Detailed Office Action
Status of Claims
This Office Action is in response to the Applicant’s amendments and remarks filed 04/13/2026. The applicant has amended claims 1, 6-7, 12, 16-18, and 20. Claims 1-20 are presently pending and are presented for examination.
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed 04/13/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-20 remain pending in the application.
Reply to Applicant’s Remarks
Applicant’s remarks filed 04/13/2026 have been fully considered and are addressed as follows:
Claim Rejections Under 35 U.S.C. 102/103:
Applicant’s arguments, see Arguments/Remarks, filed 04/13/2026, with regard to the rejections of Claims 1, 12, and 20 under 35 U.S.C. 102 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of newly found prior art reference(s).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 20 recites the limitation "add-on mobility apparatus". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The examiner believes this was potentially meant to read as “the second mobility apparatus” to remain consistent with the rest of the language used in Claim 20. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
The factual inquiries 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.
Claims 1-3, 12-14, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Genter et al (US 20230278651 A1) in view of Huo et al (CN 112140941 A). Hereafter referred to as Genter and Huo respectively.
Regarding Claim 1, Genter teaches a mobility apparatus (see at least Genter [¶ 100 and Figs 1-2.] FIG. 2 shows in more detail parts of the truck of FIG. 1)
comprising
a plurality of first wheels (see at least Genter [¶ 100] The tractor drivetrain 138 typically comprises a drive shaft and a differential connected to driven wheels)
at least one first driving motor configured to provide driving force to the plurality of first wheels (see at least Genter [¶ 100] The traction motor 103 is mechanically connected to the tractor drivetrain 138 and is used to propel the tractor unit)
a first battery configured to supply power to the at least one first driving motor (see at least Genter [¶ 100] The tractor unit 102 comprises tractor battery 110...The tractor battery 110 is electrically connected to the junction box 132 via the first DC-to-DC converter 130. The junction box 132 is also electrically connected to the electrical accessories 134, inverter 136, second DC-to-DC converter 144 and third DC-to-DC converter 148. The junction box 132 is configured to provide a DC bus between the DC-to-DC converters 130, 144, 148, the inverter 136 and the electrical accessories 134. The inverter 136 is configured to convert a DC voltage on the DC bus to AC to drive the traction motor 103)
a first controller configured to control the at least one first driving motor and the first battery (see at least Genter [¶ 100] A control system 107 is provided for controlling the tractor unit powertrain, including the traction motor 103 and/or secondary power source 404)
However, while Genter teaches using the first battery and secondary battery to provide driving control to the vehicle at different times, as well as being thermally managed at different times, it does not explicitly teach wherein, when a second battery is removably and electrically connected to the mobility apparatus, the first controller is configured to perform driving control of one of the first battery and the second battery to supply power to the first driving motor and configured to perform conditioning control for the other of the first battery and the second battery while the driving control is performed for the one of the first battery and the second battery.
Huo, in the same field as the endeavor, teaches when a second battery is removably and electrically connected to the mobility apparatus, the first controller is configured to perform driving control of one of the first battery and the second battery to supply power to the first driving motor and configured to perform conditioning control for the other of the first battery and the second battery while the driving control is performed for the one of the first battery and the second battery (see at least Huo [English Translation Abstract and pg.11 para.3, pg.9 para.5, pg.9 para.10, pg.6 para.8, pg.9 para.2] The embodiment of the invention mainly aims at the problem that the continuous driving mileage of the pure electric vehicle…the main battery relay 1 is closed, secondary battery relay 2 is disconnected, not connected with the high voltage loop, the main battery participates in all discharging and recycling charging…the main battery relay 1 is disconnected, not connected to the high voltage loop; The secondary battery is involved in all discharging and recycling charging. accompanying the driving process, always detecting the secondary battery SOC and main battery temperature…The invention claims a mode switching method, device, device and storage medium. The method comprises: obtaining the state of the main battery and the state of the secondary battery; and switching the mode according to the state of the main battery and the state of the secondary battery…wherein the mode switching can be the main battery single driving mode is switched to the main secondary battery combined driving mode…or can be from the secondary battery independent drive mode is switched to the main battery independent drive mode, the embodiment of the invention is not limited…due to the secondary battery temperature rise, each travelling period preferably using the secondary battery for discharging and recycling, at the same time, using the motor waste heat to heat the main battery; after the main battery temperature rises, then switching the main battery to discharge…It can work alone or jointly. The battery heating scheme is shown in FIG. 1b, the motor loop can heat the main battery, but cannot heat the secondary battery, the secondary battery adopts thin film resistor or is not limited to the heating mode of the thin film resistor, capable of quickly heating the secondary battery, lifting to a suitable temperature. The switching of the main and secondary batteries and the heating control of the main and secondary batteries are controlled by the controller) The disclosure in Huo discloses a vehicle system the uses two batteries and a controller for switching between a mode using only the first battery for driving or a mode using only the secondary battery for driving, further, there are conditioning systems onboard the vehicle for monitoring and changing the temperature of both batteries and will condition the other battery while one is being used for driving.
