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 .
Status of Claims
This Office Action is in response to the application filed on 06 February 2026. Claims 1-9 and 11-20 are presently pending and are presented for examination. Claim 10 has been cancelled.
Priority
Request for priority to Provisional App. No. 63/293,293 is acknowledged. Examiner notes that the current claims do not appear to be fully supported by the provisional application and further notes that the Applicant may be requested to perfect one or more of the claims in the situation where applied prior art has priority falling between the filing date of the non-provisional application (371 of PCT/IB2022/059857) dated 14 October 2022 and the provisional application dated 23 December 2021. No action on the part of the Applicant is requested at this time.
Response to Amendments
In response to Applicant’s amendments dated 06 February 2026, Examiner withdraws the previous objections to the claims; withdraws the previous objections to the specification; withdraws the previous objections to the drawings; withdraws the previous 35 USC 112(b) rejections; and maintains the previous prior art rejections.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments, see Remarks, filed 06 February 2026, have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues, see Remarks, pg. 11-13, that US-20100102763-A1 (“Kagoshima”) does not disclose the amended limitations to the independent claims (previously recited as claim 10). Examiner respectfully disagrees. Kagoshima discloses sending and receiving a “signal indicating a predicted change in a state of the DC bus” (see Kagoshima, para. 0031) and adjusting “at least one parameter of the powertrain to assist the motor/generator in response to the predicted change in the state of the DC bus” (see Kagoshima, para. 0039). For these reasons, examiner is unpersuaded and maintains the corresponding rejections.
The remaining arguments are essentially the same as those addressed above and/or below and are unpersuasive for at least the same reasons. Therefore, examiner is unpersuaded and maintains the corresponding rejections.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim(s) 11 and 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the adjustment". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. As there are two limitations in claim 1 that reference an adjustment, it is unclear which “adjust” limitation is being referenced in claim 11. Examiner is interpreting claim 11 as referencing the amended limitation referencing an adjustment.
Claim 18 recites the limitation "the powertrain system". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. As claim 19 depends on independent claim 18, it is similarly rejected. Examiner is interpreting “the powertrain system” as “A powertrain”, recited in the claim preamble.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-9 and 11-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US-20100102763-A1, hereinafter “Kagoshima” (previously of record).
Regarding claim 1, and analogous claims 18 and 20, Kagoshima discloses A control system for controlling a powertrain of a hybrid electric vehicle (Kagoshima, para. 0012: “When it is detected by the electric-storage-device breakdown detector that the electric storage device is unusable, the controller unit [i.e., A control system] is configured to perform emergency evacuation control that suppresses the power consumption of the rotation motor to be less than or equal to the power generation of the generator while maintaining voltage of a direct current bus greater than or equal to a normal operation voltage of a control system of the hybrid working machine [i.e., for controlling a powertrain of a hybrid electric vehicle].”), the powertrain comprising an engine, a motor/generator, a battery and a DC bus, wherein the control system is configured to:
Regarding claim 18, Kagoshima discloses a powertrain for a hybrid electric vehicle, the powertrain comprising: an engine; a motor/generator; a DC bus; a battery configured to supply power to the DC bus; and a control system (Kagoshima, FIG. 1; para. 0012: “A hybrid working machine according to an aspect of the present invention includes the following elements [i.e., a powertrain for a hybrid electric vehicle]: an engine serving as a power source [i.e., an engine]; a hydraulic pump serving as a hydraulic power source of a hydraulic actuator, the hydraulic pump being driven by the engine; a generator driven by the engine [i.e., a motor/generator]; an electric storage device [i.e., a battery configured to supply power to the DC bus] that is charged with electric power generated by the generator; a rotation motor serving as a driving source of a rotating structure, the rotation motor being driven by the generator and the electric storage device; an electric-storage-device breakdown detector that detects that the electric storage device is unusable; and a controller unit [i.e., a control system] that controls the generator and the rotation motor. When it is detected by the electric-storage-device breakdown detector that the electric storage device is unusable, the controller unit is configured to perform emergency evacuation control that suppresses the power consumption of the rotation motor to be less than or equal to the power generation of the generator while maintaining voltage of a direct current bus [i.e., a DC bus] greater than or equal to a normal operation voltage of a control system of the hybrid working machine.”).
