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 25 April 2023 has/have been considered by the examiner.
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.
Claim 4 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as failing to set forth 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 4 recites the limitation “initial step for determining a K-value”, wherein the emphasized portion is indefinite. The K-value is not a commonly defined term in the art, and the claim as written does not facilitate one of ordinary skill in the art to be able to determine an initial K-value.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 1-3, 8, 10-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ding et al (US 20050099162 A1) modified by Anker et al (US 20030102845 A1), and further supported by Huang, X.; Li, Y.; Acharya, A.B.; Sui, X.; Meng, J.; Teodorescu, R.; Stroe, D.-I. A Review of Pulsed Current Technique for Lithium-ion Batteries. Energies 2020, 13, 2458. https://doi.org/10.3390/en13102458 (May 2020)
Regarding claim 1, Ding teaches a method for increasing the discharge capacity (
Q
d
i
s
c
h
) of a battery cell having a rated capacity (¶0021 “[FIG 1] C-rate of a battery is the charge and discharge current, which is related to the battery capacity”)
and provided with charge/discharge terminals to which a charging voltage can be applied with a flowing charging current, (¶0023 “current pulse 30 is applied for a relatively short time… microprocessor assumes that the battery 20 has a rated voltage greater than 3.6V”)
the method comprising:
- implementing a plurality of charge cycles to the battery cell, (¶0036 “[FIG 3] step 62, the microprocessor 16 then determines whether the battery needs to be charged”; step 62 determines whether the battery needs to be charged, by placing the same battery into the charger the device will complete multiple charge cycles to the battery cell)
each of the charge cycles comprising the steps of:
- applying to a plurality of constant voltage stages
V
j
, where
V
j
_
1
>
V
j
, j=1, 2..., k, each voltage stage comprising intermittent
n
j
voltage plateaus, (¶0017 “FIGS. 8-10 show different types of voltage pulses that can be used by the battery charger shown in FIG. 1”, ¶0045 “ two applications of the first voltage pulse 116, 116' are shown in FIG. 8, it is contemplated that first voltage pulses, separated by corresponding rest periods, will be applied, thereby forming a first voltage pulse group (G1)”)
- between two successive voltage plateaus within a voltage stage, letting the charging current going to rest (I=0 A) for a rest period
R
j
p
,
1
≤
p
≤
n
j
, (¶0045 “ two applications of the first voltage pulse 116, 116' are shown in FIG. 8, it is contemplated that first voltage pulses, separated by corresponding rest periods, will be applied, thereby forming a first voltage pulse group (G1)”, similarly as depicted in FIGs 9 and 10)
- between two successive current rest times
R
j
p
-
1
and
R
j
p
within a voltage stage
V
j
, and a pending voltage plateau, detecting the flowing pulse-like current dropping from an initial value
I
j
,
p
i
n
i
reaches a final value
I
j
,
p
f
i
n
where
1
≤
p
≤
n
j
, (¶0045 “[FIG 8] If the measured battery current drops below a predetermined level, application of the first voltage pulses can be ended”)
- ending the pending voltage plateau, so that the flowing pulse-like current drops to zero for a rest time Rp, with the voltage departing from
V
j
, (¶0044 “After the first voltage pulse 116 is applied, a rest period 118 is provided. During the rest period 118, no voltage is applied to the battery”)
- after the rest time
R
j
p
is elapsed, applying back the voltage to
V
j
, (¶0044 “After the rest period 118, the first voltage pulse is again applied, and this is designated by 116'”)
- initiating a transition from a voltage stage
V
j
to the following stage
V
j
+
1
when I ,
p
=
n
j
reaches a threshold value
I
j
,
n
j
t
h
r
, (¶0045 “[FIG 8] If the measured battery current drops below a predetermined level, application of the first voltage pulses can be ended”)
- calculating the following stage
V
j
+
1
as =
V
j
+
Δ
V
(
j
)
, with
Δ
V
(
j
)
relating to the current change
Δ
I
j
=
I
j
,
p
i
n
i
-
I
j
,
p
f
i
n
,
p
=
n
j
.
