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
This Office Action is in response to the application filed on 8/10/2023. Claims 1-20 are presently pending and are presented for examination.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 6/25/2025 and 9/4/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 1-4,8-11 and 13-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Doh (US 20110095623) in view of McCleary (US 8797169).
As to claim 1, Doh discloses an energy storage device for a bicycle (Fig. 1, 3 and [0033] The electric bicycle 100 according to the present embodiment can include a battery pack 110a) comprising:
a housing moveable between at least a first position and a second position ([0034] [0038] sensing unit 120 an angle or orientation of the battery pack. As such the battery pack can be moveable in at least two positions); at least one battery cell disposed in the housing (Fig. 3 battery cell unit 112).
and a positional sensor coupled to the housing and configured to sense when the housing is in the second position ([0041] the sensing unit 120 can continue to sense the tilt of the battery pack 110a).
Doh does not disclose/teach the energy storage device comprises a heat sink coupled to the housing wherein the heat sink is in a heat dissipation position when the housing is in the first position and the heat sink is in a non-heat dissipation position when the housing is in the second position.
McCleary teaches an electrical device comprising a heat sink coupled to the housing (Fig. 7. Column lines 7-8), wherein the heat sink is in a heat dissipation position when the housing is in the first position (Fig. 8) and the heat sink is in a non-heat dissipation position when the housing is in the second position (Column 6 lines 59-60-67 and Column 7 likes FIG. 10 depicts another improper orientation of the NAD 10. FIG. 10 is prevented by the body of the enclosure 30 from flowing in the positive z-direction effectively trapping the heated air in the channels 36 except for the small amounts of air that can egress at the channel ends. This increases the temperature inside the enclosure 30).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the energy storage device of Doh to comprise a heat sink coupled to the housing wherein the heat sink is in a heat dissipation position when the housing is in the first position and the heat sink is in a non-heat dissipation position when the housing is in the second position in order to facilitate heat transfer to the outside environment and prevent from adversely affecting the performance and life expectancy of the electrical components within the housing (Column lines 1 lines 30-31 and Column 5 lines 63-65).
As to claim 2, Doh in view of McCleary teaches the energy storage device of claim 1 wherein the positional sensor comprises an orientation sensor ([0034] [0038] of Doh sensing unit 120 sensing an angle or orientation of the battery pack. As such the battery pack can be moveable in at least two positions).
As to claim 3, Doh in view of McCleary teaches the energy storage device of claim 2 wherein the orientation sensor comprises an inertial measurement unit ([0034] [0038] of Doh sensing unit 120 sensing an angle or orientation of the battery pack. As such the battery pack can be moveable in at least two positions).
As to claim 4, Doh in view of McCleary teaches the energy storage device of claim 2 wherein the heat sink is facing downwardly when the housing is in the second position (Fig. 10).
As to claim 8, Doh in view of McCleary teaches the energy storage device of claim 1 further comprising a charge controller disposed in the housing ([0034] a charge/discharge control unit 114).
As to claim 9, Doh in view of McCleary teaches the energy storage device of claim 8.
Doh in view of McCleary does not disclose/teach wherein the heat sink is thermally coupled to the charge controller.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the heat sink of Doh in view of McCleary to be thermally coupled to the charge controller in order to manage and facilitate heat transfer from the electric components and prolong their service life.
As to claim 10, Doh in view of McCleary teaches the energy storage device of claim 8 wherein the positional sensor is operably coupled to the charge controller (Fig. 1 of Doh sensor 120 coupled to charge/discharge control unit 114), wherein the positional sensor is configured to signal the charge controller when the housing is in the second position (Fig 6 [0074] If the tilt angle is greater than or equal to a reference tilt (Operation S604), charge and discharge operations of the battery pack can be interrupted (Operation S606)).
As to claim 11, Doh in view of McCleary teaches the energy storage device of claim 10 further comprising a power source electrically coupled to the at least one battery cell, wherein the charge controller is configured to derate a charge current supplied to the at least one battery cell from the power source in response to the signal received from the positional sensor ([0074] If the tilt angle is greater than or equal to a reference tilt (Operation S604), charge and discharge operations of the battery pack can be interrupted (Operation S606)..all switching devices of a charging device and a discharging device in the battery pack may be controlled to be turned off).
