DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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 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.
Examiner’s Note
Examiner has cited particular paragraphs/columns and line numbers or figures in the references as applied to the claims below for convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations with the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant, in preparing the responses, to fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner. Applicant is reminded that the Examiner is entitled to give the broadest reasonable interpretation to the language of the claims. Furthermore, the Examiner is not limited to the Applicant’s definition which is not specifically set forth in the claims.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant's cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware of, in the specification.
Status of Application
The list of claims 1-12 is pending in this application. In the claim set filed 04/14/2026:
Claim(s) 1 is/are the independent claim(s) observed in the application.
Claim(s) 1 has/have been amended.
Claim(s) 2-4 has/have been indicated as originally presented.
Claim(s) 5-11 has/have been indicated as previously presented.
Claim(s) 12 has/have been newly added.
Response to Arguments
With respect to Applicant’s remarks filed on 04/14/2026; the Applicant's “Amendments and Remarks” have been fully considered. The Applicant’s remarks will be addressed in sequential order as they were presented.
With respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-11 under 35 U.S.C. § 101, the Applicant’s “Amendments and Remarks” have been fully considered and are found persuasive. Therefore the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-11 under 35 U.S.C. § 101 has/have been withdrawn.
With respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-11 under 35 U.S.C. § 103, the Applicant’s “Amendments and Remarks” have been fully considered and are found persuasive. Therefore the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-11 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 has/have been withdrawn.
Office Note: Due to applicant’s amendments, further claim rejections appear on the record as stated in the Final Office Action below.
Final Office Action
Claim Objections/Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 6 is/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. As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
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 of this title, 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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a), the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned at the time any inventions covered therein were made absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and invention dates of each claim that was not commonly owned at the time a later invention was made in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(c) and potential pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(e), (f) or (g) prior art under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a).
Claim(s) 1-5 and 7-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Newman et al. (United States Patent Publication 2018/0304765 A1) in view of VIZZINI et al. (United States Patent Publication 2021/0031654 A1), referenced as Newman and Vizzini, respectively, moving forward.
With respect to claim 1, while Newman discloses:
“A method of preconditioning a battery of a vehicle, the method comprising: determining a baseline preconditioning start time relative to an estimated time of arrival at a charging station; determining a route of the vehicle” [Newman; In at least the paragraphs and figures cited, Newman discloses a system/method for preconditioning the batteries of an electrically-powered autonomous vehicle prior to arriving at a charging station. Newman further discloses determining: a first temperature that is the target temperature to achieve prior to arrival at the charging station; a first time when charging will occur based on route information from the vehicle's GPS system, a first amount of time needed to cool the battery based on a rate of cooling capability of a thermal management unit of the vehicle, and a start time to begin cooling the batteries based on the first time when charging will occur and the first amount of time needed to cool the battery. In view of at least the above, the Examiner has interpreted the disclosed start time to begin cooling the batteries as patentably indistinct from the Applicant's broadly recited "baseline preconditioning start time;" Fig. 20, 21; ¶: 0181-0186, 0190-0195, 0208];
“determining a route-based preconditioning start time by comparing the projected route-based battery temperature to a target preconditioning battery temperature, determining a route time in which the projected route-based battery temperature has a value within a threshold range of the target preconditioning battery temperature, and selecting the route time as the route-based preconditioning start time” [Newman; In at least the paragraphs and figures cited, Newman further discloses that the above recited first amount of time needed to cool the battery is based on predicting a future temperature of the vehicle upon reaching the charging station (¶: 0191) based on a measured outside temperature and the driving context such as traffic along the route (¶: 0217) and adjusting the start time to begin cooling the batteries from the previously estimated value, wherein the disclosed adjustment to the start time has been interpreted as patentably indistinct from the Applicant's recited "route-based preconditioning start time;" Fig. 20, 21; ¶: 0181-0186, 0190-0195, 0208, 0216, 0217];
“and modifying the baseline preconditioning start time based on the route-based preconditioning start time; and initiating a preconditioning of the battery at the route-based preconditioning start time” [Newman; In at least the paragraphs and figures cited, Newman further discloses that the system triggers cooling to occur (see step 2044 in Fig. 20) once it is determined that the start time for cooling (either at the initially estimated start time or the adjusted start time) when appropriate (see steps 2028 and 2036 in Fig. 20); Fig. 20, 21; ¶: 0181-0186, 0190-0195, 0208, 0216, 0217];
Newman does not specifically state:
“the route including route segments, serially arranged along the route, between a present vehicle location and the charging station”
“analyzing the route of the vehicle to determine a route characteristic for each route segment, wherein the route characteristic for each route segment corresponds to a projected temperature change of the battery along the respective route segment”
“projecting a route-based battery temperature of the battery along the route by calculating a change from a current battery temperature for each route segment based on the respective route characteristic and combining a temperature impact for each route segment to determine a total predicted temperature impact from the route.”