, (¶0034 “[FIG 3] At the end of the excitation current pulse, the voltage of the battery (V3) is again measured at step 54”)
[and
Δ
V
Δ
t
a function of the following parameters i, V,
Δ
i
Δ
t
, SoC (State of Charge), SOH (State of Health),]
- monitoring the temperature of the battery cell under a predetermined limit temperature, and proceeding the charge cycles until the discharge capacity reaches a predetermined target capacity greater than the rated capacity. (¶0045 “Application of the first voltage pulses will continue until a predetermined condition is met. The predetermined condition can include one of, a combination of, comparisons between measured parameters and predetermined values… Another predetermined condition that can be used is the battery temperature, which can be measured during the application of the first voltage pulses, and during the rest periods”)
The review article by Huang describes the advantages of a pulsed current technique for charging Lithium ion batteries. Huang page 2 states in part “The CV mode that normally follows the CC mode can limit the overvoltage stress on the battery cells and can improve the charging capacity while resulting in a longer charging time”. Huang further states in section 4.1.2 Duty Cycle and Relaxation Time “Increasing the relaxation time at a limited frequency level could slightly increase the charging/discharging capacity, while the charging time increased greatly”. The method taught by Ding measures and adjusts the relaxation time using a pulse-current charging technique which would necessarily result in increased discharging capacity, as supported by Huang.
Ding does not teach and
Δ
V
Δ
t
a function of the following parameters i, V,
Δ
i
Δ
t
, SoC (State of Charge), SOH (State of Health).
Aker teaches a fast charging method for high-capacity batteries which includes the step of calculating
Δ
V
Δ
t
a function of the following parameters i, V, (¶0165 “The capacitance is advantageously calculated to handle the high frequency switch transient current requirements while minimizing filtering of the low frequency”, ¶0167 “C=(duty cycle*I)/(dv/dt)”)
Δ
i
Δ
t
, (¶0181 “This increase in capacitance (C) also serves to decrease the affect of inductance (L) by filtering voltage transients. By decreasing the overall inductance and increasing capacitance, the bus structure voltage transients caused by the high di/dt can be kept at a minimum”)
SoC (State of Charge), (State of Charge is a measure of a battery’s instantaneous remaining capacity, ¶0165 “The capacitance is advantageously calculated to handle the high frequency switch transient current requirements while minimizing filtering of the low frequency”, ¶0167 “C=(duty cycle*I)/(dv/dt)”)
SOH (State of Health). (State of Health is a measure of a battery’s current total capacity, ¶0165 “The capacitance is advantageously calculated to handle the high frequency switch transient current requirements while minimizing filtering of the low frequency”, ¶0167 “C=(duty cycle*I)/(dv/dt)”)
Therefor it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to modify the method of increasing a battery’s discharging capacity as taught by Ding to include the capacity measuring step as taught by Aker. Aker FIG 7 depicts how current I and voltage V change over time, resulting in a tracking of the battery capacity over time. Tracking the battery capacity over one cycle would function as the current state of charge, and tracking the battery capacity over multiple cycles would function as the state of health. Ding and Aker both teach a system and method of using a pulse-current to fast-charge a device. As detailed above, Huang demonstrates that an intrinsic feature of pulse-current fast-charging is increasing the discharge capacity of a battery. The modification would be obvious because one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to accurately measuring the discharging capacity during fast-charging to minimize charging time and provide longer runtime for devices thereby improving user experience.
Regarding claim 2, Ding as modified by Aker teaches the method of claim 1. Ding as modified by Aker further teaches a method for increasing the discharge capacity wherein the calculating step implements parameters such as the upper voltage limit, (Ding ¶0028 “microprocessor 16 can then compare the measured voltage of the battery 20 to a predetermined voltage, and can command the control circuit 18 to cease application of the first pulse group (G1) after the measured battery voltage meets or exceeds the predetermined voltage”)
and/or the step time, (Ding ¶0028 “microprocessor 16 can compare elapsed time provided by the timer 26 to a predetermined time programmed into the microprocessor 16, and can command the control circuit 18 to cease application of the first pulse group (G1) only after the elapsed time meets or exceeds the predetermined time”)
[and/or voltage step
Δ
V
]
and/or
Δ
I
/
Δ
t
for the voltage step transition. (Ding¶0029 “microprocessor 16 commands the control circuit 18 to apply a third current pulse 36 and a fourth current pulse 38 to the battery 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the third current pulse 36 is defined by a third pulse amplitude and a third pulse width (W3)”, FIG 2 has the axis labels of current and time indicating that each pulse lasts an amount of time)
Regarding claim 3, Ding as modified by Aker teaches the method of claim 2. Ding as modified by Aker further teaches a method for increasing the discharge capacity wherein the charge cycles are proceeded until any one of the following conditions is reached:
-a pre-set charge capacity or state of charge (SOC) is reached, (Ding ¶0031 “a battery, such as the battery 20, will be more than 95% charged when the microprocessor 16 commands the control circuit 18 to cease application of the pulse groups”)
- the cell temperature exceeds a pre-set limit value
T
l
i
m
, or (Ding ¶0030 “microprocessor 16 will command the control circuit 18 to cease application of the pulse groups when the battery temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature”)
- the cell voltage has exceeded a pre-set limit value
