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.
Information Disclosure Statements
The Information Disclosure Statement(s) (IDS) filed on 10/11/2024 and 09/23/2025 has/have been acknowledged.
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 preliminarily amended list of claims 1-11 is pending in this application. In the preliminarily amended claim set filed 11/05/2025:
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 newly added.
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(s) 1-11 is/are rejected under 35 USC 101 because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception (i.e., a law of nature, a natural phenomenon, or an abstract idea) without significantly more.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The claim(s) recite(s) “A method of preconditioning a battery of a vehicle, the method comprising:” 1) determining a baseline preconditioning start time relative to an estimated time of arrival at a charging station; 2) determining a route of the vehicle, the route including route segments, serially arranged along the route, between a present vehicle location and the charging station; 3) analyzing the route of the vehicle to determine a route characteristic for each route segment; 4) 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; 5) determining a route-based preconditioning start time by comparing the projected route-based battery temperature to a target preconditioning battery temperature; 6) 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; and 7) modifying the baseline preconditioning start time based on the route-based preconditioning start time.
The limitations of: 1) determining a baseline preconditioning start time relative to an estimated time of arrival at a charging station; 2) determining a route of the vehicle, the route including route segments, serially arranged along the route, between a present vehicle location and the charging station; 3) analyzing the route of the vehicle to determine a route characteristic for each route segment; 4) 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; 5) determining a route-based preconditioning start time by comparing the projected route-based battery temperature to a target preconditioning battery temperature; 6) 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; and 7) modifying the baseline preconditioning start time based on the route-based preconditioning start time, as drafted, is a process that, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of the limitation in the mind and/or using pen and paper. That is nothing in the claim element precludes the step from practically being performed in the mind and/or using pen and paper. For example, in the context of this claim encompasses the user manually performing steps of: determining a respective baseline preconditioning start time and a route of a vehicle to a destination, calculating predicted changes in a vehicle battery temperature using known information of the route to the destination, comparing the predicted vehicle battery temperatures to a threshold to determine if the baseline preconditioning start time is appropriate or if a new route based preconditioning start time should be selected, and making the appropriate selection based on the comparison. If a claim limitation, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of the limitation in the mind but for the recitation of generic computer components, then it falls within the “Mental Processes” grouping of abstract ideas. Accordingly, the claim recites an abstract idea.
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. In particular, the claim only provides a method for “preconditioning a battery of a vehicle” without claiming hardware or additional elements to perform the claimed method. Furthermore, the claimed invention does not positively recite a vehicle or controlling the vehicle in any way based on the performed calculations. The claimed method comprises: 1) determining a baseline preconditioning start time relative to an estimated time of arrival at a charging station; 2) determining a route of the vehicle, the route including route segments, serially arranged along the route, between a present vehicle location and the charging station; 3) analyzing the route of the vehicle to determine a route characteristic for each route segment; 4) 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; 5) determining a route-based preconditioning start time by comparing the projected route-based battery temperature to a target preconditioning battery temperature; 6) 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; and 7) modifying the baseline preconditioning start time based on the route-based preconditioning start time. Accordingly, there are no additional elements claimed; therefore, the claim does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it does not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. The claim is directed to an abstract idea.
The claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. As discussed above with respect to integration of the abstract idea into a practical application, the claim only provides a method for “preconditioning a battery of a vehicle” without claiming hardware or additional elements to perform the claimed method. The claimed method, which comprises: 1) determining a baseline preconditioning start time relative to an estimated time of arrival at a charging station; 2) determining a route of the vehicle, the route including route segments, serially arranged along the route, between a present vehicle location and the charging station; 3) analyzing the route of the vehicle to determine a route characteristic for each route segment; 4) 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; 5) determining a route-based preconditioning start time by comparing the projected route-based battery temperature to a target preconditioning battery temperature; 6) 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; and 7) modifying the baseline preconditioning start time based on the route-based preconditioning start time, amounts to no more than mere performance of calculations based on known map information in order to perform predictions. Mere performance of calculations based on known map information in order to perform predictions cannot provide an inventive concept. The claim(s) is/are not patent eligible.
