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 .
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.
Re Claims 1 and 11, the terms “synchronous” and synchronous behavior is not a well-recognized meaning in the art. Since the terms “synchronous” and “synchronous behavior” have not been defined one of ordinary skill would have not been able to ascertain the metes and bounds of the claim. For the purpose of examination the terms
have been interpreted as referring to a compatible voltage level of fuel cell output voltage, battery output voltage and DC-bus voltage.
Clarification of the above terms in the claims 1 and 11 is necessary to ensure clarity in such a way that one of ordinary skill in the art could interpret the metes and bounds of the claim so as to understand how to avoid infringement.
Claims 2-10 and 12-19 are also indefinite due to dependency on the indefinite base claims.
Re Claims 7, 8, 9, 10, 17, 18 ,19, 20, The phrases “completes a set of remaining activities” , “completes a second set of remaining activities” , “completes a set of critical activities”, “completes a first set of remaining activities”, renders the claim indefinite since the “activities and sets of activities have not been defined. Specifically what are the critical activities , remaining activities, sets of activities. It is not clear what the different activities are. As such, one of ordinary skill would have not been able to ascertain the metes and bounds of the claim. Therefore, the broadest reasonable interpretation is in view.
Re Claims 7-9 and 17-19 , the claims are rendered indefinite since the actions executed and the shutdown periods are not defined in any way . As such, one of ordinary skill would have not been able to ascertain the metes and bounds of the claim. Therefore, the broadest reasonable interpretation is in view.
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 6, 11, 12, 14, and 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 a1 as being anticipated by LIU CN 114604136 A translated provided by Examiner.
Re Claim 1, LIU discloses a synchronous high voltage control system for a fuel cell battery electric vehicle (FCBEV) (hydrogen energy vehicle ) , the control system comprising:
a fuel cell propulsion system (FCPS) configured to control a fuel cell system of an electrified powertrain of the FCBEV based on a mode control signal, wherein the fuel cell system is controlled by the FCPS such that it converts a fuel source to electrical energy to selectively support a high voltage bus of the electrified powertrain ([see machine translation of Dl, Page 8, sections 9-12: "The VCU receives the power-on completion signal of the BMS and SCMS, and sends an enable command to the two-way DCDC. The two-way DCDC receives the VCU work command and starts to work. The two-way DCDC feeds back the working status to the VCU, and the high-voltage power-on of the vehicle is completed; The VCU receives the SOC value fed back by the BMS, and determines whether the SOC value is less than the first preset value);
and an electrified vehicle control unit (EVCU) configured to (i) supervise a battery pack control module (BPCM) that is configured to control contactors (KS, K6, Kl)
[ See page 8 of translation, section 9The BMS and SCMS receive the VCU power-on command, the BMS control relays KS and K7 are closed to start precharging]
to connect or disconnect a high voltage battery system to and from the high voltage bus and (ii) generate the mode control signal for the FCPS (via the PDU), wherein the EVCU is configured to utilize the mode control signal to have synchronous behavior (since on common DC-bus) across all high voltage systems of the FCBEV including the high voltage battery system and the fuel cell system (See translation).
Re Claim 2, LIU discloses the control system of claim 1, wherein the FCPS is not configured to supervise the BPCM (See translation , In LIU the fuel cell control is not explained as supervising the battery control unit).
Re Claim 3, LIU discloses the control system of claim 1, wherein the FCPS is a standard off-the-shelf component and no additional hardware is required (See page 2 of translation).
Re Claim 4, LIU discloses the control system of claim 1, wherein the mode control signal indicates one of five different modes (see translation , the VCU coordinates at least three energy sources (HV battery, super-capacitor and fuel cell) which implies at least six control modes(3!=6) to manage all combinations of sources) .
Re Claim 6, LIU discloses the control system of claim 5, wherein the FCPS enable and disable mode are based on (i) a propulsion system active (PSA) status indicative of whether a start-up procedure of the electrified powertrain is complete and (ii) a drive ready (DR) status indicative of whether the FCBEV is ready to drive (conventional in the art since any fuel cell needs a start-up period.)
Re Claim 11, LIU discloses A synchronous high voltage control method for a fuel cell battery electric vehicle (FCBEV), the method comprising: providing a fuel cell propulsion system (FCPS); controlling, by the FCPS, a fuel cell system of an electrified powertrain of the FCBEV based on a mode control signal such that the fuel system converts a fuel source to electrical energy to selectively support a high voltage bus of the electrified powertrain ([see excerpt machine translation of Dl: "The VCU receives the power-on completion signal of the BMS and SCMS, and sends an enable command to the two-way DCDC. The two-way DCDC receives the VCU work command and starts to work. The two-way DCDC feeds back the working status to the VCU, and the high-voltage power-on of the vehicle is completed; The VCU receives the SOC value fed back by the BMS, and determines whether the SOC value is less than the first preset value);
providing an electrified vehicle control unit (EVCU) configured to supervise a battery pack control module (BPCM); controlling, by the EVCU, the BPCM to control contactors (KS, K6, Kl) [The BMS and SCMS receive the VCU power-on command, the BMS control relays KS and K7 are closed to start precharging]
to connect or disconnect a high voltage battery system to and from the high voltage bus; and generating, by the EVCU, the mode control signal for the FCPS (via the PDU) , wherein the EVCU is configured to utilize the mode control signal to have synchronous behavior (since on common DC Bus) across all high voltage systems of the FCBEV including the high voltage battery system and the fuel cell system.
Re Claim 12, LIU discloses The method of claim 11, wherein the FCPS is not configured to supervise the BPCM(See translation , In LIU the fuel cell control is not explained as supervising the battery control unit)..
Re Claim 14, LIU discloses The method of claim 11, wherein the mode control signal indicates one of five different modes (the VCU coordinates at least three energy sources (HV battery, super-capacitor and fuel cell) which implies at least six control modes (3!=6) to manage all combinations of sources).
Re Claim 16, LIU discloses The method of claim 15, wherein the FCPS enable and disable mode are based on (i) a propulsion system active (PSA) status indicative of whether a start-up procedure of the electrified powertrain is complete and (ii) a drive ready (DR) status indicative of whether the FCBEV is ready to drive ((conventional in the art since any fuel cell needs a start-up period).
Conclusion
Gudapati et al. discloses high voltage battery contactor welding prevention method for an electrified vehicle .
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SONJI N. JOHNSON
Examiner
Art Unit 2876
/SONJI N JOHNSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
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