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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1-20 are currently pending.
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.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim 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.
The term “a high-voltage switch box” in claims 1-2, 6-8, 11-12 & 16-18 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “a high-voltage switch box” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Since the instant specification does not provide any guidance or scope for the voltage intended by “high voltage”, the above cited limitation is broadly read as “a switch box”.
Claims 7 & 17 each recite “the contactor” but does not provide adequate antecedent basis. For purposes of examination, “the contactor” is read as “the at least one contactor” as this appears to be applicant’s intent.
Claims 8 & 18 each recite “the shunt” but does not provide adequate antecedent basis. For purposes of examination, “the shunt” is read as “the at least one shunt” as this appears to be applicant’s intent
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.
Claims 1-6, 9-16 & 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Xu (CN 113036317 A, and hereinafter using, for citation purposes, corresponding US 2024/0079750 A1).
Regarding claims 1 & 11, Xu teaches a battery rack (i.e battery cabinet) ([0053] & [0061]) comprising an energy storage device ([0075]) comprising: a plurality of battery clusters (fig. 9; [0075]); a high-voltage switch box (F2+K1), a positive input terminal of the high-voltage switch box is connected to positive electrodes of the plurality of battery clusters, a negative input terminal of the high-voltage switch box is connected to negative electrodes of the plurality of battery clusters, and an output terminal of the high-voltage switch box is configured to connect to an electrical device, wherein the high-voltage switch box is configured to control the plurality of battery clusters to be electrically connected and disconnected from an electrical device (fig. 9; [0044]-[0053] & [0075]).
Regarding claims 2 & 12, Xu teaches the high-voltage switch box comprising a short circuit/overload protection circuit; wherein short circuit/overload protection circuit is arranged in series between the plurality of battery clusters and the electrical device, and the short circuit/overload protection circuit is configured to control the plurality of battery clusters to be electrically disconnected from the electrical device in response to any one of battery clusters being in an overload state or in a short circuit state ([0064]).
Regarding claims 3-4 & 13-14, Xu teaches high-voltage switch box comprising: a first fuse (F2) arranged in series between the positive electrodes of the plurality of battery clusters and a positive terminal of the electrical device; a first terminal of the first fuse is connected to the positive electrodes of the plurality of battery clusters, and a second terminal of the first fuse is connected to the positive terminal of the electrical device (fig. 9); and a second fuse (F2) arranged in series between the negative electrodes of the plurality of battery clusters and a negative terminal of the electrical device; a first terminal of the second fuse is connected to negative electrodes of the plurality of battery clusters, and a second terminal of the second fuse is connected to the negative terminal of the electrical device (fig. 9).
Regarding claims 5 & 15, Xu teaches the first fuse being GPV class fuse (i.e an overload protection fuse) and the second fuse being an AR class fuse (i.e a short-circuit protection fuse) ([0064]).
Regarding claims 6 & 16, Xu teaches the high voltage switch box further comprising a load switch (K1), a positive input terminal of the load switch is connected to the positive electrodes, and a negative input terminal of the load switch is connected to the negative electrodes, and an output terminal of the load switch is configured to connect the electrical device; and the load switch is configured to control the plurality of battery clusters to be electrically connected to/disconnected from the electrical device (fig. 9; [0044]-[0045]).
Regarding claims 9 & 19, Xu teaches the battery clusters comprising a plurality of battery packs, and the plurality of battery pack are arranged in series (figs. 2 & 9; [0075]).
Regarding claims 10 & 20, Xu teaches at least one third fuse (F1) arranged in series between any two battery packs that are adjacently arranged in the battery cluster (figs. 2 & 9).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 7-8 & 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu (CN 113036317 A, and hereinafter using, for citation purposes, corresponding US 2024/0079750 A1) in view of Zhou (CN 112467839 A, and hereinafter using, for citation purposes, corresponding US 2022/0166072 A1).
Regarding claims 7-8 & 17-18, Xu teaches the energy storage device of claim 1 and battery cabinet of claim 11, respectively, but is silent as to the high-voltage switch box further comprising contactors (claims 7 & 17) and shunts (claims 8 & 18), wherein each battery cluster is provided with at least one contactor (claims 7 & 17) and at least one shunt (claims 8 & 18), a first terminal of the at least one contactor (claims 7 & 17) and a first terminal of the at least one shunt (claims 8 & 18) being connected to the battery cluster, and a second terminal of the at least one contactor (claims 7 & 17) and a second terminal of the at least one shunt (claims 8 & 18) being configured to connect to the electrical device; and the at least one contactor being configured to control the battery cluster to be electrically connected to/disconnected from the electrical device (claims 7 & 17) and the at least one shunt being configured to detect an output current of the battery cluster (claims 8 & 18). Zhou teaches an energy storage device comprising a plurality of battery clusters (fig. 7) and a switch box (i.e battery cluster management device) comprising contactors (K11 & K12) and shunts (current collecting circuit), wherein each battery cluster is provided with at least one contactor (K11 & K12) and at least one shunt (current collecting circuit), a first terminal of the at least one contactor and a first terminal of the at least one shunt being connected to the battery cluster, and a second terminal of the at least one contactor and a second terminal of the least one shunt being configured to connect to the electrical device; and the at least one contactor being configured to control the battery cluster to be electrically connected to/disconnected from the electrical device and the at least one shunt being configured to detect an output current of the battery cluster (figs. 2-7; [0046]-[0052]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, to use contactors, as described above, in order to control the electrical connection between the battery clusters and the electrical device based on a state of charge of the battery cluster and a charging/discharging condition as taught by Zhou ([0051]-[0052]) and to use shunts, as described above, in order to collect a direct current between the battery cluster and DC/AC circuit as taught by Zhou ([0048]).
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHANAEL T ZEMUI whose telephone number is (571)272-4894. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-5pm (EST).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, BARBARA GILLIAM can be reached at (571)272-1330. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NATHANAEL T ZEMUI/Examiner, Art Unit 1727
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