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 .
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because it is not on a separate sheet. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Drawings
The drawings are objected for containing “unlabeled generic box elements” (see boxes in element 600, Figure 7; and boxes in element 700, Fig. 8). Correction is required in accordance with 37 CFR 1.83 as stated below.
Further, 37 CFR 1.83 – Content of Drawing:
(a) The drawing in a nonprovisional application must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. However, conventional features disclosed in the description and claims, where their detailed illustration is not essential for a proper understanding of the invention, should be illustrated in the drawing in the form of a graphical drawing symbol or a labeled representation (e.g., a labeled rectangular box). In addition, tables that are included in the specification and sequences that are included in sequence listings should not be duplicated in the drawings.
(b) When the invention consists of an improvement on an old machine the drawing must when possible exhibit, in one or more views, the improved portion itself, disconnected from the old structure, and also in another view, so much only of the old structure as will suffice to show the connection of the invention therewith.
(c) Where the drawings in a nonprovisional application do not comply with the requirements of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, the examiner shall require such additional illustration within a time period of not less than two months from the date of the sending of a notice thereof. Such corrections are subject to the requirements of § 1.81(d).
[31 FR 12923, Oct. 4, 1966; 43 FR 4015, Jan. 31, 1978; paras. (a) and (c) revised, 60 FR 20195, Apr. 25, 1995, effective June 8, 1995; para. (a) revised, 69 FR 56481, Sept. 21, 2004, effective Oct. 21, 2004; para. (a) revised, 78 FR 62368, Oct. 21, 2013]
Claim Objections
Claims 3 and 13-15 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 3, “the BMS printed circuit board assembly” should be changed to --a BMS printed circuit board assembly--.
In claim 13, there is no antecedent basis for “the rechargeable battery pack”. It is interpreted as referring to the “rechargeable battery cell stack”.
In claim 13, each of “a battery management system”, “a battery charger”, “an external load”, and “an electronic device” are recited twice. They are interpreted as referring to the same element.
In claim 14, “hardware and software” is recited twice. They are interpreted as referring to the same element.
In claim 15, line 2, “a bidirectional buck-boost converter” should be changed to --the bidirectional buck-boost converter--.
In claim 15, line 3, “high and low voltage ports” should be changed to --the high and low voltage ports--.
The above mentioned claim objections are not a complete and thorough listing. Applicant is required to revise all of the claims completely, and not just correct the language mentioned. 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.
Claims 1-6 and 8-16 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.
The term “high” in claims 1 and 13 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “high” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Therefore, the “bidirectional buck-boost converter”, “ports”, and “fixed voltage” have been rendered indefinite.
The term “low” in claims 1 and 13 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “low” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Therefore, the “bidirectional buck-boost converter”, “ports”, and “specific fixed voltage” have been rendered indefinite.
Claims 2-6, 8-12, and 14-16 are dependent from claims 1 or 13 and are therefore rejected for the same reasons as independent claims 1 and 13.
The term “safe” in claim 2 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “safe” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Therefore, the “safety switches” have been rendered indefinite.
The term “accurate” in claim 2 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “accurate” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Therefore, the “battery gauge” has been rendered indefinite.
Claims 3-6 are dependent from claim 2 and are therefore rejected for the same reasons as claim 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1 and 10-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DEOKAR (US PG Pub 2016/0294204) in view of FURTNER (US PG Pub 2013/0221926).
