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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 6-9, and 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2011/0197006) in view of Lee (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2019/0356143) and further in view of Chen (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2016/0096444).
-Regarding claim 1, Li discloses a communication apparatus (FIG. 1), the communication apparatus comprising: a communication module (detachable wireless communication module 120, FIG. 1); and a communication unit (host connector 115, FIG. 1) recognizing the communication module (the kind of the short-range radio frequency module of the detachable wireless communication module is determined, paragraph 34) and communicating with the communication module using a communication method corresponding to the communication module, if the communication module is mounted on the communication unit (a communication procedure is performed on the short-range radio frequency module through the host connector to initialize the short-range radio frequency module, paragraph 35), wherein the communication module is detachably mounted on the communication unit (FIG. 1).
Li is silent to teaching that a wireless battery management system. However, the claimed limitation is well known in the art as evidenced by Lee.
In the same field of endeavor, Lee teaches a wireless battery management system (see abstract).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of LI with the teaching of Lee in order to provide communications for battery management.
The combination is silent to teaching that identifying a manufacturer of the communication module. However, the claimed limitation is well known in the art as evidenced by Chen.
In the same field of endeavor, Chen teaches identifying a manufacturer of the communication module (the battery identification information determined at 403 may correspond to a battery make, model, and/or manufacturer/supplier identified, paragraph 38).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of the combination with the teaching of Chen in order to provide better realize an efficiency or durability of the identified battery.
-Regarding claim 2, the combination further discloses the communication unit is disposed in a wireless battery system manager acting as a primary in the wireless battery management system (Lee, master BMU 200, FIG. 1) or in a wireless battery management module acting as a subordinate in the wireless battery management system.
-Regarding claim 3, the combination further discloses if the communication module is mounted on the communication unit, the communication module inputs a predetermined communication module signal to the communication unit and the communication unit recognizes the communication module based on the communication module signal (Li, identify whether the detachable wireless communication module has been inserted and whether the wireless communication module has a certain supported short-range radio frequency module, paragraph 22-25).
-Regarding claim 4, the combination further discloses the communication unit includes: a recognition signal input unit outputting a recognition signal corresponding to the communication module based on a communication module signal input from the communication module; and a controller recognizing the communication module based on the recognition signal from the recognition signal input unit and communicating with the communication module using a communication method corresponding to the recognized communication module (Li, identify whether the detachable wireless communication module has been inserted and whether the wireless communication module has a certain supported short-range radio frequency module, paragraph 22-25).
-Regarding claim 6, the combination further discloses a monitoring unit outputting a monitoring signal for monitoring an output signal from the recognition signal input unit (Li, paragraph 34-35).
-Regarding claim 7, the combination further discloses the controller determines that the recognition signal is a noisy signal if the monitoring signal falls within a noise voltage range corresponding to the recognition signal (Li, paragraph 34-35).
-Regarding claim 8, the combination further discloses the communication method is universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter communication or serial peripheral interface communication (Li, paragraph 26, 28 and 35).
-Regarding claim 9, Li discloses a communication apparatus (FIG. 1), the communication apparatus comprising: a recognition signal input unit outputting a recognition signal corresponding to a communication module based on a communication module signal input from the communication module (the kind of the short-range radio frequency module of the detachable wireless communication module is determined, paragraph 34); and a controller recognizing the communication module based on an output signal from the recognition signal input unit and communicating with the communication module using a communication method corresponding to the recognized communication module (a communication procedure is performed on the short-range radio frequency module through the host connector to initialize the short-range radio frequency module, paragraph 35).
Li is silent to teaching that a wireless battery management system. However, the claimed limitation is well known in the art as evidenced by Lee.
In the same field of endeavor, Lee teaches a wireless battery management system (see abstract).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of LI with the teaching of Lee in order to provide communications for battery management.
The combination is silent to teaching that the recognizing including recognizing a manufacturer of the communication module. However, the claimed limitation is well known in the art as evidenced by Chen.
In the same field of endeavor, Chen teaches the recognizing including recognizing a manufacturer of the communication module (the battery identification information determined at 403 may correspond to a battery make, model, and/or manufacturer/supplier identified, paragraph 38).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of the combination with the teaching of Chen in order to provide better realize an efficiency or durability of the identified battery.
-Regarding claim 11, the combination further discloses a monitoring unit outputting a monitoring signal for monitoring the output signal from the recognition signal input unit (Li, identify whether the detachable wireless communication module has been inserted and whether the wireless communication module has a certain supported short-range radio frequency module, paragraph 22-25).
-Regarding claim 12, the combination further discloses the controller determines that the recognition signal is a noisy signal if the monitoring signal falls within a noise voltage range corresponding to the recognition signal (Li, paragraph 34-35).
-Regarding claim 13, the combination further discloses the communication method is universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter communication or serial peripheral interface communication (Li, paragraph 26, 28 and 35).
Claim(s) 5 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2011/0197006) in view of Lee (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2019/0356143), Chen (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2016/0096444) and further in view of Hofer (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2021/0028632).
-Regarding claim 5, the combination is silent to teaching that the recognition signal input unit includes an AND gate outputting a recognition signal for the communication module by performing an AND operation of the communication module signal and a reference signal input from a power terminal. However, the claimed limitation is well known in the art as evidenced by Hofer.
In the same field of endeavor, Hofer teaches the recognition signal input unit includes an AND gate outputting a recognition signal for the communication module by performing an AND operation of the communication module signal and a reference signal input from a power terminal (AND gate 34, paragraph 96).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of the combination with the teaching of Hofer in order to provide improved redundancy for fulfilling high safety standards.
-Regarding claim 10, the combination further discloses the recognition signal input unit includes an AND gate outputting a recognition signal for the communication module by performing an AND operation of the communication module signal and a reference signal input from a power terminal (Hofer, AND gate 34, paragraph 96).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-13 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PING Y HSIEH whose telephone number is (571)270-3011. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jennifer Mehmood can be reached at (571) 272-2976. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PING Y HSIEH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2664
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