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 .
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.
DETAILED ACTION
Claims status
Claims 1-9 are pending as the applicant filed Preliminary Amendment on 10/27/2023.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception (i.e., a law of nature, a natural phenomenon, or an abstract idea) without significantly more.
Claim 1, Step 1 the claim is a process (or machine) (Yes),
Step 2A Prong One, does the claim recite an abstract idea? current claim related to a state-of-charge estimation method for estimating an SOC that is a state of charge of a battery, the method comprising: obtaining a plurality of pseudo-SOC values before depolarization of the battery, based on a voltage of the battery after the battery is continuously charged or discharged and the charging or discharging is stopped; setting an initial value for an estimated SOC value that is estimated as a post-depolarization SOC; obtaining a Δ-pseudo-SOC value that is a difference between each of the pseudo-SOC values and the estimated SOC value; obtaining a correlation between a square of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value obtained and a rate of change of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value appears is an abstract idea of mental process (MPEP 2106.04(a)) or data gathering equivalent to mathematical concept or mathematical manipulation function (MPEP 2106.04 (a) (2) (concept need not be expressed in mathematical symbols, because "[w]ords used in a claim operating on data to solve a problem can serve the same purpose as a formula), (OR Mathematical Concepts and Mental Processes) Step 2A Prong One: Yes.
Step 2A Prong Two, is the claim directed to an abstract idea? In other words, does claim recite additional elements that integrate the Judicial Exception into a practical application? the additional elements of classifying the correlation obtained into a first region in which the rate of change of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value changes non-linearly with respect to the square of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value and a second region in which the rate of change of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value changes linearly with respect to the square of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value, and obtaining a regression line representing the rate of change of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value with respect to the square of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value when the rate of change of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value is in the second region are recited at a high level of generality and merely amount to a particular field of use (see MPEP 2106.05(h)) and/or insignificant post-solution activity (MPEP 2106.05(g)), this does not integrate the Judicial Exception into a practical application,
Step 2A Prong Two: NO.
Step 2B, Does the claim recite additional element that amount to significantly more than the Judicial exception? The additional element of using the regression line obtained to correct the estimated SOC value such that the estimated SOC value approaches a post-depolarization true SOC value appears to be field of use (See MPEP 2106.05(h) and MPEP 2106.05(f)) and/or merely amounts to insignificant extra-solution output of the results (see MPEP 2106.05(g)) and therefore fails to integrate the abstract idea into a practical application or amount to significantly more. Step 2B: No. claim 1 not eligible.
Claim 2 related to storing the first region and the second region from the correlation, wherein, in obtaining the plurality of pseudo-SOC values, the pseudo-SOC values are not obtained within an amount of time corresponding to the first region that is stored in advance in storing the first region and the second region, and the pseudo-SOC values are only obtained within an amount of time corresponding to the second region that is stored in advance in storing the first region and the second region merely recite further data characterization and mathematical concepts that are part of the abstract idea, claim 2 not eligible.
Claim 3 related to wherein the battery is installed in a vehicle, and in using the regression line obtained to correct the estimated SOC value, the estimated SOC value is corrected and the estimated SOC value approaches a post-depolarization true SOC value before a controller installed in the vehicle shuts down merely recite further data characterization and mathematical concepts that are part of the abstract idea, claim 3 not eligible.
Claim 4 related to in obtaining the plurality of pseudo-SOC values before depolarization of the battery, obtaining the pseudo-SOC values is limited to within a predetermined amount of time merely recite further data characterization and mathematical concepts that are part of the abstract idea, claim 4 not eligible.
Claim 5 related to in obtaining the plurality of pseudo-SOC values before depolarization of the battery, the voltage of the battery when a current flowing to the battery is less than a predetermined value after the battery is continuously charged or discharged and the charging or discharging is stopped is employed as an OCV, and the pseudo-SOC values are obtained from an SOC-OCV curve prepared in advance for the battery merely recite further data characterization and mathematical concepts that are part of the abstract idea, claim 5 not eligible.
Claim 6 related to calculating a current battery capacity Ah by dividing, by an amount of change ΔSOC that is an amount by which the estimated SOC value, corrected in using the regression line obtained to correct the estimated SOC value, changed due to continuous discharging or charging, a total accumulated value for a current that flowed while the estimated SOC value changed, and calculating an SOH that is a degree of deterioration of the battery, by dividing the calculated current battery capacity Ah by an initial battery capacity Ah merely recite further data characterization and mathematical concepts that are part of the abstract idea, claim 6 not eligible.