As to claim 13. Doh discloses an energy storage device for a bicycle (Fig. 1, 3 and [0033] The electric bicycle 100 according to the present embodiment can include a battery pack 110a) comprising:
a housing rotatable between at least a first position and a second position ([0034] [0038] sensing unit 120 an angle or orientation of the battery pack. As such the battery pack can be moveable in at least two positions); at least one battery cell disposed in the housing (Fig. 3 battery cell unit 112); and an orientation sensor coupled to the housing and configured to sense when the housing is in the second position ([0041] the sensing unit 120 can continue to sense the tilt of the battery pack 110a).
Doh does not disclose/teach the energy storage device comprises a heat sink coupled to the housing, wherein the heat sink faces sideways and/or upwardly when the housing is in the first position, and wherein the heat sink faces downwardly when the housing is in the second position.
McCleary teaches an electrical device comprising a heat sink coupled to the housing (Fig. 7. Column lines 7-8), faces sideways and/or upwardly when the housing is in the first position (Fig. 8) and wherein the heat sink faces downwardly when the housing is in the second position (Column 6 lines 59-60-67 and Column 7 likes FIG. 10 depicts another improper orientation of the NAD 10. FIG. 10 is prevented by the body of the enclosure 30 from flowing in the positive z-direction effectively trapping the heated air in the channels 36 except for the small amounts of air that can egress at the channel ends. This increases the temperature inside the enclosure 30).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the energy storage device of Doh to comprise a heat sink coupled to the housing, wherein the heat sink faces sideways and/or upwardly when the housing is in the first position, and wherein the heat sink faces downwardly when the housing is in the second position in order to facilitate heat transfer to the outside environment and prevent from adversely affecting the performance and life expectancy of the electrical components within the housing (Column lines 1 lines 30-31 and Column 5 lines 63-65).
As to claim 14, Doh in view of McCleary teaches the energy storage device of claim 13 wherein the orientation sensor comprises an inertial measurement unit ([0034] [0038] of Doh sensing unit 120 sensing an angle or orientation of the battery pack. As such the battery pack can be moveable in at least two positions)..
As to claim 15, Doh in view of McCleary teaches the energy storage device of claim 13 further comprising a charge controller disposed in the housing ([0034] a charge/discharge control unit 114)., wherein the orientation sensor is operably coupled to the charge controller(Fig. 1 of Doh sensor 120 coupled to charge/discharge control unit 114), wherein the positional sensor is configured to signal the charge controller when the housing is in the second position (Fig 6 [0074] If the tilt angle is greater than or equal to a reference tilt (Operation S604), charge and discharge operations of the battery pack can be interrupted (Operation S606)).
As to claim 16, Doh in view of McCleary teaches the energy storage device of claim 15 further comprising a power source electrically coupled to the at least one battery cell, wherein the charge controller is configured to derate a charge current supplied to the at least one battery cell from the power source in response to the signal received from the orientation sensor ([0074] If the tilt angle is greater than or equal to a reference tilt (Operation S604), charge and discharge operations of the battery pack can be interrupted (Operation S606)..all switching devices of a charging device and a discharging device in the battery pack may be controlled to be turned off).
Claims 5-7 and 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Doh (US 20110095623) in view of McCleary (US 8797169) in view of Wiegman (US 20230202317).
As to claim 5, Doh in view of McCleary teaches the energy storage device of claim 1.
Doh in view of McCleary does not disclose/teach wherein the positional sensor comprises a proximity sensor.
Wiegman teaches wherein the positional sensor comprises a proximity sensor ([0032] Proximity sensor…including without limitation a switch, a capacitive sensor,).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the positional sensor of Doh to be a proximity sensor in order to have the ability to sense both metallic and non-metallic targets.
As to claim 6, Doh in view of McCleary in view of Wiegman teaches the energy storage device of claim 5 wherein the proximity sensor comprises a capacitive sensor ([0032] of Wiegman).
As to claim 7, Doh in view of McCleary teaches the energy storage device of claim 5.
Doh in view of McCleary does not disclose/teach specifically state the heat sink is positioned a distance less than or equal to 10 cm from a blocking component when the housing is in the second position
However, one of ordinary skill in the art can see that the teachings Doh in view of McCleary will yield the battery pack of Doh with a heat sink of McCleary being positioned a distance less than or equal to 10 cm from the surface in which the bicycle stands (Fig. 2 of Doh) based on how the user of the bike places the bike on the surface beneath or against a wall or besides other items when in storage.
