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 .
Response to Arguments/Amendments
Applicant's amendments with regard to 35 USC § 112 filed 9 October 2025 have been considered and the 35 USC § 112 rejection has been withdrawn.
Applicant's arguments filed 9 October 2025 have been fully considered but are moot due to the amendments. However, addressing that Hishida (US 2020/0231058) does not disclose the newly added limitation “configured to place priority on the first control over the second control.” After further review, Hishida discloses this limitation in paragraph 0055 where the control unit does prioritize which control mode that is used in the system.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1-16 and 18-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2020/0231058 by Hishida et al. (Hishida hereinafter).
Regarding claim 1, Hishida discloses a system that controls charging of multiple movable batteries and power supply from the multiple movable batteries to an outside [see at least Figure 1], the system comprising: a controlling module [see at least Figure 1, (40)] configured to provide an electric power grid [see at least Figure 1, (10a)-(10c)] with an electrical power resource [see at least Figure 1, (20a)-(20c)] by performing at least one of a first control for reducing power charging amounts for the multiple movable batteries, or a second control for increasing power supplying amounts from the multiple movable batteries to the outside, in response to a first request for requesting power consumption to be reduced [see at least paragraph 0038; Figure 1, (50); paragraph 0036; Figure 11]; and an allocating unit [see at least Figure 2, (42)] configured to place priority on the first control over the second control [see at least paragraph 0055] such that each of the multiple movable batteries provide the electric power grid with an electrical power resource in each of multiple timeframes in a future, based on an amount of electrical power resources available to be provided to the electric power grid by each of the multiple movable batteries and an amount of electrical power resources required to be provided to the electric power grid, in response to the request [see at least paragraphs 0036-0037].
Regarding claim 2, Hishida discloses the system according to claim 1, wherein in each of the multiple timeframes in the future, the allocating unit performs (i) an allocation so as to provide the electric power grid with the electrical power resource by only the first control in each timeframe when a total amount of electrical power resources that can be provided to the electric power grid by the multiple movable batteries by the first control is greater than or equal to the amount of electrical power resources required to be provided to the electric power grid [see at least Figure 8, “EXCESS OF POWER”], and (ii) an allocation so as to provide, by the second control, an electrical power resource that cannot be provided to the electric power grid by the first control in each timeframe, when the total amount of electrical power resources that can be provided to the electric power grid by the multiple movable batteries by the first control is less than the amount of electrical power resources required to be provided to the electric power grid [see at least Figure 8, “NO EXCESS OF POWER”].
Regarding claim 3, Hishida discloses the system according to claim 1, further comprising an estimating module that estimates, based on predicted usage situations of the multiple movable batteries, an amount of electrical power resources that can be provided to the electric power grid by each of the multiple movable batteries by each of the first control and the second control in each of the multiple timeframes in the future [see at least Figure 2, (220); paragraph 0054].
Regarding claim 4, Hishida discloses the system according to claim 3, wherein in each of the multiple timeframes in the future, the allocating unit performs (i) an allocation so as to provide the electric power grid with the electrical power resource by only the first control in each timeframe when a total amount of electrical power resources that the estimating module estimates can be provided to the electric power grid by the multiple movable batteries by the first control is greater than or equal to the amount of electrical power resources required to be provided to the electric power grid [see at least Figure 8, “EXCESS OF POWER”], and (ii) an allocation so as to provide, by the second control, an electrical power resource that cannot be provided to the electric power grid by the first control in each timeframe, when the total amount of electrical power resources that the estimating module estimates can be provided to the electric power grid by the multiple movable batteries by the first control is less than the amount of electrical power resources required to be provided to the electric power grid [see at least Figure 8, “NO EXCESS OF POWER”].
Regarding claims 5 and 6, Hishida discloses the system according to claim 3 and claim 4 respectively, wherein the estimating module estimates, based on target values of consumption power to be consumed by the multiple movable batteries in every timeframe in a future, and predictions of charging/discharging amounts of the multiple movable batteries in the future, an electrical power resource required to be provided to the electric power grid in each of the multiple timeframes in the future [see at least Figure 11; paragraphs 0037-0039].
Regarding claims 7, 8, 9 and 10, Hishida discloses the system according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3 and claim 4 respectively, wherein the allocating unit allocates an amount of electrical power resources to be provided to the electric power grid by at least any of the first control or the second control by each of the multiple movable batteries in each of the multiple timeframes in the future [see at least Figure 11; paragraphs 0037-0039].
