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 .
Claims
Applicant’s Claims filed on 11/18/2024 regarding claims 1-12 is fully considered. Of the above claims, claims 1-10 have been amended, and claims 11-12 have been newly added.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 8-10 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 1, the recitation of “the terminals” in line 5 lacks antecedent basis. It is believed that line 5 should recite “a voltage at the two terminals” and at line 6, “exchanged by the cell across [[its]] the two terminals”. Appropriate correction is required.
Regarding claim 8, the recitation of “a method” in line 3 refers to a recited limitation and the recitation of “the program” in line 4 lacks antecedent basis.
Regarding claim 9, the recitation of “the terminals” in line 6 lacks antecedent basis. . It is believed that line 6 should recite “a voltage at the two terminals” and at line 7, “exchanged by the cell across [[its]] the two terminals”. Appropriate correction is required.
Regarding claim 10, the recitations of “a battery” in line 2, “at least one cell” in line 2, “two terminals” in line 2, “a temperature” in line 3, “a current” in line 4, “its terminals” in line 5, “a voltage” in line 6 and “a state of energy” in line 8 refer to recited limitations.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because the recitation of “a computer-readable medium” in line 2 does not exclude a transitory medium, such as air.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the enablement requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention.
Regarding claim 3, the recitation of “a prior estimation of the internal resistance for the given instant” in line 3 is unclear because estimation of the internal resistance requires measurements at the given instant. As such, estimation should necessarily come after the measurements at the given instant.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1, 4 and 8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamauchi et al. (US 2007/0108946 A1) in view of Kawai (US 2012/0112754 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Yamauchi et al. teach a method for estimating a state of energy of a cell of a battery for a given instant, the cell having two terminals (the battery controller 2 of the secondary battery system 7 in this example is configured to detect the state of the battery based on battery characteristics of the secondary battery module 1; [0117]; Figs 3-4; the battery information management device then acquires the SOH information and the like from the unloaded secondary battery modules 1, and grades the secondary battery module 1 based on the information; [0168]), the method comprising:
receiving measurements for the given instant of a temperature of the cell (the sensor 14 includes a temperature sensor or the like; FIG. 4; [0061]), a voltage at the terminals of the cell, and a current exchanged by the cell across its terminals (the sensor measurement unit 22 measures an output signal from the sensor 14, a voltage and an output current between the battery electrode terminals 12 and 13; [0066]; FIG. 4);
obtaining an internal resistance of the cell for the given instant (internal resistance R; [0119]); and
obtaining an open circuit voltage of the cell for the given instant (open-circuit voltage; [0014]).
Further regarding claim 1, Yamauchi et al. do not teach wherein the step of obtaining the internal resistance is by estimating the internal resistance, and
the step of obtaining the open circuit voltage is by estimating the open circuit voltage from the measured voltage and current, and from the estimated internal resistance; and the method further comprising:
estimating a total energy delivered by the cell up to the given instant from the measured temperature and current, and from the estimated open circuit voltage, using predefined associations between values of total energy delivered by the cell and values of temperature, current, and open circuit voltage;
estimating a maximum energy that may be delivered by the cell using the predefined associations and assuming that the temperature and the current remain constant at their measurements for the given instant; and
estimating the state of energy of the cell for the given instant by subtracting the estimated total delivered energy from the estimated maximum energy.
