang-2, to improve the cooling of the charger/discharger by producing colder air from the charger/discharger cooling device.
Regarding Claim 2, the combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches the battery charging/discharging system of claim 1.
Yang-1 further discloses (see annotated Fig. 2, included supra) the charger/discharger chamber (110, 120, 130) is integrally configured in the form of one structure (100) with the battery chamber (200).
Regarding Claim 3, the combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches the battery charging/discharging system of claim 1.
The combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches the charger/discharger cooling device (Yang-1’s “140”, “520”, “400”, “190”, and “260”; modified to incorporate features from Yang-2) includes the following features.
The combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches a compressor (Yang-2: “compressor 620”; Fig. 3), a condenser (Yang-2: “condenser 610”; Figs. 2-3, 5), an expansion valve (per Yang-2’s ¶ [52], there is “expansion” between “condensation” and “evaporation” in accordance with “well-known existing technology in the art”; thus, there is an expansion valve), and an evaporator (Yang-2: “evaporator 630”; Figs. 3, 6).
The combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches a blowing fan (Yang-1: “cooling fan 260”, located at bottom of “fourth side plate 224”; Fig. 8) configured to blow the air in the low-temperature state (Yang-1’s “cooling fan 260” blows the cool air upwards in the system; Yang-1 was prior modified to make the air colder by incorporating the refrigerant circuit from Yang-2 in the lower section of Yang-1’s system) generated through heat exchange with the refrigerant (refrigerant circuit incorporated from Yang-2) flowing inside the evaporator (Yang-2’s “630” incorporated in the lower section “130” of Yang-1’s system) toward the charger/discharger (Yang-1’s cooling air flows upward through the system; Yang-1’s charger/discharger “300” is located in the upper section “110”).
The combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches the evaporator (from Yang-2: “630”, incorporated into Yang-1’s lower section “130”) and the blowing fan (Yang-1: “260”) are installed at positions adjacent (after the modifications described supra, each of Yang-2’s evaporator “630” and Yang-1’s blowing fan “260” are located within Yang-1’s system “100”; thus each is nearby/adjacent to the charger/discharger “300”; see note 3-1, included infra) to the charger/discharger (Yang-1: “300”; analogous Yang-2: “500”).
NOTE 3-1: The term “adjacent” is interpreted in accordance with the Merriam-Webster online dictionary (URL: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adjacent) definition of “not distant : nearby”.
Regarding Claim 4, the combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches the battery charging/discharging system of claim 3.
The combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches the blowing fan (Yang-1: “260”, positioned on the bottom of each “200”, blowing air upward within “100”) is disposed between (each of Yang-1’s “200” and thus “260” are located in the middle section “120”) the charger/discharger (Yang-1: “300”, positioned in the upper section “110”) and the evaporator (Yang-2’s “630”, incorporated within Yang-1’s lower section “130”).
Regarding Claim 6, the combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches the battery charging/discharging system of claim 3.
The combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches a space part (Yang-1: interior of upper section “110”) in which the air circulates is formed between upper surfaces (both the evaporator and the blowing fan are below “110”) of the evaporator (from Yang-2: “630”, incorporated into Yang-1’s lower section “130”) and the blowing fan (Yang-1: “260”, positioned on the bottom of each “200”, blowing air upward within “100”) and a ceiling surface (Yang-1: upper surface of “110”) of the charger/discharger chamber (Yang-1: “100”).
Regarding Claim 8, the combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches the battery charging/discharging system of claim 1.
The charger/discharger cooling device set forth supra is also interpreted to be the air conditioner. Thus, the combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches the air conditioner (Yang-1’s “140”, “520”, “400”, “190”, & “260”; modified to incorporate features from Yang-2) includes: a compressor (Yang-2: “compressor 620”; Fig. 3), a condenser (Yang-2: “condenser 610”; Figs. 2-3, 5), an expansion valve (per Yang-2’s ¶ [52], there is “expansion” between “condensation” and “evaporation” in accordance with “well-known existing technology in the art”; thus, there is an expansion valve), and an evaporator (Yang-2: “evaporator 630”; Figs. 3, 6) through which the refrigerant circulates (¶ [52]: “the refrigeration device contains refrigerant in the circulation pipeline, and the compressor 620 provides power for the circulation of the refrigerant; the refrigerant exchanges heat with the hot air entering the air duct 700 in the evaporator 630, the refrigerant evaporates and absorbs heat, and the hot air becomes cold air; the refrigerant exchanges heat with the outside air in the condenser 610, the refrigerant condenses and releases heat”).
The combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches a blowing fan (Yang-1: “cooling fan 260”, located at bottom of “fourth side plate 224”; Fig. 8) configured to blow the air in the low-temperature state (Yang-1’s “cooling fan 260” blows the cool air upwards in the system; Yang-1 was prior modified to make the air colder by incorporating the refrigerant circuit from Yang-2 in the lower section of Yang-1’s system) generated through heat exchange with refrigerant (refrigerant circuit incorporated from Yang-2) flowing inside the evaporator (Yang-2’s “630” incorporated in the lower section “130” of Yang-1’s system) into the battery chamber (Yang-1: “200”; Fig. 8 shows blowing fan “260” on the bottom plate “224” of “200”).
The combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches a heater (Yang-2: “heating device 900”; Fig. 3; ¶ [63]: “900 is installed near the air inlet 730”) disposed at an upstream side (Yang-2’s “900” is upstream of other cooling circuit components “610”, “620”, and “630”) of the blowing fan (Yang-1’s blowing fan “260” is already established to be downstream of Yang-2’s evaporator “630”) to heat the air (Yang-2 ¶ [64]: “900 can be turned on to heat the first cavity 110”).
