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 .
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)(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.
1. Claims 1, 9, 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(2) as being anticipated by Pfeisechifter et al (USPN 2023/0382249).
Regarding claim 1, Pfeisechifter discloses a power supply circuit (shown in figure) for supplying power to a management unit of a battery (a battery AA), wherein the battery is connected to an external circuit (an external circuit G) by a safety protection switch (a safety switch TS1), the power supply circuit comprising:
a first line (a first branching line coupled to an output side at GA terminal);
a second line (a second branching line V); and
a voltage conversion circuit (DC-DC converter GW) connected to two terminals of the safety protection switch (TS1) by the first line and the second line respectively, the voltage conversion circuit being configured to convert an output voltage of the battery into an operating voltage of the management unit (such as a charging circuit LS shown in figure, see par. 0035, 0037) and supply power to the management unit,
wherein the second line comprises a first switch (a switch TS2), the first switch being configured to be switched on (when the switch TS2 closes during a direct current charging) when the safety protection switch (TS1) is switched off, to cause the battery ( the battery AA) to supply power to the management unit (the charge circuit LS by the voltage conversion circuit (the DC-DC converter GW) via the second line (e.g. see par. 0020, 0039, 0042).
Regarding claim 9, Pfeisechifter discloses the voltage conversion circuit (the DC-DC converter GW) is configured to convert, when the safety protection switch (TS1) switched on, an output voltage of an energy storage converter of the external circuit into the operating voltage of the management unit (such as a charging circuit coupled to a terminal BA) through the first line and supply power to the management unit (e.g. see par. 0042).
Regarding claim 11, Pfeisechifter discloses an internal power supply (such as G1) connected to the management unit (the charging circuit LS) to supply power to the management unit.
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.
2. Claims 12, 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pfeisechifter et al (USPN 2023/0382249) in view of Sato et al (USPN 2005/0127879)
Regarding claims 12, 20, Pfeisechifter discloses a power supply circuit comprises a battery (a battery AA), but does not explicitly discloses a battery monitoring circuit as claimed.
Sato discloses a batter pack comprises a battery monitoring circuit (110).
It 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 to have modified a power supply circuit of Pfeisechifter to incorporate a battery monitoring circuit as disclosed by Sato in order to protect a battery from being damage from an abnormality condition.
3. Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pfeisechifter et al (USPN 2023/0382249) in view of Zhang (USPN 2019/0074555).
Regarding claim 2, Pfeisechifter all limitations of claim 1 as discussed above, but does not explicitly disclose the first switch as claimed.
Zhang discloses a battery charging system comprises a first switch (62) is manually switchable off by a user (e.g. see par. 0076, 0077).
It 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 to have modified a first switch of Pfeisechifter to incorporate a manually controllable switch as disclosed by Zhang in order to allow a user to manually switch power for various power needs.
4. Claims 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pfeisechifter et al (USPN 2023/0382249) in view of Sato et al (USPN 2005/0127879), and further in view of Zhang (USPN 2019/0074555).
Regarding claim 14, Pfeisechifter and Sato all limitations of claims 1 and 12 as discussed above, but do not explicitly discloses the first switch as claimed.
Zhang discloses a battery charging system comprises a first switch (62) is manually switchable off by a user (e.g. see par. 0076, 0077).
It 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 to have modified a first switch of Pfeisechifter and Sato to incorporate a manually controllable switch as disclosed by Zhang in order to allow a user to manually switch power for various power needs.
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claims 3-8, 10, 13, 15-19 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.
Conclusion
6. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANNY NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2054. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00AM-4:30PM.
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/DANNY NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838