Further regarding claim 1, Kawai teaches estimating an internal resistance (the internal resistance detector S100 samples the charged/discharged amount I of electric current to or from the high-voltage battery 24 and the cell voltage Vc to calculate the internal resistance R of the battery cell Cj based on the sampled values; FIG. 2; [0070]), and estimating an open circuit voltage from measured voltage and current, and from the estimated internal resistance (the open-circuit voltage estimator S200 calculates an open-circuit voltage, OCV, of the battery cell Cf based on the cell voltage Vc, the internal resistance R, and the charged/discharged current I; FIG. 2; [0071]) for the purpose of obtaining unloaded parameters of the battery; and the method further comprising:
estimating a total energy delivered by a cell up to a given instant from the measured temperature and current, and from the estimated open circuit voltage, using predefined associations between values of total energy delivered by the cell and values of temperature, current, and open circuit voltage (the charged/discharged amount I of electric current to or from the high-voltage battery 24 is measured by a current sensor 30; [0066]; FIG. 1; the controller 40 monitors outputs of the current sensor 30, the voltage sensor 32, and the temperature sensor 34 to quantify the state-of-charge of the high-voltage battery 24; [0067]; the routine proceeds to step S508 wherein the SOC of the battery cell Cj is calculated based on a relation between OCV and SOC; FIG. 4; [0081]; the amount of energy discharged from the high-voltage battery 24 for a period of time when the SOC of the high-voltage battery 24 is changed from the SOC parameter P by the amount DP is expressed by Ah0·DP/100; [0090]; FIG. 6);
estimating a maximum energy that may be delivered by the cell using the predefined associations and assuming that the temperature and the current remain constant at their measurements for the given instant (the full electric charge calculator S400 calculates a full electric charge Ah0 that is a full amount of electric charge in the battery cell Cj based on a total of charged/discharged amount of current to or from the battery cell Cj when the OCV is changing; [0073]; FIG. 2); and
estimating the state of energy of the cell for the given instant by subtracting the estimated total delivered energy from the estimated maximum energy (the current value of the state-of-charge of the high-voltage battery 24, i.e., a ratio of an amount of electric energy now stored in high-voltage battery 24 to a maximum amount of electric energy which is permitted to be stored in the high-voltage battery 24; [0070]; the current stored energy being equal to subtracting the discharged energy from the maximum energy) for the purpose of obtaining the state of charge of the battery.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate wherein the step of obtaining the internal resistance is by estimating the internal resistance, and the step of obtaining the open circuit voltage is by estimating the open circuit voltage from the measured voltage and current, and from the estimated internal resistance; and the method further comprising: estimating a total energy delivered by the cell up to the given instant from the measured temperature and current, and from the estimated open circuit voltage, using predefined associations between values of total energy delivered by the cell and values of temperature, current, and open circuit voltage; estimating a maximum energy that may be delivered by the cell using the predefined associations and assuming that the temperature and the current remain constant at their measurements for the given instant; and estimating the state of energy of the cell for the given instant by subtracting the estimated total delivered energy from the estimated maximum energy, as taught by Kawai, into Yamauchi et al. for the purposes of obtaining unloaded parameters of the battery and obtaining the state of charge of the battery.
Regarding claim 4, Yamauchi et al. do not teach wherein the estimation of the internal resistance at the given instant is carried out independently of a state of charge of the cell.
Further regarding claim 4, Kawai teaches the estimation of the internal resistance at the given instant is carried out independently of a state of charge of the cell (the internal resistance detector S100 samples the charged/discharged amount I of electric current to or from the high-voltage battery 24 and the cell voltage Vc to calculate the internal resistance R of the battery cell Cj based on the sampled values; FIG. 2; [0070]) for the purpose of obtaining unloaded parameters of the battery.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate wherein the estimation of the internal resistance at the given instant is carried out independently of a state of charge of the cell, as taught by Kawai, into Yamauchi et al. for the purpose of obtaining unloaded parameters of the battery.
Regarding claim 8, Yamauchi et al. teach a computer program downloadable from a communications network and/or recorded on a computer-readable medium, comprising instructions for executing the steps of a method, when the program is executed on a computer (the memory 212 stores programs including a battery control program for controlling the battery and a host system communications control program for controlling the communications with the host system; [0065]).
Regarding claim 9, Yamauchi et al. teach a device for estimating a state of energy of a cell of a battery for a given instant, the cell having two terminals between which an electrical system is connected (the battery controller 2 of the secondary battery system 7 in this example is configured to detect the state of the battery based on battery characteristics of the secondary battery module 1; [0117]; Figs 3-4; the battery information management device then acquires the SOH information and the like from the unloaded secondary battery modules 1, and grades the secondary battery module 1 based on the information; [0168]), the device comprising:
a module for receiving, for the given instant, measurements of a temperature of the cell (the sensor 14 includes a temperature sensor or the like; FIG. 4; [0061]), a voltage at the terminals of the cell, and a current exchanged by the cell across its terminals (the sensor measurement unit 22 measures an output signal from the sensor 14, a voltage and an output current between the battery electrode terminals 12 and 13; [0066]; FIG. 4);
a module for obtaining an internal resistance of the cell for the given instant (internal resistance R; [0119]); and
a module for obtaining an open circuit voltage of the cell (open-circuit voltage; [0014]).
