DETAILED ACTION
This is a first action on the merits, in response to the claims received 11/10/2023. Claims 1-5 are pending for prosecution below.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) file on 11/10/2023 has been considered by the examiner. An initialed copy is attached herewith.
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 1-4 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is not supported by either a specific and substantial asserted utility or a well-established utility. Claims lacks any recitation of structure, let alone a recitation which creates a substantial tie so as to impose meaningful limitations on the claim scope because is merely a set of instructions. There is nothing of record which clearly indicates that the method recited is not directed to an abstract idea. Claims 1-4 also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph. Specifically, because the claimed invention is not supported by either a specific and substantial asserted utility or a well-established utility for the reasons set forth above, one skilled in the art clearly would not know how to use the claimed invention.
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) 1,4,5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by HOFF, (USNO.2009/0243548).
As for claim 1, HOFF discloses and shows in Fig. 4 a full charge capacity estimation method for each of a plurality of cells of a bipolar battery, the plurality of cells being stacked in a stack direction (via battery string), a positive electrode active material of each of the plurality of cells including lithium iron phosphate, the full charge capacity estimation method comprising: during charging of the bipolar battery, for each cell of the plurality of cells, calculating an increase (via ref’s charger) in a charge amount of the cell when a voltage of the cell increases from a first voltage to a second voltage; and estimating a full charge capacity of the cell, using the increase in the charge amount, wherein the first voltage and the second voltage fall within a predetermined voltage range in which the voltage of the cell increases as a positive electrode potential of the cell increases (par.[0041,0049,0053]).
As for claim 4, HOFF discloses and shows in Fig. 4 the charging is CC charging or CCCV charging (par.[0012]).
As for claim 5, HOFF discloses and shows in Fig. 4 a control device for a bipolar battery, the bipolar battery including a plurality of cells that are stacked in a stack direction, a positive electrode active material of each cell of the plurality of cells including lithium iron phosphate, the control device comprising: a capacity estimation unit (via charger) that estimates a full charge capacity of each cell by the full charge capacity estimation method according to claim 1; and an equalization control unit (via charger) that equalizes respective charge amounts or respective SOCs of the plurality of cells, using the full charge capacity of each cell estimated by the capacity estimation method (par.[0041,0049,0053]).
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ARUN C WILLIAMS whose telephone number is (571)272-9765. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9 a.m. - 6 p.m..
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Julian Huffman can be reached on 571-272-2147. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ARUN C WILLIAMS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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