DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status
2. Claims 1-15 are currently pending in this application.
Priority
3. 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
4. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 5/08/2024 was received. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement has being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
5. The drawings submitted on 5/08/2024 are in compliance with 37 CFR § 1.81 and 37 CFR § 1.83 and have been accepted by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Claims 1-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jones WO 97/45911.
With regards to claim 1, Jones WO 97/45911 teaches a power supply circuit comprising:
a series connection, the series connection being configured to transmit energy from a main energy source(8) to an output(10); (page 7, lines 18-20)
an energy storage device(14) connected in parallel to the series connection, the energy storage device being chargeable via the main energy source during a charging mode, the energy storage device being configured to supply energy to the output during a failure of the main energy source; (Page 8, lines 22-24) and
a controller (26) configured to monitor or test the energy storage device for degradation when the energy storage device is not supplying energy to the output and when the energy storage device is not being charged. (Page 10, lines 12-20)
With regards to claim 2, Jones WO 97/45911 teaches the controller is configured to monitor or test the energy storage device by measuring the rate at which the energy storage device discharges when the energy storage device is connected to a fixed load. (Page 10, lines 20-22)
With regards to claim 3, Jones WO 97/45911 teaches the controller is configured to determine whether the rate at which the energy storage device discharges is within a threshold rate of discharge. (page 1, lines 18-20)
With regards to claim 4, Jones WO 97/45911 teaches the controller is configured to determine that the energy storage device is degrading when the rate at which the energy storage device discharges is greater than the threshold rate of discharge. (testing/ monitoring health; page 11, lines 9-12) (Col. 16, lines 14-24)
With regards to claim 5, Jones WO 97/45911 teaches the controller is configured to monitor and/or test the energy storage device by measuring the effective series resistance of the energy storage device when the energy storage device is connected to a pulsed load. (page11, lines 9-12)
With regards to claim 6, Jones WO 97/45911 teaches the controller is configured to determine whether the effective series resistance is within a threshold effective series resistance. (testing/ monitoring health; page 11, lines 9-12)
With regards to claim 7, Jones WO 97/45911 teaches the controller is configured to determine that the energy storage device is degrading when the effective series resistance of the energy storage device is greater than the threshold effective series resistance. (testing/ monitoring health; page 11, lines 9-12)
With regards to claim 8, Jones WO 97/45911 teaches the controller is configured to monitor and/or test the energy storage device by measuring a change in an energy level and/or a voltage of the energy storage device when no load is connected across the energy storage device. (testing/ monitoring health; page 11, lines 9-12)
With regards to claim 9, Jones WO 97/45911 teaches the controller is configured to determine that the energy storage device is degrading when the change in the energy level and/or voltage of the energy storage device is greater than a threshold value. (testing/ monitoring health; page 11, lines 9-12)
With regards to claim 10, Jones WO 97/45911 teaches the controller is configured to predict a remaining life of the energy storage device based on the monitoring or testing. (Page 16, lines 14-16)
With regards to claim 11, Jones WO 97/45911 teaches the energy storage device is connected in parallel to the series connection via a diode, the diode being configured to prevent the energy storage device from supplying energy to the output when there is no failure of the main energy source. (18; figure 1) (Page 8, lines 3-8)
With regards to claim 12, Jones WO 97/45911 teaches the energy storage device is connected in parallel to the series connection via a switch, wherein the switch is closed during the charging mode, and wherein the switch is open when the energy storage device is not being charged. (Page 5, lines 12-16)
With regards to claim 13, Jones WO 97/45911 teaches a first voltage converter and a second voltage converter connected in series, the energy storage device being connected in parallel to the first voltage converter and the second voltage converter. (figure 1) (Page 9-10, lines 14-23 and 1-10)
With regards to claim 14, Jones WO 97/45911 teaches the first voltage converter and the second voltage converter are configured to step down the voltage supplied by the main energy source. (Page 5, lines 10-13)
With regards to claim 15, Jones WO 97/45911 teaches the energy storage device is supplied with a higher voltage than the output. (Figure 1)
Examiner's Note:
9. Examiner has cited particular columns and line numbers in the references applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
10. In the case of amending the claimed invention, Applicant is respectfully requested to indicate the portion(s) of the specification which dictate(s) the structure relied on for proper interpretation and also to verify and ascertain the metes and bounds of the claimed invention.
Conclusion
11. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Whitman US 2022/0102770 teaches a battery cell with sensors.
12. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ADITYA S BHAT whose telephone number is (571)272-2270. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 8 am-6pm.
13. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
14. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Shelby Turner can be reached on 571-272-6334. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ADITYA S BHAT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2857 June 19, 2026
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