Further regarding claim 9, Yamauchi et al. do not teach wherein the module for obtaining the internal resistance comprises a module for estimating the internal resistance, and
the module for obtaining the open circuit voltage comprises a module for estimating the open circuit voltage from the measured voltage and current, and from the estimated internal resistance; and the device further comprising:
a module for estimating a total energy delivered by the cell up to the given instant from the measured temperature and current, and from the estimated open circuit voltage, using predefined associations between values of total energy delivered by the cell and values of temperature, current, and open circuit voltage;
a module for estimating a maximum energy that may be delivered by the cell, assuming that the temperature and the current remain constant at their measurements for the given instant; and
a module for estimating the state of energy of the cell for the given instant by subtracting the estimated total delivered energy from the estimated maximum energy.
Further regarding claim 9, Kawai teaches a module for estimating an internal resistance (the internal resistance detector S100 samples the charged/discharged amount I of electric current to or from the high-voltage battery 24 and the cell voltage Vc to calculate the internal resistance R of the battery cell Cj based on the sampled values; FIG. 2; [0070]), and a module for estimating an open circuit voltage from measured voltage and current, and from the estimated internal resistance (the open-circuit voltage estimator S200 calculates an open-circuit voltage, OCV, of the battery cell Cf based on the cell voltage Vc, the internal resistance R, and the charged/discharged current I; FIG. 2; [0071]) for the purpose of obtaining unloaded parameters of the battery; and the device further comprising:
a module for estimating a total energy delivered by a cell up to a given instant from the measured temperature and current, and from the estimated open circuit voltage, using predefined associations between values of total energy delivered by the cell and values of temperature, current, and open circuit voltage (the charged/discharged amount I of electric current to or from the high-voltage battery 24 is measured by a current sensor 30; [0066]; FIG. 1; the controller 40 monitors outputs of the current sensor 30, the voltage sensor 32, and the temperature sensor 34 to quantify the state-of-charge of the high-voltage battery 24; [0067]; the routine proceeds to step S508 wherein the SOC of the battery cell Cj is calculated based on a relation between OCV and SOC; FIG. 4; [0081]; the amount of energy discharged from the high-voltage battery 24 for a period of time when the SOC of the high-voltage battery 24 is changed from the SOC parameter P by the amount DP is expressed by Ah0·DP/100; [0090]; FIG. 6);
a module for estimating a maximum energy that may be delivered by the cell, assuming that the temperature and the current remain constant at their measurements for the given instant (the full electric charge calculator S400 calculates a full electric charge Ah0 that is a full amount of electric charge in the battery cell Cj based on a total of charged/discharged amount of current to or from the battery cell Cj when the OCV is changing; [0073]; FIG. 2); and
a module for estimating the state of energy of the cell for the given instant by subtracting the estimated total delivered energy from the estimated maximum energy (the current value of the state-of-charge of the high-voltage battery 24, i.e., a ratio of an amount of electric energy now stored in high-voltage battery 24 to a maximum amount of electric energy which is permitted to be stored in the high-voltage battery 24; [0070]; the current stored energy being equal to subtracting the discharged energy from the maximum energy) for the purpose of obtaining the state of charge of the battery.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate wherein the module for obtaining the internal resistance comprises a module for estimating the internal resistance, and the module for obtaining the open circuit voltage comprises a module for estimating the open circuit voltage from the measured voltage and current, and from the estimated internal resistance; and the device further comprising: a module for estimating a total energy delivered by the cell up to the given instant from the measured temperature and current, and from the estimated open circuit voltage, using predefined associations between values of total energy delivered by the cell and values of temperature, current, and open circuit voltage; a module for estimating a maximum energy that may be delivered by the cell, assuming that the temperature and the current remain constant at their measurements for the given instant; and a module for estimating the state of energy of the cell for the given instant by subtracting the estimated total delivered energy from the estimated maximum energy, as taught by Kawai, into Yamauchi et al. for the purposes of obtaining unloaded parameters of the battery and obtaining the state of charge of the battery.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamauchi et al. (US 2007/0108946 A1) as modified by Kawai (US 2012/0112754 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Salasoo et al. (US 2005/0040789 A1).
Regarding claim 2, Yamauchi et al. as modified by Kawai do not teach wherein the internal resistance is estimated for the given instant on the basis of a volt-amperometric measurement.
