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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This office action is a response to an application filed on 07/15/2026 in which claims 21-40 are pending and ready for examination.
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.
Claim(s) 40 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Marcicki et al (hereinafter Marcicki) (US 2018/0053965 A1) in view of Roos et al (hereinafter Roos) (US 2014/0172206 A1).
As to claim 40, Marcicki discloses a vehicle power system for providing motive power to a vehicle (see Fig 1), wherein an engine for providing motive power to the vehicle, the engine being a combustion engine (Fig 1, 108), an electric motor, or a combination of a combustion engine and an electric motor, the vehicle power system comprising:
a plurality of batteries (Fig 2, 202) for providing electrical power to the engine, the plurality of batteries connected together to form a battery group having first and second terminals (Fig 2, positive and negative terminals);
a controller (Fig 2, 208) connected to the first and second terminals of the battery group, the controller configured to receive a battery parameter associated with the battery group through at least one of the first or second terminals (see Figs 2-5, 210, 212, 206, parags [0032-0034]); and
a power distribution device (Fig 1, 116) coupled between the plurality of batteries (Fig 2, 202) and the engine (Fig 1, 108) and configured to distribute electrical power from the plurality of batteries to the engine (see parag [0022]).
Marcicki does not disclose: control a charge depletion of at least one of the plurality of batteries based on the battery parameter. However, Roos discloses control a charge depletion of at least one of the plurality of batteries based on the battery parameter (see Table 1, parag [0041], battery parameter). It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the power system of Marcicki to include charge depletion mode as taught by Roos in order to reduce a state-of-charge (SOC) of an energy storage device (see parag [0007]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 21-39 are allowed.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 9-12, filed 07/15/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) claim 40 under 102(a)(1) 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 Marcicki and Roos et al.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DUC M PHAM whose telephone number is (571)272-5026. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, Monday to Friday.
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/DUC M PHAM/Examiner, Art Unit 2836 September 9, 2026
/TAELOR KIM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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