Vizzini, which is in the same field of invention of systems/methods for controlling battery temperature in electric vehicles, teaches:
“the route including route segments, serially arranged along the route, between a present vehicle location and the charging station” [Vizzini; In at least the paragraphs and figures cited, Vizzini teaches a system/method for cooling a battery of an electric vehicle during driving by predicting the battery temperature at future points in the route to keep the batteries within defined temperature constraints for a plurality of route segments (see route segments 306a-306d in Fig. 3 serially arranged between starting point 302 and destination point 304); Fig. 3; ¶: 0019-0022];
“analyzing the route of the vehicle to determine a route characteristic for each route segment, wherein the route characteristic for each route segment corresponds to a projected temperature change of the battery along the respective route segment” [Vizzini; "The route information used as a basis for determining the battery temperature profile first comprises the starting point 302 and destination 304 of the route 300 as illustrated by FIG. 3, thereby giving the travel distance. Moreover, the route information may comprise any or all of: speed limits, road type, road elevation profile, construction work, traffic flow, weather information or any other parameter that may influence the battery power consumption and thereby the battery temperature profile" (Fig. 3; ¶: 0021). In view of at least the above, the disclosed route information has been interpreted as patentably indistinct from the Applicant's broadly recited "route characteristic for each segment;" See also: ¶: 0019, 0020, 0022];
“projecting a route-based battery temperature of the battery along the route by calculating a change from a current battery temperature for each route segment based on the respective route characteristic and combining a temperature impact for each route segment to determine a total predicted temperature impact from the route” [Vizzini; "The method may thus comprise determining a battery temperature profile and a battery cooling profile for a plurality of segments, thereby making it possible to determining the battery cooling profile for an entire route" ¶: 0022; See also: ¶: 0019-0021].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station as disclosed by Newman to incorporate the teachings regarding predicting temperature changes pertaining to various sections of a route between a starting point and destination based on a plurality of route characteristics as taught by Vizzini with a reasonable expectation of success. By combining these inventions, the outcome is a system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station that is more robust in its ability to “determine a battery temperature profile with the best possible accuracy given the available information” [Vizzini; ¶: 0007, 0008, 0020-0022].
With respect to claim 2, Newman does not specifically state: “wherein the route characteristic comprises one or more projected conditions of the route that, when present, modify a current temperature of the battery.”
Vizzini teaches: “wherein the route characteristic comprises one or more projected conditions of the route that, when present, modify a current temperature of the battery” [Vizzini; "The route information used as a basis for determining the battery temperature profile first comprises the starting point 302 and destination 304 of the route 300 as illustrated by FIG. 3, thereby giving the travel distance. Moreover, the route information may comprise any or all of: speed limits, road type, road elevation profile, construction work, traffic flow, weather information or any other parameter that may influence the battery power consumption and thereby the battery temperature profile" (Fig. 3; ¶: 0021). In view of at least the above, the disclosed route information has been interpreted as patentably indistinct from the Applicant's broadly recited "one or more projected conditions of the route that, when present, modify a current temperature of the battery;" See also: ¶: 0019, 0020, 0022].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station as disclosed by Newman to incorporate the teachings regarding predicting temperature changes pertaining to various sections of a route between a starting point and destination based on a plurality of route characteristics as taught by Vizzini with a reasonable expectation of success. By combining these inventions, the outcome is a system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station that is more robust in its ability to “determine a battery temperature profile with the best possible accuracy given the available information” [Vizzini; ¶: 0007, 0008, 0020-0022].
