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 § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-6 and 8-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. Below is an analysis in accordance with the Subject Matter Eligibility Test for Products and Process found in MPEP 2106(III).
Claim 1: A system for managing battery electric machines (BEMs) at a worksite, comprising:
a transceiver and a processor communicably coupled thereto; the processor configured to:
receive battery state information from the BEMs operating at the worksite via the transceiver;
determine a primary battery state and at least one secondary battery state associated with the primary battery state based on the received battery state information;
identify at least one BEM of the BEMs requiring at least one controller action based on the primary battery state or the at least one secondary battery state, wherein the identifying comprises detecting at least one machine related event;
determine the at least one controller action for the at least one detected machine related event corresponding to the at least one identified BEM based on the at least one secondary battery state and a short interval control (SIC) plan comprising a plurality of planned tasks over a short-interval timeline; and
provide the battery state information of the BEMs on a display, wherein the providing comprises: providing the primary battery state of the at least one identified BEM visually distinct from the primary battery state of the other BEMs, providing the at least one secondary battery state associated with the primary battery state corresponding to the at least one identified BEM, and providing the at least one controller action determined.
Step 1: The claim recites a system. Thus, the claim is to a statutory category of invention.
Step 2A Prong One: Limitation (c) in claim 1 recites “determine a primary battery state and at least one secondary battery state associated with the primary battery state based on the received battery state information”. Limitation (d) in claim 1 recites “identify at least one BEM of the BEMs requiring at least one controller action based on the primary battery state or the at least one secondary battery state, wherein the identifying comprises detecting at least one machine related event”. Limitation (e) in claim 1 recites “determine the at least one controller action for the at least one detected machine related event corresponding to the at least one identified BEM based on the at least one secondary battery state and a short interval control (SIC) plan comprising a plurality of planned tasks over a short-interval timeline”. As is evident from applicant’s disclosure, the claimed steps (c)-(e) fall into the “Mental Processes” group of abstract ideas because the recited steps are observations (determine a primary battery state and at least one secondary battery state associated with the primary battery state based on the received battery state information in step (c) and identify at least one BEM of the BEMs requiring at least one controller action based on the primary battery state or the at least one secondary battery state, wherein the identifying comprises detecting at least one machine related event in step (d)) and evaluations (determine the at least one controller action for the at least one detected machine related event corresponding to the at least one identified BEM based on the at least one secondary battery state and a short interval control (SIC) plan comprising a plurality of planned tasks over a short-interval timeline in step (e)) that are simple enough that they can be practically performed in the human mind. Note that even if most humans would use a physical aid to help them complete the recited calculation or observation, the use of such physical aid does not negate the mental nature of these limitations because the claim here merely uses general purpose computer as a tool to perform the otherwise mental process.
Step 2A Prong Two: Besides the abstract idea, the claim recites additional element (b) receive battery state information from the BEMs operating at the worksite via the transceiver (f) provide the battery state information of the BEMs on a display, wherein the providing comprises: providing the primary battery state of the at least one identified BEM visually distinct from the primary battery state of the other BEMs, providing the at least one secondary battery state associated with the primary battery state corresponding to the at least one identified BEM, and providing the at least one controller action determined. These additional elements represent mere data gathering (receiving battery state information) and data display (provide the battery state information on a display) that is necessary for the use of the recited judicial exception. Accordingly, elements (b) and (f) are insignificant extra-solution activity. Claim 1 also recites a “processor” in element (a). The processor is merely a generic processor which is recited at a high level of generality. Furthermore, the processor is recited so generically that they represent no more than mere instructions to apply the judicial exceptions on a computer.
Even when viewed in combination, these additional elements do not integrate the recited judicial exception into a practical application.
Step 2B: The claim as a whole does not amount to significantly more than the recited exception. Additional elements (b) and (f), as explained previously, are mere data gathering and data display, which is extra-solution activity and for purposes of Step 2A Prong Two was considered insignificant. Thus, limitations (b) and (f) do not amount to significantly more.
As explained previously, the processor in element (a) is at best the equivalent of merely adding the words “apply it” to the judicial exception. Mere instructions to apply an exception cannot provide an inventive concept. Examiner takes official notice that processors were well-known and conventionally used before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to analyze input data and generate output data based on the input data. Therefore, the claim is not eligible.
