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 .
Status of Claims
This action is in response to the claims filed on 07/20/2026. Wherein, claims 1-3, 5 and 6 are amended, claim 7 is new. Claims 1-7 are rejected.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-6 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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) 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Demont (US 2019/0229650 A1, “Demont”) in view of Bruce (US 2022/0281610 A1, “Bruce”) and in further view of Bharathraj et al. (US 2022/0074995 A1, “Bharathraj”).
Regarding claims 1 and 5, Demont discloses construction and operation of electric or hybrid aircraft and teaches:
An electrical power supply system comprising: (FIG. 1A illustrates an aircraft 100, such as an electric or hybrid aircraft, and FIG. 1B illustrates a simplified block diagram of the aircraft 100. The aircraft 100 includes a motor 110, a management system 120, and a power source 130 – See at least ¶ [0063])
a first generator configured to be driven by a [] engine to generate electrical power; (Moreover, the aircraft can include one or more motors that are able to operate as a generator to charge the one or more different power supplies – See at least ¶ [0022])
a first power converter configured to convert an alternating current electrical power output from the first generator into a direct current electrical power; (If the at least one motor 94 acts as generator, the power converter can convert the current generated from each phase of the at least one motor 94 into a DC current for loading the first battery pack 91 or the second battery pack 92 (power converter working as rectifier) – See at least ¶ [0126])
a first electrical power supply circuit configured to supply an output electrical power of the first power converter to a first load device; (The circuit 90 can be connected with the first battery pack 91, the second battery pack 92, and the at least one motor 94. The circuit 90 can include a controller 93 connected with the first battery pack 91, the second battery pack 92, and the at least one motor 94. The controller 93 can, for example, be connected over a two phase or DC power line with the first battery pack 91 and the second battery pack 92 or connected over a three phase power line with the at least one motor 94 – See at least ¶ [0125]-[0126])
a first battery connected in parallel with the first power converter unit; (As shown in Fig. 8 and 9, the battery is connected in parallel with the first power control unit.)
a load controller including one or more first processors that execute computer-executable instructions stored in a memory, (The steps of a method, process, or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module stored in one or more memory devices and executed by one or more processors, or in a combination of the two – See at least ¶ [0181]) the one or more first processors (The various illustrative logical blocks and modules described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented or performed by a machine, a microprocessor, a state machine, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A hardware processor can include electrical circuitry or digital logic circuitry configured to process computer executable instructions – See at least ¶ [0180]) executing the computer-executable instructions to cause the load controller to control the first load device; and (A power management system for a vehicle is disclosed. The power management system can include batteries that have different energy density and power density battery cells from one another and that are usable for selectively powering a transducer of the vehicle at different times and for charging one another. The power management system can include a first battery, a second battery, and electronic circuitry. The first battery can power a transducer supported by a housing – See at least ¶ [0029])
a battery controller including one or more second processors that execute computer-executable instructions stored in a memory, the one or more second processors executing the computer-executable instructions to cause the battery controller to manage the first battery, wherein the one or more second processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the battery controller to provide the load controller with capability information including first information and second information, (An aircraft and its components can have different power needs at different times. At takeoff, the aircraft may consume a relatively significant amount of power for a short period of time to start moving the aircraft and bring the aircraft off the ground. At cruising altitude and speed, the aircraft may consume a relatively less significant amount of power over a longer period of time to maintain a consistent speed and altitude – See at least ¶ [0020]; To flexibly satisfy the power needs of an aircraft, the aircraft can include different power supplies having different characteristics for supplying power to the same components of the aircraft at different times or the same time. The different power supplies can have different energy capacities or different power output capacities from one another and may be connected so that the different power supplies can pass power to each other. The different power supplies may, for example, be different batteries having battery cells with different energy or power output capacities – See at least ¶ [0021]) the first information indicating an upper limit of electrical power that is capable of being input and output by the first battery continuously for a first period, (In a third drive mode (which may be referred to as a very high energy drive mode), the at least one motor 94 can be simultaneously driven by the first battery pack 91 and the second battery pack 92. In this third drive mode, the circuit 90 can be in the third connection mode. This third drive mode can be used when the power consumption of the least one motor 94 may be high, such as during maneuvering, climb flight, or take off. – See at least ¶ [0130]; The circuit 90 can include a detector for detecting the power requirements of a present flight mode. The detection can be performed from user input or sensor measurements, such as by measuring the current in the motor input line. The circuit 90 can select the drive mode or the connection mode based at least on the detection result of this detector. The selection between connection modes can depend at least on the charging level of the different battery packs. For example, a high-power battery pack can be used instead, or in addition to, a high energy-density