With respect to claim 3, Newman does not specifically state: “wherein the one or more projected conditions are determined based on at least one of: a traffic condition metric, a traffic light metric, or a vehicle weight.”
Vizzini teaches: “wherein the one or more projected conditions are determined based on at least one of: a traffic condition metric, a traffic light metric, or a vehicle weight” [Vizzini; "The route information used as a basis for determining the battery temperature profile first comprises the starting point 302 and destination 304 of the route 300 as illustrated by FIG. 3, thereby giving the travel distance. Moreover, the route information may comprise any or all of: speed limits, road type, road elevation profile, construction work, traffic flow, weather information or any other parameter that may influence the battery power consumption and thereby the battery temperature profile" (Fig. 3; ¶: 0021). In view of at least the above, the disclosed route information has been interpreted as patentably indistinct from the Applicant's broadly recited "one or more projected conditions of the route that, when present, modify a current temperature of the battery;" See also: ¶: 0019, 0020, 0022].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station as disclosed by Newman to incorporate the teachings regarding predicting temperature changes pertaining to various sections of a route between a starting point and destination based on a plurality of route characteristics as taught by Vizzini with a reasonable expectation of success. By combining these inventions, the outcome is a system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station that is more robust in its ability to “determine a battery temperature profile with the best possible accuracy given the available information” [Vizzini; ¶: 0007, 0008, 0020-0022].
With respect to claim 4, Newman does not specifically state: “wherein the one or more projected conditions comprise at least one of: a route elevation, a route speed, or a route acceleration profile.”
Vizzini teaches: “wherein the one or more projected conditions comprise at least one of: a route elevation, a route speed, or a route acceleration profile” [Vizzini; "The route information used as a basis for determining the battery temperature profile first comprises the starting point 302 and destination 304 of the route 300 as illustrated by FIG. 3, thereby giving the travel distance. Moreover, the route information may comprise any or all of: speed limits, road type, road elevation profile, construction work, traffic flow, weather information or any other parameter that may influence the battery power consumption and thereby the battery temperature profile" (Fig. 3; ¶: 0021). In view of at least the above, the disclosed route information has been interpreted as patentably indistinct from the Applicant's broadly recited "one or more projected conditions of the route that, when present, modify a current temperature of the battery;" See also: ¶: 0019, 0020, 0022].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station as disclosed by Newman to incorporate the teachings regarding predicting temperature changes pertaining to various sections of a route between a starting point and destination based on a plurality of route characteristics as taught by Vizzini with a reasonable expectation of success. By combining these inventions, the outcome is a system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station that is more robust in its ability to “determine a battery temperature profile with the best possible accuracy given the available information” [Vizzini; ¶: 0007, 0008, 0020-0022].
With respect to claim 5, Newman does not specifically state: “wherein the one or more projected conditions comprises the route acceleration profile, wherein the route acceleration profile is based on one or more road intersections along a route segment.”
Vizzini teaches: “wherein the one or more projected conditions comprises the route acceleration profile, wherein the route acceleration profile is based on one or more road intersections along a route segment” [Vizzini; In at least the paragraphs and figures cited, Vizzini further teaches using the previously recited route information to predict the propulsion requirements for the vehicle to traverse the route, which can in turn be used to determine the subsequent current drawn from the battery and therefore the resulting changes in battery temperature as a result. In view of the above, the Examiner has interpreted the disclosed predicted required propulsive power along the route as patentably indistinct from the Applicant's broadly recited "route acceleration profile." Vizzini further teaches that predicting the battery temperature profile comprises determinations of regions where naturally cooling may occur such as train crossings, which the Examiner has interpreted as patentably indistinct from the Applicant's broadly recited "one or more road intersections along a route segment;" ¶: 0033-0037].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station as disclosed by Newman to incorporate the teachings regarding predicting temperature changes pertaining to various sections of a route between a starting point and destination based on a plurality of route characteristics as taught by Vizzini with a reasonable expectation of success. By combining these inventions, the outcome is a system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station that is more robust in its ability to “determine a battery temperature profile with the best possible accuracy given the available information” [Vizzini; ¶: 0007, 0008, 0020-0022].