Therefore, 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 set forth in Genter to contain a system for wherein, when a second battery is removably and electrically connected to the mobility apparatus, the first controller is configured to perform driving control of one of the first battery and the second battery to supply power to the first driving motor and configured to perform conditioning control for the other of the first battery and the second battery while the driving control is performed for the one of the first battery and the second battery with reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make such a modification for benefit of prolonging both the life of the battery and the amount of milage from the battery during colder seasons as discussed in Huo (see at least Huo [pg.11 para.1-3] keeping the main battery temperature, the main battery driving and subsequent combined drive preparation, prolonging the service life of the battery in the working…wherein the main battery compared with the secondary battery has small volume, less energy, fast heating, preferably using under the low temperature environment, through the mode switching and battery heating control method of the system, can increase the brake energy recovery in a certain degree, effectively prolong the continuous driving mileage in winter).
Regarding Claim 12, Genter teaches a method of conditioning a battery of a mobility apparatus including a plurality of first wheels (see at least Genter [¶ 100, 124, 157] FIG. 2 shows in more detail parts of the truck of FIG. 1…The tractor drivetrain 138 typically comprises a drive shaft and a differential connected to driven wheels…each of the tractor battery 110 and the trailer battery 112 comprises a cooling system for thermal management. The cooling system may comprise, for example, a pump for pumping coolant through cooling plates in the battery and/or one or more fans. If desired, the tractor battery 110 and the trailer battery 112 may share the same coolant circuit. Alternatively, or in addition, any other type of cooling system, such as air cooling, liquid cooling, direct refrigerant cooling, phase change material cooling, thermoelectric cooling, or heat pipe cooling could be used. Furthermore, either or both of the tractor battery 110 and the trailer battery 112 may include a battery heating system...a battery management system or battery control system is arranged to monitor the thermal properties of each battery, and optionally to invoke battery isolation logic)
at least one first driving motor configured to provide a driving force to the plurality of first wheels (see at least Genter [¶ 100] The traction motor 103 is mechanically connected to the tractor drivetrain 138 and is used to propel the tractor unit)
a first battery configured to supply power to the at least one first driving motor (see at least Genter [¶ 100] The tractor unit 102 comprises tractor battery 110...The tractor battery 110 is electrically connected to the junction box 132 via the first DC-to-DC converter 130. The junction box 132 is also electrically connected to the electrical accessories 134, inverter 136, second DC-to-DC converter 144 and third DC-to-DC converter 148. The junction box 132 is configured to provide a DC bus between the DC-to-DC converters 130, 144, 148, the inverter 136 and the electrical accessories 134. The inverter 136 is configured to convert a DC voltage on the DC bus to AC to drive the traction motor 103)
and a first controller configured to control the at least one first driving motor and the first battery (see at least Genter [¶ 100] A control system 107 is provided for controlling the tractor unit powertrain, including the traction motor 103 and/or secondary power source 404)
However, while Genter teaches using the first battery and secondary battery to provide driving control to the vehicle at different times, as well as being thermally managed at different times, it does not explicitly teach wherein, when a second battery is removably and electrically connected to the mobility apparatus, the first controller performs driving control of one of the first battery and the second battery to supply power to the first driving motor and performs conditioning control for the other of the first battery and the second battery while the driving control is performed for the one of the first battery and the second battery.