Further regarding claim 2, Salasoo et al. teach an internal resistance is estimated for a given instant on the basis of a volt-amperometric measurement (one way to implement measuring battery internal resistance throughout a DOD range of the battery is through a delta voltage/delta current technique; [0076]) for the purpose of removing electrical components that can distort measurements.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate wherein the internal resistance is estimated for the given instant on the basis of a volt-amperometric measurement, as taught by Salasoo et al., into Yamauchi et al. as modified by Kawai for the purpose of removing electrical components that can distort measurements.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamauchi et al. (US 2007/0108946 A1) as modified by Kawai (US 2012/0112754 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Yoshida (US 2015/0025825 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Yamauchi et al. as modified by Kawai do not teach wherein the estimation of the internal resistance at the given instant comprises:
a prior estimation of the internal resistance for the given instant from the temperature and current measured at the given instant using predefined associations between values of the internal resistance and values of temperature and current; and
a correction of the prior estimation by multiplying the prior estimation by a correction ratio between:
an estimation of the internal resistance at a previous instant by a volt-amperometric measurement; and
an estimation of the internal resistance at the previous instant from the temperature and current measured at the previous instant, using the predefined associations between values of the internal resistance and values of temperature and current.
Further regarding claim 3, Yoshida teaches an estimation of an internal resistance at a given instant comprises:
a prior estimation of the internal resistance for the given instant from a temperature and current measured at the given instant using predefined associations between values of the internal resistance and values of temperature and current (the calculation unit 420 multiplies the immediately preceding total internal resistance Rtemp(t) by the reciprocal number of the deterioration ratio l, and corrects the total internal resistance Rtemp(t); [0095]); and
a correction of the prior estimation by multiplying the prior estimation by a correction ratio between: an estimation of the internal resistance at a previous instant by a volt-amperometric measurement; and an estimation of the internal resistance at the previous instant from the temperature and current measured at the previous instant, using the predefined associations between values of the internal resistance and values of temperature and current (Expression 7; [0092]-[0095]) for the purpose of correcting for deteriorations.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate wherein the estimation of the internal resistance at the given instant comprises: a prior estimation of the internal resistance for the given instant from the temperature and current measured at the given instant using predefined associations between values of the internal resistance and values of temperature and current; and a correction of the prior estimation by multiplying the prior estimation by a correction ratio between: an estimation of the internal resistance at a previous instant by a volt-amperometric measurement; and an estimation of the internal resistance at the previous instant from the temperature and current measured at the previous instant, using the predefined associations between values of the internal resistance and values of temperature and current, as taught by Yoshida, into Yamauchi et al. as modified by Kawai for the purpose of correcting for deteriorations.
Claim(s) 5-6 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamauchi et al. (US 2007/0108946 A1) as modified by Kawai (US 2012/0112754 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Matthey et al. (US 2022/0163591 A1).
Regarding claim 5, Yamauchi et al. as modified by Kawai teach wherein the predefined associations between values of total energy delivered by the cell and values of temperature, current, and open circuit voltage are presented (the host system communications unit 23 transmits and receives information to and from a controller of a host system to which the secondary battery system 7 is applied; FIG. 4; [0064]; a configurations of a battery information management device and a terminal device in the battery information management system; Figs 6-7; [0075]; Yamauchi et al.).
Further regarding claim 5, Yamauchi et al. as modified by Kawai do not teach the values are presented in the form of a table.
Further regarding claim 5, Matthey et al. teach values are presented in the form of a table (Figs 7, 9) for the purpose of improving readability of the data.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the values are presented in the form of a table, as taught by Matthey et al., into Yamauchi et al. as modified by Kawai for the purpose of improving readability of the data.
Regarding claim 6, Yamauchi et al. as modified by Kawai do not teach wherein the table gives the total energy delivered as a function of the open circuit voltage, at constant temperature and current, for several combinations of temperature and current.
Further regarding claim 6, Matthey et al. teach the table gives the total energy delivered as a function of the open circuit voltage, at constant temperature and current, for several combinations of temperature and current (the state of charge SOC obtained from the battery state calculation unit 501, and the battery temperature Tcell obtained from the temperature sensor 106 are each input into the mid OCV table group 607 and the mid DCR table group 608; [0051]; Figs 7, 9) for the purpose of improving readability of the data for several combinations.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate wherein the table gives the total energy delivered as a function of the open circuit voltage, at constant temperature and current, for several combinations of temperature and current, as taught by Matthey et al., into Yamauchi et al. as modified by Kawai for the purpose of improving readability of the data for several combinations.
Regarding claim 11, Yamauchi et al. as modified by Kawai do not teach wherein the open circuit voltage is estimated by adding, to the measured voltage, a voltage of the internal resistance resulting from a passage of the measured current through the internal resistance.