With respect to claim 7, Newman does not specifically state: “wherein the one or more projected conditions is based on a historical acceleration pattern for a driver.”
Vizzini teaches: “wherein the one or more projected conditions is based on a historical acceleration pattern for a driver” [Vizzini; In at least the paragraphs and figures cited, Vizzini further teaches using the previously recited route information to predict the propulsion requirements for the vehicle to traverse the route, which can in turn be used to determine the subsequent current drawn from the battery and therefore the resulting changes in battery temperature as a result. In view of the above, the Examiner has interpreted the disclosed predicted required propulsive power along the route as patentably indistinct from the Applicant's broadly recited "route acceleration profile." Furthermore, Vizzini further teaches that: "if a route is entered into the navigation system which has been travelled before, the determined battery cooling profile can be based on previous knowledge of the same route," wherein the Examiner has interpreted the disclosed previous knowledge of the same route as patentably indistinct from the Applicant's broadly recited "historical acceleration pattern for a driver;" ¶: 0033-0037].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station as disclosed by Newman to incorporate the teachings regarding predicting temperature changes pertaining to various sections of a route between a starting point and destination based on a plurality of route characteristics as taught by Vizzini with a reasonable expectation of success. By combining these inventions, the outcome is a system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station that is more robust in its ability to “determine a battery temperature profile with the best possible accuracy given the available information” [Vizzini; ¶: 0007, 0008, 0020-0022].
With respect to claim 8, Newman does not specifically state: “wherein the one or more projected conditions comprises the route acceleration profile, wherein the route acceleration profile is based on at least one of a predicted acceleration zone or a predicted deceleration zone.”
Vizzini teaches: “wherein the one or more projected conditions comprises the route acceleration profile, wherein the route acceleration profile is based on at least one of a predicted acceleration zone or a predicted deceleration zone” [Vizzini; In at least the paragraphs and figures cited, Vizzini further teaches using the previously recited route information to predict the propulsion requirements for the vehicle to traverse the route, which can in turn be used to determine the subsequent current drawn from the battery and therefore the resulting changes in battery temperature as a result. In view of the above, the Examiner has interpreted the disclosed predicted required propulsive power along the route as patentably indistinct from the Applicant's broadly recited "route acceleration profile." Furthermore, Vizzini teaches that the disclosed system considers the effects of regeneration current from regenerative braking, which is used to decelerate the vehicle; ¶: 0033-0037].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station as disclosed by Newman to incorporate the teachings regarding predicting temperature changes pertaining to various sections of a route between a starting point and destination based on a plurality of route characteristics as taught by Vizzini with a reasonable expectation of success. By combining these inventions, the outcome is a system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station that is more robust in its ability to “determine a battery temperature profile with the best possible accuracy given the available information” [Vizzini; ¶: 0007, 0008, 0020-0022].
With respect to claim 9, Newman does not specifically state: “wherein the one or more projected conditions is based on an expected acceleration for at least one of a highway entrance ramp or an elevation ascent along a route segment.”
Vizzini teaches: “wherein the one or more projected conditions is based on an expected acceleration for at least one of a highway entrance ramp or an elevation ascent along a route segment.” [Vizzini; "The third region 408 of FIG. 4 illustrates an increase in battery temperature which requires an increase in battery cooling power to prevent the battery temperature from reaching the maximum allowable temperature. The temperature increase may for example be the result of an increased speed or of an uphill climb;" Fig. 4; ¶: 0030].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station as disclosed by Newman to incorporate the teachings regarding predicting temperature changes pertaining to various sections of a route between a starting point and destination based on a plurality of route characteristics as taught by Vizzini with a reasonable expectation of success. By combining these inventions, the outcome is a system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station that is more robust in its ability to “determine a battery temperature profile with the best possible accuracy given the available information” [Vizzini; ¶: 0007, 0008, 0020-0022].