Huo, in the same field as the endeavor, teaches wherein, when a second battery is removably and electrically connected to the mobility apparatus, the first controller performs driving control of one of the first battery and the second battery to supply power to the first driving motor and performs conditioning control for the other of the first battery and the second battery while the driving control is performed for the one of the first battery and the second battery (see at least Huo [English Translation Abstract and pg.11 para.3, pg.9 para.5, pg.9 para.10, pg.6 para.8, pg.9 para.2] The embodiment of the invention mainly aims at the problem that the continuous driving mileage of the pure electric vehicle…the main battery relay 1 is closed, secondary battery relay 2 is disconnected, not connected with the high voltage loop, the main battery participates in all discharging and recycling charging…the main battery relay 1 is disconnected, not connected to the high voltage loop; The secondary battery is involved in all discharging and recycling charging. accompanying the driving process, always detecting the secondary battery SOC and main battery temperature…The invention claims a mode switching method, device, device and storage medium. The method comprises: obtaining the state of the main battery and the state of the secondary battery; and switching the mode according to the state of the main battery and the state of the secondary battery…wherein the mode switching can be the main battery single driving mode is switched to the main secondary battery combined driving mode…or can be from the secondary battery independent drive mode is switched to the main battery independent drive mode, the embodiment of the invention is not limited…due to the secondary battery temperature rise, each travelling period preferably using the secondary battery for discharging and recycling, at the same time, using the motor waste heat to heat the main battery; after the main battery temperature rises, then switching the main battery to discharge…It can work alone or jointly. The battery heating scheme is shown in FIG. 1b, the motor loop can heat the main battery, but cannot heat the secondary battery, the secondary battery adopts thin film resistor or is not limited to the heating mode of the thin film resistor, capable of quickly heating the secondary battery, lifting to a suitable temperature. The switching of the main and secondary batteries and the heating control of the main and secondary batteries are controlled by the controller) The disclosure in Huo discloses a vehicle system the uses two batteries and a controller for switching between a mode using only the first battery for driving or a mode using only the secondary battery for driving, further, there are conditioning systems onboard the vehicle for monitoring and changing the temperature of both batteries and will condition the other battery while one is being used for driving.
Therefore, 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 set forth in Genter to contain a system for wherein, when a second battery is removably and electrically connected to the mobility apparatus, the first controller performs driving control of one of the first battery and the second battery to supply power to the first driving motor and performs conditioning control for the other of the first battery and the second battery while the driving control is performed for the one of the first battery and the second battery with reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make such a modification for benefit of prolonging both the life of the battery and the amount of milage from the battery during colder seasons as discussed in Huo (see at least Huo [pg.11 para.1-3] keeping the main battery temperature, the main battery driving and subsequent combined drive preparation, prolonging the service life of the battery in the working…wherein the main battery compared with the secondary battery has small volume, less energy, fast heating, preferably using under the low temperature environment, through the mode switching and battery heating control method of the system, can increase the brake energy recovery in a certain degree, effectively prolong the continuous driving mileage in winter).
Regarding Claim 20, Genter teaches a second mobility apparatus removably connected to a first mobility apparatus including a plurality of first wheels (see at least Genter [¶ 9-10] there is provided a trailer arranged to be coupled to a tractor unit…the trailer can be utilized to accommodate a sufficiently large battery which is able to supply the significant power requirements of an electric or hybrid electric truck…each of the tractor battery 110 and the trailer battery 112 comprises a cooling system for thermal management)
at least one first driving motor configured to provide driving force to the plurality of first wheels (see at least Genter [¶ 100] The traction motor 103 is mechanically connected to the tractor drivetrain 138 and is used to propel the tractor unit)
a first battery configured to supply power to the at least one first driving motor (see at least Genter [¶ 100] The tractor unit 102 comprises tractor battery 110...The tractor battery 110 is electrically connected to the junction box 132 via the first DC-to-DC converter 130. The junction box 132 is also electrically connected to the electrical accessories 134, inverter 136, second DC-to-DC converter 144 and third DC-to-DC converter 148. The junction box 132 is configured to provide a DC bus between the DC-to-DC converters 130, 144, 148, the inverter 136 and the electrical accessories 134. The inverter 136 is configured to convert a DC voltage on the DC bus to AC to drive the traction motor 103)
a first controller configured to control the at least one first driving motor and the first battery (see at least Genter [¶ 100] A control system 107 is provided for controlling the tractor unit powertrain, including the traction motor 103 and/or secondary power source 404)
the add-mobility apparatus comprising:
a second battery detachably and electrically connected to the first mobility apparatus and a second controller (see at least Genter [¶ 31, 26, 42] The battery may be modular and may comprise a plurality of batteries or battery packs configurable to operate together as one whole modular battery system. At least one of the plurality of batteries/battery packs may be operable independent of the other batteries/battery packs, and/or physically separable from the modular battery system...The trailer may comprise a trailer control module arranged to control the trailer when the trailer is not connected to the tractor unit. The trailer battery may be used to supply power to the traction motor in the trailer under control of the control module when the trailer is operating autonomously...the tractor unit comprises a tractor battery, and the control module is arranged to manage flow of power between the trailer battery, the tractor battery and the powertrain based on a state of charge of the trailer battery and the tractor battery).