Regarding claim 1, DEOKAR discloses a rechargeable battery pack (¶ 0004: rechargeable battery; ¶ 0012: the method further comprises receiving, with each bi-directional DC-DC converter, DC power from an external DC power source, operating each bi-directional DC-DC converter in a charge mode of operation to convert the DC power from the external DC power source into low voltage DC power, and charging, via the low-voltage busses coupled in parallel, each Li-ion battery with the low voltage DC power; ¶ 0039: FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a Li-ion adaptive battery pack module 100 according to aspects of the current invention), comprising:
a battery system including a battery cell stack coupled to a battery management system (BMS) (¶ 0041: The Li-ion battery 102 includes a group of battery cells 214 and a dedicated Battery Management System (BMS) 216 coupled to the group of battery cells 214 and the LV power bus 108. In one embodiment, the Li-ion battery 102 is configured to output a 48V output voltage to the LV power bus 108 and includes a group of Li-ion cells (e.g., 13 Li-ion cells), stacked in series, to generate the 48V output voltage (i.e., a “48V string”). However, in other embodiments, the Li-ion battery 102 may include any number of different cells, arranged in any other appropriate configuration, to generate any other desired output voltage); and
a bidirectional adaptive terminal voltage system (BATV) (104, Fig. 1) coupled to said battery system, said BATV combining electronic hardware and software (¶ 0044: converter [104] includes an input 107, output 109, and a local controller 105. The local controller 105 operates the converter 104 in a boost mode of operation or a charge mode of operation based on information/instructions received from an external main system/controller via the communication bus 112) configured with a negative terminal and a positive terminal (¶ 0046: A positive terminal 302 of the HV connector 206 of Module 1…A negative terminal 304 of the HV connector 206 of Module 1) for coupling the rechargeable battery pack to a battery charger (1204, Fig. 12), to an external load (at 1210, Fig. 12), or to enable its integration into an electronic device without modifying the electrical characteristics of the devices into which it is integrated (¶ 0036: Lithium-Ion (Li-ion), an emerging battery cell technology, is extremely popular in mobile, power tool, and electric vehicle applications; ¶ 0038: a Li-ion adaptive battery pack is provided that utilizes a building block approach to create high battery voltage for energy storage applications (e.g., such as with an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)));
wherein said BATV is a bidirectional buck-boost converter that performs conversion, voltage regulation, control, and communication functions (¶ 0044: see above) and is configured to regulate power flowing between high voltage (110, Fig. 1) and low voltage ports (108, Fig. 1) in a direction designated by a direction control signal and to regulate a voltage across output terminals of said BATV (¶ 0044: In the boost mode of operation, the converter 104 steps up the voltage on the LV power bus 108 (e.g., 48V) provided by the battery 102 to a desired output voltage (e.g., 96V)); and in some instances the voltage being supplied externally to the high voltage port is fluctuating or is supplied at a fixed voltage, and the BATV is regulating to a specific fixed voltage to be delivered to the low voltage port (¶ 0044: In the charge mode of operation, the converter 104 steps down the voltage on the HV power bus 108 (e.g., 96V provided by an external DC bus to the HV connector 206) to a desired charge voltage (e.g., 48V) and provides the charge voltage to the LV power bus 108 to charge the battery 102); in some instances the voltage on the low voltage port is fluctuating (¶ 0042: the BMS 216 utilizes overvoltage, undervoltage, and over-temperature protection circuitry to monitor and control the battery 102; one of ordinary skill would recognize the voltage on the low voltage port, which is the battery voltage, is fluctuating) and the BATV is regulating to a specific voltage to be delivered to the high voltage port for external use (¶ 0044: In the boost mode of operation, the converter 104 steps up the voltage on the LV power bus 108 (e.g., 48V) provided by the battery 102 to a desired output voltage (e.g., 96V)).
DEOKAR fails to disclose in some instances the voltage supplied externally to the high voltage port is fluctuating or is supplied at a fixed voltage and the BATV is regulating to fixed current and fluctuating voltage to be delivered to the low voltage port.
FURTNER discloses in some instances the voltage supplied externally to the high voltage port is fluctuating or is supplied at a fixed voltage and the BATV is regulating to fixed current and fluctuating voltage to be delivered to the low voltage port (¶ 0036: battery slice 500 is operated in a constant current mode when the battery is empty, initially in order to charge battery cell 220; one of ordinary skill would recognize in the constant current mode, the current is fixed and the voltage is fluctuating).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the BATV is regulating to fixed current and fluctuating voltage to be delivered to the low voltage port in order to provide fast battery charging as known in the art.
