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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to application 18/243,849 filed 9/8/23. Claims 1-20 are pending with claims 1, 13, and 20 in independent form.
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) 1-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Moore US 2023/0046229 A1.
Moore teaches:
Re: claim 1, A battery runtime extender (power system 100) physically mounting to a battery compartment opening of an electronic device (power module 200), comprising: a housing (fig. 1; housing of power system 100) comprising an upper portion and one or more side portions extending downward from the upper portion to form a cavity within which the electronic device is positioned (fig. 1); one or more fasteners capable of physically coupling the housing to the electronic device facilitating a seal ([0046], [0048] covers 235 and 245 provides a seal) between the housing and one or more battery compartment openings (power source compartments 230 and 240) of the electronic device; a first contact carrier to position a first electrical contact relative to a first physical location within a first battery compartment of the electronic device ([0118 where there is inherently a contact connection for a removable battery source and the compartment in which it’s housed); and a second contact carrier to position a second electrical contact relative to a second physical location within a second battery compartment of the electronic device ([0118 where there is inherently a contact connection for a removable battery source and the compartment in which it’s housed), wherein the first physical location corresponds to a first electrical contact corresponding to a negative terminal of an electrical bus of the electronic device and the second physical location corresponds to a second electrical contact corresponding to a positive terminal of an electrical bus of the electronic device ([0118] it is inherent that a positive and a negative terminal will be used for battery connection).
Re: claim 2, The battery runtime extender of claim 1 wherein the electronic device (power module 200) is at least partially enclosed within the cavity (power source compartments 230 and 240).
Re: claim 3, The battery runtime extender of claim 1, wherein the first contact carrier positions the first electrical contact a first distance below a lower surface of the upper portion of the housing and the second contact carrier positions the second electrical contact a second distance below the lower surface of the upper portion of the housing ([0118] where there is inherently a contact connection for a removable battery source inside the compartment in which it’s housed).
Re: claim 4, The battery runtime extender of claim 3, wherein the first distance below the lower surface of the upper portion of the housing is greater than the second distance below the lower surface of the upper portion of the housing ([0118] where there is a positive and negative terminal connection for a battery where the connections have different heights and therefore different distances to the connections).
Re: claim 5, The battery runtime extender of claim 1, comprising: a first fastener first removable power source compartment cover 235) and a second fastener (second removable power source compartment cover 236) of the one or more fasteners, each of the first fastener and the second fastener extend through associated channels in the upper portion of the housing to facilitate creation of a physical connection between the battery runtime extender and the electronic device based on rotation of the fastener (fig. 1, 4A-4B; [0047]-[0048]).
Re: claim 6 and all its dependencies, wherein the first fastener and the second fastener comprise threaded screws and are physically captured within an associated first channel and an associated second channel, respectively ([0064])
Re: 7, The battery runtime extender of claim 1, further comprising an electrical connector to facilitate communications between the battery runtime extender and a computing device ([0117]).
Re: claim 8, The battery runtime extender of claim 1, further comprising one or more mounting surfaces, each of the one or more mounting surfaces comprising a face portion and a fastening mechanism recessed within the mounting surface, wherein a battery compartment cover of the electronic device physically attaches to a corresponding mounting surface of the one or more mounting surfaces via the fastening mechanism ([0048] release 237 and 247 fasten the compartment cover 245 covers the release 237 and 247).
With respect to claim 9 and all its dependencies, wherein the fastening mechanism comprises a threaded insert recessed within the mounting surface ([0064]).
Re: claim 10, The battery runtime extender of claim 1, further comprising: an electrical connector (power module electrical interface 115) to facilitate communications between the battery runtime extender (power system 100) and a computing device ([0061]); and a first mounting surface (first removable power source compartment 230) and a second mounting surface (second removable power source compartment 240), each of the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface comprising a face portion and a threaded insert recessed within the mounting surface ([0048] release 237 and 247 fasten the compartment cover 245 covers the release 237 and 247), wherein the electrical connector (power module electrical interface 115) is surrounded by one of the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface (removable power source compartments 230 and 240).
Re: claim 11, The battery runtime extender of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the first contact carrier and the second contact carrier has a physical shape corresponding to an interior cavity within the battery compartment of the electronic device (fig. 1 and 4a; [0118] where there is inherently a contact connection for a removable battery source and the compartment in which it’s housed).
Re: claim 12, The battery runtime extender of claim 1, wherein the upper portion of the housing encloses electronics to monitor power flow from the battery runtime extender and to the electronic device (power level indicator 255).
