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 references listed in the Information Disclosure Statements filed on 02/13/2024 have been considered by the examiner (see attached PTO-1449 forms).
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-13 and 17-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by SHOA HASSANI LASHIDANI et al. [US 2023/0122362 A1; hereinafter “SHOA”].
Regarding claim 1, SHOA teaches a system for performing a measurement on a component (battery), the system comprising:
an integrated circuit (IC) (integrated circuit - 0621) comprising:
analog to digital (ADC) converter circuitry (analog to digital converter connected – 0272, 0355); and
processing circuitry, wherein the system further comprises:
difference circuitry (processor - 0068-0076), wherein:
the difference circuitry is operable to generate a compensated measurement voltage by subtracting a compensation voltage received from a voltage source external to the integrated circuit from a measurement voltage output by the component in response to a stimulus signal received by the component (The compensation curve may be subtracted from the measured voltage data in block 95 to generate a compensated voltage signal – 0344);
the ADC circuitry is configured to convert the compensated measurement voltage into a digital compensated measurement signal (analog to digital converter connected - 0355); and
the measurement circuitry is configured to generate a measurement result based on the digital compensated measurement signal (compute a state of health of the electrochemical system based at least in part on the compensated voltage and the measured current – claim 1, page 32).
Regarding claim 2, SHOA teaches the IC further comprises signal generator circuitry configured to generate the stimulus signal for application to the component (varying the magnitude of the discharge current - 0016).
Regarding claim 3, SHOA teaches the stimulus signal comprises an AC current signal (lower frequency AC current - 0284).
Regarding claim 4, SHOA teaches a frequency of the stimulus signal is variable (0 0 Hz – tens of kHz - 0284).
Regarding claim 5, SHOA teaches the difference circuitry comprises subtractor circuitry or difference amplifier circuitry (figure 3 – 0249-0251).
Regarding claim 6, SHOA teaches the IC further comprises the difference circuitry (figure 3 – 0249-0251).
Regarding claim 7, SHOA teaches the difference circuitry is external to the IC(figure 3 – 0249-0251).
Regarding claim 8, SHOA teaches the difference circuitry comprises analog difference circuitry(figure 3 – 0249-0251) ( analog to digital converters (ADCs) – 0272).
Regarding claim 9, SHOA teaches the voltage source is operative to supply a constant compensation voltage (constant frequency – 0309).
Regarding claim 10, SHOA teaches the constant compensation voltage is provided by or derived from a power rail of a system incorporating the system for performing the measurement on the component (power supplies – 0003) (power source – 0483).
Regarding claim 11, SHOA teaches the voltage source is operative to output a variable compensation voltage that tracks a DC component of the measurement voltage output by the component (a DC signal, an AC signal having a frequency - 0259).
Regarding claim 12, SHOA teaches the variable compensation voltage is provided by or derived from a system configured to track a DC voltage of or associated with the component (a DC signal, an AC signal having a frequency - 0259).
Regarding claim 13, SHOA teaches the component is a battery or electrochemical cell; and the variable compensation voltage is provided by or derived from a fuel gauge IC (electrochemical cells - 0493, 0494).
Regarding claim 17, SHOA teaches the component comprises a battery or electrochemical cell (The EIS or testing systems described herein may (with or without embedded analytical programs) be integrated into a BMS (battery management system or similar system) of an electrochemical cell pack - 0498).
Regarding claim 18, SHOA teaches the measurement result comprises an indication of an impedance of the battery or electrochemical cell (One aspect of the invention tests electrochemical systems by measuring impedances of the systems at different frequencies and processing results of the impedance measurements to characterize the electrochemical systems. For example, the impedance spectrum may be processed to yield a measure of SoH and/or estimates of electrical and/or physical characteristics of the electrochemical system. – 0147).
Regarding claim 19, SHOA teaches a host device comprising the system of claim 1 (cloud-based system may host - 0447).
Regarding claim 20, SHOA teaches the host device comprises a laptop, notebook, netbook or tablet computer, a gaming device, a games console, a controller for a games console, a virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) device, a mobile telephone, a portable audio player, a portable device, an accessory device for use with a laptop, notebook, netbook or tablet computer, a gaming device, a games console a VR or AR device, a mobile telephone, a portable audio player or other portable device (cloud-based system - 0447) (special purpose computers - 0621).
Regarding claim 21, SHOA teaches a system for performing a measurement on a component, the system comprising: an integrated circuit (IC) (integrated circuit - 0621) comprising:
analog to digital (ADC) converter circuitry (analog to digital converter connected – 0272, 0355); and processing circuitry, wherein the system further comprises:
a voltage source external to the integrated circuit;
and difference circuitry, wherein:
the ADC circuitry is configured to convert a measurement voltage output by the component in response to a stimulus signal received by the component into a digital measurement signal (analog to digital converter connected – 0272, 0355);
the voltage source is configured to supply a compensation voltage;
the difference circuitry(processor - 0068-0076) is operable to generate a digital compensated measurement voltage by subtracting a digital version of the compensation voltage from the digital measurement signal (The compensation curve may be subtracted from the measured voltage data in block 95 to generate a compensated voltage signal – 0344);
and the measurement circuitry is configured to generate a measurement result based on the digital compensated measurement signal (compute a state of health of the electrochemical system based at least in part on the compensated voltage and the measured current – claim 1, page 32).
Regarding claim 22, SHOA teaches an integrated circuit comprising for implementing a system for performing a measurement on a component, the integrated circuit comprising: analog to digital (ADC) converter circuitry(analog to digital converter connected – 0272, 0355); processing circuitry; and difference circuitry (processor - 0068-0076), wherein: the difference circuitry is operable to generate a compensated measurement signal by subtracting a signal indicative of a compensation voltage received from a voltage source external to the integrated circuit from a signal indicative of a measurement voltage output by the component in response to a stimulus signal received by the component (The compensation curve may be subtracted from the measured voltage data in block 95 to generate a compensated voltage signal – 0344); the measurement circuitry is configured to generate a measurement result based on a digital signal indicative of the compensated measurement signal (compute a state of health of the electrochemical system based at least in part on the compensated voltage and the measured current – claim 1, page 32).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14-16 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.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claims 14-16 are objected to because the closest prior art, SHOA HASSANI LASHIDANI et al. [US 2023/0122362 A1; hereinafter “SHOA”], fails to anticipate or render obvious the system is selectively operable in either a first mode or a second mode based on a frequency of the stimulus signal, wherein: in the first mode the compensation voltage is subtracted from the measurement voltage; and in the second mode no compensation voltage is subtracted from the measurement voltage, in combination with all other limitations in the claim(s) as defined by applicant.
Relevant Prior Art / Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
ZHOU et al. (US Patent Application Publication 2023/0064240 A1) discloses a detection apparatus of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and a battery management system;
Boverman et al. (US Patent Application Publication 2015/0164369 A1) discloses a method and system for performing electrical impedance imaging of a subject of interest.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICKY GO whose telephone number is (571)270-3340. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Arleen M. Vazquez can be reached on (571) 272-2619. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RICKY GO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2857