Regarding claim 10, DEOKAR discloses when power is required to be delivered from said battery pack system to an external load, said BATV system operates in either a buck mode or a boost mode depending on the voltage requirements of the external load and the current terminal voltage of the battery pack (¶ 0038, 0041, 0044, 0047, 0049).
Regarding claim 11, DEOKAR discloses when said rechargeable battery pack is being recharged from an external power supply or from regenerative energy absorption, said BATV system operates in either a buck or boost mode as required by recharging conditions (¶ 0038, 0041, 0044, 0047, 0049).
Regarding claim 12, DEOKAR discloses said BATV is programmable to enable input and output voltage ranges and current flow suitable for a variety of voltage and current specifications (¶ 0038, 0041, 0044, 0047, 0049).
Regarding claim 13, DEOKAR discloses a battery charging system (¶ 0012: the method further comprises receiving, with each bi-directional DC-DC converter, DC power from an external DC power source, operating each bi-directional DC-DC converter in a charge mode of operation to convert the DC power from the external DC power source into low voltage DC power, and charging, via the low-voltage busses coupled in parallel, each Li-ion battery with the low voltage DC power), comprising:
a rechargeable battery cell stack (¶ 0004: rechargeable battery; ¶ 0012: the method further comprises receiving, with each bi-directional DC-DC converter, DC power from an external DC power source, operating each bi-directional DC-DC converter in a charge mode of operation to convert the DC power from the external DC power source into low voltage DC power, and charging, via the low-voltage busses coupled in parallel, each Li-ion battery with the low voltage DC power; ¶ 0039: FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a Li-ion adaptive battery pack module 100 according to aspects of the current invention), further comprising:
a battery system including a battery cell stack coupled to a battery management system (BMS) (¶ 0041: The Li-ion battery 102 includes a group of battery cells 214 and a dedicated Battery Management System (BMS) 216 coupled to the group of battery cells 214 and the LV power bus 108. In one embodiment, the Li-ion battery 102 is configured to output a 48V output voltage to the LV power bus 108 and includes a group of Li-ion cells (e.g., 13 Li-ion cells), stacked in series, to generate the 48V output voltage (i.e., a “48V string”). However, in other embodiments, the Li-ion battery 102 may include any number of different cells, arranged in any other appropriate configuration, to generate any other desired output voltage); and
a bidirectional adaptive terminal voltage system (BATV) (104, Fig. 1) coupled to said battery system, said BATV combining electronic hardware and software (¶ 0044: converter [104] includes an input 107, output 109, and a local controller 105. The local controller 105 operates the converter 104 in a boost mode of operation or a charge mode of operation based on information/instructions received from an external main system/controller via the communication bus 112) configured with a negative terminal and a positive terminal (¶ 0046: A positive terminal 302 of the HV connector 206 of Module 1…A negative terminal 304 of the HV connector 206 of Module 1) for coupling the rechargeable battery pack to a battery charger (1204, Fig. 12), to an external load (at 1210, Fig. 12), or to enable its integration into an electronic device without modifying the electrical characteristics of the devices into which it is integrated (¶ 0036: Lithium-Ion (Li-ion), an emerging battery cell technology, is extremely popular in mobile, power tool, and electric vehicle applications; ¶ 0038: a Li-ion adaptive battery pack is provided that utilizes a building block approach to create high battery voltage for energy storage applications (e.g., such as with an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)));
wherein said BATV is a bidirectional buck-boost converter that performs conversion, voltage regulation, control, and communication functions (¶ 0044: see above) and is configured to regulate power flowing between high voltage (110, Fig. 1) and low voltage ports (108, Fig. 1) in a direction designated by a direction control signal and to regulate a voltage across output terminals of said BATV (¶ 0044: In the boost mode of operation, the converter 104 steps up the voltage on the LV power bus 108 (e.g., 48V) provided by the battery 102 to a desired output voltage (e.g., 96V)); and in some instances the voltage being supplied externally to the high voltage port is fluctuating or is supplied at a fixed voltage, and the BATV is regulating to a specific