Regarding Claim 9, the combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches the battery charging/discharging system of claim 8.
The combo of Yang-1, Yang-2, Schaefer, & Kim teaches the heater (Yang-2: “900”), the evaporator (Yang-2: “630”), and the blowing fan (Yang-1: “260”) are sequentially disposed in an air flow direction (established by Yang-2 that the evaporator “630” is downstream of the heater “900”; when incorporated into Yang-1, these features of the cooling device are included in the lower section “130” to condition the air prior to being blown by Yang-1’s blowing fan “260” to cool the battery chamber).
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang et al. (CN 210380335 U; hereinafter “Yang-1”) in view of Yang et al. (CN 211764993 U; hereinafter “Yang-2”) and Magallanes et al. (US 2019/0254198 A1).
Regarding Claim 5, the combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches the battery charging/discharging system of claim 3.
The combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches the blowing fan (Yang-1: “260”) and the evaporator (from Yang-2: “630”, incorporated into Yang-1’s lower section “130”).
Yang-1 does not disclose “the blowing fan is integrally coupled with the evaporator”.
Magallanes teaches a cooling device (“evaporator unit 12”, used for air cooling of “electronic equipment 18”; Fig. 3) wherein the blowing fan (“blower 112”, positioned to output cooled air from “110” through “upper outlet 120” to cool the electronic device “18 Fig. 3) is integrally coupled (integrally coupled as part of the “evaporator unit 12” assembly) with the evaporator (“evaporator 110”; Fig. 3).
Magallanes further teaches the combined assembly of the evaporator and output blowing fan to be more portable and improve cooling effect (¶ [6, 38, 54, 59]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the charger/discharger cooling device disclosed by the combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 to incorporate a blowing fan integrally coupled with the evaporator, as taught by Magallanes, to improve portability of the cooling device and further improve cooling of the interior of the battery charging/discharging system.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang et al. (CN 210380335 U; hereinafter “Yang-1”) in view of Yang et al. (CN 211764993 U; hereinafter “Yang-2”), Schaefer et al. (US 2012/0206093 A1), and Kim (KR 2021-0104269 A).
Regarding Claim 7, the combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches the battery charging/discharging system of claim 1.
The combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches to control the charger/discharger (Yang-1: “300”) and control the temperature (Yang-1 ¶ [72]: “520 to selectively direct external airflow … improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the charging battery cabinet”; ¶ [62]: “cooling fan 260 starts, which speeds up the airflow within the charging area 120 and improves the battery's heat dissipation efficiency”) in the battery chamber (Yang-1: “200”) through the air conditioner (Yang-1’s “140”, “520”, “400”, “190”, & “260”; modified to incorporate features from Yang-2).
Though the combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 teaches to control the charger/discharger and control the temperature in the battery chamber through the air conditioner, Yang-1 does not disclose “a controller configured to control the charger/discharger and control the temperature in the battery chamber through the air conditioner”.
Yang-1 further does not disclose “a temperature sensor configured to detect and transmit a temperature of the charger/discharger to the controller, and wherein the controller controls a power on/off of the charger/discharger cooling device according to the temperature of the charger/discharger detected through the temperature sensor”.
Schaefer teaches a controller (“central energy control device (P-ECU) 48”; Fig. 3; includes “climate control device 90” per ¶ [94]) configured to control the charger/discharger (“charge control device (L-ECU) 65”; Fig. 3) and control the temperature in the battery chamber (space within “compartmentalized shelf system 44”; Fig. 3; ¶ [65]) through the air conditioner (“air conditioning device 66”; Fig. 3).
Schaefer further teaches the controller to optimize control of both charging and cooling functions (¶ [24, 27, 70, 113]), thus improving heat management (¶ [8]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the battery charging/discharging system disclosed by the combo of Yang-1 & Yang-2 to incorporate a controller that controls both the charger/discharger and the air conditioner, based on the teachings of Schaefer, to improve heat management of the charger/discharger by optimizing control of both charging and cooling.
Kim further teaches a temperature sensor (“temperature sensor 17”; Figs. 1, 3a-3c, 8, 9a-9c) configured to detect and transmit a temperature (¶ [17]: “temperature sensor that measures … the temperature of the heating element”; ¶ [48]: “control unit (16) detects the temperature based on the temperature sensing signal measured by the temperature sensor (17)”) of the heat-generating device (“heating element 12”; Figs. 1, 3a-3c, 8, 9a-9b; analogous to the “charger/discharger” set forth supra because each is generating heat and being cooled by the cooling device) to the controller (16).
Kim further teaches the controller (16) controls a power on/off (“16” turns on/off “11” based on the detected temperature of “12”; ¶ [56]: “when the measured temperature is lower than the second threshold, the control unit (16) stops the cooling fan (11) from operating”; ¶ [57]: “when the measured temperature is above the second threshold value, the control unit (16) drives the cooling fan (11) to convect the air”; ¶ [18, 26, 34, 46, 61]) of the cooling device (combo of “cooling fan 11” and “heat dissipating member 19”; Figs. 1, 3a-3c, 4-5, 7a-7b, 8, 9a-9b; analogous to the “charger/discharger cooling device” set forth supra) according to the temperature of the heat-generating device (12) detected through the temperature sensor (17).
Kim further teaches to power on/off the cooling device based on a temperature of the heat-generating device to both improve heat dissipation and prevent internal contamination by foreign substances (¶ [11]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the battery charging/discharging system disclosed by the combo of Yang-1, Yang-2, & Schaefer to incorporate a temperature sensor and for the controller to power on/off the charger/discharger cooling device based on the detected temperature of the charger/discharger, based on further teachings of Kim, to both improve heat dissipation and prevent internal contamination by foreign substances.
Conclusion
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/DANIEL P MCFARLAND/ Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/DREW A DUNN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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