Regarding claim 20, Kagoshima discloses a method of controlling a powertrain of a hybrid electric vehicle (Kagoshima, FIG. 2, FIG. 3; para. 0032: “The details of this control operation will be described with reference to the flowcharts illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3.”).
operate the motor/generator in a first mode when the battery is connected to the DC bus (Kagoshima, para. 0012: “…an electric storage device that is charged with electric power generated by the generator; a rotation motor serving as a driving source of a rotating structure, the rotation motor being driven by the generator [i.e., operate the motor/generator in a first mode] and the electric storage device [i.e., when the battery is connected to the DC bus]; …”);
operate the motor/generator in a second mode when the battery is disconnected from the DC bus (Kagoshima, FIG. 1; para. 0013: “Accordingly, when the electric storage device is unusable [i.e., when the battery is disconnected from the DC bus], the power consumption of the rotation motor is suppressed while the voltage of the direct current bus is maintained greater than or equal to the normal operation voltage of the system [i.e., operate the motor/generator in a second mode]. Therefore, both stable rotation and hydraulic operation can be ensured.”),
wherein the second mode is a voltage control mode in which the motor/generator controls a voltage of the DC bus (Kagoshima, FIG. 1; para. 0012: “When it is detected by the electric-storage-device breakdown detector that the electric storage device is unusable [i.e., the second mode], the controller unit is configured to perform emergency evacuation control that suppresses the power consumption of the rotation motor to be less than or equal to the power generation of the generator [i.e., the motor/generator] while maintaining voltage of a direct current bus [i.e., a voltage control mode in which the motor/generator controls a voltage of the DC bus] greater than or equal to a normal operation voltage of a control system of the hybrid working machine.”);
adjust at least one parameter of the powertrain to assist the motor/generator in controlling the voltage of the DC bus in the second mode (Kagoshima, para. 0037: “In the emergency evacuation control [i.e., in the second mode] flow illustrated in FIG. 3, when the engine 1 is started by the starter motor, in step S11, it is determined whether the voltage of the DC buses 9 a and 9 b is greater than or equal to a first set value.”; para. 0039: “In this case, the torque of the generator motor 2 is set and controlled so that the voltage of the DC buses 9 a and 9 b will be maintained greater than or equal to a normal operation voltage [i.e., adjust at least one parameter of the powertrain to assist the motor/generator in controlling the voltage of the DC bus] (second set value; e.g., 300 V) of the entire system when the battery 11 is working well.”);
receive a signal indicating a predicted change in a state of the DC bus (Kagoshima, para. 0031: “The breakdown detector 15 determines whether the battery 11 is broken (unusable) [i.e., a predicted change in a state of the DC bus] on the basis of whether the voltage of the DC buses 9 a and 9 b, which is detected by the voltage sensor 14 at the time the system is started (at the time the key is switched on), is greater than or equal to a normal battery voltage (e.g., 150 V). When the breakdown detector 15 determines that the battery 11 is unusable, the breakdown detector 15 sends a breakdown signal to the generator motor controller 16 and the rotation motor controller 17 [i.e., receive a signal indicating], which perform predetermined control operation.”); and
adjust the at least one parameter of the powertrain to assist the motor/generator in response to the predicted change in the state of the DC bus (Kagoshima, para. 0039: “In this case, the torque of the generator motor 2 is set and controlled [i.e., adjust the at least one parameter of the powertrain] so that the voltage of the DC buses 9 a and 9 b will be maintained greater than or equal to a normal operation voltage (second set value; e.g., 300 V) of the entire system when the battery 11 is working well [i.e., to assist the motor/generator in response to the predicted change in the state of the DC bus].”).
