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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 14-15, filed 7/15/2025, with respect to the rejections of claims 1-17 under 35 U.S.C. 102 and/or 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive insofar as US 2020/0412146 A1 to Takechi cited in the prior Office action in support of these rejections is not relied upon as explicitly disclosing “a single wireless transmission unit configured to wirelessly transmit the battery-related information acquired by the two or more monitoring units to a control device” as set forth in claim 1 as presently amended and as analogously set forth in claim 17 as presently amended. Therefore, the prior art rejections set forth in the prior Office action have been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, new grounds of rejection are made in view of at least US 2021/0278468 to Kojima et al.
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, 2, 4-5, 17 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by applicant-cited US 2021/0278468 to Kojima et al. (Kojima).
Regarding claim 1, Kojima discloses a battery monitoring device system comprising:
an assembled battery including a plurality of battery modules, each of the plurality of battery modules including a plurality of battery cells connected in series (battery units 20 in annotated Fig. 1 below); and
at least one battery monitoring device provided for two or more battery modules arranged adjacent to each other in the plurality of battery modules (see annotated Fig. 1 below), wherein
the at least one battery monitoring device includes:
two or more monitoring units provided for the two or more battery modules, respectively, and configured to acquire battery-related information including at least information indicating a state of the plurality of battery cells included in the two or more battery modules (portion of each battery monitoring unit 30 in annotated Fig. 1 below that performs functions of acquiring cell voltage data VD and acquiring the temperature data TD from the temperature sensor SA; also see, e.g., paragraph 28); and
a single wireless transmission unit configured to wirelessly transmit the battery-related information acquired by the two or more monitoring units to a control device (portion of upper battery monitoring unit 30 corresponding to transmitting and receiving unit 40 in annotated Fig. 1 below; also see, e.g., paragraph 32).
PNG
media_image1.png
900
808
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 2, Kojima discloses wherein the single wireless transmission unit is configured to collectively transmit a plurality of pieces of information in the battery-related information acquired by the two or more monitoring units, and the plurality of pieces of information is different types of information from each other (see Kojima as applied to claim 1, e.g., annotated Fig. 1 and paragraphs 28, 32, battery monitoring unit 30 wirelessly transmits the data signal to the control apparatus 10 using the transmitting and receiving unit 40 and the antenna 42; the data signal includes, in addition to the cell voltage data VD and the temperature data TD, identification information ID for identifying each of the battery modules M1 to M5).
Regarding claim 4, Kojima discloses wherein the single wireless transmission unit is configured to collectively transmit a plurality of pieces of information in the battery-related information acquired by the two or more monitoring units in such a manner that a total amount of data to be transmitted collectively falls within a predetermined range by combining types of information in the battery-related information (Kojima, e.g., paragraph 52, the control apparatus 10 transmits, to the battery group GR, a transmission command for the cell voltage data VD and the temperature data TD of each of the battery modules M1 to M5, and acquires these pieces of data; the examiner notes that the data to be transmitted in this case (e.g., the cell voltage data VD and the temperature data TD of each of the battery modules M1 to M5) represents combined types of information in the battery-related information of a fixed amount that collectively falls within a predetermined range).
Regarding claim 5, Kojima discloses:
wherein the single wireless transmission unit is configured to collectively transmit a plurality of pieces of information in the battery-related information acquired by the two or more monitoring units (see Kojima as applied to claim 1, e.g., annotated Fig. 1 and paragraphs 28, 32, battery monitoring unit 30 wirelessly transmits the data signal to the control apparatus 10 using the transmitting and receiving unit 40 and the antenna 42; the data signal includes, in addition to the cell voltage data VD and the temperature data TD, identification information ID for identifying each of the battery modules M1 to M5); and
the single wireless transmission unit is configured to transmit the plurality of pieces of information according to a reading time of the battery-related information acquired by the two or more monitoring units (see Kojima as applied to claim 1, e.g., annotated Fig. 1 and paragraphs 30-30, the battery monitoring units 30 of the battery modules M1 to M5 are connected in a ring topology by the communication line 38; the battery monitoring unit 30 of each of battery modules M1 to M5 transmits signals, such as a command signal and a data signal, in a transmission direction YA that is prescribed in advance using the communication line 38 that is arranged in a ring topology; signals, such as the command signals and the data signals, are transmitted among the battery modules M1 to M5 in the transmission direction YA from the battery module M1 on the high-voltage side toward the battery module M5 on the low-voltage side; a signal that is transmitted to the battery module M5 is transmitted between the battery modules M1 and M5 in the transmission direction YA from the battery module M5 on the low-voltage side toward the battery module M1 on the high-voltage side; also see paragraph 52, when the identification process is ended, the control apparatus 10 transmits, to the battery group GR, a transmission command for the cell voltage data VD and the temperature data TD of each of the battery modules M1 to M5, and acquires these pieces of data; it is implicit in paragraph 52, in view of Kojima’s ring topology of Fig. 1, that the cell voltage data VD and the temperature data TD of each of the battery modules M1 to M5 will be read by transmitting and receiving unit 40 from battery module M5, at which time the data for modules M1-M5 will be transmitted to control apparatus 10 responsive to the transmission command).
