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 § 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.
Claims 1, 4-6, 9, 14, 17-18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhang Patent No. 10,174,736.
Regarding claims 1, 14, and 20, Zhang discloses a system for providing a protection circuit during an engine starting event, the system comprising:
a first relay [Fig. 3, relay K3], wherein the first relay electrically connects between:
a first battery [Fig. 3, battery pack], and
a starter motor and a set of on-board accessories, the starter motor mechanically associated with an engine [Fig. 3, relay K3 is electrically connected between the battery pack and the engine];
a battery protection circuit, wherein the battery protection circuit comprises
a second relay [Fig. 3, K1], and electrically connects between:
a second battery [Fig. 3, accumulator battery], and the starter motor and the set of on-board accessories [Fig. 3, relay K1 is electrically connected between the accumulator battery and the engine];
a capacitor [Fig. 3, capacitor C1], wherein a first terminal of the capacitor is configured to electrically connect with the second relay [Fig. 3, (+) terminal of C1 is electrically connected with the second relay K1] and the set of on-board accessories, and a second terminal of the capacitor is configured to be grounded [Fig. 3, (-) terminal of C1 is grounded; col. 7 lines 61 – col. 8 lines 1]; and
a controller [Fig. 3, controller], wherein upon receiving a signal to start the engine, the controller is configured to send a first control signal to the first relay [col. 13 lines 18-25] and a second control signal to the second relay [col. 8 lines 21-25].
Regarding claims 4, 17, Zhang discloses that the first relay is a normally-open relay [col. 12 lines 31-32].
Regarding claims 5, 18, Zhang discloses that upon receiving the first control signal from the controller, the first relay is configured to switch from an open state to a closed state, so that the first battery supplies electric power to the starter motor to start the engine 33 [col. 13 lines 18-25].
Regarding claim 6, Zhang discloses that the first relay comprises an input terminal, an output terminal, and a control terminal; the input terminal of the first relay is configured to electrically connect to a positive terminal of the first battery [Fig. 3, one end of K3 is connected to positive terminal of the battery pack]; the output terminal of the first relay is configured to electrically connect to positive terminals of the starter motor and the set of on-board accessories [Fig. 3, the other end of K3 is electrically connected to the positive terminal of the engine]; and the control terminal of the first relay is configured to electrically connect to the controller [Fig. 3, the control terminal of K3 is electrically connected to the controller].
Regarding claim 9, Zhang discloses that the second relay comprises an input terminal, an output terminal, and a control terminal; the input terminal of the second relay is configured to electrically connect to a positive terminal of the second battery [Fig. 3, one end (left end) of the first relay K1 is electrically connected to positive terminal of accumulator battery]; the output terminal of the second relay is configured to electrically connect to positive terminals of the starter motor, the set of on-board accessories, and the capacitor [Fig. 3, the other end (right end) of K1 is electrically connected to the engine and the capacitor C1]; and the control terminal of the second relay is configured to electrically connect to the controller [Fig. 3, the control terminal of K1 is electrically connected to the controller].
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.
Claims 3 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang Patent No. 10,174,736.
Regarding claims 3, 16, Zhang discloses that the second battery is an accumulator battery [Fig. 3, as shown].
However, Zhang does not explicitly disclose that the second battery comprises one of a lead-acid battery an enhanced flooded battery (EFB), an absorbent glass mat (AGM) battery, or a lithium battery.
Examiner takes Official Notice, IAW MPEP 2144.03, as to the common knowledge of the recited subject matter.
Lead-acid batteries, enhanced flooded batteries, absorbent glass mat batteries and lithium batteries as a group are the most commonly used batteries in vehicles. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize any of these batteries with Zhang’s vehicle for the benefit of utilizing a widely available and proven source of power already used in vehicles.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 7-8, 10-13, 15, and 19 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 of claims 2, 15: The prior art does not disclose that the first battery comprises a super-capacitor battery. This feature in combination with the rest of the claim limitations is not anticipated or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance of claim 7: The prior art does not disclose that the second relay is a normally-closed relay. This feature in combination with the rest of the claim limitations is not anticipated or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance of claims 8, 19: The prior art does not disclose that, before receiving the second control signal from the controller, the second relay is in a closed state, so that the second battery supplies electric power to the set of on-board accessories and charges the capacitor via the second relay; and upon receiving the second control signal from the controller, the second relay is configured to switch from the closed state to an open state, and the capacitor is configured to supply electric power to the set of on-board accessories. This feature in combination with the rest of the claim limitations is not anticipated or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance of claim 10: The prior art does not disclose that the battery protection circuit comprises a current-limiting circuit being in parallel with the second relay, and the current-limiting circuit comprises a resistor or a pulse width modulation (PWM) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). This feature in combination with the rest of the claim limitations is not anticipated or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance of claim 13: The prior art does not disclose that the first control signal and the second control signal is a same signal. This feature in combination with the rest of the claim limitations is not anticipated or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
Conclusion
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DHARTI PATEL
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2836
/DHARTI H PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838