Further regarding claim 11, Matthey et al. teach an open circuit voltage is estimated by adding, to a measured voltage, a voltage of an internal resistance resulting from a passage of a measured current through the internal resistance (Expression 10; [0082]) for the purpose of expressing a relationship between the open circuit voltage and measured values.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate wherein the open circuit voltage is estimated by adding, to the measured voltage, a voltage of the internal resistance resulting from a passage of the measured current through the internal resistance, as taught by Matthey et al., into Yamauchi et al. as modified by Kawai for the purpose of expressing a relationship between the open circuit voltage and measured values.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamauchi et al. (US 2007/0108946 A1) as modified by Kawai (US 2012/0112754 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Klintberg et al. (US 2020/0393514 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Yamauchi et al. as modified by Kawai do not teach wherein the maximum energy is the total energy delivered for a minimum open circuit voltage provided by the predefined associations at the temperature and current measured at the given instant.
Further regarding claim 7, Klintberg et al. teach a maximum energy is a total energy delivered for a minimum open circuit voltage provided at a given instant (an energy storage device is fully discharged when the OCV is equal to a predefined minimum voltage; [0024]) for the purpose of improving battery capacity estimations.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate wherein the maximum energy is the total energy delivered for a minimum open circuit voltage provided by the predefined associations at the temperature and current measured at the given instant, as taught by Klintberg et al., into Yamauchi et al. as modified by Kawai for the purpose of improving battery capacity estimations.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamauchi et al. (US 2007/0108946 A1) as modified by Kawai (US 2012/0112754 A1) as applied to claim 9 above, and further in view of Osada et al. (US 2024/0396357 A1).
Regarding claim 10, Yamauchi et al. as modified by Kawai teach a vehicle, comprising:
a battery comprising at least one cell with two terminals (the battery controller 2 of the secondary battery system 7 in this example is configured to detect the state of the battery based on battery characteristics of the secondary battery module 1; [0117]; Figs 3-4; Yamauchi et al.);
a sensor for measuring a temperature of the cell (the sensor 14 includes a temperature sensor or the like; FIG. 4; [0061]; Yamauchi et al.);
a sensor for measuring a current exchanged by the cell across its terminals (the sensor measurement unit 22 measures an output signal from the sensor 14, a voltage and an output current between the battery electrode terminals 12 and 13; [0066]; FIG. 4; Yamauchi et al.);
a sensor for measuring a voltage between the terminals of the cell (the sensor measurement unit 22 measures an output signal from the sensor 14, a voltage and an output current between the battery electrode terminals 12 and 13; [0066]; FIG. 4; Yamauchi et al.); and
a device for estimating a state of energy of the cell (the current value of the state-of-charge of the high-voltage battery 24, i.e., a ratio of an amount of electric energy now stored in high-voltage battery 24 to a maximum amount of electric energy which is permitted to be stored in the high-voltage battery 24; [0070]; the current stored energy being equal to subtracting the discharged energy from the maximum energy; Kawai).
Further regarding claim 10, Yamauchi et al. as modified by Kawai do not teach the vehicle is an aircraft.
Further regarding claim 10, Osada et al. teach an aircraft (aircraft; [0447], [0455]-[0456]) for the purpose of managing the battery system of an electric aircraft.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the vehicle is an aircraft, as taught by Osada et al., into Yamauchi et al. as modified by Kawai for the purpose of managing the battery system of an electric aircraft.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamauchi et al. (US 2007/0108946 A1) as modified by Kawai (US 2012/0112754 A1) as applied to claim 9 above, and further in view of Matthey et al. (US 2022/0163591 A1).
Regarding claim 12, Yamauchi et al. as modified by Kawai do not teach wherein the open circuit voltage is estimated by adding, to the measured voltage, a voltage of the internal resistance resulting from a passage of the measured current through the internal resistance.
Further regarding claim 12, Matthey et al. teach an open circuit voltage is estimated by adding, to a measured voltage, a voltage of an internal resistance resulting from a passage of a measured current through the internal resistance (Expression 10; [0082]) for the purpose of expressing a relationship between the open circuit voltage and measured values.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate wherein the open circuit voltage is estimated by adding, to the measured voltage, a voltage of the internal resistance resulting from a passage of the measured current through the internal resistance, as taught by Matthey et al., into Yamauchi et al. as modified by Kawai for the purpose of expressing a relationship between the open circuit voltage and measured values.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KENDRICK X LIU whose telephone number is (571)270-3798. The examiner can normally be reached MWFSa 10am-8pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Douglas X Rodriguez can be reached at (571) 431-0716. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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4 June 2026
/KENDRICK X LIU/Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/DOUGLAS X RODRIGUEZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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