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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because the unlabeled rectangular box(es) shown in the drawings (Figs. 1-3) should be provided with descriptive text labels. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 8-12, & 15-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over McLean et al. (USPGPN 2015/0357834), in view of NPL SKYRC MC3000 Instruction Manual V1.17 (published 2021; hereinafter referred to as SKYRC).
Regarding Claims 1 & 8, McLean (Figs.1 - 3) teaches a battery manager (26) for a battery (25), the battery manager comprising:
a battery charger (20; ¶0035 charging power source or supply) configured to provide a first output voltage in a first voltage range (¶0038: 5V±0.25 V);
a buck-boost direct current to direct current (DC to DC) converter (36/38; ¶0044: DC/DC converter is a single unit to step-up or step-down the voltage) switchably (32) coupled to the battery charger;
a bypass line (34) switchably (32) coupled between the battery charger and the battery for bypassing the buck-boost DC to DC converter; and
a controller (30) configured to:
determine a first condition when a voltage requirement is within the first voltage range (¶0038: V20 is operative to charge the battery, 5V±0.25 V, then bypass is connected);
electrically route the first output voltage of the battery charger to the battery via the bypass line in response to the first condition (¶0038: V20 is operative to charge the battery, 5V±0.25 V, then bypass is connected);
determine a second condition when the voltage requirement is outside the first voltage range (¶0048: V20 is not operative, high or low DC voltage is determined); and
electrically route the first output voltage of the battery charger to the battery via the buck-boost DC to DC converter in response to the second condition (¶0049: V20 is transformed whether low or high through DC/DC converter 36/38).
McLean teaches the claimed invention except it does not explicitly disclose the invention determining the first and second condition based on the voltage requirement of the battery being charged.
However, SKYRC teaches that it is also common for a battery charging system to determine a required voltage of a battery to be charged and adjust the voltage based on the voltage requirement (Pg04, Operating Instructions 1: Charger 11V~18V DC power input; Pg011, Table: NiMH max charging voltage of 1.65V and LiIon max charging voltage of 4.20V; Pg.04, Operating Instructions 4: Type shows NiMH and LiIon connected simultaneously and charging in Dummy Mode/automatically determined). Examiner’s Note: SKYRC shows that the charging device automatically determined the required voltage of the batteries connected and has adjusted the input voltage from the 11V~18V charger to the required charging voltage of the batteries.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by McLean with SKYRC to include determining a first condition when a voltage requirement of the battery is within the first voltage range and a second condition when the voltage requirement of the battery is outside the first voltage range. Doing so allows the charging system to be used to charge a variety of battery types and sizes to allow for a single charging system to be used instead of multiple charging systems for each battery voltage.
Regarding Claims 2 & 9, McLean, as modified, further teaches wherein the controller is further configured to issue a first signal to convert the first output voltage to a second output voltage in a second voltage range (¶0049: if V20 is high, if battery required voltage is lower, it is reduced through DC/DC converter 36/38), or issue a second signal to convert the first output voltage to a third output voltage in a third voltage range (¶0049: if V20 is low, if battery required voltage is higher, it is boosted through DC/DC converter 36/38), to the buck-boost DC to DC converter when the voltage requirement of the battery is outside the first voltage range, wherein the second voltage range and the third voltage range are outside the first voltage range (¶0049: DC/DC converter 36/38 is controlled to either boost or reduce a voltage outside of the operative voltage range).
Regarding Claims 3 & 10, McLean, as modified, further teaches wherein the second voltage range corresponds to a voltage range lower than the first voltage range, and wherein the controller is configured to issue the first signal to the buck-boost DC to DC converter to step-down the first output voltage to the second output voltage when the voltage requirement of the battery is in the second voltage range (¶0049: if V20 is high, if battery required voltage is lower, it is reduced through DC/DC converter 36/38).
