DETAILED ACTION
1. This is the first action on the merits relating to U.S. Application Serial No. 18/566,988 filed on December 4, 2023.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
2. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Preliminary Amendment
3. Receipt is acknowledged of the preliminary amendment filed on December 4, 2023. In the amendment, claims 1-30 were canceled, and claims 31-50 were newly added. Currently claims 31-50 remain in the examination.
4. It is acknowledged that the instant application is a national stage of PCT/SG2021/050304 filed on June 4, 2021.
Claim Objections
5. Claims 34, 42, 49, and 50 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 34, please delete “.” In front of claim number 34.
Regarding claim 42, the claim ends with two “..” Please delete one period “.”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Regarding claim 49, please replace “claim 45” in line 4 with the actual text of claim 45 to place claim 49 in a better form as an independent claim. Applicant is respectfully suggested to review whether it should be the text of claim 45 or claim 40.
Regarding claim 50, please replace “claim 31” in line 3 with the actual text of claim 31 to place claim 50 in a better form as an independent claim.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
6. 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.
7. Claims 33-38 and 42-48 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.
8. Regarding claim 33, in claim 33 four elements are listed and combined with “and/or” phrase – a first reference voltage parameter data field, a first reference current parameter data field, a cut-off current parameter data field and a cut-off voltage parameter data field. If and/or is fully enumerated, it can be 24 cases of these elements (4P4).
It is unclear if all possible permutations of “and/or” is what Applicant claims in claim 33.
Applicant is respectfully suggested to review all ramifications of “and/or” and amend the claim as it is currently vague and indefinite.
Claim 42 is rejected on the same ground as claim 33.
Claim 34 recites the limitation "the first refence voltage value” (line 10) and “the first reference current value”(line 13) in claim 31. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 43 is rejected on the same ground as claim 34.
Claims 35-38 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being directly or through intervening claims dependent on rejected claim, claim 34.
Claims 44-47 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being directly or through intervening claims dependent on rejected claim, claim 43.
9. Claim 48 recites the limitation "The charger according to claim 31. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 31 is limited to a method. Claim 48 should have depended from claim 40.
Appropriate correction is required.
Allowable Subject Matter
10. Claims 31, 32, and 39-41 are allowed.
11. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Claims are directed at method of charging a rechargeable electrical energy storage. The method as recited in claim 31, particularly receiving charging profile information form the memory wherein the memory comprises charging profile data defining the charging profile for charging the rechargeable electrical energy storage, the charging profile data comprising a plurality of charging profile blocks defining the plurality of charging stages of the charging profile, respectively, wherein each of the plurality of charging profile blocks comprises a plurality of predefined charging parameter data fields, each predefined charging parameter data field of the charging profile block being configurable with a corresponding charging parameter for defining the charging stage corresponding to the charging profile block, wherein the plurality of predefined charging parameter data fields of the charging profile block further comprises an index parameter field configured to store an index parameter corresponding to an index of a charging profile block of the plurality of charging profile blocks based on which the charging of the rechargeable electrical energy storage is to be performed at a next charging stage of the charging profile, wherein the index parameter is an index loop parameter indicating the index of a preceding charging profile block of the plurality of charging profile blocks with respect to the charging profile block for forming a charging loop, and
for said each of the plurality of charging stages of the charging profile, the set of charging parameters associated with the charging stage is obtained from the corresponding charging profile block of the charging profile data.
Such a method of using charging profile whose data structure recited in the claim is neither disclosed nor suggested by the cited references. The charging controller phrase in the same manner as the method claim is also allowable.
Conclusion
The pertinent prior arts made of record but not relied are listed in the attached form PTO-892. These are considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure. Applicant is respectfully suggested to carefully review these references.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Ahshik Kim whose telephone number is (571)272-2393. The examiner can normally be reached between the hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday thru Friday. Examiner’s fax phone number is (571)273-2393.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Thomas Pham, can be reached on (571)272-3689. The fax phone number for this Group is (571)273-8300.
Communications via Internet e-mail regarding this application, other than those under 35 U.S.C. 132 or which otherwise require a signature, may be used by the applicant and should be addressed to [ahshik.kim@uspto.gov].
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/AHSHIK KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
August 4, 2026
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