However, while Genter teaches using the first battery on a vehicle and secondary battery on a trailer to provide driving control to the vehicle at different times, as well as being thermally managed at different times, it does not explicitly teach wherein, when a second battery is electrically connected to the first mobility apparatus, the second controller is configured to perform driving control of one of the first battery and the second battery to supply power to the first driving motor, and to perform a conditioning control for the other of the first battery and the second battery while the driving control is performed for the one of the first battery and the second battery.
Huo, in the same field as the endeavor, teaches wherein, when a second battery is electrically connected to the first mobility apparatus, the second controller is configured to perform driving control of one of the first battery and the second battery to supply power to the first driving motor, and to perform a conditioning control for the other of the first battery and the second battery while the driving control is performed for the one of the first battery and the second battery (see at least Huo [English Translation Abstract and pg.11 para.3, pg.9 para.5, pg.9 para.10, pg.6 para.8, pg.9 para.2] The embodiment of the invention mainly aims at the problem that the continuous driving mileage of the pure electric vehicle…the main battery relay 1 is closed, secondary battery relay 2 is disconnected, not connected with the high voltage loop, the main battery participates in all discharging and recycling charging…the main battery relay 1 is disconnected, not connected to the high voltage loop; The secondary battery is involved in all discharging and recycling charging. accompanying the driving process, always detecting the secondary battery SOC and main battery temperature…The invention claims a mode switching method, device, device and storage medium. The method comprises: obtaining the state of the main battery and the state of the secondary battery; and switching the mode according to the state of the main battery and the state of the secondary battery…wherein the mode switching can be the main battery single driving mode is switched to the main secondary battery combined driving mode…or can be from the secondary battery independent drive mode is switched to the main battery independent drive mode, the embodiment of the invention is not limited…due to the secondary battery temperature rise, each travelling period preferably using the secondary battery for discharging and recycling, at the same time, using the motor waste heat to heat the main battery; after the main battery temperature rises, then switching the main battery to discharge…It can work alone or jointly. The battery heating scheme is shown in FIG. 1b, the motor loop can heat the main battery, but cannot heat the secondary battery, the secondary battery adopts thin film resistor or is not limited to the heating mode of the thin film resistor, capable of quickly heating the secondary battery, lifting to a suitable temperature. The switching of the main and secondary batteries and the heating control of the main and secondary batteries are controlled by the controller) The disclosure in Huo discloses a vehicle system the uses two batteries and a controller for switching between a mode using only the first battery for driving or a mode using only the secondary battery for driving, further, there are conditioning systems onboard the vehicle for monitoring and changing the temperature of both batteries and will condition the other battery while one is being used for driving.
Therefore, 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 set forth in Genter to contain a system for wherein, when a second battery is electrically connected to the first mobility apparatus, the second controller is configured to perform driving control of one of the first battery and the second battery to supply power to the first driving motor, and to perform a conditioning control for the other of the first battery and the second battery while the driving control is performed for the one of the first battery and the second battery with reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make such a modification for benefit of prolonging both the life of the battery and the amount of milage from the battery during colder seasons as discussed in Huo (see at least Huo [pg.11 para.1-3] keeping the main battery temperature, the main battery driving and subsequent combined drive preparation, prolonging the service life of the battery in the working…wherein the main battery compared with the secondary battery has small volume, less energy, fast heating, preferably using under the low temperature environment, through the mode switching and battery heating control method of the system, can increase the brake energy recovery in a certain degree, effectively prolong the continuous driving mileage in winter).