Claims 2-6 and 8-20 are merely just extensions or variations of the judicial exception, generally linking the use of the judicial exception to the technological environment, or insignificant extra-solution activity.
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Romero et. Al., US Patent Application Publication no. 2023/0113279 [Romero]1, in view of, Liu et al., US Patent no. 12,626,200 [Liu].
Regarding claims 1, 19 and 20, Romero discloses a system for managing battery electric machines (BEMs) at a worksite, comprising:
a transceiver and a processor communicably coupled thereto [control system 116 includes one or more processors that communicate with worksite equipment to gather worksite related information and battery data, paragraphs 0043 and 0046];
the processor configured to:
receive battery state information from the BEMs operating at the worksite via the transceiver [the control system receives battery data from for various pieces of equipment operating at a worksite, paragraph 0046];
determine a primary battery state and at least one secondary battery state associated with the primary battery state based on the received battery state information [the battery data indicates diagnostic information about the battery, status information about the battery, alerts indicating faults associated with the battery 132, and/or any other information about the battery. For example, as introduced above, the battery data may indicate a current charge state of the battery, a maximum charge level of the battery, a discharge rate of the battery, a voltage level associated with the battery, a current charge of the battery, a temperature of the battery, one or more battery health parameters associated with the battery, and/or any other metrics or types of information associated with the battery, paragraph 0059];
identify at least one BEM of the BEMs requiring at least one controller action based on the primary battery state or the at least one secondary battery state, wherein the identifying comprises detecting at least one machine related event [the control system, using the battery data, determines whether the pieces of equipment have a sufficient amount of power to perform tasks at the worksite and performs one or actions if the pieces of equipment do not have sufficient amount of power to perform tasks at the worksite, paragraphs 0051-0052];
determine the at least one controller action for the at least one detected machine related event corresponding to the at least one identified BEM based on the at least one secondary battery state and a short interval control (SIC) plan comprising a plurality of planned tasks over a short-interval timeline [the one or more actions include adjusting an amount of paving material supplied to the worksite, whether an increase or a decrease, dispatching additional pieces of electronic equipment (e.g., additional paving machines, additional compacting machines, recharging trucks), delaying a supply of paving material, recharging pieces of equipment, and so forth. For example, if the paving machine includes an insufficient amount of power to distribute the paving material at the production rate(s), the control system may dispatch an additional paving machine to distribute the paving material instead. Here, the additional paving machine (e.g., the second paving machine) may take the place of the paving machine. In such instances, the control system determines a time and/or a location at which the additional paving machine is to replace the paving machine. In another instance, a recharging vehicle is dispatched to recharge the paving machine. As a result, the one or more action(s) serve to limit disturbances at the worksite, defects in the mat, a waste of paving material, cooling of the paving material, and so forth, paragraph 0053]; and
provide the battery state information of the BEMs on a display, wherein the providing comprises providing the at least one controller action determined [outputting a notification on a user interface indicating that the paving machine has insufficient power to handle the production rate(s), that the paving machine is to be replaced with an additional paving machine, and so forth, paragraph 0054].
Romero discloses displaying notifications related to control actions performed and the reason for performing the control actions but does not specifically disclose displaying the primary battery state of the at least one identified BEM visually distinct from the primary battery state of the other BEMs and providing the at least one secondary battery state associated with the primary battery state corresponding to the at least one identified BEM. Like Romero, Liu discloses a control system for managing a fleet of battery powered vehicles. Liu further discloses a user interface that displays vehicle battery information. Specifically, Liu discloses displaying, in separate areas, battery statuses for each of a plurality of battery vehicles and the state of charge for each of the batteries [Figure 5]. Since it was known in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for battery vehicle control systems to display indications of battery statuses and conditions for each battery vehicle in separate areas, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the Liu teachings into the Romero control system notification user interface in order to facilitate user monitoring and control of the battery vehicles.
Regarding claim 2, Romero further discloses that the primary battery state corresponds to at least one of a battery charging state, a battery consumption state, or a battery fault state [the battery data indicates diagnostic information about the battery, status information about the battery, alerts indicating faults associated with the battery 132, and/or any other information about the battery. For example, as introduced above, the battery data may indicate a current charge state of the battery, a maximum charge level of the battery, a discharge rate of the battery, a voltage level associated with the battery, a current charge of the battery, a temperature of the battery, one or more battery health parameters associated with the battery, and/or any other metrics or types of information associated with the battery, paragraph 0059].
