DETAILED ACTION
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
2. This Non-Final office action is in response to application 18/312,734, application filed on 05/05/2023. Claims 1-16 are currently pending in this application.
Priority
3. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
4. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05/05/2023, 08/30/2023 and 05/21/2024, respectively, is/are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
6. Claim(s) 1-2, 9, 11 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Usui et al. (PG Pub No. 2003/0085685) in view of Chen (US PG Pub No. 2005/0088142).
7. With respect to independent claim 1, Usui teaches:
A charging device for charging a battery pack of an electric tool, comprising:
a housing (see housing including upper and lower casing 3 of battery pack charging device 1 as shown in Fig 1 and described in para 18-20);
a power interface configured to access a power supply (see power supply terminal unit 4 of the battery charging device 1, as shown in Fig 1 and described in para 19); and
a charging interface disposed on the housing and detachably connectable to the battery pack (see charging terminals/interface 8-10 of Fig 1 for connecting to and charging battery pack, as described in para 21; see loading area of charging device for accepting battery pack for charging, para 21-23);
wherein the charging interface comprises:
a charging terminal configured to be connected to a charging terminal of the battery pack (see charging terminals/interface 8-10 of Fig 1 for connecting to and charging battery pack, as described in para 21; see loading area of charging device for accepting battery pack for charging, para 21-23);
a communication terminal configured to be connected to a communication terminal of the battery pack to acquire communication information of the battery pack (see communication terminal 10 of Fig 1, and described in para 21; see communication terminal for exchanging information on the parameters and the charging state between the communication terminal and the battery pack, para 22);
a communication module for receiving the communication information of the battery pack inputted via the communication terminal (see communication terminal 10 of Fig 1, and described in para 21; see communication terminal for exchanging information on the parameters and the charging state between the communication terminal and the battery pack, para 22).
Usui appears to be silent regarding:
a communication protection module connected between the communication terminal and the communication module and configured to isolate an interference voltage signal higher than or equal to a preset voltage value to protect the communication module.
However, Chen teaches:
a communication protection module connected between the communication terminal and the communication module and configured to isolate an interference voltage signal higher than or equal to a preset voltage value to protect the communication module (preventing leakage current from flowing back to charging control module, wherein current can be detrimental to charging control circuit, para 37; see control logic isolated from charger voltage, para 34; supplying battery power to charger line when battery voltage exceeds charger voltage, and suppressing leakage current so as to avoid damaging charging unit in order to protect it, para 12).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the invention to have incorporated Chen’s protection circuit for a charger system into the charging system of Usui for at least the following reason(s): the protection circuit of Chen improves the battery charging structure of Usui by providing a mechanism for protecting the charging circuit by suppressing unwanted leakage current from damaging the charger, which would provide an advantage in the art.
8. With respect to claim 2, Chen teaches:
The charging device according to claim 1, wherein a voltage of the interference voltage signal is higher than a supply voltage of the communication module (supplying battery power to charger line when battery voltage exceeds charger voltage, and suppressing leakage current so as to avoid damaging charging unit in order to protect it, para 12).
9. With respect to claim 9, Usui teaches:
The charging device according to claim 1, wherein 1-wire bus communication is performed between the communication terminal of the charging device and the communication terminal of the battery pack (see communication terminal and exchange pathway for exchanging information between battery pack and charging device, para 4, 21-22, 31-33).
10. With respect to independent claim 11, Usui teaches:
A charging system (system for controlling charging of a battery, Abstract), comprising:
a battery pack (see battery pack 15 of Fig 1); and
a charging device (see charging device 1 of Fig 1);
wherein the charging device comprises:
a housing (see housing including upper and lower casing 3 of battery pack charging device 1 as shown in Fig 1 and described in para 18-20);
a power interface configured to access a power supply (see power supply terminal unit 4 of the battery charging device 1, as shown in Fig 1 and described in para 19); and
a charging interface disposed on the housing and detachably connectable to the battery pack (see charging terminals/interface 8-10 of Fig 1 for connecting to and charging battery pack, as described in para 21; see loading area of charging device for accepting battery pack for charging, para 21-23);
wherein the charging interface comprises:
a charging terminal configured to be connected to a charging terminal of the battery pack (see charging terminals/interface 8-10 of Fig 1 for connecting to and charging battery pack, as described in para 21; see loading area of charging device for accepting battery pack for charging, para 21-23);
a communication terminal configured to be connected to a communication terminal of the battery pack to acquire communication information of the battery pack (see communication terminal 10 of Fig 1, and described in para 21; see communication terminal for exchanging information on the parameters and the charging state between the communication terminal and the battery pack, para 22); and
a communication module for receiving the communication information of the battery pack inputted via the communication terminal (see communication terminal 10 of Fig 1, and described in para 21; see communication terminal for exchanging information on the parameters and the charging state between the communication terminal and the battery pack, para 22).
Usui appears to be silent regarding:
wherein the charging interface further comprises:
a communication protection module connected between the communication terminal and the communication module and configured to isolate an interference voltage signal higher than or equal to a preset voltage value to protect the communication module.
However, Chen teaches:
wherein the charging interface further comprises:
a communication protection module connected between the communication terminal and the communication module and configured to isolate an interference voltage signal higher than or equal to a preset voltage value to protect the communication module (preventing leakage current from flowing back to charging control module, wherein current can be detrimental to charging control circuit, para 37; see control logic isolated from charger voltage, para 34; supplying battery power to charger line when battery voltage exceeds charger voltage, and suppressing leakage current so as to avoid damaging charging unit in order to protect it, para 12).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the invention to have incorporated Chen’s protection circuit for a charger system into the charging system of Usui for at least the following reason(s): the protection circuit of Chen improves the battery charging structure of Usui by providing a mechanism for protecting the charging circuit by suppressing unwanted leakage current from damaging the charger, which would provide an advantage in the art.
11. With respect to claim 16, Usui teaches:
The charging device according to claim 11, wherein 1-wire bus communication is performed between the communication terminal of the charging device and the communication terminal of the battery pack (see communication terminal and exchange pathway for exchanging information between battery pack and charging device, para 4, 21-22, 31-33).
Reasons For Allowance
12. Claims 3-8, 10, and 12-15 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.
13. With respect to dependent claim 3, and dependent claims 4-8 and 10 which depend therefrom, the prior art made of record fails to teach the combination of steps recited in claim 3, including the following particular combination of steps as recited in claim 3, as follows:
wherein the communication protection module comprises:
a first protection unit connected between the communication terminal and the communication module and configured to isolate a first interference voltage signal higher than or equal to a first preset voltage value to protect the communication module; and
a second protection unit disposed between the first protection unit and the communication terminal to absorb a second interference voltage signal higher than or equal to a second preset voltage value to protect the communication module.
14. With respect to dependent claim 12, and dependent claims 13-15 which depend therefrom, the prior art made of record fails to teach the combination of steps recited in claim 12, including the following particular combination of steps as recited in claim 12, as follows:
wherein the communication protection module comprises:
a first protection unit connected between the communication terminal and the communication module and configured to isolate a first interference voltage signal higher than or equal to a first preset voltage value to protect the communication module; and
a second protection unit disposed between the first protection unit and the communication terminal to absorb a second interference voltage signal higher than or equal to a second preset voltage value to protect the communication module.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUCHIN PARIHAR whose telephone number is (703)756-1970. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8am-5pm.
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/SUCHIN PARIHAR/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2851