Regarding claim 2, Kagoshima discloses The control system according to claim 1,
wherein the first mode is a mode in which at least one of a speed, torque, or power of the motor/generator is controlled (Kagoshima, FIG. 2; para. 0036: “In contrast, when the detected voltage is greater than or equal to the normal value (YES in step S2), it is determined that the battery 11 is working well [i.e., the first mode], and the control proceeds to normal control (step S6) [i.e., a mode in which at least one of a speed, torque, or power of the motor/generator is controlled].”; Note: It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of the application, to know that a motor/generator in a hybrid electric vehicle powertrain system can be controlled based on speed, torque, or power.).
Regarding claim 3, Kagoshima discloses The control system according to claim 1,
wherein, in the second mode, the control system adjusts the at least one parameter of the powertrain to assist the engine in controlling a parameter of the engine (Kagoshima, FIG. 3; para. 0037: “In the emergency evacuation [i.e., the second mode] control flow illustrated in FIG. 3, when the engine 1 is started by the starter motor [i.e., the control system adjusts the at least one parameter of the powertrain to assist the engine in controlling a parameter of the engine], in step S11, it is determined whether the voltage of the DC buses 9 a and 9 b is greater than or equal to a first set value.”).
Regarding claim 4, Kagoshima discloses The control system according to claim 3,
wherein the parameter of the engine is engine speed based on the engine being in a speed control mode or engine torque delivery based on the engine being in a torque control mode (Kagoshima, para. 0012: “A hybrid working machine according to an aspect of the present invention includes the following elements: an engine serving as a power source; a hydraulic pump serving as a hydraulic power source of a hydraulic actuator, the hydraulic pump being driven by the engine; a generator driven by the engine; an electric storage device that is charged with electric power generated by the generator…”; Note: One of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of the application, would know that a hybrid electric vehicle system with an engine providing power to a motor/generator (when a second power source, i.e., a battery, is not available) would have a control system that would necessarily need to control the speed, torque, or power of the engine in order to control the speed, torque, or power of the motor/generator.).
Regarding claim 5, Kagoshima discloses The control system according to claim 1,
wherein the control system is arranged to adjust the at least one parameter of the powertrain in response to a change in load on the DC bus (Kagoshima, para. 0035: “When the detected voltage is less the normal value even after a set time has elapsed since the battery connection (steps S2 and S3), it is determined that the battery 11 is broken [i.e., in response to a change in load on the DC bus], and the control is switched to emergency evacuation control (steps S4 and S5).”; para. 0039: “In this case, the torque of the generator motor 2 is set and controlled [i.e., the control system is arranged to adjust the at least one parameter of the powertrain] so that the voltage of the DC buses 9 a and 9 b will be maintained greater than or equal to a normal operation voltage (second set value; e.g., 300 V) of the entire system when the battery 11 is working well.”).
Regarding claim 6, Kagoshima discloses The control system according to claim 1,
wherein the at least one parameter of the powertrain is at least one of: a power consumption of a power consuming component or a power reserve of the engine (Kagoshima, para. 0035: “When the detected voltage is less the normal value even after a set time has elapsed since the battery connection (steps S2 and S3), it is determined that the battery 11 is broken, and the control is switched to emergency evacuation control (steps S4 and S5).”; para. 0039: “In this case, the torque of the generator motor 2 is set and controlled [i.e., a power consumption of a power consuming component] so that the voltage of the DC buses 9 a and 9 b will be maintained greater than or equal to a normal operation voltage (second set value; e.g., 300 V) of the entire system when the battery 11 is working well.”).
Regarding claim 7, Kagoshima discloses The control system according to claim 6,
wherein the power consuming component is at least one of: an electrical accessory or a brake resistor (Kagoshima, para. 0015: “In such a case, it is preferable that the hybrid working machine according to the aspect of the present invention further include a regenerative resistor that consumes regenerative power when the rotation motor is performing a regenerative operation; and a regenerative-resistor controller that controls the regenerative resistor. In this way, the regenerative power generated when the rotation speed is decreasing is consumed by the regenerative resistor [i.e., the power consuming component is at least one of…a brake resistor], and a regenerative brake operation can be normally performed.”).