Claim 17 recites a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program including instructions for a battery monitoring system that includes:
an assembled battery including a plurality of battery modules, each of the plurality of battery modules including a plurality of battery cells connected in series; and
at least one battery monitoring device provided for two or more battery modules arranged adjacent to each other in the plurality of battery modules,
the at least one battery monitoring device includes:
two or more monitoring units provided for the two or more battery modules, respectively, and configured to acquire battery-related information including at least information indicating a state of the plurality of battery cells included in the two or more battery modules; and
a single wireless transmission unit communicably connected to the two or more monitoring units and configured to wirelessly transmit the battery-related information, the instructions configured to:
cause the two or more monitoring units to acquire the battery-related information;
cause the two or more monitoring units to transmit the battery-related information to the single wireless transmission unit; and
cause the single wireless transmission unit to wirelessly transmit the battery-related information to a control device,
and is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 as anticipated by Kojima for reasons identical to those discussed above in connection with claim 1, further recognizing that Kojima’s control apparatus 10 is mainly configured by a microcomputer that is configured by a central processing unit (CPU), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and the like, with the control apparatus 10 individually controlling the battery modules M1 to M5 by running various control programs stored in the ROM (Kojima, e.g., paragraphs 34, 52).
Claim 19 recites a battery monitoring device for an assembled battery including a plurality of battery modules, each of the plurality of battery modules including a plurality of battery cells connected in series, the battery monitoring device configured to monitor two or more battery modules arranged adjacent to each other in the plurality of battery modules, the battery monitoring device comprising:
two or more monitoring units provided for the two or more battery modules, respectively, and configured to acquire battery-related information including at least information indicating a state of the plurality of battery cells included in the two or more battery modules; and
a single wireless transmission unit configured to wirelessly transmit the battery-related information acquired by the two or more monitoring units to a control device,
and is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 as anticipated by Kojima for reasons identical to those discussed above in connection with claim 1.
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 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kojima in view of US 2017/0212170 to Torai et al. (Torai), previously of record.
Regarding claim 3, Kojima is not relied upon as explicitly disclosing wherein the single wireless transmission unit is configured to collectively transmit a plurality of pieces of information in the battery-related information acquired by the two or more monitoring units in a combination of types of information having a smaller data amount than a combination of types of information having a largest data in the battery-related information acquired by the two or more monitoring units. In related art, Torai discloses use of an average processing unit 12 that averages and outputs the current values I and the voltage values V which have been measured and converted into digital data (Torai, e.g., Fig. 6 and paragraph 101). For example, in order to reduce the number of data pieces, Torai discloses that a process of averaging the digital data corresponding to 10 sampling periods is performed to obtain 1/10 the amount of data of sampling periods (Torai, e.g., Fig. 6 and paragraph 101). Accordingly, Torai discloses collectively transmitting a plurality of pieces of information in the battery-related information acquired by the plurality of monitoring units in a combination of types of information having a smaller data amount than a combination of types of information having a largest data in the battery-related information acquired by the plurality of monitoring units. It 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 to modify Kojima such that the wireless transmission unit is configured to collectively transmit a plurality of pieces of information in the battery-related information acquired by the plurality of monitoring units in a combination of types of information having a smaller data amount than a combination of types of information having a largest data in the battery-related information acquired by the plurality of monitoring units. In this way, in the manner disclosed by Torai, a reduction the number of data pieces can be obtained.
