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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 03/20/2026 has been entered.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-4 and 7-10 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 1, lines 12-14, “determine that, based on the image data, a second module area corresponding to a second target battery module inside the battery pack not transmitting any beacon signal” should be --determine that, based on the image data, a second module area corresponding to a second target battery module inside the battery pack is not transmitting any beacon signal-- to correct a grammatical error.
The other claim(s) not discussed above are objected to for inheriting the issue(s) from their linking claim(s).
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph:
Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claims 7-8 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.
Regarding claim 7, it recites “the battery modules” in line 4. It is unclear it is meant to be --the first target battery module and the second target battery model-- or just --battery modules--. For examination purpose, --battery modules-- is assumed.
The other claim(s) not discussed above, or depending on the above claim(s), are rejected for inheriting the issue(s) from their linking claim(s).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends.
Regarding claim 4, it recites “wherein the antennas are configured to receive the beacon signal.” This is a limitation already recited in claim 1, line 2. Therefore, claim 4 fails to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends.
Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements.
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 (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 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 and 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JONES et al. (US 20240234846 A9; cited previously; hereinafter “JONES”) in view PARK et al. (WO 2024053904 A1; machine translation provided; hereinafter “PARK”) and JEON (KR 20160092733 A; cited in IDS with machine translation submitted by Applicant).
Regarding claim 1, JONES teaches a battery replacement system (i.e., “assist identifying positions of faulty cells for replacement”; see [0012]) comprising:
antennas (i.e., “an RF receiver 540”; “a bus antenna”; see [0074]) configured to receive a beacon signal (i.e., RF; see [0054]);
a camera configured to obtain image data (i.e., “image capture device 340”; see [0041]);
a first controller (i.e., “Processor 360”; see [0041]; “processor 560”; see [0054]) configured to:
determine, based on the image data, a first module area (i.e., position) corresponding to a first target battery module (i.e., call 310) inside a battery pack (i.e., “determining the position of a battery cell 310 within the battery pack 305 of FIG. 3, using the image data captured by image capture device 340… image capture device 340 captures an image of battery pack 305 comprising the battery cell”; see [0049]-[0050],
generate first garget position information corresponding to the first module area (i.e., “the position of a battery cell 310”) based on the image data (i.e., “determining the position of a battery cell 310 within the battery pack 305 of FIG. 3, using the image data captured by image capture device 340… image capture device 340 captures an image of battery pack 305 comprising the battery cell”; see [0049]-[0050]), and based on the beacon signal from the first target battery module (i.e., “determining the position of a battery cell from RF signal strengths”; see [0077]);
; and
generate second target position information corresponding to the second module area based on the image data (i.e., “determining the position of a battery cell 310 within the battery pack 305 of FIG. 3, using the image data captured by image capture device 340… image capture device 340 captures an image of battery pack 305 comprising the battery cell”; see [0049]-[0050]); and
Note that JONES indicates that the different embodiments are combinable (see [0107]). Therefore, the features related to antennas (RF) and camera (image) are combinable to jointly determine the position of a battery module or cell.
JONES does not explicitly disclose:
the first module area comprising a disposition shape corresponding to the first target battery module;
the second module area comprising another disposition shape corresponding to the second target battery module.
However, PARK teaches:
locating a battery model by a disposition shape corresponding to the battery module (i.e., “The third global camera 1310 and the third local camera 1321 recognize the status and location of the battery module 2200”; see translation p. 9, middle section; “The overall shape of the battery module 2200 supplied to the battery module disassembly robot 1420 is recognized by the fourth global camera 1410”; see translation p. 10, lower section).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify JONES in view of PARK, by incorporating the image recognition technique in locating the battery cells/modules, such that the first module area comprises a disposition shape corresponding to the first target battery module; and the second module area comprises another disposition shape corresponding to the second target battery module, as claimed. The rationale would be to help recognizing and locating the battery cells/modules.
JONES does not explicitly disclose:
determine that, based on the image data, a second module area corresponding to a second target battery module inside the battery pack not transmitting any beacon signal.
However, since the RF and image methods are combinable for positioning the cells, they can certainly complement each other for the cell positioning. For example, when the battery module does not support RF-based cell positioning, the image-based method will be used. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify JONES in view of PARK to determine that, based on the image data, a second module area corresponding to a second target battery module inside the battery pack not transmitting any beacon signal, as claimed. The rationale would be to still provide the position of a cell when the battery model is the type that does not support the RF method.
JONES does not explicitly disclose:
a battery module replacement device configured to replace the first target battery module and the second target battery module with new battery modules based on the first target position information and the second target position information.
But JONES teaches:
identifying the position of the battery module for replacement (i.e., “identifying positions of faulty cells for replacement”; see [0012]).
And JEON teaches:
a battery module replacement device configured to replace the first target battery module with a new battery module (i.e., “the agent (310) controls the operation of the robot (330) and it can function so that the battery exchange service is automatically brought to effect by replacing the exchange battery with the novelty battery through the robot (330)”; see translation p. 12, ¶ 2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify JONES in view of PARK, further in view of JEON by incorporating a battery module replacement device configured to replace the first target battery module and the second target battery module with new battery modules based on the first target position information and the second target position information, as claimed. The rationale would be to automate the replacement of the identified battery module.
