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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 1, 3, 5, 6, and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ford Werke (DE102005038746, provided in IDS 12/31/2024, further referred to as Ford).
As to claim 1, Ford teaches a high-voltage battery pack (Fig 1, U1-U3) for an electrical system, the high-voltage battery pack comprising:
a high-voltage output terminal (U3) configured for being connected to a high-voltage
electrical load (70) of the electrical system;
a plurality of battery cells (10, 20, 30) connected to form at least one string of series connected
battery cells, wherein the battery cells of the at least one string are connected to the
high-voltage output terminal for supplying high-voltage electrical power to the high-voltage
electrical load;
a first low-voltage output terminal (U2) configured for being connected to a first low-voltage
electrical load (50) of the electrical system, wherein a first subset of the series connected battery
cells (10 and 20) is configured for supplying low-voltage electrical power to the first low-voltage
electrical load; and
a second low-voltage output terminal (U1) configured for being connected to a second
low-voltage electrical load (40) of the electrical system, wherein a second subset of the series
connected battery cells (10) is configured for supplying low-voltage electrical power to the
second low-voltage electrical load.
As to claim 3, Ford teaches wherein the battery cells of the
first subset of series connected battery cells are included in a first string of battery cells (battery 10 will have a string of battery cells), and wherein the battery cells of the second subset of series connected battery cells (20) are included in a second string of battery cells (battery 20 will have a string of battery cells).
As to claim 6, Ford teaches wherein each of the first and second subsets of the series connected battery cells include 3-13 battery cells, specifically 3-5 battery cells, per string (each battery is 6V, and known 6V car batteries are 3 cell).
As to claim 14, Ford teaches a method for supplying electrical power and low voltage electrical power to electrical loads comprising:
Providing a high-voltage battery pack (Fig 1, U1-U3) for an electrical system, the high-voltage battery pack comprising:
a high-voltage output terminal (U3) configured for being connected to a high-voltage
electrical load (70) of the electrical system; connecting a plurality of battery cells (10, 20, 30) connected to form at least one string of series connected battery cells, wherein the battery cells of the at least one string are connected to the high-voltage output terminal for supplying high-voltage electrical power to the high-voltage electrical load;
connecting a first low-voltage output terminal (U2) configured for being connected to a first low-voltage electrical load (50) of the electrical system, wherein a first subset of the series connected battery cells (10 and 20) is configured for supplying low-voltage electrical power to the first low-voltage
electrical load; and
connecting a second low-voltage output terminal (U1) configured for being connected to a second low-voltage electrical load (40) of the electrical system, wherein a second subset of the series
connected battery cells (10) is configured for supplying low-voltage electrical power to the
second low-voltage electrical load.
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) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ford.
As to claim 13, Ford teaches An on-board electrical system for a vehicle (abstract) comprising :
a high-voltage battery pack according to claim 1,
wherein the high-voltage output terminal of the high-voltage battery pack is connected
to a high-voltage electrical load of the electrical system via a high-voltage DC bus of the
electric vehicle (bus line of U3 to 70);
wherein the first low-voltage output terminal of the high-voltage battery pack is
connected to a first low-voltage electrical load of the electrical system via a first low-voltage
DC bus of the electrical system (line from U2 to 50); and
wherein the second low-voltage output terminal of the high-voltage battery pack is
connected to a second low-voltage electrical load of the electrical system via a second
low-voltage DC bus of the electrical system (line from U1 to 40).
Ford does not explicitly teach using an electric vehicle.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to use the teaches of Ford in an electric vehicle as it would have been a mere matter of intended use to using it a user desired motor vehicle. As such it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to use an electric vehicle as doing so would be a mere matter of intended use to the type of motor vehicle used.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 4, 5, 7-12 and 15 are 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.
None of the cited prior art teaches or suggest the fourth subset of connections and the switching taught recited in claims 2, 7-11, and 15; none of the first subset in the second string and the none of the second subset in the first substring as is recited in claim 4; the both subsets in the second string as is recited in claim 5; and the high voltage output connections taught in claims 12.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Chidester et al (Patent 11258104) teaches a individual strings connected to an output detection and switching circuit. Dulle (Pub 2017/0126036) teaches string and battery switching control.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEFFREY M SHIN whose telephone number is (571)270-7356. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-6pm PST.
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/JEFFREY M SHIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2849