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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 01/17/2025 have been considered by the Examiner.
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-2 and 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by NAKAYAMA et al. (US 20200125311; hereinafter NAKAYAMA).
Regarding claim 1, NAKAYAMA discloses in figure(s) 1-18 An estimation device (ECU 18, controller 30; fig. 1) for estimating deterioration of an energy storage device (battery 10), wherein
the estimation device is configured such that, during an initial period of an operation of the energy storage device in which characteristics are maintained (capacity > C1 for period L1; fig 2) or enhanced, a deterioration value that indicates the deterioration is not substantially increased (deterioration degree low; fig. 2; capacity retention rate within range in fig. 7).
Regarding claim 2, NAKAYAMA discloses in figure(s) 1-18 the estimation device according to claim 1, wherein a determination relating to an increase in the deterioration value is made based on a magnitude of a fluctuation in a state of charge (SOC) (soc fluctuations in fig. 3) during the initial period of the operation of the energy storage device.
Regarding claim 5, NAKAYAMA discloses in figure(s) 1-18 the estimation device according to claim 1, wherein a determination relating to an increase in the deterioration value is made based on a temperature (battery temperature Tb in fig. 3) during the initial period of the operation of the energy storage device.
Regarding claim 6, NAKAYAMA discloses in figure(s) 1-18 An estimation method (ECU 18, controller 30; fig. 1) of estimating deterioration of an energy storage device (battery 10), the estimation method comprising:
not substantially increasing a deterioration value that indicates the deterioration (deterioration degree low; fig. 2; capacity retention rate within range in fig. 7) during an initial period of an operation of the energy storage device in which characteristics are maintained (capacity > C1 for period L1; fig 2) or enhanced.
Regarding claim 7, NAKAYAMA discloses in figure(s) 1-18 a computer program allowing a computer that estimates deterioration (deterioration step S270 in fig. 7; para. 108 - controller 30 include program for operating; figs. 1,7) of an energy storage device (battery 10; fig. 1) to perform processing of not substantially increasing a deterioration value (deterioration degree low; fig. 2; capacity retention rate within range in fig. 7) that indicates the deterioration during an initial period of an operation of the energy storage device in which characteristics are maintained (capacity > C1 for period L1; fig 2) or enhanced.
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.
Claim(s) 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over NAKAYAMA in view of OGUMA et al. (US 20170113560).
Regarding claim 3, NAKAYAMA teaches in figure(s) 1-18 the estimation device according to claim 2,
NAKAYAMA does not teach explicitly wherein as the magnitude of the fluctuation in the SOC is larger, a full charge capacity of the energy storage device during the initial period of the operation is more largely increased, and the deterioration value of the energy storage device having the increased full charge capacity is increased.
However, OGUMA teaches in figure(s) 1-9 wherein as the magnitude of the fluctuation in the SOC is larger, a full charge capacity of the energy storage device during the initial period of the operation is more largely increased, and the deterioration value of the energy storage device having the increased full charge capacity is increased (para. 28 - capacity deterioration factor of the high-output battery ES-P largely fluctuates with respect to the SOC; fig. 2).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of NAKAYAMA by having wherein as the magnitude of the fluctuation in the SOC is larger, a full charge capacity of the energy storage device during the initial period of the operation is more largely increased, and the deterioration value of the energy storage device having the increased full charge capacity is increased as taught by OGUMA in order to provide "circuitry is configured to control the converter to discharge one of the first energy storage and the second energy storage to charge another of the first energy storage and the second energy storage alternately when first temperature of the first energy storage and second temperature of the second energy storage are equal to or lower than a temperature threshold" (para. 6).
Claim(s) 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over NAKAYAMA in view of Aoyama et al. (US 20200247268).
Regarding claim 4, NAKAYAMA teaches in figure(s) 1-18 the estimation device according to claim 2,
NAKAYAMA does not teach explicitly wherein when the SOC of the energy storage device fluctuates up to a predetermined number of cycles with a first magnitude, and then the SOC of the energy storage device fluctuates with a second magnitude that is larger than the first magnitude, a full charge capacity of the energy storage device during the initial period of the operation is increased based on the second magnitude, and the deterioration value of the energy storage device having the increased full charge capacity is increased.
However, Aoyama teaches in figure(s) 1-4 wherein when the SOC of the energy storage device fluctuates up to a predetermined number of cycles with a first magnitude, and then the SOC of the energy storage device fluctuates with a second magnitude that is larger than the first magnitude, a full charge capacity of the energy storage device during the initial period of the operation is increased based on the second magnitude, and the deterioration value of the energy storage device having the increased full charge capacity is increased (para. 5 - a first deterioration state of the battery is calculated for each predetermined period of time, a second deterioration state of the battery is calculated based on a change amount of a state of charge of the battery … within a predetermined period of time; para. 20 - as the value of deterioration state (SOH) becomes greater, the state is close to the initial state. In other words, the deterioration state (SOH) is a present full-charge state of the battery 20 represented on the basis of a full-charge capacity in an initial state; fig. 4).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of NAKAYAMA by having wherein when the SOC of the energy storage device fluctuates up to a predetermined number of cycles with a first magnitude, and then the SOC of the energy storage device fluctuates with a second magnitude that is larger than the first magnitude, a full charge capacity of the energy storage device during the initial period of the operation is increased based on the second magnitude, and the deterioration value of the energy storage device having the increased full charge capacity is increased as taught by Aoyama in order to provide "calculating a correction value of the deterioration state based on the second deterioration state with the reliability of the predetermined reliability or higher; and calculating the deterioration state by correcting the first deterioration state" (abstract).
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Mitsui et al. (US 7443139) discloses "A battery ECU estimates the SOC by integrating the battery current measured by a current sensor, and the battery voltage V.sub.nis measured by a voltage sensor, and the battery temperature T.sub.nis measured by a thermometer if the fluctuation of the charging/discharging current is great.".
Tomura et al. (US 20110161025) discloses "A battery state estimating unit estimates an internal state of a secondary battery in accordance with a battery model equation in every arithmetic cycle, and estimates a charging rate and a battery current based on a result of the estimation.".
OTA et al. (US 20230395884) discloses "degradation suppression system includes a secondary battery, a usage history acquisition unit, a degradation amount estimation unit, a degradation factor identification unit, and a suppression control unit".
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AKM ZAKARIA whose telephone number is (571)270-0664. The examiner can normally be reached on 8-5 PM (PST).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Judy Nguyen can be reached on (571) 272-2258. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AKM ZAKARIA/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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