V
l
i
m
. (Ding ¶0028 “microprocessor 16 can then compare the measured voltage of the battery 20 to a predetermined voltage, and can command the control circuit 18 to cease application of the first pulse group (G1) after the measured battery voltage meets or exceeds the predetermined voltage”)
Regarding claim 8, Ding as modified by Aker teaches the method of claim 1. Ding as modified by Aker further teaches a method for increasing the discharge capacity further comprising collecting in the battery cell data related to the rated capacity for the battery cell. (Ding ¶0021 “FIG. 1, the microprocessor 16 is in communication with the control circuit 18, and each of them is capable of providing information to the other… C-rate of a battery is the charge and discharge current, which is related to the battery capacity, and which is measured in amp-hours (Ah)”; Ding ¶0022 “Various voltage ratings for common battery sizes can be programmed into the microprocessor 16 in a parameter table. Such a parameter table allows the microprocessor 16 to make comparisons between measurements performed by the sensors 22 and known data values, such as the rated voltage of different batteries”)
Regarding claim 10, Ding as modified by Aker teaches a system for increasing a discharge capacity (
Q
d
i
s
c
h
) of a battery cell having a rated capacity (Ding ¶0021 “[FIG 1] C-rate of a battery is the charge and discharge current, which is related to the battery capacity”)
and provided with charge/discharge terminals to which a charging voltage can be applied with a flowing charging current, (Ding ¶0023 “current pulse 30 is applied for a relatively short time… microprocessor assumes that the battery 20 has a rated voltage greater than 3.6V”)
implementing the method according to claim 1, (Ding as modified by Aker teaches the method of claim 1 as detailed above )
the system comprising an electronic converter connected to a power source and designed for applying a charging voltage to the terminals of the battery cell, (Ding ¶0018 “In order to accommodate the use of an AC power source, a converter 14 is provided to convert the AC power to DC power before it is used by the battery charger 10”)
the electronic converter being controlled by a charging controller designed to process battery cell flowing current and cell voltage measurement data (Ding ¶0020 “The A/D converter 24 communicates with the microprocessor 16 to provide information about the various parameters measured by the sensors 22”)
and charging instruction data, (Ding ¶0019 “A processor, or microprocessor 16, as explained in more detail below, performs a number of control functions for the battery charger 10”)
wherein the charging controller is further configured to control the electronic converter so as to proceed perform a plurality of charge cycles, (Ding ¶0020 “The A/D converter 24 communicates with the microprocessor 16 to provide information about the various parameters measured by the sensors 22”; ¶0036 “[FIG 3] step 62, the microprocessor 16 then determines whether the battery needs to be charged”, step 62 determines whether the battery needs to be charged, by placing the same battery into the charger the device will complete multiple charge cycles to the battery cell)
each charge cycle comprising steps for:
- applying to terminals of the battery cell a plurality of constant voltage stages
V
j
, where
V
j
+
1
>
V
j
, j=1, 2..., k, each voltage stage comprising intermittent
n
j
voltage plateaus, and (Ding ¶0017 “FIGS. 8-10 show different types of voltage pulses that can be used by the battery charger shown in FIG. 1”, Ding ¶0045 “ two applications of the first voltage pulse 116, 116' are shown in FIG. 8, it is contemplated that first voltage pulses, separated by corresponding rest periods, will be applied, thereby forming a first voltage pulse group (G1)”)
- between two successive voltage plateaus within a voltage stage, letting the charging current going go to rest (I=0 A) for a rest period
R
j
p
,
1
≤
p
≤
n
j
, (Ding ¶0045 “ two applications of the first voltage pulse 116, 116' are shown in FIG. 8, it is contemplated that first voltage pulses, separated by corresponding rest periods, will be applied, thereby forming a first voltage pulse group (G1)”, similarly as depicted in FIGs 9 and 10)
until the discharge capacity reaches a predetermined target capacity greater than the rated capacity. (Ding ¶0045 “Application of the first voltage pulses will continue until a predetermined condition is met. The predetermined condition can include one of, a combination of, comparisons between measured parameters and predetermined values… Another predetermined condition that can be used is the battery temperature, which can be measured during the application of the first voltage pulses, and during the rest periods”)
Regarding claim 11, Ding as modified by Aker teaches the fast-charge system of claim 10. Ding as modified by Aker further teaches a fast-charge system wherein the charge cycles are performed until either one of the following conditions is reached:
- the cell temperature exceeds a pre-set limit value
T
l
i
m
, or (Ding ¶0030 “microprocessor 16 will command the control circuit 18 to cease application of the pulse groups when the battery temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature”)
- the cell voltage has exceeded a pre-set limit value
V
l
i
m
. (Ding ¶0028 “microprocessor 16 can then compare the measured voltage of the battery 20 to a predetermined voltage, and can command the control circuit 18 to cease application of the first pulse group (G1) after the measured battery voltage meets or exceeds the predetermined voltage”)
Claim(s) 4-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ding as modified by Aker and further in view of Lim et al (US 20190195956 A1)
Regarding claim 4, Ding as modified by Aker teaches the method of claim 1. Ding as modified by Aker does not teach a method for increasing the discharge capacity further comprising an initial step for determining a K-value and a charge step from inputs including charging instructions for C-rate, voltage and charge time.