Dependent claim(s) 2-11 when analyzed as a whole, is/are held to be patent ineligible under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the additional recited limitation(s) fail(s) to establish that the claim(s) is/are not directed to an abstract idea. The additional element(s), if any, in the dependent claim(s) is/are not sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception for the same reasons as with claim(s) 1.
Examiner’s Note: In order to overcome this rejection, the Office suggests amending claim 1 to positively recite the control step of preconditioning the batteries rather than simply updating a value by “modifying the baseline preconditioning start time” as currently claimed. For example as recited in ¶: 0082 of the Applicant’s specification as follows: “For example, and with reference to FIG. 2 , the temperature control unit 128 may begin to modify the temperature of the battery 122 at the determined precondition start time tr.”
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) 1-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ing et al. (United States Patent Publication 2019/0315232 A1) in view of Vallender et al. (United States Patent Publication 2020/0055406 A1), referenced as Ing and Vallender, respectively, moving forward.
With respect to claim 1, Ing discloses:
“A method of preconditioning a battery of a vehicle” [Ing; "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;" Abstract];
“determining a route of the vehicle, the route including route segments, serially arranged along the route, between a present vehicle location and the charging station” [Ing; "For example, in the illustrative roadway of FIG. 11, the vehicle 1127 may, at the beginning 1103 of the trip, determine the destination, determine the route or predict the route, and based on the determined or predicted route determine a number of route characteristics. The vehicle thermal management system may further determine weather throughout the route and generate an estimate battery temperature profile for the course of the trip. During the trip, the vehicle may constantly or periodically update the temperature profile estimate based on any change in any factors such as weather, wind, route characteristics, driver characteristics, etc;" Fig. 11; ¶: 0164; See also: ¶: 0161-0163, 0165, 0166];
“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” [Ing; "As can be appreciated from FIG. 11, the vehicle 1127 may comprise a thermal management system which may gather information about the vehicle, about the rain 1109 in the first portion 1106 of the route, the hills in the second portion 1112 of the route, and the downhill and sunny end portion 1118 of the route. The thermal management system of the vehicle 1127 may determine the rain at the beginning of the trip may result in an increased battery temperature. The thermal management system of the vehicle 1127 may also determine the uphill section in the second portion 1112 of the route may result in increased battery temperature. The thermal management system of the vehicle 1127 may also determine the downhill and sunny end portion 1118 of the route may result in a lowered battery temperature at arrival at the destination 1124. The thermal management system of the vehicle 1127 may also, at the initiation of the route, determine a weight of the vehicle, a characteristic of the driver, and other static factors;" Fig. 11; ¶: 0165; See also: ¶: 0161-0164, 0166];
“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” [Ing; "Using a combination of a present temperature of the battery along with the current ambient temperature and the forecasted temperature along the remainder of the route, the thermal management system 900 may be capable of estimating a battery temperature at any point along the future route, such as an estimated temperature at arrival (“eTa”). The eTa and estimated battery temperature at other points along the route may further be based on other accessible data;" ¶: 0149; See also: ¶: 0150-0153];
“determining a route-based preconditioning start time by comparing the projected route-based battery temperature to a target preconditioning battery temperature” [Ing; "As illustrated in FIG. 14, while the thermal management system of a vehicle may be capable of making informed estimations of the temperature of the battery at arrival (“eTa”), due to unforeseen changes in circumstances, the eTa may change after the point the thermal management system determined it would be safe to disable the battery's thermal management. In some embodiments, the thermal management system may first estimate the temperature at arrival will be lower than the battery's maximum temperature, and may at a later time 1400 a change in circumstances may occur and the thermal management system may estimate the temperature at arrival will be higher than the battery's maximum temperature. At such a later time, the thermal management system may instruct a cooling unit to begin cooling the battery. The cooling unit may continue cooling the battery until a time 1403 in which the thermal management system determines the estimated temperature of the battery at the time of arrival will be lower than a maximum temperature of the battery;" Fig. 14; ¶: 0171; See also: Fig. 15; ¶: 0172-0177];