battery pack when the charge of the high energy-density battery pack is low – See at least ¶ [0131]-[0132]) the second information indicating an upper limit of electrical power that is capable of being input and output by the first battery continuously for a second period longer than the first period, (The circuit 90 can select from at least two of the following drive modes. In a first drive mode, the at least one motor 94 can be driven by the first battery pack 91 (without using the power of the second battery pack 92). In this first drive mode (which may be referred to as a standard drive mode), the circuit 90 can be in the first connection mode. Alternatively, in the first drive mode, the circuit 90 can also be in the third connection mode, while no power flows from the second battery pack 92 to the at least one motor 94. This standard drive mode can be used when the power consumption of the least one motor 94 may be low, such as during steady flight conditions, gliding flight, or landing of an aircraft – See at least ¶ [0130] The circuit 90 can include a detector for detecting the power requirements of a present flight mode. The detection can be performed from user input or sensor measurements, such as by measuring the current in the motor input line. The circuit 90 can select the drive mode or the connection mode based at least on the detection result of this detector. The selection between connection modes can depend at least on the charging level of the different battery packs. For example, a high-power battery pack can be used instead, or in addition to, a high energy-density battery pack when the charge of the high energy-density battery pack is low – See at least ¶ [0131]-[0132]) and
the one or more first processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the load controller to control the first load device, based on the capability information provided by the battery controller. (FIG. 13 shows a switch 101 which can select from different battery packs or connection modes as described herein. This can allow the first battery pack 91 to connect with the second battery pack 92 (first battery connection mode) to charge the second battery pack 92 directly from the first battery pack 91. This can allow the first battery pack 91 to connect with (i) one of the first controller 96 or the second controller 97, (ii) one of the first motor 98 or second motor 99 and the second battery pack 92 with the other of the first controller 96 or the second controller 97, or (iii) the first motor 98 and the second motor 99 to charge the second battery pack 92 mechanically. This can allow for selection of the first motor 98 or the second motor 99 to be driven by the first battery pack 91 or the second battery pack 92 – See at least ¶ [0141])
Demont does not explicitly teach the type of generator used. However, Bruce discloses electrical power systems and teaches:
a first generator configured to be driven by a first gas turbine engine to generate electrical power (it should also be understood that the present invention may be implemented within a hybrid electric architecture. For example, the one or more rotary electric machines described above may take the form of electrical generators connected to a gas turbine engine in a series hybrid architecture, with the two or more dc busses powering propulsive and non-propulsive loads – See at least ¶ [0079])
Therefore it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to have modified the construction and operation of electric or hybrid aircraft of Demont to provide for the generator powered by a gas turbine engine, as taught in Bruce, to provide improvements in terms of component life and specific fuel consumption as well as a reduction in the size of the turbomachinery. (At Bruce ¶ [0003])
The combination of Demont and Bruce does not explicitly teach each of the first information and the second information corresponds to a state of charge of the first battery at a current point in time, one or more first processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the load controller to control the first load device, based on the first information or the second information provided by the battery controller, so as to limit output power of the first load device with respect to output power corresponding to estimated future required electrical power of the first load device. However, Bharathraj discloses method and system with battery management and teaches:
each of the first information and the second information corresponds to a state of charge of the first battery at a current point in time, (Further, the power limit estimation (PLE) may be used to characterize battery state of power, whose main aim is to calculate the limits of the battery operation through the maximum power and current extractable at the particular time point in charge and discharge. The examples may be used to estimate for state of power using the current limit estimate (CLE) model (i.e., load and energy estimation model). The load and energy estimation model may be the maximum sustainable current, which will take the battery management system (100) to the preset minimum voltage cut-off in the desired pulse duration, at a particular discharge time (SOC) and ambient and cell temperature – See at least ¶ [0070])
the one or more first processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the load controller to control the first load device, based on the first information or the second information provided by the battery controller, so as to limit output power of the first load device with respect to output power corresponding to estimated future required electrical power of the first load device. (Upon deter mining that the power margin of the battery (150) exceeds the predefined threshold level, the battery power limit controller (110c) is configured to perform one or more actions, such as, but not limited to, notify a user to close at least one application running in an electronic device, notify the user to close at least one background application running in the electronic device, reduce a clock speed of a processor of the electronic device, notify a remaining capacity of the battery, notify a maximum current extractable from the battery at a discharge condition, notify a temperature dependent effect of the battery to a user, predict a state of health (SOH) of the battery, provide a route based on power demands in a vehicle, notify a user of the vehicle to charge the battery, or a combination of at least one or two thereof – See at least ¶ [0096]; Examiner notes that the reduction of a processor clock speed is limiting the power of a load device.)