Regarding claim 8, Kagoshima discloses The control system according to claim 1,
wherein the control system is configured to use at least one of: nominal engine torque; engine torque reserve; motor/generator torque; variation of traction motor torque from drive demand torque; variation of accessories power from accessories power demand; or brake resistor power as a control variable to control the voltage of the DC bus (Kagoshima, para. 0013: “Accordingly, when the electric storage device is unusable, the power consumption of the rotation motor [i.e., motor/generator torque] is suppressed while the voltage of the direct current bus is maintained greater than or equal to the normal operation voltage of the system [i.e., control system is configured to use at least one of…motor/generator torque…as a control variable to control the voltage of the DC bus]. Therefore, both stable rotation and hydraulic operation can be ensured.”).
Regarding claim 9, Kagoshima discloses The control system according to claim 1,
wherein the control system is configured to receive a signal indicating that the battery is about to be disconnected or is disconnected from the DC bus (Kagoshima, para. 0031: “When the breakdown detector 15 determines that the battery 11 is unusable, the breakdown detector 15 sends a breakdown signal to the generator motor controller 16 and the rotation motor controller 17, which perform predetermined control operation.”) and
to operate the motor/generator in the voltage control mode when the battery is disconnected from the DC bus (Kagoshima, para. 0012: “When it is detected by the electric-storage-device breakdown detector that the electric storage device is unusable [i.e., when the battery is disconnected from the DC bus], the controller unit is configured to perform emergency evacuation control that suppresses the power consumption of the rotation motor to be less than or equal to the power generation of the generator while maintaining voltage of a direct current bus greater than or equal to a normal operation voltage of a control system of the hybrid working machine [i.e., operate the motor/generator in the voltage control mode].”).
Regarding claim 11, Kagoshima discloses The control system according to claim 1,
wherein the control system is configured to at least partially reverse the adjustment when the state of the DC bus changes (Kagoshima, para. 0015: “In such a case, it is preferable that the hybrid working machine according to the aspect of the present invention further include a regenerative resistor that consumes regenerative power when the rotation motor is performing a regenerative operation [i.e., the adjustment when the state of the DC bus changes]; and a regenerative-resistor controller that controls the regenerative resistor. In this way, the regenerative power generated when the rotation speed is decreasing is consumed by the regenerative resistor, and a regenerative brake operation can be normally performed.”; para. 0012: “When it is detected by the electric-storage-device breakdown detector that the electric storage device is unusable, the controller unit is configured to perform emergency evacuation control that suppresses the power consumption of the rotation motor to be less than or equal to the power generation of the generator [i.e., the control system is configured to at least partially reverse the adjustment] while maintaining voltage of a direct current bus greater than or equal to a normal operation voltage of a control system of the hybrid working machine.”).
Regarding claim 12, Kagoshima discloses The control system according to claim 1,
wherein the signal indicating a predicted change in state is a signal indicating that the battery will be disconnected from the DC bus (Kagoshima, para. 0031: “When the breakdown detector 15 determines that the battery 11 is unusable, the breakdown detector 15 sends a breakdown signal [i.e., the signal indicating a predicted change in state is a signal indicating that the battery will be disconnected from the DC bus] to the generator motor controller 16 and the rotation motor controller 17, which perform predetermined control operation.”).
Regarding claim 13, Kagoshima discloses The control system according to claim 12,
wherein the adjustment of the at least one parameter of the powertrain comprises at least one of: turning on or increasing a power consumption of a power consuming component or applying or increasing a power reserve of the engine (Kagoshima, para. 0014: “However, when the electric storage device becomes unusable, there will be no storage device for the regenerative power, and a regenerative brake operation may not be normally performed.”; para. 0015: “In such a case, it is preferable that the hybrid working machine according to the aspect of the present invention further include a regenerative resistor that consumes regenerative power when the rotation motor is performing a regenerative operation [i.e., adjustment of the at least one parameter of the powertrain comprises at least one of: turning on or increasing a power consumption of a power consuming component]; and a regenerative-resistor controller that controls the regenerative resistor.”).