Claims 6 and 20-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kojima in view of DE102017215418A1 to Schmidt (Schmidt).
Regarding claim 6, Kojima discloses wherein
the battery-related information includes, as types of the battery-related information, voltage information of the plurality of battery cells, temperature information of the plurality of battery cells or the at least one battery monitoring deviceand
the single wireless transmission unit is configured to wirelessly transmit the voltage information or the temperature information
Kojima is not relied upon as explicitly disclosing that the battery-related information includes, as types of the battery-related information, diagnosis information diagnosed in relation to the plurality of battery cells or the at least one battery monitoring device, and that the single wireless transmission unit is configured to wirelessly transmit the voltage information or the temperature information in combination with the diagnosis information. Schmidt discloses a cell monitoring circuit that may be designed so that it not only monitors or detects the reference voltages, but also diagnostic values, such as the state of charge (SoC) or the quality state (SoH) of the energy store 2 determined, with the diagnostic values also being included in the information signal (Schmidt, e.g., page 8 of machine translation, paragraph 4). It 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 to modify Kojima such that the battery-related information includes, as types of the battery-related information, diagnosis information diagnosed in relation to the plurality of battery cells or the at least one battery monitoring device, and that the single wireless transmission unit is configured to wirelessly transmit the voltage information or the temperature information in combination with the diagnosis information. In this way, in the manner disclosed by Schmidt, diagnostic values such as the state of charge (SoC) or the quality state (SoH) may also be monitored.
Regarding claim 20, the recited combination of:
the battery-related information includes, as types of the battery-related information, voltage information of the plurality of battery cells, temperature information of the plurality of battery cells or the at least one battery monitoring device, and diagnosis information diagnosed in relation to the plurality of battery cells or the at least one battery monitoring device, and
the single wireless transmission unit is configured to wirelessly transmit the voltage information or the temperature information in combination with the diagnosis information
is unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. 103 over Kojima in view of Schmidt for reasons analogous to those discussed above in connection with claim 6.
Kojima in view of Schmidt is not relied upon as explicitly disclosing that the transmitted information is transmitted at a different timing for each of the two or more monitoring units, as further recited in claim 20. One or ordinary skill in the art would nonetheless understand from Kojima’s arrangement of Fig. 1 that commands and data are transmitted in a transmission direction YA from module M1 to module M5, with the voltage/temperature data for modules M1-M5 collectively being transmitted from transmission terminal CH2 of M5 to the reception terminal CH1 of M1 for transmission to the control apparatus 10 via transmitting and receiving unit 40. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that Kojima’s basis for distinguishing one module’s voltage/temperature data from that of another module is an identification information ID particular to each module (see, e.g., Figs. 2-3 and associated disclosure). The examiner further takes Official notice of the fact that organization of device data into frames, with each frame having for example a device address/id field and a data field was well-known and conventional before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. It 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 to further modify Kojima such that Kojima’s transmitting and receiving unit 40 transmits voltage/temperature/diagnosis data as a sequence of frames over time, with each frame corresponding to the voltage/temperature/diagnosis data acquired by a corresponding one of the battery monitoring units 30 in Fig. 2. In this way, the transmitted information can be organized/grouped according to the device from which it originates, as is well-known in the art of data communication. In such an arrangement, the examiner notes that Kojima’s transmitting and receiving unit 40 will be configured wirelessly transmit the battery-related information at a different timing (e.g., frame) for each of the two or more monitoring units.
Claim 21 recites wherein
the battery-related information includes, as types of the battery-related information, voltage information of the plurality of battery cells, temperature information of the plurality of battery cells or the at least one battery monitoring device, and diagnosis information diagnosed in relation to the plurality of battery cells or the at least one battery monitoring device, and
the single wireless transmission unit is configured to wirelessly transmit the voltage information or the temperature information in combination with the diagnosis information at a different timing for each of the two or more monitoring units,
and is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 over Kojima in view of Schmidt for reasons analogous to those discussed above in connection with claim 20.