In summary, Demont teaches monitoring battery states and identifying different power demands along a route and adjusting the load control based on those power demands. The combination of Demont and Bruce does not explicitly teach each of the first information and the second information corresponds to a state of charge of the first battery at a current point in time, one or more first processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the load controller to control the first load device, based on the first information or the second information provided by the battery controller, so as to limit output power of the first load device with respect to output power corresponding to estimated future required electrical power of the first load device. However, Bharathraj discloses method and system with battery management and teaches adjusting the load of the electrical system with respect to the current charge and future power demands. Bharathraj further teaches that the battery management system may be applied to electric vehicles.
Therefore it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to have modified the construction and operation of electric or hybrid aircraft of Demont and Bruce to provide for the method and system with battery management, as taught in Bharathraj, to provide a real-time update of parameter variation associated with the battery to a user of the battery management system for appropriate action to be taken in a simple, quick and accurate manner. (At Bharathraj ¶ [0055])
Regarding claims 2 and 6, Demont further teaches:
wherein the capability information includes information on a transition of the output electrical power of the first power converter. (if the full power of the first battery pack 91 is desired to power the at least one motor 94, the process of charging the second battery pack 92 may automatically be interrupted. However, the charging circuit 95 can instead work switchless so that the process of charging automatically starts when a certain electrical parameter, like the voltage or capacitance of the second battery pack 92, falls below a certain threshold – See at least ¶ [0135])
Regarding claim 3, Demont further teaches:
further comprising: a second generator configured to be driven by a second gas turbine engine to generate electrical power; (Moreover, the aircraft can include one or more motors that are able to operate as a generator to charge the one or more different power supplies – See at least ¶ [0022])
a second power converter configured to convert an alternating current electrical power output from the second generator into a direct current electrical power; (If the at least one motor 94 acts as generator, the power converter can convert the current generated from each phase of the at least one motor 94 into a DC current for loading the first battery pack 91 or the second battery pack 92 (power converter working as rectifier) – See at least ¶ [0126])
a second electrical power supply circuit configured to supply an output electrical power of the second power converter to a second load device; and (The circuit 90 can be connected with the first battery pack 91, the second battery pack 92, and the at least one motor 94. The circuit 90 can include a controller 93 connected with the first battery pack 91, the second battery pack 92, and the at least one motor 94. The controller 93 can, for example, be connected over a two phase or DC power line with the first battery pack 91 and the second battery pack 92 or connected over a three phase power line with the at least one motor 94 – See at least ¶ [0125]-[0126])
a second battery connected in parallel with the second power converter, (As shown in Fig. 10, each battery is connected in parallel with the each power control unit.)
