DETAILED ACTION
Notice to Applicant
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
2. Claims 1-16 are pending.
Priority
3. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
4. 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.
5. Claims 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Per claim 1, it is unclear if the phrase “connecting at least one third module of remaining modules of the plurality of modules into series positive and/or into series negative and/or in parallel to one another” implies that the at least one third module is a plurality of third modules wherein the stated connections are between modules of the plurality of third modules or if the at least one third module has the stated connection with the remaining modules. Appropriate correction is required. Claims 2-16 are consequently rejected due to their dependence on claim 1.
Claim 4 is directed to the method of claim 2 and states that it further comprises continuing to perform the at least one diagnostic test on the at least one second module. However, it is unclear if the “continuing to perform” action implies that the at least one diagnostic test is performed on the at least one second module prior to the second predefined criterion being reached. Appropriate correction is required. To note, claim 2 describes the at least one first module as being in a diagnostic state for performing at least one diagnostic test when the first predefined criterion is reached.
Pertinent Prior Art
6. Kahn et al. – US 2023/0011716
This document discloses a battery system comprising a plurality of stacks 104, each stack 104 including a plurality of batteries 110 and a plurality of power converters 112. When a first battery 110 of a stack 104 reaches a first voltage threshold value at a first time, its charge or discharge rate is reduced, and, when a second battery 110 reaches the first voltage threshold value at a second time that is after the first time, the charge or discharge rate of the first battery is increased (Figs. 1, 10, and 19; ¶49, 66, and 88).
However, this document is silent on, in particular, selectively switching at least one first module of the plurality of modules into series positive or into series negative with at least one second module of the plurality of modules, wherein the plurality of modules each comprises a plurality of energy sources and a plurality of power converter modules, as required by independent claim 1 of the present application.
Claim Objections
7. Claim 1 is objected to due to the following informality.
Per claim 1, it appears that the phrase “when the first predefined criterion is reached, discharging or charging the at least one first module from or to the at least one or more of the remaining modules at a second predefined discharge or charge rate until a second predefined criterion is reached” should be revised to “when the first predefined criterion is reached, discharging or charging the at least one first module to or from the at least one or more of the remaining modules at a second predefined discharge or charge rate until a second predefined criterion is reached.”
Conclusion
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAS A. SANGHERA whose telephone number is (571)272-4787. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th, alt. Fri, 8-5 EST.
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/JAS A SANGHERA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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