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 .
1. Claims 1-14 have been presented for examination.
Priority
2. Acknowledgement is made to Applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
3. Acknowledgement is made to the information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 11/1/2024 & 5/29/2025. The information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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.
4. Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liu (US 2021/0402954 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Liu discloses a method of changing a setting value of a battery pack (500 – battery pack) provided in a set, the method comprising:
obtaining, by a battery management system (BMS) of the battery pack, a first authentication key from the set [0063-0065];
authenticating, by the BMS, the set based on the first authentication key [0063-0069]; and
changing, by the BMS, a setting value for an operation of the battery pack with a value based on whether the set is authenticated [0063-0069].
Regarding claim 2, Liu discloses the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the authenticating of the set comprises: identifying the first authentication key indicating mutual authentication between the set and the BMS; and identifying the set based on the first authentication key [0063-0067].
Regarding claim 3, Liu discloses the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the changing of the setting value comprises: identifying the first authentication key, and changing, by the BMS, the setting value with a user value corresponding to the set; or failing to identify the first authentication key, and changing, by the BMS, the setting value with a default value [0063-0070].
Regarding claim 4, Liu discloses the method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the BMS, a second authentication key requesting a change of the setting value from the set; and changing, by the BMS, the setting value based on a change request value received from the set in response to whether the second authentication key is identified [0053-0055 & 0063-0067].
Regarding claim 5, Liu discloses the method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the changing of the setting value based on the change request value comprises: determining whether the change request value is within a range between a minimum value and a maximum value of the setting value; and changing the setting value if the change request value is within the range [0063-0069].
Regarding claim 6, Liu discloses a recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program to execute on a computing device the method as claimed in claim 5 [0122-0126].
Regarding claim 7, Liu discloses the method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the changing of the setting value based on the change request value further comprises updating a user value corresponding to the set with the change request value [0063-0069].
Regarding claim 8, Liu discloses a recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program to execute, on a computing device, the method as claimed in claim 1 [0122-0126].
Regarding claim 9, Liu discloses an apparatus for changing a setting value of a battery pack (500 – battery pack) provided in a set, the apparatus comprising a battery management system (BMS) of the battery pack that is configured to obtain a first authentication key from the set, to authenticate the set based on the first authentication key, and to change the setting value for an operation of the battery pack with a value based on whether the set is authenticated [0063-0069].
Regarding claim 10, Liu discloses the apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the BMS is further configured to identify the first authentication key indicating mutual authentication between the set and the BMS, and to identify the set based on the first authentication key [0063-0067].
Regarding claim 11, Liu discloses the apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the BMS is further configured to identify the first authentication key and change the setting value with a user value corresponding to the set, or to fail to identify the first authentication key and change the setting value with a default value [0063-0070].
Regarding claim 12, Liu discloses the apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the BMS is further configured to receive a second authentication key requesting a change of the setting value from the set, and to change the setting value based on a change request value received from the set in response to whether the second authentication key is identified [0053-0055 & 0063-0067].
Regarding claim 13, Liu discloses the apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the BMS is further configured to determine whether the change request value is within a range between a minimum value and a maximum value of the setting value, and to change the setting value if the change request value is within the range [0063-0069].
Regarding claim 14, Liu discloses the apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the BMS is further configured to update a user value corresponding to the set with the change request value [0063-0069].
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAULTEP SAVUSDIPHOL whose telephone number is (571)270-1301. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F,7-3 EST. If the examiner cannot be reached by telephone, he can be reached through the following email address: paultep.savusdiphol@uspto.gov
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone and email are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thomas K. Pham can be reached on (571) 272-3689. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PAULTEP SAVUSDIPHOL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876