DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. 17/627,944, filed on 1/18/2022.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) both submitted on 1/3/2025 are being considered by the examiner.
Double Patenting
Claims 13-32 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1, 7 and 8 of U.S. Patent No. 12,211,977 Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the scope of the claims is overlapping as illustrated below.
U.S. Patent No. 12,211,977
U.S. Patent App. 18/954,173
1. (Currently Amended) A battery management system, comprising: a pack voltage sampling unit configured to periodically sample a pack voltage of a battery pack; a pack current sampling unit configured to sample a pack current of the battery pack; and a control unit configured to;
13. (New) A battery management system comprising: a control unit configured to:
when the pack voltage sampling of the battery pack is completed, record a time from a sampling start time of the pack voltage to a sampling completion time of the pack voltage as a first time,
record a period of time from a sampling start time of a pack voltage of a battery pack to a sampling completion time of the pack voltage of the battery pack as a first period of time;
and transmit a voltage sampling synchronization signal for measuring a cell voltage of a battery cell of the battery pack to a plurality of lower-level battery management systems
transmit a sampling synchronization signal for measuring a cell voltage of a battery cell of the battery pack,
And perform sampling synchronization on sampled measurement signals between each lower-level battery management system based on a second time
And perform sampling synchronization on sampled measurement signals of the pack voltage of the battery pack and the cell voltage of the battery cell of the battery pack based on the first period of time and a second period of time,
which is a sampling time at which a cell voltage measurement received from each lower- level battery management system is performed and based on the first time.
the second period of time being a sampling period of time during which the measurement of the cell voltage of the battery cell of the battery pack is performed.
14. (New) The battery management system of claim 13, wherein the control unit is configured to transmit the sampling synchronization signal for measuring the cell voltage of the battery cell of the battery pack to a plurality of lower-level battery management systems.
7. (Currently Amended) A battery management system, comprising: a reception unit configured to receive a voltage sampling synchronization signal for measuring a cell voltage of a battery cell from a higher-level battery management system
23. (New) A battery management system comprising: a reception unit configured to receive a sampling synchronization signal for measuring a cell voltage of a battery cell
; a cell voltage sampling unit configured to sample a cell voltage of [[a]] the battery cell when receiving the voltage sampling synchronization signal;
And claim 24. (New) The battery management system of claim 23, wherein the sampling synchronization signal is received from a higher-level battery management system, and the transmission unit is configured to transmit the information about the calculated period of time and the measured cell voltage to the higher-level battery management system.
a control unit configured to calculate a second time, which is a time from a time point at which the cell voltage sampling is started to a time point at which the cell voltage sampling is completed;
; a control unit configured to calculate a period of time, which is a sampling period of time from a cell voltage sampling start time to a cell voltage sampling completion time;
and a transmission unit configured to transmit the calculated second time and cell voltage sampling information during the second time to the higher-level battery management system.
and a transmission unit configured to transmit information about the calculated period of time and the cell voltage measured during the period of time.
8. (Currently Amended) A battery pack comprising a plurality of lower-level battery management systems and at least one higher-level battery management system, wherein the at least one higher-level battery management system comprises: a pack voltage sampling unit configured to periodically sample a pack voltage of [[a]] the battery pack; a pack current sampling unit configured to sample a pack current of the battery pack; and a first control unit configured to, after starting to sample the pack voltage of the battery pack, when the pack voltage sampling of the battery pack is completed, record a time from a sampling start time of the pack voltage to a sampling completion time of the pack voltage as a first time, and transmit a voltage sampling synchronization signal for measuring a cell voltage of a battery cell to the plurality of lower-level battery management systems, wherein each lower-level battery management system comprises: a cell voltage sampling unit configured to sample a cell voltage of a battery cell of the battery pack when receiving a voltage sampling synchronization signal for measuring a cell voltage of [[a]] the battery cell from the higher-level battery management system; and a second control unit configured to calculate a second time, which is a time from a time point at which the cell voltage sampling is started to a time point at which the cell voltage sampling is completed, and transmits the calculated second time and cell voltage sampling information during the second time to the higher-level battery management system, wherein the first control unit performs sampling synchronization on the sampled measurement signal between each lower-level battery management system based on the second time received from each lower-level battery management system and based on the first time
28. (New) A method of synchronizing measurement signals of a battery management system, the method comprising: recording a period of time from a sampling start time of a pack voltage of a battery pack to a sampling completion time of the pack voltage of the battery pack as a first period of time; transmitting a sampling synchronization signal for measuring a cell voltage of a battery cell of the battery pack, and performing sampling synchronization on sampled measurement signals of the pack voltage of the battery pack and the cell voltage of the battery cell of the battery pack based on the first period of time and a second period of time, the second period of time being a sampling period of time from a cell voltage sampling start time to a cell voltage sampling completion time.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 23, 25 and 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US 2011/0204898).
