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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to claims filed on March 16, 2026. Claims 1-6 have been withdrawn. Claims 7-20 have been elected without traverse and are presented for examination.
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Title
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Abstract
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words. It is important that the abstract not exceed 150 words in length since the space provided for the abstract on the computer tape used by the printer is limited. The form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as "means" and "said," should be avoided. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, "The disclosure concerns," "The disclosure defined by this invention," "The disclosure describes," etc.
Examiner's note: It is recommended to amend the abstract to briefly describe the claimed invention according to the above guidelines.
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.
Claims 7-20 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 7 recites the limitation "the third electrical component" in lines 10 and 12 of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 8-20 are rejected under the same rationale as claim 7 due to their dependency.
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.
Claims 7-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Harvey et al “Harvey”, US-PGPub. No. 20220314819 in view of Khurana et al “Khurana”, US-PGPub. No. 20210056059.
As per claim 7, Harvey teaches a method for communicating data between a plurality of components (Paragraph(s) [0004]; the first electrical connector includes a plurality of first terminals (e.g., power terminals, a data terminal with data pins) in communication with the battery pack. Harvey further teaches the data terminal 224 houses a series of data pins 208 that are configured to both receive and transmit data between the battery pack 105 and the external device coupled to the battery pack 105 (Paragraph(s) [0036], [0046])), the method comprising:
receiving a triggering event (Paragraph(s) [0005], [0048]; the management circuit is structured to monitor and control a battery status of the battery assembly. In addition, Harvey teaches the health circuit 230 may monitor the state of charge of the battery, the average amount of power expended to start and run the equipment, and/or other characteristics of the equipment (e.g., run state, RPMs, etc.) (Paragraph(s) [0050]). Harvey further teaches temperature monitoring can be used to alert the operator (e.g., via the user interface 122, user interface of the mobile device or dashboard) if the battery temperature is too low for normal use of the battery (Paragraph(s) [0051]));
in response to receiving the triggering event (Paragraph(s) [0048], [0051]), conducting a negotiation between a first electrical component and a second electrical component, wherein conducting the negotiation comprises exchanging a communication type (Paragraph(s) [0003-0004]; the communication gateway is configured to communicate using a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol. The second electrical connector “a second electrical component” is configured to mate with the first electrical connector “a first electrical component” to electrically couple the first terminals with the second terminals);
based upon the communication type, initiating flow of data between the first electrical component and the second electrical component (Paragraph(s) [0003], [0046]; based upon the detected type of equipment (as determined by the NFC tag reader 199 or the management circuit 200), the management circuit 200 can reconfigure data pins 208 specifically to accommodate the tool the battery assembly 100 is coupled with); and
upon receiving data at the second electrical component, conducting a second negotiation between the second electrical component and the third electrical component (Paragraph(s) [0045-0046]; based upon the type of equipment recognized by the NFC tag reader 199, the battery assembly 100 is able to reconfigure itself to provide electricity to the equipment at different ratings, take other actions, or provide particular functionalities based upon known or communicated equipment needs for the particular equipment the battery assembly 100 is connected to); and
based upon a second communication type, initiating a second flow of data between the second electrical component and the third electrical component (Paragraph(s) [0046]; based upon the detected type of equipment (as determined by the NFC tag reader 199 or the management circuit 200), the management circuit 200 can reconfigure data pins 208 specifically to accommodate the tool the battery assembly 100 is coupled with. Since the management circuit can reconfigure data pins to accommodate various tools coupled to the battery assembly, the management circuit is capable of communicating with plurality of tools. Harvey further teaches the battery assembly 100 can communicate over three different communication protocols (e.g., NFC, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi) simultaneously using one or more transceivers 214 (Paragraph(s) [0060])).
While Harvey teaches the battery assembly can communicate over three different communication protocols (Paragraph [0060]), however, Harvey fails to explicitly disclose but Khurana teaches the control circuit 250 may convert data received via the selected second port into data of a format “communication type” corresponding to the multiple wireless sessions 290 and may transmit the converted data to the third port 270 (Paragraph(s) [0047], 0064]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the applicants' invention to combine the teachings of Harvey and Khurana to provide an efficient way of communicating data between multiple components supporting different communication protocols by converting a received data, by the control circuit, into data of a format compatible with a receiving port/device (see Khurana – Paragraphs [0036], [0047], [0064]).
As per claim 8, Harvey teaches wherein when the communication type is a standard communication type, initiating the flow of data comprises requesting information about the second component's default data format and transmitting data in the default data format to the second electrical component (Paragraph(s) [0003-0004], [0043], [0060]).
As per claim 9, Harvey teaches in response to requesting the information, receiving conversion information, wherein the conversion information is used to convert the data to the default format (Paragraph(s) [0053], [0060]).
As per claim 10, Harvey teaches wherein when the communication type is a proxy communication type, initiating the flow of data comprises:
connecting the first and second electrical components (Paragraph(s) [0003-0004], [0048]);
exchanging conversion information between the first electrical component and the second electrical component (Paragraph(s) [0003], [0046]);
streaming normalized data from the first component to the second component (Paragraph(s) [0045-0046]); and
at the second component, converting the normalized data to unit data using the conversion information (Paragraph(s) [0045], [0048-0049]).
As per claim 11, Harvey teaches wherein normalizing the data comprises converting an initial data set comprising unit information to unitless data (Paragraph(s) [0045-0046]).
As per claim 12, Harvey teaches converting the initial data comprises at least one of multiplying the initial data with units by a factor, linear interpolation, or transmitting coefficients to a standard equation (Paragraph(s) [0050], [0067]).
As per claim 13, Harvey teaches wherein the normalized data a fixed-point integer value (Paragraph(s) [0067]).
As per claim 14, Harvey teaches wherein the normalized data is formatted as Boolean, a floating number, or a data array (Paragraph(s) [0048]).
As per claim 15, Harvey teaches wherein when the communication type is a coding communication type, initiating the flow of data comprises transmitting coding data from the first electrical component to the second electrical component, wherein the coding data causes the second electrical component to perform an action (Paragraph(s) [0046], [0056]).
As per claim 16, Harvey teaches wherein the action comprises setting an LED brightness level on the second electrical component (Paragraph(s) [0045], [0049]).
As per claim 17, Harvey teaches wherein the action comprises controlling a motor on the second electrical component (Paragraph(s) [0045]).
As per claim 18, Harvey teaches wherein the triggering event comprises connecting a new electrical component to the plurality of components (Paragraph(s) [0035], [0046]).
As per claim 19, Harvey teaches wherein the triggering event comprises disconnecting an existing electrical component from the plurality of components (Paragraph(s) [0035], [0043]).
As per claim 20, Harvey teaches wherein the triggering event is a change in status for the plurality of components (Paragraph(s) [0046], [0048]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please refer to form PTO-892 (Notice of Reference Cited) for a list of relevant prior art.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMED A WASEL whose telephone number is (571) 272-2669. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri (8:00 am – 4:30 pm).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Glenton Burgess can be reached on (571)272-3949. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MOHAMED A. WASEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2454
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