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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because Figure 4 should be amended to be labeled internal resistance instead of “CHARGE RATE”. The specification discusses this chart providing internal resistance values that correspond to the SOC and temperature of the battery (page 25, line 10 – page 26, line 1). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
Per step 1 of the Subject Matter Eligibility Test (See MPEP 2106), claim 1 is directed to a system, which is a product and falls within a statutory category (See MPEP 2106.03).
Per step 2A, prong 1, claim 1 recites to determine a SOC estimation value of the battery based on a voltage detection value, a current detection value, and a temperature detection value at a predetermined interval from a start point of a charging procedure for the battery from the first charge reference map, determine a m.sup.th charge rate associated with a m.sup.th SOC section to which the SOC estimation value corresponds and a temperature section to which the temperature detection value corresponds, wherein m is a natural number less than or equal to M, determine a predicted charging time value in the m.sup.th SOC section, based on the m.sup.th charge rate and a SOC difference between the SOC estimation value and a SOC value at an end point of the m.sup.th SOC section, and when m is less than M, further determine a predicted temperature value corresponding to the end point of the m.sup.th SOC section, wherein the predicted temperature value corresponding to the end point of the m.sup.th SOC section represents the temperature of the battery corresponding to a start point of a (m+1).sup.th SOC section. The claim limitations are directed to mathematical operations which fall into the mathematical concepts grouping (See MPEP 2106.04(a)(2), subsection I).
The additional elements are a memory configured to store a first charge reference map in which a total of M×N charge rates for a first to an M.sup.th SOC sections and a first to an N.sup.th temperature sections associated with a multi-stage constant-current charging protocol are recorded, wherein M is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, and N is a natural number greater than or equal to 2; a sensor configured to detect a voltage, a current, and a temperature of a battery; and a controller.
Per step 2A, prong 2, The abstract idea is not integrated into a practical application. The recitation of a memory and a controller amount to instructions to implement the abstract idea on a generic computer (See MPEP 2106.05(f)). The recitation of a sensor is mere data gathering in conjunction with the abstract idea, which is insignificant extra-solution activity (See MPEP 2106.05(g)). When considered in combination, the additional elements do not provide anything further.
Per step 2B, claim 1 does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception for the same reason. Further, with regard to the sensor, the courts have recognized that data gathering in various manners is well-understood, routine and conventional (See MPEP 2106.05(d), subsection II).
Claims 2-9 depend from claim 1 and recite further details of the abstract idea. Claims 2-9 do not recite any additional elements. Since there are no recited additional elements, claims 2-9 are not integrated into a practical application and does not amount to significantly more than the abstract idea.
Claim 10 is directed to a further additional element of a battery pack. The battery pack is recited at a high level of generality and only generally links the abstract idea to a technological environment (See MPEP 2106.05(h)). When considered in combination with the memory, the processor and the sensor, nothing further is provided. Therefore, claim 10 is not integrated into a practical application, and is not significantly more than the abstract idea.
Claim 11 is directed toa further additional element of an electric vehicle. The electric vehicle is recited at a high level of generality and only generally links the abstract idea to a technological environment of electric vehicles with a battery pack (See MPEP 2106.05(h)). When considered in combination with the memory, the processor and the sensor, nothing further is provided. Therefore, claim 11 is not integrated into a practical application, and is not significantly more than the abstract idea.
Per step 1 of the Subject Matter Eligibility Test (See MPEP 2106), claim 12 is directed to a method, which is a process and falls within a statutory category (See MPEP 2106.03).
Claim 12 recites an abstract idea similar to the abstract idea recited in claim 1. Claim 12 and its depends claims 13-15 do not recite any additional elements. Therefore, claims 12-15 are not integrated into a practical application and are not significantly more than the abstract idea.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 5-7 and 10-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over European Patent Specification EP 3764114 to Ruan et al. (Ruan) in view of US Patent Application Publication 2021/0101504 to Okamoto et al. (Okamoto).
Claims 1 and 12
With regard to a memory configured to store a first charge reference map in which a total of M×N charge rates for a first to an M.sup.th SOC sections and a first to an N.sup.th temperature sections associated with a multi-stage constant-current charging protocol are recorded, wherein M is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, and N is a natural number greater than or equal to 2; Ruan teaches a table used to determine charging requests based on the SOC and temperature of the battery (pars. 29-34; Table 1; Fig. 3, memory 340; par. 141).