Regarding claim 14, Kagoshima discloses The control system according to claim 1,
wherein the signal indicating the predicted change in state is a signal indicating a predicted change in electrical load on the DC bus (Kagoshima, para. 0031: “The breakdown detector 15 determines whether the battery 11 is broken (unusable) on the basis of whether the voltage of the DC buses 9 a and 9 b, which is detected by the voltage sensor 14 at the time the system is started (at the time the key is switched on), is greater than or equal to a normal battery voltage (e.g., 150 V). When the breakdown detector 15 determines that the battery 11 is unusable, the breakdown detector 15 sends a breakdown signal [i.e., the signal indicating the predicted change in state is a signal indicating a predicted change in electrical load on the DC bus] to the generator motor controller 16 and the rotation motor controller 17, which perform predetermined control operation.”).
Regarding claim 15, Kagoshima discloses The control system according to claim 14,
wherein the control system is configured such that, when the signal indicating the predicted change in state indicates that the electrical load on the DC bus will increase, the control system performs at least one of: turning on or increasing a power consumption of a power consuming component or applying or increasing a power reserve of the engine (Kagoshima, para. 0015: “In such a case, it is preferable that the hybrid working machine according to the aspect of the present invention further include a regenerative resistor that consumes regenerative power when the rotation motor is performing a regenerative operation [i.e., the electrical load on the DC bus will increase, the control system performs at least one of: turning on or increasing a power consumption of a power consuming component]; and a regenerative-resistor controller that controls the regenerative resistor. In this way, the regenerative power generated when the rotation speed is decreasing is consumed by the regenerative resistor, and a regenerative brake operation can be normally performed.”).
Regarding claim 16, Kagoshima discloses The control system according to claim 14,
wherein the control system is configured such that, when the signal indicating the predicted change in state indicates that the load on the DC bus will decrease, the control system performs at least one of: turning off or decreasing a power consumption of a power consuming component; reducing or cancelling one or more power reserve measures; and removing or decreasing a power reserve of the engine (Kagoshima, para. 0013: “Accordingly, when the electric storage device is unusable, the power consumption of the rotation motor is suppressed [i.e., the load on the DC bus will decrease, the control system performs at least one of: turning off or decreasing a power consumption of a power consuming component] while the voltage of the direct current bus is maintained greater than or equal to the normal operation voltage of the system. Therefore, both stable rotation and hydraulic operation can be ensured.”).
Regarding claim 17, Kagoshima discloses The control system according to claim 1,
wherein the control system is configured to adjust the at least one parameter of the powertrain to avoid operating the engine in a dead band and to assist the engine in low torque resolution zones in the engine's torque map (Kagoshima, para. 0026: “In contrast, a rotation motor 8 is connected to the generator motor 2 via a generator motor inverter 6 and a rotation motor inverter 7 constituting a controller unit. A battery (electric storage device) 11 is connected via a battery connecting circuit 10 to DC buses 9 a and 9 b connecting the two inverters 6 and 7. The rotation motor 8 is driven by using the generator motor 2 and the battery 11 as a power source.”; Note: It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of the application, to know that a hybrid electric vehicle system, with a motor powered by either or both of an engine and a battery (i.e., powertrain system), would be most efficiently utilized by controlling the powertrain system to increase power output percentage from the battery in conditions when demanding power from the engine would be in its most inefficient power output zones. See US-20120303189-A1 (Pub. 2012-11-29), para. 0003: “Vehicles having hybrid powertrain systems selectively use different energy sources to generate torque and power to achieve optimal fuel efficiency in response to operator commands. This includes selectively employing an internal combustion engine and a motor/generator unit(s) connected to a high-voltage battery module or energy storage system for propulsion and operational control.”).