Regarding claim 2, JONES further teaches:
wherein the first controller is further configured to:
detect module areas corresponding to respective ones of battery modules based on the image data (i.e., “capture images of battery system 305, including the battery cell 310”; see [0041]; “analysing the captured image using object detection techniques to identify the battery cell emitting the EM signal in the captured image”; see [0050]; “This process may be repeated for all cells comprised within the battery system, thereby enabling a position to be associated with each cell within the battery system”; see [0037]);
determine first module area further based on the beacon signal (i.e., “The position of the battery cell in the first state is subsequently determined based on the received first signal”; see [0037]; “determining the distance of separation of the cell emitting the RF signal from RF receiver 540”; see [0063]; “sequentially determining the position of the battery cells positioned in each row within the battery system… selectively instruct which row of cells are to transmit RF signals to controller 550”; see [0083]); and
generate identification information extracted from the beacon signal (i.e., “the first signal transmitted by each cell may either comprise information enabling the unique ID associated with the cell to be determined, or may comprise the unique ID itself (e.g. the signal may be uniquely modulated)”; see [0073]).
Regarding claim 3, JONES further teaches:
wherein the first controller is further configured to determine the first module area based on a received signal strength of the antennas for the beacon signal (i.e., “determining the position of a battery cell from RF signal strengths”; see [0077]).
Regarding claim 4, JONES further teaches:
wherein the antennas are configured to receive the beacon signal (see [0054], [0074]).
Regarding claim 7, as a result of modification applied to claim 4 above, JONES in view of PARK and JEON further teaches:
select the first target battery module based on the information on the first target battery model (i.e., “identifying positions of faulty cells for replacement”; see JONES [0012]); and
transmit the first target position information of the first target battery module to the battery module replacement device (i.e., “the agent (310) controls the operation of the robot (330) and it can function so that the battery exchange service is automatically brought to effect by replacing the exchange battery with the novelty battery through the robot (330)”; see JEON translation p. 12, ¶ 2; note that it is necessary, or would have been obvious, to transmit the position information for the robot to replace the battery module at the position).
The difference in the claim is that a second processor is used to receive relevant information about the battery module for selection for replacement, and transmit the target position information to the battery module replacement device.
However, JEON further teaches:
a second controller (i.e., “agent (310)”) configured to receive necessary information on one of the battery modules to be replaced from the battery pack from the first controller (i.e., “the agent (310) can be mounted in the electric vehicle (100) on the battery information received from the total management system (200) and the information about the battery pack (400) in which it is necessary to have exchange can be acquired”; see translation p. 11, ¶ 5).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the system, by including a second controller configured to: receive information on the first target battery model from the battery pack; receive position information of the battery modules from the first controller; select the first target battery module based on the information on the first target battery model; and transmit the first target position information of the first target battery module to the battery module replacement device, as claimed. The rationale would be designate the tasks among controllers for easier management, or as a design choice.
Regarding claim 8, as a result of modification applied to claim 7 above, JONES in view of PARK and JEON further teaches:
wherein the first controller is further configured to:
select the first target battery module based on the information on the first target battery model; (i.e., “identifying positions of faulty cells for replacement”; see JONES [0012]); and
transmit the first target position information of the first target battery module to the battery module replacement device (i.e., “the agent (310) controls the operation of the robot (330) and it can function so that the battery exchange service is automatically brought to effect by replacing the exchange battery with the novelty battery through the robot (330)”; see JEON translation p. 12, ¶ 2; note that it is necessary, or would have been obvious, to transmit the position information for the robot to replace the battery module at the position).
Regarding claim 9, JONES further teaches:
wherein the first target position information of the first target battery module further comprises identification information of the first target battery module detected from the beacon signal (i.e., “The determined position is then associated with the received unique ID of the battery cell in the first state”; see [0037]; “subsequently determine both the unique ID and the relative signal strength of the RF signal received from each one of cells C1 to C4 located in the first row, and the relative positions of the cells, in the same manner as described above in relation to the other disclosed embodiments. The same process may be repeated for second bus antenna 740, in order to determine the relative positions of all cells comprised in battery system 705”; see [0083]).
Regarding claim 10, the prior art applied to the preceding linking claim(s) teaches the features of the linking claim(s).
JONES does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the battery module replacement device is further configured to:
determine an operation path for replacing the first target battery module based on the first target position information of the first target battery module; and
replace the first target battery module with one of the new battery modules based on the operation path.
However, since the robot will automatically replace the battery module, it is necessary or obvious for the robot to determine the operation path for replacing the battery module based on the position of the battery module. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the system, such that the battery module replacement device (i.e., robot) is further configured to: determine an operation path for replacing the first target battery module based on the first target position information of the first target battery module; and replace the first target battery module with one of the new battery modules based on the operation path, as claimed. The rationale would be to facilitate the automatic replacement of the battery module at the identified position.
Response to Arguments
The issue of claim objections has been fully considered. However, there are remaining informalities, as indicated above.
Applicant’s arguments with regarding 35 USC 103 have been considered but are moot because a new ground of rejection is found, e.g., in view of PARK, as indicated above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN C KUAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7066. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:00AM-5:30PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Andrew Schechter can be reached on (571) 272-2302. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JOHN C KUAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2857
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