Regarding claim 3, Romero further discloses that the at least one secondary battery state is indicative of at least one of a battery charge, a battery temperature, an electric power train temperature, a depth of discharge (DoD), a time of receipt of the battery state information, the target battery charge associated with the BEMs, a first estimated time for the battery charge to be greater than or equal to the target battery charge, a second estimated time for the battery charge to be less than or equal to the threshold battery charge, a regenerative battery charging state, electric power connection state, a number of battery cycles, a battery capacity, battery power supply disruption, a battery fault, a battery charging fault, or a battery connection fault [the battery data indicates diagnostic information about the battery, status information about the battery, alerts indicating faults associated with the battery 132, and/or any other information about the battery. For example, as introduced above, the battery data may indicate a current charge state of the battery, a maximum charge level of the battery, a discharge rate of the battery, a voltage level associated with the battery, a current charge of the battery, a temperature of the battery, one or more battery health parameters associated with the battery, and/or any other metrics or types of information associated with the battery, paragraph 0059].
Regarding claim 4, Liu further discloses that a battery charge of the at least one identified BEM is less than or equal to a threshold battery charge in the battery consumption state and greater than or equal to a target battery charge in the battery charging state [charge conditions displayed on the GUI in Figure 5].
Regarding claim 5, Romero further discloses that the primary battery state of at least one identified BEM corresponds to the battery fault state [the battery data indicates diagnostic information about the battery, status information about the battery, alerts indicating faults associated with the battery 132, and/or any other information about the battery. For example, as introduced above, the battery data may indicate a current charge state of the battery, a maximum charge level of the battery, a discharge rate of the battery, a voltage level associated with the battery, a current charge of the battery, a temperature of the battery, one or more battery health parameters associated with the battery, and/or any other metrics or types of information associated with the battery, paragraph 0059].
Regarding claim 6, Romero further discloses that a battery or electric power train temperature of the at least one identified BEM is greater than or equal to a threshold battery temperature [the battery data indicates diagnostic information about the battery, status information about the battery, alerts indicating faults associated with the battery 132, and/or any other information about the battery. For example, as introduced above, the battery data may indicate a current charge state of the battery, a maximum charge level of the battery, a discharge rate of the battery, a voltage level associated with the battery, a current charge of the battery, a temperature of the battery, one or more battery health parameters associated with the battery, and/or any other metrics or types of information associated with the battery, paragraph 0059].
Regarding claim 7, Romero further discloses that the processor is configured to implement the at least one determined controller action and the at least one determined controller action corresponds to at least one of: dispatching a maintenance vehicle to attend to the at least one identified BEM; dispatching the at least one identified BEM for operation when a battery charge of the at least one identified BEM is greater than a target battery charge; directing the at least one identified BEM to a charging station when the battery charge of the at least one identified BEM is less than a threshold battery charge; or modifying the SIC plan, wherein the modifying comprises reassigning the at least one identified BEM from a first planned task of the plurality of planned tasks assigned to the at least one identified BEM to a second planned task of the plurality of planned tasks or reassigning the first planned task assigned to the at least one identified BEM to at least one of the other BEMs in the short-interval timeline [the one or more actions include adjusting an amount of paving material supplied to the worksite, whether an increase or a decrease, dispatching additional pieces of electronic equipment (e.g., additional paving machines, additional compacting machines, recharging trucks), delaying a supply of paving material, recharging pieces of equipment, and so forth. For example, if the paving machine includes an insufficient amount of power to distribute the paving material at the production rate(s), the control system may dispatch an additional paving machine to distribute the paving material instead. Here, the additional paving machine (e.g., the second paving machine) may take the place of the paving machine. In such instances, the control system determines a time and/or a location at which the additional paving machine is to replace the paving machine. In another instance, a recharging vehicle is dispatched to recharge the paving machine. As a result, the one or more action(s) serve to limit disturbances at the worksite, defects in the mat, a waste of paving material, cooling of the paving material, and so forth, paragraph 0053].
Regarding claim 8, Liu further discloses that the processor is configured to provide the primary battery state or the at least one secondary battery state corresponding to the battery consumption state, the battery charging state, and the battery fault state, visual distinct from each other [battery statuses and states of charge, Figure 5].