Claim 7 related to externally transmitting the SOH calculated in calculating the current battery capacity Ah and calculating the SOH, before a controller installed in a vehicle shuts down merely recite further data characterization and mathematical concepts that are part of the abstract idea, claim 7 not eligible.
Claim 8 related to letting the rate of change of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value be a Y axis and the square of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value be an X axis, the regression line is obtained, in classifying the correlation obtained and obtaining the regression line, by calculating a gradient a and a Y-intercept b using a linear regression computation merely recite further data characterization and mathematical concepts that are part of the abstract idea, claim 8 not eligible.
Claim 9 related to estimated SOC value approaches the post-depolarization true SOC value by repeatedly correcting the estimated SOC value a predetermined number of times such that the Y-intercept b for the regression line matches a 0 point, in using the regression line obtained to correct the estimated SOC value
merely recite further data characterization and mathematical concepts that are part of the abstract idea, claim 9 not eligible.
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 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by TAKAHASHI, CN 102470771 A, Date Published: 2012-05-23, CPC B60L 58/19.
Regarding claim 1:
TAKAHASHI described a state-of-charge estimation method for estimating an SOC that is a state of charge of a battery (abstract, controls charge/discharge of the battery, based on the calculated SOC value), the method comprising: obtaining a plurality of pseudo-SOC values before depolarization of the battery, based on a voltage of the battery after the battery is continuously charged or discharged and the charging or discharging is stopped (abstract, controls charge/discharge of the battery, based on the calculated SOC value),;
setting an initial value for an estimated SOC value that is estimated as a post-depolarization SOC (0010, battery to be charged a data collecting unit, a storage unit, a first parameter);
obtaining a Δ-pseudo-SOC value that is a difference between each of the pseudo-SOC values and the estimated SOC value (0010, updating unit, SOC estimating unit, a discharging control unit);
obtaining a correlation between a square of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value obtained and a rate of change of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value (0010, correcting the given parameter stored in the storage unit based on the calculation result after charge);
classifying the correlation obtained into a first region in which the rate of change of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value changes non-linearly (0113, the nonlinear model is configured such that internal characteristics of electrochemical reaction in secondary battery) with respect to the square of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value and a second region in which the rate of change of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value (0091), square singnal) changes linearly with respect to the square of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value (0183, linear), and obtaining a regression line representing the rate of change of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value with respect to the square of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value when the rate of change of the Δ-pseudo-SOC value is in the second region (0220, regression); and using the regression line obtained to correct the estimated SOC value such that the estimated SOC value approaches a post-depolarization true SOC value (0220-0232, regression model, 0230, SOC estimation).
Regarding claim 2 TAKAHASHI further described storing the first region and the second region from the correlation, wherein, in obtaining the plurality of pseudo-SOC values, the pseudo-SOC values are not obtained within an amount of time corresponding to the first region that is stored in advance in storing the first region and the second region, and the pseudo-SOC values are only obtained within an amount of time corresponding to the second region that is stored in advance in storing the first region and the second region (0011, given parameter stored in the storage unit is updated with driving).
Regarding claim 3 TAKAHASHI further described the battery is installed in a vehicle, and in using the regression line obtained to correct the estimated SOC value, the estimated SOC value is corrected and the estimated SOC value approaches a post-depolarization true SOC value before a controller installed in the vehicle shuts down (0059-0061, is for hybrid vehicle active use, 0090, control circuit when power if off).
Regarding claim 4 TAKAHASHI further described in obtaining the plurality of pseudo-SOC values before depolarization of the battery, obtaining the pseudo-SOC values is limited to within a predetermined amount of time (fig. 17, @ certain time).
Regarding claim 5 TAKAHASHI further described wherein, in obtaining the plurality of pseudo-SOC values before depolarization of the battery (0186, before charging), the voltage of the battery when a current flowing to the battery is less than a predetermined value after the battery is continuously charged (0198, charging less voltage) or discharged and the charging or discharging is stopped is employed as an OCV, and the pseudo-SOC values are obtained from an SOC-OCV curve prepared in advance for the battery.
Contact information
4. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Tung Lau whose telephone number is (571)272-2274, email is Tungs.lau@uspto.gov. The examiner can normally be reached on Tuesday-Friday 7:00 AM-5:00 PM EST.
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/TUNG S LAU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2857
Technology Center 2800
January 16, 2026