As to claim 17, Doh discloses an energy storage device for a bicycle (Fig. 1, 3 and [0033] The electric bicycle 100 according to the present embodiment can include a battery pack 110a) comprising: a housing moveable between at least a first position and a second position ([0034] [0038] sensing unit 120 an angle or orientation of the battery pack. As such the battery pack can be moveable in at least two positions); at least one battery cell disposed in the housing (Fig. 3 battery cell unit 112); and a sensor coupled to the housing and configured to sense when the housing is in the second position ([0041] the sensing unit 120 can continue to sense the tilt of the battery pack 110a).
Doh does not disclose/teach the energy storage device comprises a heat sink coupled to the housing.
McCleary teaches an electrical device comprising a heat sink coupled to the housing (Fig. 7. Column lines 7-8),
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the energy storage device of Doh to comprise a heat sink coupled to the housing in order to facilitate heat transfer to the outside environment and prevent from adversely affecting the performance and life expectancy of the electrical components within the housing (Column lines 1 lines 30-31 and Column 5 lines 63-65).
Doh in view of McCleary does not disclose/teach specifically state the heat sink is positioned a distance less than or equal to 10 cm from a blocking component when the housing is in the second position
However, one of ordinary skill in the art can see that the teachings Doh in view of McCleary will yield the battery pack of Doh with a heat sink of McCleary being positioned a distance less than or equal to 10 cm from the surface in which the bicycle stands (Fig. 2 of Doh) based on how the user of the bike places the bike on the surface beneath or against a wall or besides other items when in storage.
Doh in view of McCleary does not disclose/teach wherein the positional sensor comprises a proximity sensor.
Wiegman teaches wherein the positional sensor comprises a proximity sensor ([0032] Proximity sensor..including without limitation a switch, a capacitive sensor,).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the positional sensor of Doh to be a proximity sensor in order to have the ability to sense both metallic and non-metallic targets.
As to claim 18, Doh in view of McCleary in view of Wiegman teaches the energy storage device of claim 17 wherein the proximity sensor comprises a capacitive sensor ([0032] of Wiegman).
As to claim 19, Doh in view of McCleary in view of Wiegman teaches the energy storage device of claim 17 further comprising a charge controller disposed in the housing ([0034] a charge/discharge control unit 114), wherein the proximity sensor is operably coupled to the charge controller (Fig. 1 of Doh sensor 120 coupled to charge/discharge control unit 114), wherein the positional sensor is configured to signal the charge controller when the housing is in the second position (Fig 6 [0074] If the tilt angle is greater than or equal to a reference tilt (Operation S604), charge and discharge operations of the battery pack can be interrupted (Operation S606)).
As to claim 20, Doh in view of McCleary in view of Wiegman teaches the energy storage device of claim 19 further comprising a power source electrically coupled to the at least one battery cell, wherein the charge controller is configured to derate a charge current supplied to the at least one battery cell from the power source in response to the signal received from the proximity sensor ([0074] If the tilt angle is greater than or equal to a reference tilt (Operation S604), charge and discharge operations of the battery pack can be interrupted (Operation S606)..all switching devices of a charging device and a discharging device in the battery pack may be controlled to be turned off).
Claim 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Doh (US 20110095623) in view of McCleary (US 8797169) in view of Talukdar (US 20210239766).
As to claim 12, Doh in view of McCleary teaches the energy storage device of claim 8.
Doh in view of McCleary does not disclose/teach further comprising a Wi-Fi component configured to enable the energy storage device to communicate with a remote server.
Talukdar teaches a Wi-Fi component configured to enable the energy storage device to communicate with a remote server. (0063] The operating status detection apparatus 101 may be a dedicated server or a cloud-based server in communication with the battery 102. The operating status detection apparatus 101 may communicate with the battery 102 via a communication network….or Wi-Fi).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the energy storage device of Doh in view of McCleary to include a Wi-Fi component configured to enable the energy storage device to communicate with a remote server in order to communicate to a managing user the status and health of the battery.
Conclusion and Related Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Sessions et al (US 20240109618) is cited for having an energy storage device for a bicycle with a heat sink 1194 may be coupled to the housing.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TYNESE V MCDANIEL whose telephone number is (313)446-6579. The examiner can normally be reached on M to F, 9am to 530pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Drew Dunn can be reached at 571-272-2312. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TYNESE V MCDANIEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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