fixed voltage to be delivered to the low voltage port (¶ 0044: In the charge mode of operation, the converter 104 steps down the voltage on the HV power bus 108 (e.g., 96V provided by an external DC bus to the HV connector 206) to a desired charge voltage (e.g., 48V) and provides the charge voltage to the LV power bus 108 to charge the battery 102); in some instances the voltage on the low voltage port is fluctuating (¶ 0042: the BMS 216 utilizes overvoltage, undervoltage, and over-temperature protection circuitry to monitor and control the battery 102; one of ordinary skill would recognize the voltage on the low voltage port, which is the battery voltage, is fluctuating) and the BATV is regulating to a specific voltage to be delivered to the high voltage port for external use (¶ 0044: In the boost mode of operation, the converter 104 steps up the voltage on the LV power bus 108 (e.g., 48V) provided by the battery 102 to a desired output voltage (e.g., 96V));
a battery management system coupled to said battery cell stack (¶ 0041: see above); and
a bidirectional adaptive terminal voltage system (104, Fig. 1) coupled to said battery management system and configured for connection to a battery charger (1204, Fig. 12), to an external load (at 1210, Fig. 12), or for integration into an electronic device (¶ 0036, 0038: see above).
DEOKAR fails to disclose in some instances the voltage supplied externally to the high voltage port is fluctuating or is supplied at a fixed voltage and the BATV is regulating to fixed current and fluctuating voltage to be delivered to the low voltage port.
FURTNER discloses in some instances the voltage supplied externally to the high voltage port is fluctuating or is supplied at a fixed voltage and the BATV is regulating to fixed current and fluctuating voltage to be delivered to the low voltage port (¶ 0036: battery slice 500 is operated in a constant current mode when the battery is empty, initially in order to charge battery cell 220; one of ordinary skill would recognize in the constant current mode, the current is fixed and the voltage is fluctuating).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the BATV is regulating to fixed current and fluctuating voltage to be delivered to the low voltage port in order to provide fast battery charging as known in the art.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DEOKAR in view of FURTNER as applied to claims 1 and 10-13 above, and further in view of GANGSTO (US PG Pub 2006/0170398) and TSE (US PG Pub 2013/0038289).
Regarding claim 2, DEOKAR as modified by FURTNER teaches the rechargeable battery pack as applied to claim 1, but fails to disclose said BMS comprises:
one or more battery cell stack safety switches to facilitate connection and disconnection of the battery cell stack from the load or charger and to ensure safe use and to control current flow;
an analog front end that monitors the voltage of the battery cell stack and current flowing into and out of the battery cell stack to control the safety and performance of the battery cell stack;
a current sense resistor to sense the current flowing into and out of the battery system; and
a battery gauge to determine and report an accurate current state of charge, state of health of the battery system and for communications for internal and external signals.
GANGSTO discloses said BMS comprises:
one or more battery cell stack safety switches to facilitate connection and disconnection of the battery cell stack from the load or charger and to ensure safe use and to control current flow (¶ 0040-0044);
an analog front end that monitors the voltage of the battery cell stack and current flowing into and out of the battery cell stack to control the safety and performance of the battery cell stack (¶ 0018, 0022, 0062, 0064);
a current sense resistor to sense the current flowing into and out of the battery system (¶ 0064); and
a battery gauge (¶ 0019, 0022) for communications for internal and external signals (¶ 0039, 0047-0048, 0061).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the BMS as recited in order to predict the charge status of the battery more accurately and therefore effectively increase actual battery capacity (GANGSTO, ¶ 0097).
DEOKAR as modified by FURTNER and GANGSTO fails to teach the battery gauge to determine and report an accurate current state of charge and state of health of the battery system.
TSE discloses the battery gauge to determine and report an accurate current state of charge and state of health of the battery system (¶ 0010, 0062, 0069).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the battery gauge as recited in order to ensure battery safety, maximize battery lifespan, and/or optimize battery performance.
