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 certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 02/26/2024, 01/14/2025, 05/01/2025, and 04/02/2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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)(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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 7-9, 14-18, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Nam et al. [US 2023/0022874].
With respect to claims 1 and 14, Nam discloses a battery device [Fig. 1], comprising: a battery pack [10]; and a battery management system [20; implicitly controllers contain memory/storage or executing the instructions therein] with monitoring circuit [135] configured to: determine a charging current to charge the battery pack in each period based on a derating factor in a charge cycle including a plurality of periods [130, Figs 2-3], update the derating factor based on a comparison of a voltage of the battery pack in each corresponding period among the plurality of periods with a voltage upper limit value set for the corresponding period [Figs 4a/4b, see par. 0092, 0096-0098, 0119], and use the updated derating factor in a next charging cycle [Fig. 8].
With respect to claims 2 and 15, Nam further discloses a basic charging current is set for each of the plurality of periods, and the battery management system is further configured to determine the charging current based on the derating factor and the basic charging current [Figs 13,15, i.e. the base current pattern is shifted based on the derating].
With respect to claim 3, Nam further discloses the battery management system is further configured to: set the derating factor to be the same in each of the plurality of periods, and determine the charging current of the corresponding period by multiplying the derating factor by the basic charging current of the corresponding period [Fig. 13, 15; i.e. the entire basic current pattern is shifted by the same factor such that the pattern is the same, just shifted].
With respect to claim 7, Nam further discloses individually set the derating factor for each of the plurality of periods and determine the charging current of the corresponding period by multiplying the derating factor of the corresponding period by the basic charging current of the corresponding period [Fig. 13, 15; i.e. the entire basic current pattern is shifted by the same factor such that the pattern is the same, just shifted, and it applies to each section individually].
With respect to claims 8-9 and 16-17, Nam further discloses the derating factor is reduced or increased based on the voltage readings [Figs. 13, 15 show the shifting back and forth of the basic current graph in order to control the charging current based on the derating factor being applied or not]
With respect to claims 18 and 20, Nam further discloses the processor is further configured to control charging of the battery pack based on the charging current [i.e. implicit function of a charging controller, see fig. 18].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-13 and 19 are allowed.
With respect to claim 10, the prior art of record does not suggest or disclose the claimed combination of elements or steps as recited, most particularly the claimed, “a memory storing a voltage upper limit value and a derating factor for each period of a charging cycle including a plurality of periods; and a processor configured to: determine a charging current of the battery pack in each period of the charging cycle based on the derating factor, and update the derating factor based on a number of periods in which the voltage of the battery pack exceeds the voltage upper limit value among the plurality of periods.”
Claims 11-13 and 19 depend on claim 10 and are allowed for the same reasons.
Claim 4-6 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if canceled and incorporated into the respective independent claim including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
With respect to claim 4, the prior art of record does not suggest or disclose the claimed combination of elements or steps as recited, most particularly the claimed, “the battery management system is further configured to update the derating factor based on a number of periods in which the voltage of the battery pack exceeds the voltage upper limit value among the plurality of periods.”
Claims 5-6 depend on claim 4 and are objected to for the same reasons.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 2023/0216324 to Tang et al. relates to charging current control and teaches comparing a highest voltage of cells and an upper limit in order to determine a derating current and therefore also reads on the claimed subject matter above with respect to claims 1 and 14.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHANIEL R PELTON whose telephone number is (571)270-1761. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am to 5pm.
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/NATHANIEL R PELTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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