Claim 22 recites wherein
the battery-related information includes, as types of the battery-related information, voltage information of the plurality of battery cells, temperature information of the plurality of battery cells or the battery monitoring device, and diagnosis information diagnosed in relation to the plurality of battery cells or the battery monitoring device, and
the single wireless transmission unit is configured to wirelessly transmit the voltage information or the temperature information in combination with the diagnosis information at a different timing for each of the two or more monitoring units,
and is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 over Kojima in view of Schmidt for reasons analogous to those discussed above in connection with claim 20.
Claims 7 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kojima.
Regarding claim 7, Kojima as applied to claim 1 is not relied upon as explicitly disclosing wherein the single wireless transmission unit is configured to wirelessly transmit the battery-related information at a different timing for each of the two or more monitoring units. One or ordinary skill in the art would nonetheless understand from Kojima’s arrangement of Fig. 1 that commands and data are transmitted in a transmission direction YA from module M1 to module M5, with the voltage/temperature data for modules M1-M5 collectively being transmitted from transmission terminal CH2 of M5 to the reception terminal CH1 of M1 for transmission to the control apparatus 10 via transmitting and receiving unit 40. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that Kojima’s basis for distinguishing one module’s voltage/temperature data from that of another module is an identification information ID particular to each module (see, e.g., Figs. 2-3 and associated disclosure). The examiner further takes Official notice of the fact that organization of device data into frames, with each frame having for example a device address/id field and a data field was well-known and conventional before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. It 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 to modify Kojima such that Kojima’s transmitting and receiving unit 40 transmits voltage/temperature data as a sequence of frames over time, with each frame corresponding to the voltage/temperature data acquired by a corresponding one of the battery monitoring units 30 in Fig. 2. In this way, the transmitted information can be organized/grouped according to the device from which it originates, as is well-known in the art of data communication. In such an arrangement, the examiner notes that Kojima’s transmitting and receiving unit 40 will be configured wirelessly transmit the battery-related information at a different timing (e.g., frame) for each of the two or more monitoring units.
Regarding claim 18, Kojima as applied to claim 1 is not relied upon as explicitly disclosing the at least one battery monitoring device includes a plurality of monitoring devices each of which is provided for corresponding two or more battery modules arranged adjacent to each other in the plurality of battery modules. In particular, in the embodiment of Fig. 1 as annotated in connection with the rejection of claim 1, Kojima discloses one battery monitoring device which is provided for corresponding two or more battery modules arranged adjacent to each other in the plurality of battery modules. Kojima nonetheless discloses an embodiment that includes a plurality of monitoring devices each of which is provided for corresponding two or more battery modules arranged adjacent to each other in the plurality of battery modules (Kojima, e.g., Fig. 6 and paragraphs 74-79, note in Fig. 6 first battery group GR1 is composed of the battery modules M1 to M3 and second battery group GR2 is connected to the low-voltage side of the first battery group GR1 by a bus bar 44, and is composed of the battery modules M4 and M5, with each of the first battery group GR1 and the second battery group GR2 in Fig. 6 having a battery monitoring device analogous to that Fig. 1 as annotated above). It 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 to modify Kojima such that the at least one battery monitoring device includes a plurality of monitoring devices each of which is provided for corresponding two or more battery modules arranged adjacent to each other in the plurality of battery modules. In this way, in a case where multiple battery groups are provided such as shown in Fig. 6 of Kojima, each battery group may be provided with its own dedicated battery monitoring device.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kojima, or alternatively over Kojima in view of US 2020/0124680 to Tsuchiya et al. (Tsuchiya).
Regarding claim 8, Kojima is not relied on as explicitly disclosing wherein the two or more monitoring units and the single wireless transmission unit are disposed on an identical substrate. At the outset, the examiner notes that claim 8 as written does not affirmatively require the substrate as an element of the battery monitoring system. Accordingly, the broadest reasonable interpretation of claim 8 appears to be directed toward a manner of using/arranging the monitoring units and the single wireless transmission unit, which is non-limiting. In the alternative, even if claim 8 would be interpreted as requiring a substrate as an element of the battery monitoring system, Tsuchiya discloses mounting battery monitoring circuitry on a common substrate (Tsuchiya, e.g., Fig. 1 and paragraph 44). It 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 to modify Kojima such that the two or more monitoring units and the single wireless transmission unit are disposed on an identical substrate for at least the reason that this would achieve commonization of the battery monitoring circuit board, thus making it possible to suppress the cost of manufacturing a battery monitoring circuit board (Tsuchiya, e.g., paragraph 44).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kojima in view of US 2013/0002016 to Furukawa et al. (Furukawa).