Dependent Claims
Regarding Claim 2 and Claim 13, Genter in view of Huo teaches all limitations of the apparatus of Claim 1 and the method of Claim 12 as set forth above. Genter further teaches wherein the first controller is further configured to determine a target power for each section of a driving route (see at least Genter [¶ 117, 224-225] “Look ahead” and “driver learning” technology benefit usage and regeneration of batteries in trailers. The battery management system 152 may be configurable to receive information relating to a route intended for the trailer 104. Such information may relate to traffic, terrain, weather, duration, steepness etc. of the route. The battery management system 125 may be configurable to receive load information, for example its weight, storage requirements, predicted positioning within the trailer 104, etc. Using such information, the battery management system 152 may manage usage of at least one of the batteries 110, 112. The battery management system 152 may, for example, determine when to use power from the trailer battery 112, regenerate the trailer battery 112 or rely on a tractor battery 110 for power....The controller determines a battery depletion target along the route, which may be dynamic or static. The controller determines the regenerative braking needed to maintain the battery at the desired depletion level (based on, for example, range, power consumption, depletion target, distance to destination, and/or any other appropriate parameter)....Using the range estimation and the time/distance to destination, in step 932 the controller determines a battery depletion target along the route being undertaken by the truck. The battery depletion target may be dynamic or static).
Regarding Claim 3 and Claim 14, Genter in view of Huo teaches all limitations of the apparatus of Claim 2 and the method of Claim 13 as set forth above. Genter further teaches wherein the first controller is configured to determine the target power based on learning data (see at least Genter [¶ 117, 235] “Look ahead” and “driver learning” technology benefit usage and regeneration of batteries in trailers. The battery management system 152 may be configurable to receive information relating to a route intended for the trailer 104. Such information may relate to traffic, terrain, weather, duration, steepness etc. of the route. The battery management system 125 may be configurable to receive load information, for example its weight, storage requirements, predicted positioning within the trailer 104, etc. Using such information, the battery management system 152 may manage usage of at least one of the batteries 110, 112. The battery management system 152 may, for example, determine when to use power from the trailer battery 112, regenerate the trailer battery 112 or rely on a tractor battery 110 for power…The learning and optimization module 976 uses the current and past states from the vehicle/trailer system 972, as well as those from other vehicle/trailer systems, for machine learning and performance optimization).
Claims 4-7 and 15-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Genter et al (US 20230278651 A1) in view of Huo et al (CN 112140941 A) and Wu et al (WO 2019062988 A1). Hereafter referred to as Genter, Huo, and Wu respectively.
Regarding Claim 4 and Claim 15, Genter in view of Huo teaches all limitations of the apparatus of Claim 2 and the method of Claim 13 as set forth above. However, Genter does not explicitly teach wherein the first controller is further configured to determine a first target temperature for the first battery and a second target temperature for the second battery based on the target power.
Wu, in the same field as the endeavor, teaches wherein the first controller is further configured to determine a first target temperature for the first battery and a second target temperature for the second battery based on the target power (see at least Wu [English Translation pg.3 para.3, pg.19 para.13, pg.2 para.11] the temperature of the battery is adjusted within a target time according to the required power and the actual power to reach a target temperature....after the vehicle is powered on, it is determined whether the battery needs to be temperature-regulated, and if necessary, the initial temperature of the battery (ie, the current temperature), the target temperature, and the target time t from the initial temperature to the target temperature, wherein the target temperature and the target time are obtained. t can be preset according to the actual situation of the vehicle battery, and then the first required power is calculated according to formula (1). At the same time, the average current I of the battery in the preset time is obtained, and the second demand power is calculated according to the formula (2). Then, the required power P1 (that is, the required power of the battery is adjusted to the target temperature)...Therefore, the control method can accurately control the heating power and the cooling power of each battery according to the actual state of each battery, and adjust the temperature when the battery temperature is too high or too low, so that the temperature of the battery is maintained at a preset. Scope to avoid the situation where the performance of the vehicle battery is affected by temperature).