Regarding Claims 4 & 11, McLean, as modified, further teaches wherein the third voltage range corresponds to a voltage range higher than the first voltage range, and wherein the controller is configured to issue the second signal to the buck-boost DC to DC converter to step-up the first output voltage to the third output voltage when the voltage requirement of the battery is in the third voltage range (¶0049: if V20 is low, if battery required voltage is higher, it is boosted through DC/DC converter 36/38).
Regarding Claims 5 & 12, McLean, as modified, teaches the claimed invention except the first voltage range of the battery charger does not lie between 210 volts and 840 volts. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to modify the first voltage range, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. Doing so would allow the battery manager system to be used with a larger variety of batteries or battery packs requiring higher voltage requirements.
Regarding Claim 15, McLean (Figs. 1-3) teaches A method for charging a battery, the method comprising:
using a battery charger to provide a first output voltage in a first voltage range (20; ¶0035 charging power source or supply; ¶0038: 5V±0.25 V);;
switchably coupling a buck-boost direct current to direct current (DC to DC) converter to the battery charger (36/38; ¶0044: DC/DC converter is a single unit to step-up or step-down the voltage; switch 32);
switchably coupling a bypass line between the battery charger and the battery for bypassing the buck-boost DC to DC converter (34 switched by switch 32);
determining, by a controller, a first condition when a voltage requirement is within the first voltage range (¶0038: V20 is operative to charge the battery, 5V±0.25 V, then bypass is connected);
electrically routing, by the controller, the first output voltage of the battery charger to the battery via the bypass line in response to the first condition (¶0038: V20 is operative to charge the battery, 5V±0.25 V, then bypass is connected);
determining, by the controller, a second condition when the voltage requirement is outside the first voltage range (¶0048: V20 is not operative, high or low DC voltage is determined); and
electrically routing, by the controller, the first output voltage of the battery charger to the battery via the buck-boost DC to DC converter in response to the second condition (¶0049: V20 is transformed whether low or high through DC/DC converter 36/38).
McLean teaches the claimed invention except it does not explicitly disclose the invention determining the first and second condition based on the voltage requirement of the battery being charged.
However, SKYRC teaches that it is also common for a battery charging system to determine a required voltage of a battery to be charged and adjust the voltage based on the voltage requirement (Pg04, Operating Instructions 1: Charger 11V~18V DC power input; Pg011, Table: NiMH max charging voltage of 1.65V and LiIon max charging voltage of 4.20V; Pg.04, Operating Instructions 4: Type shows NiMH and LiIon connected simultaneously and charging in Dummy Mode/automatically determined). Examiner’s Note: SKYRC shows that the charging device automatically determined the required voltage of the batteries connected and has adjusted the input voltage from the 11V~18V charger to the required charging voltage of the batteries.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by McLean with SKYRC to include determining a first condition when a voltage requirement of the battery is within the first voltage range and a second condition when the voltage requirement of the battery is outside the first voltage range. Doing so allows the charging system to be used to charge a variety of battery types and sizes to allow for a single charging system to be used instead of multiple charging systems for each battery voltage.
Regarding Claim 16, McLean, as modified, further teaches issuing, by the controller, a first signal to convert the first output voltage to a second output voltage in a second voltage range (¶0049: if V20 is high, if battery required voltage is lower, it is reduced through DC/DC converter 36/38), or issuing, by the controller, a second signal to convert the first output voltage to a third output voltage in a third voltage range (¶0049: if V20 is low, if battery required voltage is higher, it is boosted through DC/DC converter 36/38), to the buck-boost DC to DC converter when the voltage requirement of the battery is outside the first voltage range, wherein the second voltage range and the third voltage range are outside the first voltage range (¶0049: DC/DC converter 36/38 is controlled to either boost or reduce a voltage outside of the operative voltage range).
Regarding Claim 17, McLean, as modified, further teaches wherein the second voltage range corresponds to a voltage range lower than the first voltage range, and wherein the controller is configured to issue the first signal to the buck-boost DC to DC converter to step-down the first output voltage to the second output voltage when the voltage requirement of the battery is in the second voltage range (¶0049: if V20 is high, if battery required voltage is lower, it is reduced through DC/DC converter 36/38).