Regarding claim 9, Kojima is not relied upon as explicitly disclosing wherein the single wireless transmission unit and the two or more monitoring units are communicatively connected in a network topology of a star connection. In related art, Furukawa discloses in connection with the power source apparatus of Fig. 1 that the main controller 2 and plurality of battery-connected modules 10 can be connected via communication lines CB in any of the network topologies including a bus topology, daisy-chain topology, ring topology, or star topology. This allows selection of optimal module network topology depending on the application. The prior art included each element claimed, although not necessarily in a single prior art reference, with the only difference between the claimed invention and the prior art being the lack of actual combination of the elements in a single prior art reference. One of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods, and that in combination, each element merely performs the same function as it does separately. Moreover, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable. For these reasons, the recitation that the single wireless transmission unit and the two or more monitoring units are communicatively connected in a network topology of a star connection does not patentably define over Kojima when considered in light of the teachings of Furukawa.
Claims 10 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kojima in view of US 2016/0247389 to Shimizu al. (Shimizu), previously of record.
Regarding claim 10, Kojima as applied to claim 1 discloses:
the two or more battery modules are arranged in parallel (see battery units 20 in annotated Fig. 1 of Kojima above, which are arranged in parallel).
Kojima is not relied upon as explicitly disclosing:
the at least one battery monitoring device is disposed across side surfaces of the two or more battery modules.
In related art, Shimizu discloses at least one battery monitoring device that is disposed across side surfaces of two or more battery modules (Shimizu, e.g., Fig. 2, detection units 31a-31d disposed across side surfaces of battery modules 11a-11d). It 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 to modify Kojima such that the at least one battery monitoring device is disposed across side surfaces of the two or more battery modules at least in view of Shimizu’s teachings that side surfaces of battery modules are a suitable location for battery monitoring device placement.
Regarding claim 15, Kojima as applied to claim 1 is not relied upon as explicitly disclosing:
the plurality of battery modules are arranged in parallel in a predetermined direction,
the plurality of battery cells included in each of the plurality of battery modules are arranged in parallel in an intersecting direction that intersects the predetermined direction, and
the at least one battery monitoring device is disposed at an intermediate portion in the intersecting direction on upper surfaces of the plurality of battery cells.
In related art, Shimizu discloses a plurality of battery modules that are arranged in parallel in a predetermined direction, a plurality of battery cells included in each of the plurality of battery modules are arranged in parallel in an intersecting direction that intersects the predetermined direction, and at least one battery monitoring device is disposed at an intermediate portion in the intersecting direction on upper surfaces of the plurality of battery cells (Shimizu, e.g., Fig. 2, batteries 11a-11d constituted of a plurality of cells 5, with batteries 11a-11d arranged in parallel in a predetermined direction and the plurality of cells 5 in each battery 11a-11d are arranged in parallel in an intersecting direction that intersects the predetermined direction, and with at least one detection unit 31a-31d disposed at an intermediate portion in the intersecting direction on upper surfaces of cells 5). The prior art included each element claimed, although not necessarily in a single prior art reference, with the only difference between the claimed invention and the prior art being the lack of actual combination of the elements in a single prior art reference. One of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods, and that in combination, each element merely performs the same function as it does separately. Moreover, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable. For these reasons, the recitations that the plurality of battery modules are arranged in parallel in a predetermined direction, the plurality of battery cells included in each of the plurality of battery modules are arranged in parallel in an intersecting direction that intersects the predetermined direction, and the at least one battery monitoring device is disposed at an intermediate portion in the intersecting direction on upper surfaces of the plurality of battery cells do not patentably define over Kojima when considered in light of the teachings of Shimizu.
Claims 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kojima in view of US 2023/0054678 to Hwang (Hwang).
Regarding claim 12, Kojima is not relied upon as explicitly disclosing:
a housing surrounding the assembled battery and the at least one monitoring device, and capable of reflecting an electromagnetic wave, wherein
the housing has a space that constitutes a pseudo waveguide though which the electromagnetic wave wirelessly propagates along a predetermined direction, and
the at least one battery is disposed in the space.