“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” [Ing; "As illustrated in FIG. 14, while the thermal management system of a vehicle may be capable of making informed estimations of the temperature of the battery at arrival (“eTa”), due to unforeseen changes in circumstances, the eTa may change after the point the thermal management system determined it would be safe to disable the battery's thermal management. In some embodiments, the thermal management system may first estimate the temperature at arrival will be lower than the battery's maximum temperature, and may at a later time 1400 a change in circumstances may occur and the thermal management system may estimate the temperature at arrival will be higher than the battery's maximum temperature. At such a later time, the thermal management system may instruct a cooling unit to begin cooling the battery. The cooling unit may continue cooling the battery until a time 1403 in which the thermal management system determines the estimated temperature of the battery at the time of arrival will be lower than a maximum temperature of the battery;" Fig. 14; ¶: 0171; See also: Fig. 15; ¶: 0172-0177];
“and modifying the baseline preconditioning start time based on the route-based preconditioning start time” [Ing; Ing; "As illustrated in FIG. 14, while the thermal management system of a vehicle may be capable of making informed estimations of the temperature of the battery at arrival (“eTa”), due to unforeseen changes in circumstances, the eTa may change after the point the thermal management system determined it would be safe to disable the battery's thermal management. In some embodiments, the thermal management system may first estimate the temperature at arrival will be lower than the battery's maximum temperature, and may at a later time 1400 a change in circumstances may occur and the thermal management system may estimate the temperature at arrival will be higher than the battery's maximum temperature. At such a later time, the thermal management system may instruct a cooling unit to begin cooling the battery. The cooling unit may continue cooling the battery until a time 1403 in which the thermal management system determines the estimated temperature of the battery at the time of arrival will be lower than a maximum temperature of the battery;" Fig. 14; ¶: 0171; See also: Fig. 15; ¶: 0172-0177].
And while Ing discloses: “the method comprising: determining a baseline preconditioning start time relative to an estimated time of arrival at” a destination [Ing; "the present disclosure presents a battery thermal management system which may take advantage of the zone 830 between the threshold temperature 821 and the maximum temperature 827 of the battery by considering all data associated with a route and vehicle to estimate the future battery temperature during the course of the trip. As illustrated in FIG. 12, a battery temperature 1203 may increase starting at the beginning 812 of a route. At time 818, the battery temperature 1203 may be at or near the threshold temperature 821. As the battery temperature 1203 reaches the threshold temperature 821, the thermal management system may instruct a cooling system of the vehicle to begin cooling the battery. At some point in time 1206, the thermal management system may determine the estimated temperature at arrival of the battery, if no more cooling is applied, would be less than the maximum temperature 827 of the battery. At such time 1206, the thermal management system may determine the cooling system can be shut off without detrimentally affecting the future performance of the battery. As the cooling system is shut off at time 1206, the temperature of the battery 1203 may begin to rise toward the maximum temperature. At the end of the trip 824, the temperature of the battery 1203 may still be less than the maximum temperature 827;" Fig. 12; ¶: 0168];
Ing does not specifically state that this destination is specifically a charging location, for example.
Vallender, which is in the same field of invention of systems/methods for preconditioning batteries in electric vehicles, teaches: “the method comprising: determining a baseline preconditioning start time relative to an estimated time of arrival at a charging station” [Vallender; "According to another embodiment, there is provided a method of preconditioning a rechargeable energy storage system of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: monitoring a plurality of rechargeable energy storage system parameters, wherein the plurality of rechargeable energy storage system parameters includes a state of charge (SOC) and an ambient or rechargeable energy storage system temperature; adjusting an SOC-based rechargeable energy storage system precondition window based on the ambient or rechargeable energy storage system temperature, wherein the SOC-based rechargeable energy storage system precondition window comprises a rechargeable energy storage system precondition start point, a rechargeable energy storage system precondition end point, and a rechargeable energy storage system precondition region between the rechargeable energy storage system precondition start point and the rechargeable energy storage system precondition end point; and prompting for or activating thermal preconditioning of the rechargeable energy storage system at least partially depending on the adjusted SOC-based rechargeable energy storage system precondition window;" ¶: 0022;
"The navigational information can provide the position and/or estimated time to reach a fast charging station 90;" ¶: 0056; See also: Fig. 6; ¶: 0077, 0078, 0081].