wherein the one or more first processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the load controller to control the second load device, (The steps of a method, process, or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module stored in one or more memory devices and executed by one or more processors, or in a combination of the two – See at least ¶ [0181])
the one or more second processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the battery controller to manage the second battery, (A power management system for a vehicle is disclosed. The power management system can include batteries that have different energy density and power density battery cells from one another and that are usable for selectively powering a transducer of the vehicle at different times and for charging one another. The power management system can include a first battery, a second battery, and electronic circuitry. The first battery can power a transducer supported by a housing – See at least ¶ [0029])
the capability information includes third information and fourth information, the third information indicating an upper limit of electrical power that is capable of being input and output by the second battery continuously for the first period, (In a second drive mode (which may be referred to as a high energy drive mode), the at least one motor 94 can be driven by the second battery pack 92 (without using the power of the first battery pack 91). In this second drive mode, the circuit 90 can be in the second connection mode. Alternatively, in the second drive mode, the circuit 90 can also be in the third motor connection mode, while no power flows from the first battery pack 91 to the at least one motor 94. This second drive mode can be used when the power consumption of the at least one motor 94 may be high, such
as during maneuvering, climb flight, or take off – See at least ¶ [0130]) the fourth information indicating an upper limit of electrical power that is capable of being input and output by the second battery continuously for the second period, and (In a third drive mode (which may be referred to as a very high energy drive mode), the at least one motor 94 can be simultaneously driven by the first battery pack 91 and the second battery pack 92. In this third drive mode, the circuit 90 can be in the third connection mode. This third drive mode can be used when the power consumption of the least one motor 94 may be high, such as during maneuvering, climb flight, or take off)
each of the third information and the fourth information corresponds to a state of charge of the second battery at a current point (the system determines the type of battery and its maximum power output, i.e., third information, for use on the specific routes. Further, the system determines the state of the battery, including under and over voltages – See at least ¶ [0171])
in a case it is expected that a total of the output electrical power of the first power control unit and the output electrical power of the first battery is insufficient for a required electrical power of the first load device and it is expected that a total of the output electrical power of the second power control unit and the output electrical power the second battery is not insufficient for a required electrical power of the second load device, an output power of the first load device is limited and an output power of the second load device is increased. (An aircraft and its components can have different power needs at different times. At takeoff, the aircraft may consume a relatively significant amount of power for a short period of time to start moving the aircraft and bring the aircraft off the ground. At cruising altitude and speed, the aircraft may consume a relatively less significant amount of power over a longer period of time to maintain a consistent speed and altitude – See at least ¶ [0020]; To flexibly satisfy the power needs of an aircraft, the aircraft can include different power supplies having different characteristics for supplying power to the same components of the aircraft at different times or the same time. The different power supplies can have different energy capacities or different power output capacities from one another and may be connected so that the different power supplies can pass power to each other. The different power supplies may, for example, be different batteries having battery cells with different energy or power output capacities – See at least ¶ [0021]; In a second drive mode (which may be referred to as a high energy drive mode), the at least one motor 94 can be driven by the second battery pack 92 (without using the power of the first battery pack 91) – See at least ¶ [0130])
Demont does not explicitly teach, but Bruce further teaches:
further comprising: a second generator configured to be driven by a second gas turbine engine to generate electrical power; (it should also be understood that the present invention may be implemented within a hybrid electric architecture. For example, the one or more rotary electric machines described above may take the form of electrical generators connected to a gas turbine engine in a series hybrid architecture, with the two or more dc busses powering propulsive and non-propulsive loads – See at least ¶ [0079])
Regarding claim 4, Demont further teaches:
A moving object comprising the electrical power supply system according to claim 1. (The present disclosure is related to vehicles, such as electric or hybrid aircraft – See at least ¶ [0002])
Regarding claim 7, Demont further teaches:
wherein the moving object is an aircraft, (The present disclosure is related to vehicles, such as electric or hybrid aircraft – See at least ¶ [0002])
the electrical power supply system is mounted on the aircraft, (The aircraft 100 includes a motor 110, a management system 120, and a power source 130…The management system 120 can control and monitor of the components of the aircraft 100, such as the motor 110 and the power source 130. The power source 130 can power the motor 110 to drive the aircraft 100 and power the management system 120 to enable operations of the management system 120 – See at least ¶ [0063]; Examiner notes that the power source includes batteries 212A and 212B – See at least ¶ [0064])
the aircraft includes a flight controller (The motor management system 220 can provide control commands to the motor controller 222, which can in turn be used to operate the one or more motors 222 – See at least ¶ [0068]) and a management controller, (The power management system 210 can control a charging process (for instance, a charge timing, current level, or voltage level) for the aircraft when the aircraft is coupled to an external power source to charge a power source of the aircraft, such as the first battery pack 212A or the second battery pack 212B – See at least ¶ [0066])
the flight controller includes the load controller, (The motor controller 222 may further operate according to instructions from the throttle 226 that may be controlled by a pilot of the aircraft – See at least ¶ [0068])
the management controller includes the battery controller, and (The first battery pack 212A and the second battery pack 212B can, for instance, communicate on the communication bus enabling the power management system 210 to monitor and control the first battery pack 212A – See at least ¶ [0065])
the first load device and the second load device are electric motors that drive rotors that generate thrust of the aircraft. (Moreover, the aircraft can include one or more motors that are able to operate as a generator to charge the one or more different power supplies. One of the different power supplies can be used to drive the one or more motors while another of the different power supplies may be simultaneously charged by the one or more motors – See at least ¶ [0022])
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 CHASE L COOLEY whose telephone number is (303)297-4355. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7-5MT.
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/C.L.C./Examiner, Art Unit 3662
/ANISS CHAD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3662
