DETAILED ACTION
1. This is the first action on the merits relating to U.S. Application Serial No. 18/688,624 filed on March 1, 2024.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
2. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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.
Preliminary Amendment
4. Receipt is acknowledged of the preliminary amendment filed on March 1, 2024. Currently claims 1-8 and 10 remain in the examination.
Drawings
5. Drawings originally filed on March 1, 2024 are approved.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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, 2, 8, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2021/0231713 A1 to Cho et al. (hereinafter “Choi”).
Regarding claim 1, 8, and 10, Choi discloses a battery monitoring system and a battery monitoring device (see figure 3) comprising a current sensor – battery measuring device which detects voltage information of the battery (see abstract and paragraph 0038 and thereafter); a communication unit 140 which may be a near field device (NFC) or an RFID (see figure 3 and paragraph 0132) which communicates in wireless mode; and transmission of data is controlled by the control unit 110 (see paragraph 0131); and currents are measured in a predetermined time period (see paragraph 0016, 0133, and 0169);
Regarding claim 2, current value is collected and compared to the reference value (see paragraph 0144) and voltage value is collected and compared to the reference value (see paragraph 0153).
Allowable Subject Matter
9. Claims 3-7 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.
10. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Claims are directed at a battery monitoring system comprising:
battery measuring devices each of which detects voltage information on a
corresponding battery; and
a battery monitoring device, wherein
the battery monitoring device includes: a communication Integrated Circuit (communication IC) that executes wireless communication with the battery measuring
devices with a predetermined period, and
a controller for acquiring the voltage information from each of the battery
measuring devices by using wireless communication and acquiring current information on current flowing through the corresponding battery from an electric-current sensor, and
the controller is configured to:
cause the communication IC to output a voltage measuring instruction; and
based on a timing at which the communication IC transmits the voltage measuring instruction to the battery measuring device, acquire the current information during a time interval in which the battery measuring device acquires voltage information; and
wherein the controller is further configured to:
acquire the current information during a time interval in which the
battery measuring device to be determined acquires voltage information with reference to a timing at which the communication IC transmits the voltage measuring instruction to the battery measuring device; and
wherein the controller is further configured to:
acquire the current information after a predetermined time interval from a reception timing at which receiving, from the communication IC, reception data transmitted from the battery measuring device at cycle in which the communication IC transmits the voltage measuring instruction to the battery measuring device.
Above is a combination of claims 1, 2, and 3. Such a battery monitoring system is neither disclosed nor suggested by the cited references.
Conclusion
The pertinent prior arts made of record but not relied are listed in the attached form PTO-892. These are considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure. Applicant is respectfully suggested to carefully review these references.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Ahshik Kim whose telephone number is (571)272-2393. The examiner can normally be reached between the hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday thru Friday. Examiner’s fax phone number is (571)273-2393.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Thomas Pham, can be reached on (571)272-3689. The fax phone number for this Group is (571)273-8300.
Communications via Internet e-mail regarding this application, other than those under 35 U.S.C. 132 or which otherwise require a signature, may be used by the applicant and should be addressed to [ahshik.kim@uspto.gov].
PTO employees do not engage in Internet communications where there exists a possibility that sensitive information could be identified or exchanged unless the record includes a properly signed express waiver of the confidentiality requirements of 35 U.S.C. 122. This is more clearly set forth in the Interim Internet Usage Policy published in the Official Gazette of the Patent and Trademark on February 25, 1997 at 1195 OG 89.
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/AHSHIK KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
September 26, 2026
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