Claim(s) 3-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DEOKAR in view of FURTNER, GANGSTO, and TSE as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of CHEN (US PG Pub 2003/0117112).
Regarding claim 3, DEOKAR as modified by FURTNER, GANGSTO, and TSE teaches the rechargeable battery pack as applied to claim 2, and DEOKAR further discloses said BMS further comprises the management of communications between said BMS and said BATV required to synchronize the functionality and operation of said BMS and said BATV (¶ 0039-0042); a communications component for communicating battery control and status to and from devices outside the battery pack (¶ 0039-0042); and a positive terminal and a negative terminal through which said BMS can be connected to other components or systems (¶ 0009, 0041-0042).
DEOKAR as modified by FURTNER, GANGSTO, and TSE fails to teach said BMS further comprises: a microcontroller for battery system management; and a network of thermal management components to monitor the temperature of the battery cells and other components on the BMS printed circuit board assembly (PCBA).
GANGSTO further discloses said BMS further comprises: a microcontroller for battery system management (¶ 0016, 0021); and a network of thermal management components to monitor the temperature of the battery cells and other components on the BMS printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) (¶ 0017, 0060-0061, 0071).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the microcontroller and thermal management components as recited in order to predict the charge status of the battery more accurately and therefore effectively increase actual battery capacity (GANGSTO, ¶ 0097).
DEOKAR as modified by FURTNER, GANGSTO, and TSE fails to disclose said BMS further comprises a display to show battery system status.
CHEN discloses said BMS further comprises a display to show battery system status (¶ 0028, 0038).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the display in order to provide increased user convenience.
Regarding claim 4, DEOKAR as modified by FURTNER, GANGSTO, TSE, and CHEN teaches the rechargeable battery pack as applied to claim 3, but fails to teach a data log to store data regarding the status and behavior of the battery system.
TSE further discloses a data log to store data regarding the status and behavior of the battery system (¶ 0069).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the data log in order to extend the operating time per charge as well as the operating life-time of the battery (TSE, ¶ 0069).
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DEOKAR in view of FURTNER, GANGSTO, TSE, and CHEN as applied to claim 3-4 above, and further in view of LEE (US PG Pub 2014/0266062; cited on IDS).
Regarding claim 5, DEOKAR as modified by FURTNER, GANGSTO, TSE, and CHEN teaches the rechargeable battery pack as applied to claim 3, but fails to disclose including a GPS component to identify the time and the location of the battery pack.
LEE discloses a GPS component to identify the time and the location of the battery pack (¶ 0017, 0020, 0045, 0055).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the GPS component in order to provide a desired battery function based on location (LEE, ¶ 0045, 0055).
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DEOKAR in view of FURTNER, GANGSTO, TSE, and CHEN as applied to claims 3-4 above, and further in view of HUANG (US PG Pub 2016/0064979).
Regarding claim 6, DEOKAR in view of FURTNER, GANGSTO, TSE, and CHEN teaches the rechargeable battery pack of claim 3, but fails to teach said thermal management components comprises a network of digital temperature sensors configured to send signals to said microcontroller.
GANGSTO further discloses said thermal management components comprises a network of digital temperature sensors configured to send signals to said microcontroller (¶ 0060-0061, 0071).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the network of digital temperature sensors in order to provide increased battery pack protection.
DEOKAR in view of FURTNER, GANGSTO, TSE, and CHEN fails to teach said microcontroller is programmed to reduce the maximum available charge or discharge power going through said battery system in the event that certain predetermined temperature thresholds are reached.
HUANG discloses said microcontroller is programmed to reduce the maximum available charge or discharge power going through said battery system in the event that certain predetermined temperature thresholds are reached (¶ 0058, 0260-0263).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include reducing the maximum available charge or discharge power based on predetermined temperature thresholds in order to prevent damage to the battery and therefore extend battery life.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DEOKAR in view of FURTNER as applied to claims 1 and 10-13 above, and further in view of HARTULAR (US PG Pub 2006/0187689).