In related art, Hwang discloses a housing surrounding an assembled battery and at least one monitoring device, and capable of reflecting an electromagnetic wave, the housing has a space that constitutes a pseudo waveguide though which the electromagnetic wave wirelessly propagates along a predetermined direction, and the at least one battery is disposed in the space (Hwang, e.g., Fig. 2, housing in the form of cabinet 11 in combination with door 12 and waveguide 50, with the housing surrounding assembled battery constituted by battery modules 20, with each battery module 20 having slave module 30; at least waveguide 50 of housing is capable of reflecting (internally) an electromagnetic wave to/from each slave module 30; Hwang’s housing has a space, with at least a portion of the space occupied by waveguide 50 constituting a pseudo waveguide though which the electromagnetic wave wirelessly propagates along a predetermined direction; Hwang’s battery modules 20 are disposed in the space of the housing). It 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 to modify Kojima to include a housing surrounding the assembled battery and the at least one monitoring device, and capable of reflecting an electromagnetic wave, with the housing having a space that constitutes a pseudo waveguide though which the electromagnetic wave wirelessly propagates along a predetermined direction, and with the at least one battery being disposed in the space. In this way, in the manner disclosed by Hwang, the effects of noise on the wireless connection can be mitigated (Hwang, e.g., paragraph 9) and/or the transmission path of the wireless signal may be controlled more effectively (Hwang, e.g., paragraph 90).
Regarding claim 13, Kojima in view of Hwang as applied to claim 12 is not relied upon as explicitly disclosing:
the two or more battery modules are arranged adjacent to each other in the predetermined direction, and
the at least one battery monitoring device is disposed across side surfaces of the two or more battery modules in the space on an inner side of a wall surface of the housing extending in the predetermined direction.
Hwang further discloses in Fig. 2 that the two or more battery modules are arranged adjacent to each other in the predetermined direction, with the at least one battery monitoring device being disposed across side surfaces of the two or more battery modules in the space on an inner side of a wall surface of the housing extending in the predetermined direction (see Hwang, e.g., Fig. 2, noting arrangement of the battery modules 20 along the direction of the waveguide 50, with the slave modules 30 being disposed across side surfaces of the battery modules 20 in the space on an inner side of a wall surface of the housing (e.g., wall surface defined by door 12) extending in the direction of the waveguide 50). It 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 to modify Kojima in view of Hwang such that the two or more battery modules are arranged adjacent to each other in the predetermined direction and such that the at least one battery monitoring device is disposed across side surfaces of the two or more battery modules in the space on an inner side of a wall surface of the housing extending in the predetermined direction. In this way, in the manner disclosed by Hwang, the effects of noise on the wireless connection can be mitigated (Hwang, e.g., paragraph 9) and/or the transmission path of the wireless signal may be controlled more effectively (Hwang, e.g., paragraph 90).
Regarding claim 14, Kojima in view of Hwang as applied to claim 12 is not relied upon as explicitly disclosing:
the two or more battery modules are arranged in parallel in the predetermined direction, and
the at least one battery monitoring device is disposed along side surfaces of the two or more battery modules.
Hwang further discloses in Fig. 2 that the two or more battery modules are arranged in parallel in the predetermined direction, with the at least one battery monitoring device being disposed along side surfaces of the two or more battery modules (see Hwang, e.g., Fig. 2, noting arrangement of the battery modules 20 along the direction of the waveguide 50, with the slave modules 30 being disposed along side surfaces of the battery modules 20). It 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 to modify Kojima in view of Hwang such that the two or more battery modules are arranged in parallel in the predetermined direction and such that the at least one battery monitoring device is disposed along side surfaces of the two or more battery modules. In this way, in the manner disclosed by Hwang, the effects of noise on the wireless connection can be mitigated (Hwang, e.g., paragraph 9) and/or the transmission path of the wireless signal may be controlled more effectively (Hwang, e.g., paragraph 90).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL R MILLER whose telephone number is (571)270-1964. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM EST M-F.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lisa Caputo can be reached at (571) 272-2388. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/DANIEL R MILLER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2863