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 the battery of an electric vehicle by proactively managing the temperature of the battery as disclosed by Ing to incorporate the teachings regarding calculating a battery preconditioning start time based on a predicted time of arrival at a battery charging station as taught by Vallender with a reasonable expectation of success. By combining these inventions, the outcome is a system/method for system/method for preconditioning the battery of an electric vehicle by proactively managing the temperature of the battery that is more robust in its ability to actively preconditioning of a vehicle battery in order to optimize charging efficiency [Vallender; ¶: 0031].
With respect to claim 2, Ing discloses: “wherein the route characteristic comprises one or more projected conditions of the route that, when present, modify a current temperature of the battery” [Ing; "For example, in the illustrative roadway of FIG. 11, the vehicle 1127 may, at the beginning 1103 of the trip, determine the destination, determine the route or predict the route, and based on the determined or predicted route determine a number of route characteristics. The vehicle thermal management system may further determine weather throughout the route and generate an estimate battery temperature profile for the course of the trip. During the trip, the vehicle may constantly or periodically update the temperature profile estimate based on any change in any factors such as weather, wind, route characteristics, driver characteristics, etc;" Fig. 11; ¶: 0164; See also: ¶: 0161-0163, 0165, 0166].
With respect to claim 3, Ing discloses: “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” [Ing; "The maps database 335 may also include road or street characteristics, for example, speed limits, location of stop lights/stop signs, lane divisions, school locations, etc. The map database contents can be produced or updated by a server connected through a wireless system in communication with the Internet, even as the vehicle 100 is driven along existing streets, yielding an up-to-date map;" ¶: 0095;
"The thermal management system 900 may access data points such as traffic reports. External traffic data may be measured by onboard sensors 912 and data may also comprise predicted traffic along a remainder of the route based on any available data, such as traffic information on the Internet 915 via a network connection. Traffic information may also be available from one or more onboard computing systems. An onboard database 909 may gather such information and update in real-time with any new traffic forecast data. As heavy traffic conditions during a trip may cause a vehicle to be less efficient, and low traffic conditions during a trip may cause a vehicle to be more efficient, and vehicle efficiency has a direct effect on battery temperature, traffic levels may play a direct effect on the battery temperature during a trip. Using a combination of a present temperature of the battery along with the current traffic situation and the forecasted traffic along the remainder of the route, the thermal management system 900 may be capable of estimating a battery temperature at any point along the future route, such as an estimated temperature at arrival (“eTa”). The eTa and estimated battery temperature at other points along the route may additionally be based on other accessible data;" ¶: 0152;
"The thermal management system 900 may access data points such as vehicle characteristics. Vehicle characteristics may include information such as weight of the vehicle. The weight of the vehicle may be determined based on a base weight depending on the type of vehicle and may also be updated at the beginning of a trip based on onboard sensors. Vehicle characteristics may comprise information associated with the particular type of vehicle, such as a make and model. In general, a particular make and model of a vehicle may have particular characteristics affecting a battery temperature;" ¶: 0161].
