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)(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.
Claims 1-5, 9, 11-15, 18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ohmori (US 2025/0262942).
Regarding claim 1, Ohmori teaches a PDU (figures 1-3) of an electric marine vessel (para. [0068]), the PDU comprising:
one or more first contactors (S1-S3 within switch unit 12 of battery pack 10b) configured to electrically couple a PDU power bus (Lp) to a first battery (battery module 11 within battery pack 10b);
one or more second contactors (S1-S3 within switch unit 12 of battery pack 10c) configured to electrically couple the PDU power bus (Lp) to a second battery (battery module 11 within battery pack 10c);
one or more third contactors (S1-S3 within switch unit 12 of battery pack 10d) configured to electrically couple the PDU power (Lp) bus to a marine propulsion system (The marine propulsion system of Ohmori is interpreted as motor 3 and the battery module 11 within battery pack 10d);
a first fault detection loop (within battery pack 10b) implemented by the PDU and the first battery (battery module 11 within battery pack 10b), wherein the one or more first contactors (S1-S3 within switch unit 12 of battery pack 10b) are placed in an open state in response to a fault in the first fault detection loop (pattern 4 in figure 3; para. [0044]);
a second fault detection loop (within battery pack 10c) implemented by the PDU and the second battery (battery module 11 within battery pack 10c), wherein the one or more second contactors (S1-S3 within switch unit 12 of battery pack 10c) are placed in an open state in response to a fault in the second fault detection loop (pattern 5 in figure 3; para. [0045]); and
a third fault detection loop (within battery pack 10d) implemented by the PDU and the marine propulsion system (The marine propulsion system of Ohmori is interpreted as motor 3 and the battery module 11 within battery pack 10d), wherein the one or more third contactors (S1-S3 within switch unit 12 of battery pack 10d) are placed in an open state in response to a fault in the third fault detection loop (pattern 6 in figure 3; para. [0046]), and wherein the first fault detection loop, the second fault detection loop, and the third fault detection loop are independent of one another (The battery packs 10 each have independent voltage measurement units 13 and battery control units 14.).
As for claim 2, Ohmori teaches wherein placing a particular contactor in the open state in response to detecting a fault in a corresponding fault detection loop is performed automatically without a control system (Switches 12 within each battery pack 10 are triggered with signals generated within the individual battery packs 10 without an external control system.).
As for claim 3, Ohmori teaches wherein only the one or more first contactors are placed in the open state in response to detecting a fault in the first fault detection loop; wherein only the one or more second contactors are placed in the open state in response to detecting a fault in the second fault detection loop; and wherein only the one or more third contactors are placed in the open state in response to detecting a fault in the third fault detection loop (Switches 12 within each battery pack 10 are triggered with signals generated within the individual battery packs 10.).
Regarding claim 4, Ohmori teaches a DCDC converter (4; para. [0063]) electrically coupled to the PDU power bus (Lp); and
a fourth fault detection loop (5) implemented by the PDU and the DCDC converter (4).
As for claim 5, Ohmori teaches wherein the one or more first contactors, the one or more second contactors, and the one or more third contactors are opened in response to detecting a fault in the fourth fault detection loop (para. [0028]-[0029]).
Regarding claim 9, Ohmori teaches a PDU controller (5) coupled to a communications bus, the PDU configured to: receive one or more commands from a vessel control unit over the communications bus; and operate the one or more first contactors, the one or more second contactors, and the one or more third contactors in accordance with the one or more commands (para. [0029]-[0030]).
Regarding claims 11-15 and 18, the methods as recited in the claims are inherently present in the structure discussed above in the rejection of claims 1-5 and 9.
Regarding claim 20, Ohmori teaches an electric marine vessel (figures 1-3; para. [0068]) comprising:
a first battery (battery module 11 within battery pack 10b);
a second battery (battery module 11 within battery pack 10c);
a marine propulsion system (The marine propulsion system of Ohmori is interpreted as motor 3 and the battery module 11 within battery pack 10d); and
a PDU (2) including:
one or more first contactors (S1-S3 within switch unit 12 of battery pack 10b) configured to electrically couple a PDU power bus (Lp) to the first battery (battery module 11 within battery pack 10b);
one or more second contactors (S1-S3 within switch unit 12 of battery pack 10c) configured to electrically couple the PDU power bus (Lp) to the second battery (battery module 11 within battery pack 10c);
one or more third contactors (S1-S3 within switch unit 12 of battery pack 10d) configured to electrically couple the PDU power bus (Lp) to the marine propulsion system (The marine propulsion system of Ohmori is interpreted as motor 3 and the battery module 11 within battery pack 10d);
a first fault detection loop (within battery pack 10b) implemented by the PDU and the first battery (battery module 11 within battery pack 10b), wherein the one or more first contactors (S1-S3 within switch unit 12 of battery pack 10b) are placed in an open state in response to a fault in the first fault detection loop (pattern 4 in figure 3; para. [0044]);
a second fault detection loop (within battery pack 10c) implemented by the PDU and the second battery (battery module 11 within battery pack 10c), wherein the one or more second contactors (S1-S3 within switch unit 12 of battery pack 10c) are placed in an open state in response to a fault in the second fault detection loop (pattern 5 in figure 3; para. [0045]); and
a third fault detection loop (within battery pack 10d) implemented by the PDU and the marine propulsion system (The marine propulsion system of Ohmori is interpreted as motor 3 and the battery module 11 within battery pack 10d), wherein the one or more third contactors (S1-S3 within switch unit 12 of battery pack 10d) are placed in an open state in response to a fault in the third fault detection loop (pattern 6 in figure 3; para. [0046]), and wherein the first fault detection loop, the second fault detection loop, and the third fault detection loop are independent of one another (The battery packs 10 each have independent voltage measurement units 13 and battery control units 14.).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-8, 10, 16-17, and 19 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The best prior art reference of record, Ohmori, fails to teach:
“wherein all contactors in the PDU are opened in response to detecting a fault in the fourth fault detection loop.”, as set forth in claims 6 and 16;
“a disconnect relay configured to electrically couple the one or more first contactors to a control voltage; wherein the disconnect relay disconnects the control voltage from the one or more first contactors in response to detecting a fault in one or more of the first fault detection loop and the fourth fault detection loop.”, as set forth in claim 8; and
“coupling the one or more first contactors to a control voltage using a disconnect relay, wherein the disconnect relay disconnects the control voltage from the one or more first contactors in response to detecting a fault in one or more of the first fault detection loop and the fourth fault detection loop.”, as set forth in claim 17.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hu et al. (US 2026/0175710) teaches an electric marine vessel (figure 1) comprising multiple batteries (battery packs 1-4), propulsion motors (motors 1 and 2), and switches connecting the batteries and motors to a bus network (bus1-bus4).
Bushehri (US 2023/0264797) teaches an electric marine vessel (figure 1B) comprising multiple batteries (battery packs 140a-140b), propulsion motors (motors 122a-122b), and switches/fuses for connecting the batteries and motors to a bus network (110a-110b).
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/LEVI GANNON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836 August 5, 2026
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