Regarding claim 19, Kagoshima discloses The powertrain according to claim 18,
wherein: the battery is removably connected to the DC bus (Kagoshima, FIG. 1, battery connecting circuit 10; FIG. 2, step S1: connect battery to DC buses);
the battery comprises a battery management system (Kagoshima, para. 0031: “The breakdown detector 15 [i.e., a battery management system] determines whether the battery 11 is broken (unusable) on the basis of whether the voltage of the DC buses 9 a and 9 b, which is detected by the voltage sensor 14 at the time the system is started (at the time the key is switched on), is greater than or equal to a normal battery voltage (e.g., 150 V). When the breakdown detector 15 determines that the battery 11 is unusable, the breakdown detector 15 sends a breakdown signal to the generator motor controller 16 and the rotation motor controller 17, which perform predetermined control operation.”);
the battery management system is configured to output a signal indicating that the battery needs to be disconnected (Kagoshima, para. 0031: “The breakdown detector 15 [i.e., the battery management system] determines whether the battery 11 is broken (unusable) on the basis of whether the voltage of the DC buses 9 a and 9 b, which is detected by the voltage sensor 14 at the time the system is started (at the time the key is switched on), is greater than or equal to a normal battery voltage (e.g., 150 V). When the breakdown detector 15 determines that the battery 11 is unusable, the breakdown detector 15 sends a breakdown signal [i.e., output a signal indicating that the battery needs to be disconnected] to the generator motor controller 16 and the rotation motor controller 17, which perform predetermined control operation.”); and
the control system is configured to adjust the at least one parameter of the powertrain when a signal indicating that the battery will be disconnected is received (Kagoshima, para. 0037: “In the emergency evacuation control [i.e., when a signal indicating that the battery will be disconnected is received] flow illustrated in FIG. 3, when the engine 1 is started by the starter motor, in step S11, it is determined whether the voltage of the DC buses 9 a and 9 b is greater than or equal to a first set value.”; para. 0038: “The first set value is a value that is approximately the electromotive force of the generator motor 2. When it is determined YES in step S11, in step S12, the generator motor inverter 6 sets the torque of the generator motor 2 [i.e., control system is configured to adjust the at least one parameter of the powertrain], and a power generating operation of the generator motor 2 is started.”).
Additional Relevant Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US-9834206-B1 (2017-12-05) | “A hybrid drive system has a battery and a combustion engine for energy sources. The system has a traction motor, a generator, a variable voltage converter (VVC), a motor inverter, a generator inverter, a bus coupling the VVC to the inverters, and a controller. The controller regulates engine speed, motor torque, and generator torque. The engine speed is determined according to a driver torque demand. In normal conditions, 1) the controller regulates the engine speed by modifying a generator torque command, and 2) the bus voltage is regulated using the VVC and battery. When the controller detects a fault in which the battery and VVC become unavailable for regulating the bus voltage, then the controller regulates a motor inverter power output to match a sum of a generator inverter power output and an estimated power loss of the inverters in order to regulate the bus voltage.”
US-20100292880-A1 (2010-11-18) | “A hybrid powertrain system includes an internal combustion engine and a torque machine wherein electrical energy is controllably transferred between an electric energy storage device and the torque machine by a control system. A method for controlling the hybrid powertrain system includes monitoring a voltage, a current, and a power output of the electric energy storage device. A battery power control scheme is executed to control the output power of the electric energy storage device associated with the electrical energy transferred between the electric energy storage device and the torque machine. The battery power control scheme is disabled when the control system loses a power limit authority associated with the electrical energy transferred between the electric storage device and the torque machine during ongoing operation. The battery power control scheme is re-enabled when the control system regains the power limit authority.”
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Leah N Miller whose telephone number is (703)756-1933. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 8:30am - 5:30pm ET.
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.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abby Flynn can be reached at (571) 272-9855. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/L.N.M./Examiner, Art Unit 3663 /ABBY J FLYNN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3663
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