Lim teaches a method for increasing the discharge capacity further comprising an initial step for determining a K-value (¶0074 “comparing the graph of FIG. 3 and the graph of FIG. 2, at SOCs that cause the phase “transition of the active material of the cathode, the variance in the OCV with respect to the variance in the SOC dV/dSOC, that is, a slope or differential coefficient of the graph of FIG. 2”)
and a charge step from inputs including charging instructions for C-rate, voltage and charge time. (¶0053 “FIG. 1, the battery system 100 includes the battery monitoring apparatus 110 that monitors an inner state of the battery 120 being charged… battery monitoring apparatus 110 is implemented by a battery management system (BMS)… an operation of controlling the state or an operation of the battery 120 by generating a control or instruction signal”)
Lim defines c-rate in ¶0052 as “a current input into the battery 120 is expressed in a unit of amperes (A) or milliamperes (mA). A charging current is also expressed as a C-rate”. Further Lim ¶0083 indicates “FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of a battery monitoring apparatus”, with further details including the decision inputs which include current input to battery, charge time, and voltage.
Therefor it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to further modify the method of fast-charging batteries as taught by Ding modified by Aker to include the calculation step of determining a K-value and a charge step from inputs including charging instructions for C-rate, voltage and charge time as taught by Lim. Ding as modified by Aker and Lim both teach methods of fast-charging batteries for hand-held electronic devices using a pulse current with constant current and constant voltage phases. The modification would be obvious because one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to improve detection of battery faults for safer charging/discharging.
Regarding claim 5, Ding as modified by Aker and Lim teaches the method of claim 4. Ding as modified by Aker and Lim further teaches a method for increasing the discharge capacity further comprising a step for detecting a Cshift threshold, leading to a step for determining a shift voltage, by applying a non-linear voltage equation and using K-value and
Δ
C-rate. ( Lim ¶0074 “comparing the graph of FIG. 3 and the graph of FIG. 2, at SOCs that cause the phase “transition of the active material of the cathode, the variance in the OCV with respect to the variance in the SOC dV/dSOC, that is, a slope or differential coefficient of the graph of FIG. 2”).
Lim FIG 3 depicts the graph by which the K-value (dV/dSOC) is calculated from the graph of FIG 2, and both figures show curved, non-linear functions.
Regarding claim 6, Ding as modified by Aker teaches the method of claim 1. Ding as modified by Aker does not explicitly disclose a method for increasing the discharge capacity further comprising applying the method to a combination of battery cells arranged in series and/or in parallel.
Lim teaches a method for detecting the internal state of rechargeable batteries comprising applying the method to a combination of battery cells arranged in series and/or in parallel. (¶0020 “an electrical system comprises a battery comprising a plurality of rechargeable cells individually configured to receive charging electrical energy and to discharge electrical energy to a load… monitoring circuitry to control the charge circuitry to apply the secondary charging pulses to the at least one of the rechargeable cells having the lower state of charge than the states of charge of the others of the rechargeable cells to substantially balance the states of charge of the rechargeable cells of the battery during the common charge cycle of the battery”, the battery cells necessarily have to be in either series or parallel configuration)
Therefor it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to modify the method for increasing the discharge capacity of a battery as taught by Ding modified by Aker to further comprise applying the method to a combination of battery cells arranged in series and/or in parallel. It would be an obvious next step to extend the method of increasing the discharge capacity of a battery as taught by Ding modified by Aker to increase the discharge capacity of a plurality of batteries as taught by Lim for the purpose of improving thermal dissipation and increasing charge capacity resulting in longer runtime and improved battery lifespan.
