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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 10/12/2023 and 10/03/2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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, 5-6, 8, and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Saigo et al. [US 2004/0056639].
With respect to claim 1, Saigo discloses a voltage equalization apparatus of a plurality of battery cells [Fig. 1], comprising: a battery cell group in which the plurality of battery cells are connected in series [B]; a switching unit electrically connected to the battery cell group and including a plurality of switching elements [2]; a capacitor electrically connected to the switching unit [Cb]; and a controller electrically connected to the battery cell group and the switching unit [5/6], and configured to receive respective voltages of the plurality of battery cells, and to control the plurality of switching elements to turn on or off according to voltage levels of the plurality of battery cells [Fig. 2], wherein the capacitor is connected in parallel with at least one battery cell of the battery cell group through the control of the switching unit by the controller [par. 0039-0041].
With respect to claims 5-6, Saigo further discloses wherein after charging the capacitor by electrically connecting in parallel to the capacitor battery cell(s) having a largest voltage in the battery cell group, the controller is configured to charge the battery cell as the capacitor is discharged by electrically connecting in parallel to the capacitor a battery cell having a smallest voltage in the battery cell group [Fig. 2].
With respect to claim 8, Saigo further discloses wherein the controller is configured to periodically monitor and compare a plurality of battery cells included in the battery cell group to identify and select a battery cell having a largest voltage and a battery cell having a smallest voltage [Fig. 2, see also item 5].
With respect to claim 13, Saigo further discloses wherein in response to the battery cell group being in a charge/discharge mode, the controller is configured to periodically control driving of the switching unit to equalize voltages of the plurality of battery cells included in the battery cell group through the capacitor [Fig. 2].
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.
Claim(s) 2, 4, and 9-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saigo et al. [US 2004/0056639] as applied above, and further in view of Ishikawa [US 2007/0046260].
With respect to claims 2, 4, and 11, Saigo teaches a controller controlling switches in parallel as detailed above fails to disclose the claimed number of switches/configuration. However, while the switch configuration is different the process/function is still the same, i.e. moving charge to equalize the batteries. Additionally, Ishikawa related to regulating battery charge and teaches in the battery cell group, n battery cells are sequentially connected in series, and the switching unit comprises: a first switching unit including n+1 switching elements electrically connected to positive or negative electrodes of the n battery cells; and a second switching unit including n switching elements electrically connected to the n battery cells in parallel with each other [n+1 switches s20-s216 and n switches at items 3 and 5].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to person having ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the instant invention to modify Saigo to include the n+1 and n switch configuration as taught by Ishikawa for the benefit of maintaining continuous power to the load while allowing at least one battery string/cell to be isolated for equalization as suggested by Ishikawa.
With respect to claim 9, Saigo further discloses wherein the battery cell group includes a first through nth battery cell, where n is an integer greater than 1, the negative electrode of the first battery cell is electrically connected to the positive electrode of the second battery cell, the negative electrode of the second battery cell is electrically connected to the positive electrode of the third battery cell, and the negative electrode of the (n-1)th battery cell is electrically connected to the positive electrode of the nth battery cell [as depicted in Fig. 1 with cells B1-B4].
With respect to claim 10, Saigo further discloses wherein the first switching unit includes a 1a through an na switching element, where n is an integer greater than 1, of which the first electrodes are electrically connected to the negative electrodes of the first through nth battery cells, respectively, and a Oa switching element of which the first electrode is electrically connected to the positive electrode of the first battery cell [as depicted in Fig. 1 with switches S1a-S4b].
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saigo et al. [US 2004/0056639] as applied above.
With respect to claim 14, Saigo fails to disclose further discloses wherein based on turning on two or more switching elements, the controller is configured to apply an on/off control signal at a higher frequency than the frequency at which a control signal for turning on one switching element turns on another switching element, however, Saigo does disclose being connected to and controlled by a control enabled to control the switching frequency.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the instant invention to modify Saigo to increase the switching frequency when turning on two or more switches as it is known in the art that higher frequencies provide the benefit of lower noise and smaller EMI filtering benefits. Applicant’s specification fails to recite an criticality or unexpected results from increasing the frequency and merely recites that it can be done, therefore the actual switching frequencies for the switches are one of a limited possibilities.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4, 7, and 12 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if canceled and incorporated into the independent claim including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
With respect to claim 3, the prior art of record does not suggest or disclose the claimed combination of elements or steps as recited, most particularly the claimed, “wherein in the respective switching elements of the first switching unit, a first electrode is electrically connected to a positive electrode and a negative electrode of each of the n battery cells of the battery cell group, respectively, and electrode is electrically connected to the first electrode and the second electrode of each of the n switching elements of the second switching unit, respectively.”
Claim 4 depends from claim 4 and is objected to for the same reason.
With respect to claim 7, the prior art of record does not suggest or disclose the claimed combination of elements or steps as recited, most particularly the claimed, “wherein the two battery cells having the largest voltage in the battery cell group are connected in series, and the two battery cells connected in series are connected in parallel to the capacitor.”
With respect to claim 12, the prior art of record does not suggest or disclose the claimed combination of elements or steps as recited, most particularly the claimed, “wherein the 1 a through na switching elements of the first switching unit have second electrodes respectively electrically connected to the second electrodes of the 1 b through nb switching element of the second switching unit, and the second electrode of the Oa switching element is electrically connected to the first electrode of the 1 b switching element of the second switching unit.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHANIEL R PELTON whose telephone number is (571)270-1761. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am to 5pm.
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/NATHANIEL R PELTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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