With regard to detecting a temperature, Ruan teaches measuring temperature (par. 17).
With regard to wherein the controller is configured to: from the first charge reference map, determine a m.sup.th charge rate associated with a m.sup.th SOC section to which the SOC estimation value corresponds and a temperature section to which the temperature detection value corresponds, wherein m is a natural number less than or equal to M, Ruan teaches determining the SOC based on voltage, current and temperature (par. 26).
With regard to wherein the controller is configured to: determine a predicted charging time value in the m.sup.th SOC section, based on the m.sup.th charge rate and a SOC difference between the SOC estimation value and a SOC value at an end point of the m.sup.th SOC section, Ruan teaches determining a charge rate based on the SOC and temperature using a table (Ruan, pars. 22-34; Table 1, Fig. 1, S110).
With regard to wherein the controller is configured to: when m is less than M, further determine a predicted temperature value corresponding to the end point of the m.sup.th SOC section, wherein the predicted temperature value corresponding to the end point of the m.sup.th SOC section represents the temperature of the battery corresponding to a start point of a (m+1).sup.th SOC section; Ruan teaches determining a temperature and a second estimated time based on the estimated temperature (Fig. 1, S130; par. 25).
Ruan does not teach a sensor configured to detect a voltage, a current, and a temperature of a battery; and a controller configured to determine a SOC estimation value of the battery based on a voltage detection value, a current detection value, and a temperature detection value at a predetermined time interval from a start point of a charging procedure for the battery.
Okamoto teaches determining SOC based on a measurements of voltage, current and temperature (par. 26). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the charging time estimation, as taught by Ruan, to include calculating the SOC, as taught by Okamoto, because then a well known method of determining SOC based on current battery parameters would have been available.
Claims 2 and 13
Ruan teaches that the controller is configured to: determine a predicted temperature change amount from the SOC estimation value corresponding to the end point of the m.sup.th SOC section, based on the m.sup.th charge rate and the predicted charging time value in the m.sup.th SOC section, using a pre-given thermal model, and determine the predicted temperature value corresponding to the end point of the m.sup.th SOC section by adding the predicted temperature change amount from the SOC estimation value to the end point of the m.sup.th SOC section to the temperature detection value (pars. 6, 7, 34-43, 86).
Claims 5 and 14
Ruan teaches that when k is a natural number greater than or equal to (m+1) and less than or equal to M, in the case in which the predicted charging time value in a (k−1).sup.th SOC section and the predicted temperature value corresponding to an end point of the (k−1).sup.th SOC section are completely determined, the controller is configured to: from the first charge reference map, determine a k.sup.th charge rate associated with the k.sup.th SOC section and the temperature section to which the predicted temperature value at the end point of the (k−1).sup.th SOC section corresponds, and determine a predicted charging time value corresponding to the k.sup.th SOC section and a predicted temperature value corresponding to the end point of the k.sup.th SOC section, based on the k.sup.th charge rate and a size of the k.sup.th SOC section (pars. 65-75, 91-95).
Claims 6 and 15
Ruan teaches that when the predicted charging time value corresponding to the M.sup.th SOC section is completely determined, the controller is configured to determine a total remaining time until the charging procedure using the multi-stage constant-current charging protocol is terminated, by adding the predicted charging time values determined for the m.sup.th SOC section to the M.sup.th SOC sections (pars. 65-75, 91-95).
Claim 7
Ruan teaches that when the predicted charging time value corresponding to the (k−1).sup.th SOC section and the predicted temperature value corresponding to the end point of the (k−1).sup.th SOC section are completely determined, the controller is configured to: determine a predicted temperature change amount corresponding to the k.sup.th SOC section, based on the k.sup.th charge rate and the predicted charging time value corresponding to the k.sup.th SOC section, using a pre-given thermal model, and determine a predicted temperature value corresponding to the end point of the k.sup.th SOC section by adding the predicted temperature change amount corresponding to the k.sup.th SOC section to the predicted temperature value corresponding to the end point of the (k−1).sup.th SOC section (par. 25, 65-75, 91-95).
Claim 10
Ruan teaches a battery pack (par. 14).
Claim 11
Ruan teaches an electric vehicle comprising the battery pack (par. 15).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MANUEL L BARBEE whose telephone number is (571)272-2212. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9-5:30..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Shelby A Turner can be reached at 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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/MANUEL L BARBEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2857
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