Regarding claim 8, DEOKAR as modified by FURTNER teaches the rechargeable battery pack as applied to claim 1, but fails to disclose said BATV comprises: FET safety switches configured to enable connection and disconnection of the rechargeable battery system from a load or a battery charger and for safe control of current flow; a current sense resistor that senses current flowing into and out of said battery pack; a buck-boost bidirectional FET assembly to switch current in the buck-boost function; a buck-boost bidirectional controller connected to said FET assembly to control the operation of the buck-boost conversion; wherein said current sense resistor, buck-boost bidirectional FET assembly, and said buck-boost bidirectional controller are configured in combination in either a single phase or multiphase implementation.
HARTULAR discloses said BATV comprises:
FET safety switches (S3, Figs. 1A & 3) configured to enable connection and disconnection of the rechargeable battery system from a load (110, Fig. 1A) or a battery charger (104, Fig. 1A) and for safe control of current flow (¶ 0021-0022, 0038);
a current sense resistor that senses current flowing into and out of said battery pack (114, Fig. 1A);
a buck-boost bidirectional FET assembly to switch current in the buck-boost function (106, Fig. 1A);
a buck-boost bidirectional controller connected to said FET assembly to control the operation of the buck-boost conversion (102, Fig. 1A);
wherein said current sense resistor, buck-boost bidirectional FET assembly, and said buck-boost bidirectional controller are configured in combination in either a single phase or multiphase implementation (¶ 0015-0019).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the BATV as recited in order to ensure a desired output at the converter.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DEOKAR in view of FURTNER as applied to claims 1 and 10-13 above, and further in view of BANTA (US PG Pub 2008/0197808).
Regarding claim 9, DEOKAR in view of FURTNER teaches the rechargeable battery system as applied to claim 1, but fails to disclose said BATV system further comprises: a microcontroller for BATV system management; and at least one thermal sensor for monitoring the temperature of components in said BATV; a display to display BATV and/or battery system status.
BANTA discloses said BATV system further comprises: a microcontroller for BATV system management; and at least one thermal sensor for monitoring the temperature of components in said BATV; a display to display BATV and/or battery system status (¶ 0035-0040).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the BATV as recited in order to provide increased system protection and user convenience.
Claim(s) 14-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DEOKAR in view of FURTNER as applied to claim 1 and 10-13 above, and further in view of TSE (US PG Pub 2013/0038289).
Regarding claim 14, DEOKAR as modified by FURTNER teaches the battery charging system as applied to claim 13, and DEOKAR further discloses said battery management system is configured with hardware and software to manage communications between said battery management system and said bidirectional adaptive terminal voltage system (¶ 0039-0042).
DEOKAR as modified by FURTNER fails to disclose said battery management system is configured with hardware and software to monitor voltage of the battery cell stack and current flowing into and out of the battery cell stack, to sense the current flowing into and out of the battery system, and to determine and report an accurate current state of charge, state of health of the battery system.
TSE discloses said battery management system is configured with hardware and software to monitor voltage of the battery cell stack and current flowing into and out of the battery cell stack, to sense the current flowing into and out of the battery system, and to determine and report an accurate current state of charge, state of health of the battery system (¶ 0042, 0046-0047, 0051, 0069).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the battery management system as recited in order to ensure battery safety, maximize battery lifespan, and/or optimize battery performance.
Regarding claim 15, DEOKAR discloses said bidirectional adaptive terminal voltage system is a bidirectional buck-boost converter configured to regulate power flowing between high voltage and low voltage ports in a direction designated by a direction control signal and to regulate a voltage across output terminals of said bidirectional adaptive terminal voltage system (¶ 0038, 0041, 0044, 0047, 0049).
Regarding claim 16, DEOKAR discloses said bidirectional adaptive terminal voltage system is programmable to enable input and output voltage ranges and current flow suitable for a variety of voltage and current specifications (¶ 0038, 0041, 0044, 0047, 0049).
Conclusion
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/Manuel Hernandez/Examiner, Art Unit 2859 11/6/2025
/DREW A DUNN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859