Regarding Claim 18, McLean, as modified, further teaches wherein the third voltage range corresponds to a voltage range higher than the first voltage range, and wherein the controller is configured to issue the second signal to the buck-boost DC to DC converter to step-up the first output voltage to the third output voltage when the voltage requirement of the battery is in the third voltage range (¶0049: if V20 is low, if battery required voltage is higher, it is boosted through DC/DC converter 36/38).
Regarding Claim 19, McLean, as modified, teaches the claimed invention except the first voltage range of the battery charger does not lie between 210 volts and 840 volts. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to modify the first voltage range, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. Doing so would allow the battery manager system to be used with a larger variety of batteries or battery packs requiring higher voltage requirements.
Claim(s) 6, 7, 13, 14, & 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over McLean, in view of SKYRC, as applied in the rejection of claim 1 above, and further in view of Chang et al. (U.S. Patent 9,142,977 B1 – published 2015).
Regarding Claims 6 & 13, McLean, as modified, fails to explicitly teach a heat dissipator circuit including a plurality of heat dissipating elements switchably coupled to the battery for discharging the battery, wherein the controller is configured to couple one or more heat dissipating elements of the plurality of heat dissipating elements with the battery, and wherein a number of the one or more heat dissipating elements coupled to the battery is directly proportional to the voltage requirement of the battery.
However, Chang (Figs.2A & 2B) teaches a heat dissipator circuit (215/238) including a plurality of hear dissipating elements (R1-RN) switchably coupled to a battery for discharging (S2), wherein a controller is configured to couple one or more heat dissipating elements (R1-RN) with the battery, and wherein a number of the one or more heat dissipating elements coupled is directly proportional to the voltage requirement of the battery (Col.2, Lines 60-62: if a higher battery coltage is required, a higher impedance resistor is selected).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by McLean, in view of SKYRC, with Chang to include a heat dissipator circuit with a plurality of heat dissipating elements, which are selectively connected to discharge the battery proportional to the voltage requirement of the battery. Doing so allows the battery to be discharged at a constant current or voltage to a fully-discharged state for a reference point of determining battery characteristics, as evidenced by Chang.
Regarding Claims 7 & 14, McLean, as modified, further teaches wherein each of the plurality of heat dissipating elements includes different heat dissipating capacities (Chang-Col.2, Line 47: different impedences).
Regarding Claim 20, McLean, as modified, fails to explicitly teach coupling, by the controller, one or more heat dissipating elements of a heat dissipator circuit with the battery, wherein a number of the one or more heat dissipating elements coupled to the battery is directly proportional to the voltage requirement of the battery, and wherein each of the plurality of heat dissipating elements includes different heat dissipating capacities.
However, Chang (Figs.2A & 2B) teaches a heat dissipator circuit (215/238) including a plurality of hear dissipating elements (R1-RN) switchably coupled to a battery for discharging (S2), wherein a controller is configured to couple one or more heat dissipating elements (R1-RN) with the battery, and wherein a number of the one or more heat dissipating elements coupled is directly proportional to the voltage requirement of the battery (Col.2, Lines 60-62: if a higher battery coltage is required, a higher impedance resistor is selected), wherein each of the plurality of heat dissipating elements includes different heat dissipating capacities (Chang-Col.2, Line 47: different impedences).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by McLean, in view of SKYRC, with Chang to include a heat dissipator circuit with a plurality of heat dissipating elements, which are selectively connected to discharge the battery proportional to the voltage requirement of the battery. Doing so allows the battery to be discharged at a constant current or voltage to a fully-discharged state for a reference point of determining battery characteristics, as evidenced by Chang.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN P ONDRASIK whose telephone number is (703)756-1963. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET.
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/JOHN P ONDRASIK/Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/JULIAN D HUFFMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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