Regarding claim 7, Ding as modified by Aker and Lim method of claim 6. Ding as modified by Aker and Kawakami teach a method implemented to charge a plurality of battery cells connected in series, wherein the method provides intrinsic balancing between the battery cells. (¶0020 “an electrical system comprises a battery comprising a plurality of rechargeable cells individually configured to receive charging electrical energy and to discharge electrical energy to a load… monitoring circuitry to control the charge circuitry to apply the secondary charging pulses to the at least one of the rechargeable cells having the lower state of charge than the states of charge of the others of the rechargeable cells to substantially balance the states of charge of the rechargeable cells of the battery during the common charge cycle of the battery”, in the case where the plurality of battery cells are arranged in series)
Regarding claim 12, Ding as modified by Aker teaches the fast-charge system of claim 10. Ding as modified by Aker does not teach a fast-charge system wherein the system is configured to charge a system plurality of battery cells connected in series, and wherein the charging controller is further designed configured to provide intrinsic balancing between the battery cells of the plurality.
Lim teaches a fast-charge system wherein the system is configured to charge a system plurality of battery cells connected in series, (¶0020 “an electrical system comprises a battery comprising a plurality of rechargeable cells individually configured to receive charging electrical energy and to discharge electrical energy to a load”, the battery cells necessarily have to be in either series or parallel configuration)
and wherein the charging controller is further designed configured to provide intrinsic balancing between the battery cells of the plurality. (¶0020 “monitoring circuitry to control the charge circuitry to apply the secondary charging pulses to the at least one of the rechargeable cells having the lower state of charge than the states of charge of the others of the rechargeable cells to substantially balance the states of charge of the rechargeable cells of the battery during the common charge cycle of the battery”)
Therefor it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to modify the fast-charge system as taught by Ding modified by Aker to further comprise applying the method to a combination of battery cells arranged in series and/or in parallel. It would be an obvious next step to extend the fast-charge system as taught by Ding modified by Aker to increase the discharge capacity of a plurality of batteries as taught by Lim for the purpose of improving thermal dissipation and increasing charge capacity resulting in longer runtime and improved battery lifespan.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ding as modified by Aker further in view of Stukenberg et al (US 20140340231 A1)
Regarding claim 9, Ding as modified by Aker teaches the method of claim 8. Ding as modified by Aker does not teach a method for increasing the discharge capacity wherein collecting batter cell data includes reading a QR code on the battery cell.
Stukenberg teaches a method for battery testing wherein collecting batter[y] cell data includes reading a QR code on the battery cell. (¶0029 “Tablet device 104 may include software that is capable of optical character recognition, Quick Response (QR) code or two-dimensional barcode recognition or any other suitable recognition software that is capable of obtaining battery-related information”)
Therefor it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to further modify the method of increasing the discharge capacity of a battery as taught by Ding modified by Aker to incorporate the battery testing method which collects batter[y] cell data includes reading a QR code on the battery cell as taught by Stukenberg. Ding modified by Aker measures the internal state of the battery and uses those battery parameters to control the pulse current charging scheme. The modification would be obvious because one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to improve maintenance and diagnostics of individual batteries.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 objected to because of the following informalities:
The limitation “calculating the following stage
V
j
+
1
as =
V
j
+
Δ
V
(
j
)
, with
Δ
V
(
j
)
” contains improper grammar mixing words with mathematical symbols to write a value as equivalent to a sum.
The quantity “
p
=
n
j
.
” Contains extra punctuation, a period following
n
j
, which prematurely terminates the claim
Claim 9 objected to because of the following typographical error: “wherein collecting batter cell data”. Appropriate correction is required.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure can be found in the attached PTO-892 Notice of References Cited by Examiner attached to this correspondence.
Kawakami et al (US 20020109506 A1) discloses a method of detecting the internal state of a battery during fast-charging using a pulse-current technique.
Eriksson et al (US 20180050598 A1) discloses a method of charging a battery using the voltage discharge rate (
Δ
V
Δ
t
) to adjust the pulse-current charging scheme.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LISA M KOTOWSKI whose telephone number is (571)270-3771. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8a-5p.
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, Taelor Kim can be reached at (571) 270-7166. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LISA KOTOWSKI/Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/TAELOR KIM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859