With respect to claim 4, Ing discloses: “wherein the one or more projected conditions comprise at least one of: a route elevation, a route speed, or a route acceleration profile” [Ing; "The maps database 335 may also include road or street characteristics, for example, speed limits, location of stop lights/stop signs, lane divisions, school locations, etc. The map database contents can be produced or updated by a server connected through a wireless system in communication with the Internet, even as the vehicle 100 is driven along existing streets, yielding an up-to-date map;" ¶: 0095;
"When a vehicle has determined an origin and a destination for a current trip, the vehicle may next determine a route from the origin to the destination. The route may be determined based on factors such as shortest duration, shortest distance, etc. The thermal management system 900 may determine one or more route characteristics based on the determined route. Route characteristics may comprise factors such as average speed, number and steepness of hills, number and sharpness of curves, etc. In some embodiments, the thermal management system 900 may determine the effect of each route characteristic factor on the temperature of the battery of the vehicle at various points during the trip;" ¶: 0157].
With respect to claim 5, Ing discloses: “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” [Ing; "During long trips, the thermal management system 900 may additionally have access to information such as pit stops, stops at a restaurant drive-thru, stops at red-lights, stop signs, and other intersections, etc. Any such information may be used in the determination of the effect of the route on the temperature of the vehicle;" ¶: 0157].
With respect to claim 6, Ing discloses: “wherein the one or more projected conditions comprises the route acceleration profile, wherein the route acceleration profile is based on a vehicle weight” [Ing; "As a vehicle begins a trip, the vehicle may determine or predict a destination for the trip. The destination may be determined based on instructions from a user, or predicted based on past trips or other information. As illustrated in FIG. 11, a route 1115 of a vehicle 1127 may comprise an origin 1103 and a destination 1124. Between the origin 1103 and the destination 1124, the route 1115 may comprise a number of variables and factors which may affect the battery temperature during the trip. A number of factors, such as vehicle and passenger weight, driver profile, route characteristics (e.g. hills, road type, etc.) and battery characteristics may be determined at the beginning of a trip and may typically remain unchanged. A number of other factors, such as weather, temperature, windspeed, etc. may change constantly throughout a trip. A thermal management system of the vehicle 1127 may continuously or periodically update such information during the course of a trip;" Fig. 11; ¶: 0163; See also: ¶: 0161, 0162].
With respect to claim 7, Ing discloses: “wherein the one or more projected conditions is based on a historical acceleration pattern for a driver” [Ing; "The thermal management system 900 may access data points such as driver characteristics. Different drivers of a vehicle may have driving styles that are more or less efficient. For example, some drivers may tend to drive faster and/or more aggressively thus having a negative effect on the temperature of the battery. While the vehicle may operate in a fully-autonomous mode, the driver identity may have little to no effect on the battery temperature;" ¶: 0153].
With respect to claim 8, Ing discloses: “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” [Ing; "As can be appreciated from FIG. 11, the vehicle 1127 may comprise a thermal management system which may gather information about the vehicle, about the rain 1109 in the first portion 1106 of the route, the hills in the second portion 1112 of the route, and the downhill and sunny end portion 1118 of the route. The thermal management system of the vehicle 1127 may determine the rain at the beginning of the trip may result in an increased battery temperature. The thermal management system of the vehicle 1127 may also determine the uphill section in the second portion 1112 of the route may result in increased battery temperature. The thermal management system of the vehicle 1127 may also determine the downhill and sunny end portion 1118 of the route may result in a lowered battery temperature at arrival at the destination 1124. The thermal management system of the vehicle 1127 may also, at the initiation of the route, determine a weight of the vehicle, a characteristic of the driver, and other static factors;" Fig. 11; ¶: 0165; See also: ¶: 0006].
With respect to claim 9, Ing discloses: “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” [Ing; "As can be appreciated from FIG. 11, the vehicle 1127 may comprise a thermal management system which may gather information about the vehicle, about the rain 1109 in the first portion 1106 of the route, the hills in the second portion 1112 of the route, and the downhill and sunny end portion 1118 of the route. The thermal management system of the vehicle 1127 may determine the rain at the beginning of the trip may result in an increased battery temperature. The thermal management system of the vehicle 1127 may also determine the uphill section in the second portion 1112 of the route may result in increased battery temperature. The thermal management system of the vehicle 1127 may also determine the downhill and sunny end portion 1118 of the route may result in a lowered battery temperature at arrival at the destination 1124. The thermal management system of the vehicle 1127 may also, at the initiation of the route, determine a weight of the vehicle, a characteristic of the driver, and other static factors;" Fig. 11; ¶: 0165].