Therefore, 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 set forth in Genter to contain a system for wherein the first controller is further configured to determine a first target temperature for the first battery and a second target temperature for the second battery based on the target power with reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make such a modification for benefit of improving the health, safety, and performance of the battery by preventing overheating as discussed in Wu (see at least Wu [English Translation pg.28 para.4] The heating power is used to raise the temperature of the battery 6 to the target temperature within the target time t, preventing the excessive temperature from affecting the performance of the battery 6).
Regarding Claim 5 and Claim 16, Genter in view of Huo and Wu teaches all limitations of the apparatus of Claim 4 and the method of Claim 15 as set forth above. However, Genter does not explicitly teach wherein the first controller is configured to determine the first target temperature based on a specification or state of the first battery, and is configured to determine the second target temperature based on a specifications or state of the second battery.
Wu, in the same field as the endeavor, teaches wherein the first controller is configured to determine the first target temperature based on a specification or state of the first battery, and is configured to determine the second target temperature based on a specifications or state of the second battery (see at least Wu [English Translation English Translation pg.3 para.3, pg.19 para.13, pg.2 para.11] the temperature of the battery is adjusted according to the required power and the actual power at the target time to reach the target temperature. Therefore, the method can accurately control the temperature adjustment time of the battery, and the actual power of the battery can be adjusted in real time, which can ensure that the heating power and the cooling power of the vehicle battery are accurately controlled according to the actual state of the vehicle battery in the target time...Therefore, the control method can accurately control the heating power and the cooling power of each battery according to the actual state of each battery, and adjust the temperature when the battery temperature is too high or too low, so that the temperature of the battery is maintained at a preset. Scope to avoid the situation where the performance of the vehicle battery is affected by temperature). Therefore, 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 set forth in Genter to contain a system for wherein the first controller is configured to determine the first target temperature based on a specification or state of the first battery, and is configured to determine the second target temperature based on a specifications or state of the second battery with reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make such a modification for benefit of improving the health, safety, and performance of the battery by preventing overheating as discussed in Wu (see at least Wu [English Translation pg.28 para.4] The heating power is used to raise the temperature of the battery 6 to the target temperature within the target time t, preventing the excessive temperature from affecting the performance of the battery 6).
Regarding Claim 6 and Claim 17, Genter in view of Huo and Wu teaches all limitations of the apparatus of Claim 5 and the method of Claim 16 as set forth above. Genter further teaches wherein, for each section of the driving route, the first controller is configured to determine one of the first battery and the second battery for the driving control and the other of the first battery and the second battery for the conditioning control (see at least Genter [¶ 117, 124, 211, 166-167] “Look ahead” and “driver learning” technology benefit usage and regeneration of batteries in trailers. The battery management system 152 may be configurable to receive information relating to a route intended for the trailer 104. Such information may relate to traffic, terrain, weather, duration, steepness etc. of the route…Using such information, the battery management system 152 may manage usage of at least one of the batteries 110, 112. The battery management system 152 may, for example, determine when to use power from the trailer battery 112, regenerate the trailer battery 112 or rely on a tractor battery 110 for power…each of the tractor battery 110 and the trailer battery 112 comprises a cooling system for thermal management…Furthermore, either or both of the tractor battery 110 and the trailer battery 112 may include a battery heating system....Once a connection is established between the trailer and the tractor unit, signals and power may pass between them via the connector. Such signals may include information relating to the battery pack such as the state of charge, battery age, state of health, temperature, and information regarding cooling systems of the trailer…In general, the flow of electrical energy to and from the tractor battery 110 and the trailer battery 112 and from the range extender 146 is controlled in order to maximize route duration and energy efficiency...Power from the battery 112 may also be directed to other portions of the trailer 104, such as for operation…of coolant systems…The connector 108 may thus facilitate the sharing of power in a safe and secure way. In this way the connector 108 enables flexible usage and management of power from the battery 112).