1-12. (Cancelled)
In regard to claim 23: (New)
A battery management system comprising: a reception unit configured to receive a sampling synchronization signal for measuring a cell voltage of a battery cell (Fig. 1 Items 40, 30, 10 and Par. [0041] i.e. controller sends signal to voltage measurement unit to adjust time point of when to measure cell voltage); a control unit (Fig. 1 Item 40) configured to calculate a period of time, which is a sampling period of time from a cell voltage sampling start time to a cell voltage sampling completion time (Fig. 1 Item 30 & Pars. [0040] & [0044-0045] i.e. measures voltage on a regular cycle, cycle interpreted as having a start and end time); and a transmission unit configured to transmit information about the calculated period of time and the cell voltage measured during the period of time (Fig. 1 Items 30, 40 and Par.[0018] i.e. control unit obtains time error information interpreted as information being transferred by transmission unit to control unit).
In regard to claim 25: (New)
The battery management system of claim 23, further comprising a cell voltage sampling unit configured to sample the cell voltage of the battery cell when receiving the sampling synchronization signal (Fig. 1 Items 10, 40, 30 & Pars. [0044-0045] i.e. v1-v4).
In regard to claim 26: (New)
The battery management system of claim 25, wherein the cell voltage sampling unit (Fig. 1 Items 10, and 30) is further configured to sample a module voltage when receiving the sampling synchronization signal at a first time (Fig. 1 Items 10, 40, 30 & Pars. [0044-0045] i.e. v1-v4 i.e. module defined as a part of the whole).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
Claim(s) 27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US 2011/0204898).
In regard to claim 27: (New)
Kim discloses the battery management system of claim 26, including time sampling information (Fig. 1 Item 30 & Pars. [0040] & [0044-0045] i.e. measures voltage on a regular cycle, cycle interpreted as having a start and end time)
However Kim does not explicitly disclose wherein the first time is the middle point of the period of time.
it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have optimally selected the first time to be the middle point of the period of time since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch,617 F.2d 272,205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13-22, and 28-32 are allowable pending the overcoming of the Double patent rejection above.
Claim 24 is 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 well as overcoming the double patent rejection.
Reasons for Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Regarding claims 13-22, the prior art of record fails to teach either alone or in combination all of the limitations of claim 13, especially performing sampling synchronization on sampled measurement signals of the pack voltage of the battery pack and the cell voltage of the battery cell of the battery pack based on the first period of time and a second period of time, the second period of time being a sampling period of time during which the measurement of the cell voltage of the battery cell of the battery pack is performed in combination with other limitations recited in the claimed invention.
Regarding claims 28-32, the prior art of record fails to teach either alone or in combination all of the limitations of claim 28, especially performing sampling synchronization on sampled measurement signals of the pack voltage of the battery pack and the cell voltage of the battery cell of the battery pack based on the first period of time and a second period of time, the second period of time being a sampling period of time from a cell voltage sampling start time to a cell voltage sampling completion time in combination with other limitations recited in the claimed invention.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. *Please see attached form PTO-892*.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL J WARMFLASH whose telephone number is (571)270-1434. The examiner can normally be reached 8AM-6PM EST M-Th.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Menna Youssef can be reached at (571) 270-3684. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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MW
1/23/2026
/Menatoallah Youssef/SPE, Art Unit 2849