With respect to claim 10, Ing discloses: “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” [Ing; "As can be appreciated from FIG. 11, the vehicle 1127 may comprise a thermal management system which may gather information about the vehicle, about the rain 1109 in the first portion 1106 of the route, the hills in the second portion 1112 of the route, and the downhill and sunny end portion 1118 of the route. The thermal management system of the vehicle 1127 may determine the rain at the beginning of the trip may result in an increased battery temperature. The thermal management system of the vehicle 1127 may also determine the uphill section in the second portion 1112 of the route may result in increased battery temperature. The thermal management system of the vehicle 1127 may also determine the downhill and sunny end portion 1118 of the route may result in a lowered battery temperature at arrival at the destination 1124. The thermal management system of the vehicle 1127 may also, at the initiation of the route, determine a weight of the vehicle, a characteristic of the driver, and other static factors;" Fig. 11; ¶: 0165].
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ing in view of Vallender and Payne et al. (United States Patent Publication 2016/0325637 A1), referenced as Payne moving forward.
With respect to claim 11, Ing does not specifically state: “wherein the one or more projected conditions comprises an amount of anticipated regenerative braking.”
Payne, which is in the same field of invention of systems/methods for preconditioning batteries in electric vehicles, teaches: “wherein the one or more projected conditions comprises an amount of anticipated regenerative braking” [Payne; In at least the paragraphs and figures cited, Payne discloses predicting a state of charge (SOC) of a vehicle battery, and potential increases in the SOC due to predicted instances of regenerative braking, for an anticipated route based on the terrain of the respective route segments in order to predict an increase in the SOC of the battery exceeding a predefined threshold due to the following: "Because the second route is downhill, there is significant deceleration, resulting in a significant opportunity for storage of electrical energy in the battery 118. The processor determines whether there is a battery charging limitation event on the second route. During a battery charging limitation event, the SOC of the battery 118 reaches or exceeds an SOC threshold value;" ¶: 0052; See also: Fig. 2; ¶: 0045, 0046, 0051, 0053, 0054].
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 the battery of an electric vehicle by proactively managing the temperature of the battery as disclosed by Ing to incorporate the teachings regarding predicting changes in the vehicle state-of-charge and temperature due to predicted use of regenerative braking based on the terrain of the upcoming route as taught by Payne with a reasonable expectation of success. By combining these inventions, the outcome is a system/method for preconditioning the battery of an electric vehicle by proactively managing the temperature of the battery that is more robust in its ability to prevent or reduce the duration of a battery charging limitation event during which the battery cannot be charged using regenerated energy in order to maximize the potential energy return due to regenerative braking, which is desired in the art [Payne; ¶: 0005].
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.
Newman et al. (United States Patent Publication 2018/0304765 A1) discloses: Systems of an autonomous vehicle and the operations thereof are provided. During travel of an autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle can determine a charge is needed. Within the planned path of travel, the autonomous vehicle can determine when the autonomous vehicle may arrive at a charging station, what destinations are planned after reaching the charging station, the current temperature of the battery (and the temperature of the surroundings), the weather conditions at the charging station, etc. Based on these determinations and/or calculations, the autonomous vehicle can precondition the battery before the autonomous vehicle arrives at the charging station, for example, the autonomous vehicle starts cooling the battery at a quicker than normal rate so that the autonomous vehicle arrives at the charging station with the battery at the coldest possible temperature. The preconditioning allows the autonomous vehicle to charge at higher rate compared to charging without preconditioning.
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.
Conclusion
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 - 11:00 am & 12:00pm - 5:00 pm.
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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.
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/R.N.B./Examiner, Art Unit 3666C
/SCOTT A BROWNE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3666