Regarding claim 9, Liu further discloses that the providing of the primary battery state comprises: providing a primary visual indicator associated with the determined primary battery state in a first color until the battery charge of the corresponding BEM is greater than or equal to a target battery charge in the battery charging state, and causing a change in color thereafter; providing the primary visual indicator in a second color until a battery charge of a corresponding BEM of the BEMs is less than or equal to a threshold battery charge in the battery consumption state, and causing a change in color of the primary visual indicator thereafter; and providing the primary visual indicator in a third color in the battery fault state [battery statuses (i.e. charging, complete/available, low charge/fault are displayed with different colors, Figures 5 and 7 and column 15, lines 47-56].
Regarding claim 10, Liu further discloses that the primary visual indicator rendered in the third color, or the change in color of the primary visual indicator is indicative of the at least one identified BEM requiring the at least one controller action on the at least one GUI [corrective actions are performed upon detection of battery fault or low charge conditions, column 14, lines 7-32].
Regarding claim 11, Liu further discloses that the providing of the at least one secondary battery state comprises: providing a secondary visual indicator associated with the at least one secondary battery state on the display in response to receiving a controller input corresponding to the primary visual indicator [individual battery vehicle detailed battery information is displayed upon selection of the vehicle overview, Figures 6A-6C and column 15, line 57 – column 16, line 21].
Regarding claim 12, Liu further discloses that the providing of the battery state information on the display comprises: providing at least one graphical user interface (GUI) comprising at least one graphical representation of the BEMs respectively on the display, wherein the at least one graphical representation comprises a primary visual indicator associated with the determined primary battery state [map view with icons of the battery vehicles in Figure 5 and column 15, lines 47-56].
Regarding claim 13, Liu further discloses that the at least one graphical representation of the BEMs corresponds to at least one of images, icons, clipart, graphics, user interface (UI) cards, or animations [map view with icons of the battery vehicles in Figure 5 and column 15, lines 47-56].
Regarding claim 14, Liu further discloses that the at least one GUI comprises a first GUI and a second GUI and the processor is configured to provide the at least one graphical representation of the BEMs as the UI cards in the first GUI and a digital map of the worksite on the second GUI [map view with icons of the battery vehicles in Figure 5 and individual battery vehicle detailed battery information, Figures 6A-6C].
Regarding claim 15, Liu further discloses that the processor is configured to provide at least one of a geographical location of the BEMs in the digital map, the at least one graphical representation of the BEMs at the geographical location in the digital map, an animated movement of the BEMs on the digital map, or the primary visual indicator corresponding to the at least one graphical representation in the digital map [map view with icons of the battery vehicles in Figure 5 and column 15, lines 47-56].
Regarding claim 16, Liu further discloses that each UI card of the UI cards rendered in the first GUI is associated with a corresponding graphical representation of a BEM of the BEMs in the second GUI [individual battery vehicle detailed battery information is displayed upon selection of the vehicle overview, Figures 6A-6C and column 15, line 57 – column 16, line 21].
Regarding claim 17, Liu further discloses that upon receiving a controller input corresponding to a UI card of the UI cards in the first GUI, the processor is configured to identify and visually display the corresponding graphical representation of the BEM associated with the UI card in the digital map provided in the second GUI [map view with icons of the battery vehicles in Figure 5 and column 15, lines 47-56 and individual battery vehicle detailed battery information is displayed upon selection of the vehicle overview, Figures 6A-6C and column 15, line 57 – column 16, line 21].
Regarding claim 18, Romero further discloses that the processor is configured to modify the SIC plan based on the at least one determined controller action and provide the modified SIC plan on the at least one GUI [performing one or more control actions modifying operations performed by the battery vehicles and providing notifications of the changes on the user interface, paragraphs 0053 and 0054].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Matsuda, US Patent Application Publication no. 2024/0177544 discloses displaying battery conditions in different colors that are based on the levels of conditions.
Nakhjiri et al., US Patent Application Publication no. 2021/0344051 discloses displaying a map with icons representing a plurality of battery vehicles.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL B YANCHUS III whose telephone number is (571)272-3678. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kamini Shah can be reached at (571) 272-2279. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PAUL B YANCHUS III/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2115 June 19, 2026
1 Romero was cited in the 9/29/25 IDS.
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