Re: claim 13, A battery runtime extender (power system 100) physically mounting to a battery compartment opening of an electronic device (power module 200) comprising: a housing (fig. 1 housing of power system 100) comprising an upper portion and one or more opposing side portions, wherein the upper portion and the one or more side portions define a cavity (fig. 1); two or more electrical system interface components, wherein a first electrical system interface component comprises a positive electrical terminal ([0118] where there is inherently a contact connection for a removable battery source and the compartment in which it’s housed that a positive and a negative terminal will be used for battery connection) and a second electrical system interface component comprises a negative electrical terminal ([0118] where there is inherently a contact connection for a removable battery source and the compartment in which it’s housed that a positive and a negative terminal will be used for battery connection), wherein the first electrical system interface component and the second electrical system interface component extend from the upper portion of the housing into the cavity fig. 1); and one or more physical interface components, wherein each physical interface component comprises a fastener (fig. 1); one or more fasteners capable of physically coupling the housing to the electronic device facilitating a seal ([0046], [0048] covers 235 and 245 provides a seal), wherein each of the physical interface components form a physical connection between a housing of an electronic device (fig. 1) and a portion of the housing of the battery runtime extender (power system 100) forming an opening of one or more battery compartments (power source compartments 230, 240) of the electronic device, wherein the physical interface components further facilitates a continuous electrical connection of the first electrical system interface component to a positive node of an electrical bus of an electronic device within a first battery compartment of the electronic device and of the second electrical system interface component to a negative node of the electrical bus of the electronic device within a second battery compartment of the electronic device ([0118] where there is inherently a contact connection for a removable battery source and the compartment in which it’s housed that a positive and a negative terminal will be used for battery connection).
Re: claim 14, The battery runtime extender of claim 13, wherein the upper portion of the housing encloses electronics to power flow from the battery runtime extender and to the electronic device and the opposing side portions of the housing enclose one or more battery cells ([0049]-[0050]).
Re: claim 15, The battery runtime extender of claim 13, further comprising: an electrical connector (power module electrical interface 115) to facilitate communications between the battery runtime extender (power system 100) and a computing device ([0061]); and a first mounting surface (first removable power source compartment 230) and a second mounting surface, each of the first mounting surface (second removable power source compartment 240) and the second mounting surface comprising a face portion and a threaded insert recessed within the mounting surface ([0048] release 237 and 247 fasten the compartment cover 245 covers the release 237 and 247), wherein the electrical connector (power module electrical interface 115) is surrounded by one of the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface (removable power source compartments 230 and 240).
Re: claim 16, The battery runtime extender of claim 13, wherein internal battery cells enclosed by the housing are configured to provide electrical power to an electronic device via electrical terminals disposed internally to the electronic device ([0049]-[0050]).
Re: claim 17, The battery runtime extender of claim 16, wherein the electrical terminals disposed internally to the electronic device are within one or more battery compartments of the electronic device ([0049]-[0050]).
Re: claim 18, The battery runtime extender of claim 13, wherein each of the two or more electrical system interface components comprises a surface that at least partially mimics an internal physical shape of a battery compartment of the electronic device (fig. 1 and 4a; [0118] where there is inherently a contact connection for a removable battery source and the compartment in which it’s housed).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 20 is allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest to one of ordinary skill in the art, in conjunction with all the other limitations of the claims: With respect to claim 20 and all its dependencies, a battery runtime extender physically mounting to a battery compartment opening of an electronic device comprising: a housing comprising an upper portion and two side portions, wherein the upper portion and the two side portions define a cavity within which an electronic device is located during use; two or more electrical system interface component comprises a positive electrical terminal and a second electrical system interface component comprises a negative electrical terminal, wherein the first electrical system interface component and the second electrical system interface component extend from the upper portion of the housing into a battery compartment of the electronic device; and one or more physical interface extensions, wherein each physical interface extension comprises a threaded insert, wherein each of the physical interface components form a physical connection between a battery compartment cover of an electronic device and the housing of the battery runtime extender; and wherein one or more physical interface components further facilitates a continuous electrical connection of the first electrical system interface component to a positive node of an electrical bus of an electronic device and of the second electrical system interface component to a negative node of the electrical bus of the electronic device. The prior art of record fails to provide sufficient teaching or motivation to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the additionally recited features of these claims in the combinations as claimed.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Claim 19 is 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 prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest to one of ordinary skill in the art, in conjunction with all the other limitations of the claims: With respect to claim 19 and all its dependencies, wherein a first surface of the first electrical system interface component comprises a first length relative to an under surface of the upper portion and a second surface of the second electrical system interface component comprises a second length relative to an under surface of the upper portion, wherein the first length is different than the second length, when included with all the limitations of claims 13 and 18 from which it depends. The prior art of record fails to provide sufficient teaching or motivation to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the additionally recited features of these claims in the combinations as claimed.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KRISTY A HAUPT whose telephone number is (571)272-8545 and email address is kristy.haupt@uspto.gov. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Sun 5:30 AM- 10PM; Flex during day.
If all attempts to reach the examiner by telephone and email are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Lee, can be reached at telephone number 571-272-2398. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KRISTY A HAUPT/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
KAH
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