Regarding Claim 7 and Claim 18, Genter in view of Huo and Wu teaches all limitations of the apparatus of Claim 6 and the method of Claim 17 as set forth above. Genter further teaches wherein the determining of one of the first battery and the second battery for the driving control and the other of the first battery and the second battery for the conditioning control for each section of the driving route is based on energy efficiency (see at least Genter [¶ 117, 124, 211, 166-167] “Look ahead” and “driver learning” technology benefit usage and regeneration of batteries in trailers. The battery management system 152 may be configurable to receive information relating to a route intended for the trailer 104. Such information may relate to traffic, terrain, weather, duration, steepness etc. of the route…Using such information, the battery management system 152 may manage usage of at least one of the batteries 110, 112. The battery management system 152 may, for example, determine when to use power from the trailer battery 112, regenerate the trailer battery 112 or rely on a tractor battery 110 for power…each of the tractor battery 110 and the trailer battery 112 comprises a cooling system for thermal management…Furthermore, either or both of the tractor battery 110 and the trailer battery 112 may include a battery heating system....Once a connection is established between the trailer and the tractor unit, signals and power may pass between them via the connector. Such signals may include information relating to the battery pack such as the state of charge, battery age, state of health, temperature, and information regarding cooling systems of the trailer…In general, the flow of electrical energy to and from the tractor battery 110 and the trailer battery 112 and from the range extender 146 is controlled in order to maximize route duration and energy efficiency...Power from the battery 112 may also be directed to other portions of the trailer 104, such as for operation…of coolant systems…The connector 108 may thus facilitate the sharing of power in a safe and secure way. In this way the connector 108 enables flexible usage and management of power from the battery 112).
Claims 8-11 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Genter et al (US 20230278651 A1) in view of Huo et al (CN 112140941 A), Wu et al (WO 2019062988 A1) and Burkell et al (EP 4046859 A1). Hereafter referred to as Genter, Huo, Wu, and Burkell respectively.
Regarding Claim 8 and Claim 19, Genter in view of Huo and Wu teaches all limitations of the apparatus of Claim 6 and the method of Claim 17. However Genter does not explicitly teach wherein the first controller is configured to determine a conditioning strategy based on conditioning power for the battery determined for the conditioning control.
Burkell, in the same field as the endeavor, teaches wherein the first controller is configured to determine a conditioning strategy based on conditioning power for the battery determined for the conditioning control (see at least Burkell [English Translation pg.19 para.7, pg.2 para.8] the controller also may select a source of the power used to condition the battery assembly temperature, a time for the thermal conditioning to occur, or both the source of the power and the time for the thermal conditioning....a method includes determining a predicted ambient temperature at one or more of (a) an upcoming time and/or (b) an upcoming location that a vehicle is to travel to or through. The vehicle has one or more loads that are at least partially powered by a battery assembly onboard the vehicle. The method also includes…determining a temperature pre-conditioning plan for the battery assembly based on the predicted ambient temperature and based on the duty cycle of the battery assembly. The temperature pre-conditioning plan includes one or more of conditioning times during which the battery assembly is heated or cooled ahead of the one or more of the upcoming time or the upcoming location, conditioning locations where the battery assembly is heated or cooled ahead of the one or more upcoming locations, an amount of electric energy stored in the battery assembly that is used to heat or cool the battery assembly and not available for powering the one or more loads, a first availability of an off-board charging source for charging the battery assembly, and/or a second availability of an onboard source to provide power to charge the battery assembly).
Therefore, 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 set forth in Genter to contain a system for wherein the first controller is configured to determine a conditioning strategy based on conditioning power for the battery determined for the conditioning control with reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make such a modification for benefit of improving the health and life of the battery system as discussed in Burkell (see at least Burkell [English Translation pg.6 para.3) to pre-condition temperatures of the battery assembly to improve operation of the battery assembly and/or extend the useful life of the battery assembly relative to operating the powered system without pre-conditioning temperatures of the battery assembly).
Regarding Claim 9, Genter in view of Huo, Wu, and Burkell teaches all limitations of Claim 8 as set forth above. However, Genter does not explicitly teach wherein the first controller is configured to determine the conditioning power based on an expected conditioning energy.
Burkell, in the same field as the endeavor, teaches wherein the first controller is configured to determine the conditioning power based on an expected conditioning energy (see at least Burkell [English Translation pg.2 para.8] a method includes determining a predicted ambient temperature at one or more of (a) an upcoming time and/or (b) an upcoming location that a vehicle is to travel to or through. The vehicle has one or more loads that are at least partially powered by a battery assembly onboard the vehicle. The method also includes…determining a temperature pre-conditioning plan for the battery assembly based on the predicted ambient temperature and based on the duty cycle of the battery assembly. The temperature pre-conditioning plan includes one or more of conditioning times during which the battery assembly is heated or cooled ahead of the one or more of the upcoming time or the upcoming location, conditioning locations where the battery assembly is heated or cooled ahead of the one or more upcoming locations, an amount of electric energy stored in the battery assembly that is used to heat or cool the battery assembly and not available for powering the one or more loads, a first availability of an off-board charging source for charging the battery assembly, and/or a second availability of an onboard source to provide power to charge the battery assembly).