Regarding claim 11, Hishida discloses the system according to claim 3, wherein the estimating module is configured to place priority on the first control over the second control [see at least paragraph 0055] such that with which each of the multiple movable batteries provide the electric power grid with an electrical power resource in each of multiple timeframes in a period in which an electrical power resource contracted in an electricity market should be provided to the electric power grid, based on an amount of electrical power resources available to be provided to the electric power grid by each of the multiple movable batteries and an amount of electrical power resources required to be provided to the electric power grid; and the controlling module performs at least one of the first control or the second control, in response to the first request being received in the period in which the electrical power resource should be provided to the electric power grid and based on an amount of electrical power resources estimated by the estimating module as being available to be provided to the electric power grid [see at least Figure 11; paragraphs 0037-0039].
Regarding claims 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16, Hishida discloses the system according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 4 and claim 5 respectively, wherein the controlling module further provides the electric power grid with the electrical power resource by performing at least one of a third control for increasing power charging amounts for the multiple movable batteries or a fourth control for reducing power supplying amounts from the multiple movable batteries to an outside, in response to a second request for requesting power consumption to be increased, and the allocating unit allocates a control, among the first control, the second control, the third control, and the fourth control, with which each of the multiple movable batteries provide the electric power grid with the electrical power resource in each of multiple timeframes in a future, based on an amount of electrical power resources available to be provided to the electric power grid by each of the multiple movable batteries and an amount of electrical power resources required to be provided to the electric power grid [see at least Figure 11; paragraphs 0037-0039].
Regarding claim 18, Hishida discloses the system according to claim 17, wherein the multiple movable batteries include batteries that are mounted on the vehicles and exchangeable at multiple stations [see at least Figure 1, (30a)-(30c)].
Regarding claim 19, Hishida discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a program stored thereon for controlling charging of multiple movable batteries and power supply from the multiple movable batteries to an outside [see at least Figure 1], the program causes a computer [see at least paragraph 0096] to function as: a controlling module[see at least Figure 1, (40)] configured to provide an electric power grid [see at least Figure 1, (10a)-(10c)] with an electrical power resource [see at least Figure 1, (20a)-(20c)] by performing at least one of a first control for reducing power charging amounts for the multiple movable batteries, or a second control for increasing power supplying amounts from the multiple movable batteries to the outside, in response to a first request for requesting power consumption to be reduced [see at least paragraph 0038; Figure 1, (50); paragraph 0036; Figure 11]; and an allocating unit [see at least Figure 2, (42)] configured to place priority on the first control over the second control [see at least paragraph 0055] such that each of the multiple movable batteries provide the electric power grid with an electrical power resource in each of multiple timeframes in a future, based on an amount of electrical power resources available to be provided to the electric power grid by each of the multiple movable batteries and an amount of electrical power resources required to be provided to the electric power grid, in response to the first request [see at least paragraphs 0036-0037].
Regarding claim 20, Hishida discloses a method comprising: providing an electric power grid [see at least Figure 1, (10a)-(10c)] with an electrical power resource [see at least Figure 1, (20a)-(20c)] by performing at least one of a first control for reducing power charging amounts for multiple movable batteries, or a second control for increasing power supplying amounts from the multiple movable batteries to an outside, in response to a first request for requesting power consumption to be reduced [see at least paragraph 0038; Figure 1, (50); paragraph 0036; Figure 11]; placing priority on the first control over the second control [see at least paragraph 0055] such that each of the multiple movable batteries provide the electric power grid with an electrical power resource in each of multiple timeframes in a future, based on an amount of electrical power resources available to be provided to the electric power grid by each of the multiple movable batteries and an amount of electrical power resources required to be provided to the electric power grid, in response to the first request [see at least Figure 2, (42); paragraphs 0036-0037].
Regarding claim 21, Hishida discloses the system according to claim 1, further comprising a classification module configured to classify each of the multiple movable batteries as a battery that can be used for both the first control and the second control in a case in which an SOH (State of Health) the each of the multiple movable batteries is greater than or equal to a predefined value [see at least paragraph 0057; capacity is considered to be equivalent of SOH], and to classify each of the multiple movable batteries as a battery that can be used for the first control but is not used for the second control [see at least paragraph 0055] in a case in which an SOH (State of Health) the each of the multiple movable batteries is less than the predefined value [see at least paragraph 0057], wherein the allocating unit performs the first control and the second control using the batteries classified by the classification module [see at least paragraph 0055].
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 JOEL BARNETT whose telephone number is (571)272-2879. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Rexford Barnie can be reached at (571) 272-7492. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JOEL BARNETT/Examiner, Art Unit 2836
/DANIEL CAVALLARI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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