With respect to claim 10, Newman does not specifically state: “wherein the one or more projected conditions is based on an expected deceleration for at least one of a highway exit ramp or an elevation descent along a route segment.”
Vizzini teaches: “wherein the one or more projected conditions is based on an expected deceleration for at least one of a highway exit ramp or an elevation descent along a route segment” [Vizzini; In at least the paragraphs and figures cited, Vizzini further teaches that predicting the battery temperature profile comprises determinations of regions where naturally cooling may occur such as long descents in which vehicle propulsion would not be required, which the Examiner has interpreted as patentably indistinct from the Applicant's broadly recited "one or more road intersections along a route segment;" ¶: 0033-0037].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station as disclosed by Newman to incorporate the teachings regarding predicting temperature changes pertaining to various sections of a route between a starting point and destination based on a plurality of route characteristics as taught by Vizzini with a reasonable expectation of success. By combining these inventions, the outcome is a system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station that is more robust in its ability to “determine a battery temperature profile with the best possible accuracy given the available information” [Vizzini; ¶: 0007, 0008, 0020-0022].
With respect to claim 11, Newman does not specifically state: “wherein the one or more projected conditions comprises an amount of anticipated regenerative braking.”
Vizzini teaches: “wherein the one or more projected conditions comprises an amount of anticipated regenerative braking.” [Vizzini; "The method may also comprise determining a battery current profile based on the route information and the battery status. Based on the route information, a power need for propulsion can be predicted which in turn can be translated to a current drawn from the battery. The model used for determining the battery temperature profile may also contain stored information or models describing the relation between the required propulsive power and a resulting battery temperature. Moreover, the effects of regeneration currents from regenerative braking are preferably taken into account when determining the battery cooling profile;" ¶: 0035].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station as disclosed by Newman to incorporate the teachings regarding predicting temperature changes pertaining to various sections of a route between a starting point and destination based on a plurality of route characteristics as taught by Vizzini with a reasonable expectation of success. By combining these inventions, the outcome is a system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station that is more robust in its ability to “determine a battery temperature profile with the best possible accuracy given the available information” [Vizzini; ¶: 0007, 0008, 0020-0022].
With respect to claim 12, Newman does not specifically state: “wherein projecting the route-based battery temperature further comprises determining predicted segment temperature impacts for a plurality of route segments based on the route characteristics of each route segment of the plurality of route segments.”
Vizzini teaches: “wherein projecting the route-based battery temperature further comprises determining predicted segment temperature impacts for a plurality of route segments based on the route characteristics of each route segment of the plurality of route segments” [Vizzini; "The route information used as a basis for determining the battery temperature profile first comprises the starting point 302 and destination 304 of the route 300 as illustrated by FIG. 3, thereby giving the travel distance. Moreover, the route information may comprise any or all of: speed limits, road type, road elevation profile, construction work, traffic flow, weather information or any other parameter that may influence the battery power consumption and thereby the battery temperature profile" (Fig. 3; ¶: 0021). In view of at least the above, the disclosed route information has been interpreted as patentably indistinct from the Applicant's broadly recited "predicted segment temperature impacts for a plurality of route segments based on the route characteristics of each route segment of the plurality of route segments;" See also: ¶: 0019, 0020, 0022].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station as disclosed by Newman to incorporate the teachings regarding predicting temperature changes pertaining to various sections of a route between a starting point and destination based on a plurality of route characteristics as taught by Vizzini with a reasonable expectation of success. By combining these inventions, the outcome is a system/method for preconditioning a battery of an electric vehicle prior to arrival at a charging station based on predicted temperature changes to the battery while the vehicle is traveling along a route to the charging station that is more robust in its ability to “determine a battery temperature profile with the best possible accuracy given the available information” [Vizzini; ¶: 0007, 0008, 0020-0022].
Prior Art (Not relied upon)
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure can be found in the attached form 892.
