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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The references listed in the Information Disclosure Statements filed on 01/05/2024, 01/02/2025, 03/12/2025 and 04/30/2026 have been considered by the examiner (see attached PTO-1449 forms).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 5-7, 11 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Murnane [ US 2021/0376626 A1].
Regarding claim 1, Murnane teaches a battery management apparatus configured to perform battery condition monitoring in conjunction with a battery protection device connected to one or more battery modules (BMS – 0019, 0020, 0021), the apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and a memory configured to store at least one instruction executed by the at least one processor (master controller, figures 1 and 2 - 0021, 0032), wherein the at least one instruction includes:
an instruction to monitor a plurality of battery cells included in the one or more battery modules (battery cells - 0021, battery cells 202.1-202.N - 0032);
an instruction to, in the instance that an abnormality occurs in the one or more battery cells among the plurality of battery cells, select one of the battery modules, except the battery module including the battery cell in which the abnormality occurred, as a power supply module (battery failure - 0031, detect over and under voltages – 0032);
an instruction to transmit a control signal to a battery power source control device connected to the plurality of battery modules to connect a selected power supply module and the battery protection device (control the safety switches - 0030); and
an instruction to obtain power from the battery protection device connected to the power supply module and to receive state data of the battery cell in which the abnormality occurred (via redundant component monitors - 0032).
Regarding claim 5, Murnane teaches the battery power source control device is configured to: receive the control signal from the battery management apparatus; and connect the power supply module and the battery protection device by closing a switch corresponding to the selected power supply module among a plurality of switches in the battery power source control device (figure 2 – 0026-0033, figure 3 – 0034-0038, figure 4 – 0039-0042).
Regarding claim 6, Murnane teaches the at least one instruction further includes an instruction to, upon a charge voltage of the power supply module dropping below a threshold value, reselect a battery module having a charge rate equal to or higher than a threshold value as the power supply module among battery modules excluding the battery module including the battery cell in which the abnormality occurred (voltage threshold - 0034, 0037; 0039, 0048).
Regarding claim 7, Murnane teaches a battery management method for performing battery condition monitoring in conjunction with a battery protection device connected to one or more battery modules (BMS – 0019, 0020, 0021) (master controller, figures 1 and 2 - 0021, 0032), the method comprising:
monitoring a plurality of battery cells included in the one or more battery modules (battery cells - 0021, battery cells 202.1-202.N - 0032);
upon an abnormality occuring in the one or more battery cells among the plurality of battery cells, selecting one of the battery modules, except the battery module including the battery cell in which the abnormality occurred, as a power supply module (battery failure - 0031, detect over and under voltages – 0032);
transmitting a control signal to a battery power source control device connected to the plurality of battery modules to connect a selected power supply module and the battery protection device (control the safety switches - 0030); and
receiving power from the battery protection device connected to the power supply module and obtaining state data of the battery cell in which the abnormality occurred (via redundant component monitors - 0032).
Regarding claim 11, Murnane teaches the battery power source control device is configured to: receive the control signal from the battery management apparatus; and connect the power supply module and the battery protection device by closing a switch corresponding to the selected power supply module among a plurality of switches in the battery power source control device (figure 2 – 0026-0033, figure 3 – 0034-0038, figure 4 – 0039-0042).
Regarding claim 12, Murnane teaches upon a charge voltage of the power supply module dropping below a threshold value, reselecting a battery module having a charge rate equal to or higher than a threshold value as the power supply module among battery modules excluding the battery module including the battery cell in which the abnormality occurred (voltage threshold - 0034, 0037; 0039, 0048).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4 and 8-10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claim 2 is objected to because the closest prior art, Murnane [ US 2021/0376626 A1], fails to anticipate or render obvious an instruction to determine a location of the battery cell in which the abnormality occurred; and an instruction to select a battery module farthest from the module including the battery cell in which the abnormality has occurred, as a power supply module, in combination with all other limitations in the claim(s) as defined by applicant.
Claim 8 is objected to because the closest prior art, Murnane [ US 2021/0376626 A1], fails to anticipate or render obvious determining a location of the battery cell in which the abnormality occurred; and selecting a battery module farthest from the module including the battery cell in which the abnormality has occurred, as a power supply module, in combination with all other limitations in the claim(s) as defined by applicant.
Relevant Prior Art / Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yang et al. (US Patent Application Publication 2017/0182908 A1) discloses a battery management apparatus for controlling the quality of battery modules;
Wartenberg et al. (US Patent Application Publication 2016/0240894 A1) discloses a battery management system for monitoring and regulating the operation of a rechargeable battery.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICKY GO whose telephone number is (571)270-3340. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Arleen M. Vazquez can be reached on (571) 272-2619. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RICKY GO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2857
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