Therefore, 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 set forth in Genter to contain a system for wherein the first controller is configured to determine the conditioning power based on an expected conditioning energy with reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make such a modification for benefit of improving the health and life of the battery system as discussed in Burkell (see at least Burkell [English Translation pg.6 para.3) to pre-condition temperatures of the battery assembly to improve operation of the battery assembly and/or extend the useful life of the battery assembly relative to operating the powered system without pre-conditioning temperatures of the battery assembly).
Regarding Claim 10, Genter in view of Huo, Wu, and Burkell teaches all limitations of Claim 8 as set forth above. However, Genter does not explicitly teach wherein the conditioning strategy includes determining at least one of a conditioning method or a time point when the conditioning control begins.
Burkell, in the same field as the endeavor, teaches wherein the conditioning strategy includes determining at least one of a conditioning method or a time point when the conditioning control begins (see at least Burkell [English Translation pg.2 para.8] a method includes determining a predicted ambient temperature at one or more of (a) an upcoming time and/or (b) an upcoming location that a vehicle is to travel to or through. The vehicle has one or more loads that are at least partially powered by a battery assembly onboard the vehicle. The method also includes…determining a temperature pre-conditioning plan for the battery assembly based on the predicted ambient temperature and based on the duty cycle of the battery assembly. The temperature pre-conditioning plan includes one or more of conditioning times during which the battery assembly is heated or cooled ahead of the one or more of the upcoming time or the upcoming location, conditioning locations where the battery assembly is heated or cooled ahead of the one or more upcoming locations, an amount of electric energy stored in the battery assembly that is used to heat or cool the battery assembly and not available for powering the one or more loads, a first availability of an off-board charging source for charging the battery assembly, and/or a second availability of an onboard source to provide power to charge the battery assembly).
Therefore, 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 set forth in Genter to contain a system for wherein the first controller is configured to determine the conditioning power based on an expected conditioning energy with reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make such a modification for benefit of improving the health and life of the battery system as discussed in Burkell (see at least Burkell [English Translation pg.6 para.3) to pre-condition temperatures of the battery assembly to improve operation of the battery assembly and/or extend the useful life of the battery assembly relative to operating the powered system without pre-conditioning temperatures of the battery assembly).
Regarding Claim 11, Genter in view of Huo, Wu, and Burkell teaches all limitations of Claim 10 as set forth above. However, Genter does not explicitly teach wherein the conditioning method includes external conditioning based on an external cooling or heating means and self-conditioning based on self-heating by charging or discharging.
Burkell, in the same field as the endeavor, teaches wherein the conditioning method includes external conditioning based on an external cooling or heating means and self-conditioning based on self-heating by charging or discharging (see at least Burkell [English Translation pg.2 para.8, pg.4 para.3, pg.5 para.2] a method includes determining a predicted ambient temperature at one or more of (a) an upcoming time and/or (b) an upcoming location that a vehicle is to travel to or through….The plan may dictate that the battery assembly is heated by powering a heating and/or cooling assembly using electric power from a utility grid so as to save stored energy in the battery assembly for later usage in powering the vehicle and/or vehicle loads...One example of an auxiliary load is a heating and/or cooling assembly 110 ("Heating/Cooling Assembly" in Figure 1) that can change the temperature of the battery assembly, the interior of the powered system, or the like. The heating and/or cooling assembly can represent resistive heating elements, a heating blanket, a forced air heating system, a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, a cooling system (e.g., that uses a coolant such as air or a liquid coolant), a radiator, a Peltier device, compressed air system, or the like).
Therefore, 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 set forth in Burkell to contain a system for wherein the conditioning method includes external conditioning based on an external cooling or heating means and self-conditioning based on self-heating by charging or discharging with reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make such a modification for benefit of utilizing many cooling and heating systems that are commonly used in the art.
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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/JOSEPH ANDERSON YANOSKA/Examiner, Art Unit 3664
/RACHID BENDIDI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3664
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