Payne et al. (United States Patent Publication 2016/0325637 A1) discloses: A hybrid vehicle includes one or more processors, a memory, an engine, a battery, and a motor. The motor is configured to utilize electrical energy stored in the battery for powering a movement of the wheels or an operation of the hybrid vehicle. A memory stores route data and corresponding vehicle operation data. The one or more processors predict, based on the route data, that the hybrid vehicle will travel on a second route after travelling on a first route. The one or more processors predict, based on the vehicle operation data, that the state of charge (SOC) of the battery will reach or exceed a threshold value during the second route. The one or more processors set a target SOC for the battery. The one or more processors discharge the electrical energy stored in the battery during the first route based on the target SOC value.
Ing et al. (United States Patent Publication 2019/0315232 A1) discloses: A thermal management system of a battery of an electric vehicle proactively manages the temperature of the battery based on sensor data and sets limits to control cooling and heating of the battery. Using the data gathered from an autonomous drive platform, a highly-efficient control system which uses predictive modelling can be created. A control system predicts the battery final temperature and determines if cooling and/or heating is necessary for the route. If cooling and/or heating is not necessary, the thermal management system may be simply turned off to save energy. This is a dynamic approach which should optimize energy usage under all situations using trip predictive information (from GPS, route-calculation algorithms, and weather information), and thermal model predictive controls to determine battery final temperatures.
Vallender et al. (United States Patent Publication 2020/0055406 A1) discloses: A system and method are provided for preconditioning a rechargeable energy system (RESS) for a vehicle. The method includes monitoring one or more rechargeable energy storage system parameters; adjusting a rechargeable energy storage system precondition window based on one or more of the monitored rechargeable energy storage system parameters; and prompting for or activating thermal preconditioning of the rechargeable energy storage system at least partially depending on the adjusted rechargeable energy storage system precondition window.
KIM (United States Patent Publication 2020/0116516 A1) discloses: A route guide apparatus and a route guide method for an electric vehicle may include a sensor to measure an ambient temperature of the electric vehicle, a battery manager to monitor a battery temperature, and a processor to perform a route guide by predicting battery power based on at least one of the ambient temperature or the battery temperature, when searching for a traveling route to a destination, and by selecting, as a traveling route, a route which represents the least total cost of battery consumption energy based on the predicted battery power.
Sathasivam et al. (United States Patent Publication 2020/0231023 A1) discloses: Methods and systems are provided for providing thermal management for components of a vehicle. In one example, a method may include exchanging heat between different coolant systems via a heat exchanger using predicted data indicating estimated coolant temperatures for a vehicle trip and measured data indicating dynamic conditions for the vehicle trip.
Manzoor et al. (United States Patent Publication 2020/0412160 A1) discloses: A method and system for an electric vehicle include a controller and a battery cooling system. The controller automatically detects when the vehicle is being driven to a charging station. The controller controls the battery cooling system to pre-cool a traction battery of the vehicle as the vehicle is being driven to the charging station so that the traction battery is cooled to a target temperature upon the vehicle reaching the charging station. The battery cooling system includes a phase change material (PCM) surrounding at least a portion of the traction battery. The traction battery is pre-cooled by circulating refrigerant coolant to the PCM to cool the PCM and thereby pre-cool the traction battery.
Sherback et al. (United States Patent Publication 2021/0143649 A1) discloses: A method that includes pre-conditioning a battery for charging to support higher rates of charging the battery.
Goldman-Shenhar et al. (United States Patent Publication 2022/0063440 A1) discloses: Systems and method are provided for controlling a vehicle having one or more batteries. In one embodiment, a method includes: receiving, by a processor, data from at least two of a user of the vehicle, the vehicle, one or more charging stations, and one or more vehicle services; determining, by the processor, optimization criteria based on the received data; computing, by the processor, a charging route solution based on the optimization criteria; and generating, by the processor, interface data for presenting the charging route solution to the user of the vehicle.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RAMI N BEDEWI whose telephone number is (571)272-5753. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday - 6:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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, Scott A. Browne can be reached on (571-270-0151). The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/R.N.B./Examiner, Art Unit 3666C
/SCOTT A BROWNE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3666
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