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 .
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.
Claims 1, 3, and 5, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ono et al. (USPUB 2023/0032370) in view of Schultz et al. (USPUB 2016/0134160).
As to Claim 1, Ono discloses a storage battery control device that controls a power storage system, the system comprising: a storage battery string including a plurality of storage batteries connected in series and a bypass circuit configured to execute a bypass operation of bypassing the storage battery or releasing a bypass state of the storage battery (Figure 1, Element BL); and a string switch provided between the storage battery string and the power converter and configured to connect or disconnect the storage battery string and the power converter (Figure 1, S10 and S20), wherein the string switch is brought into a disconnected state by the storage battery control device before execution of the bypass operation by the bypass circuit, and the string switch is brought into a connected state by the storage battery control device after the execution of the bypass operation by the bypass circuit (Figure 3, S1-S12). Ono does not expressly disclose a power converter connected to both ends of the storage battery string and configured to convert an input and output voltage of the storage battery string. Schultz discloses a power converter connected to both ends of the storage battery string and configured to convert an input and output voltage of the storage battery string (Paragraph 33-34). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of this invention to take the teachings of add the power converter as taught by Schultz and add it to the device of Ono, in order to control the input and output of the battery strings.
As to Claims 3, Ono discloses a power storage system comprising: a storage battery string including a plurality of storage batteries connected in series and a bypass circuit configured to execute a bypass operation of bypassing the storage battery or releasing a bypass state of the storage battery (Figure 1, Element BL); a string switch provided between the storage battery string and the power converter and configured to connect or disconnect the storage battery string and the power converter (Figure 1, S10 and S20); and a storage battery control device configured to control the string switch and the bypass circuit, wherein the storage battery control device brings the string switch into a disconnected state before execution of the bypass operation by the bypass circuit, and brings the string switch into a connected state after the execution of the bypass operation by the bypass circuit (Figure 3, S1-S12). Ono does not expressly disclose a power converter connected to both ends of the storage battery string and configured to convert an input and output voltage of the storage battery string. Schultz discloses a power converter connected to both ends of the storage battery string and configured to convert an input and output voltage of the storage battery string (Paragraph 33-34). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of this invention to take the teachings of add the power converter as taught by Schultz and add it to the device of Ono, in order to control the input and output of the battery strings.
As to Claim 5, Ono discloses a storage battery control method implemented by a storage battery control device that controls a power storage system, the power storage system comprising: a storage battery string including a plurality of storage batteries connected in series and a bypass circuit configured to execute a bypass operation of bypassing the storage battery or releasing a bypass state of the storage battery (Figure 1, Element BL); and a string switch provided between the storage battery string and the power converter and configured to connect or disconnect the storage battery string and the power converter (Figure 1, S10 and S20), wherein the string switch is brought into a disconnected state before execution of the bypass operation by the bypass circuit, and the string switch is brought into a connected state after the execution of the bypass operation by the bypass circuit (Figure 3, S1-S12). Ono does not expressly disclose a power converter connected to both ends of the storage battery string and configured to convert an input and output voltage of the storage battery string. Schultz discloses a power converter connected to both ends of the storage battery string and configured to convert an input and output voltage of the storage battery string (Paragraph 33-34). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of this invention to take the teachings of add the power converter as taught by Schultz and add it to the device of Ono, in order to control the input and output of the battery strings.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 and 4 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT J GRANT whose telephone number is (571)270-5820. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9am - 5:30pm.
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/ROBERT GRANT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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