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 (IDS) submitted on 7/30/25 and 6/2/26 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 3,5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Cho (US 2023/0146895).
Regarding claims 1 and 10, Cho in [Figs. 1 and 2], discloses a relay control apparatus [see 100], comprising:
a processor [see 110] configured to output a basic control signal [see CS1 and/or CS2] for controlling an operation of a relay [see either the first and/or second relay 200, 300] and a first decision-control signal [see RCS1] having a first differential signal level according to an operation state thereof [see 0072-0075];
a monitoring unit [see 120] configured to monitor the operation state of the processor [see 110] and output a second decision-control signal having a second differential signal level according to the operation state of the processor [see 110] and a retain signal [see RS] for maintaining an operation state of the relay [see 0043,0058-0059,0063-0064]; and
relay state determining unit [see 130] configured to output one of the basic control signal [see RCS1 and/or RCS2] and the retain signal [see RS] as a relay control signal for controlling on/off of the relay based on the signal levels of the first and second decision-control signals [see 0063-0068].
Regarding claims 2, 11 and 17, Cho discloses in [Figs. 1 and 2] the relay control apparatus relay control apparatus [see 100] according to claims 1, 8 and 9, wherein the relay state determining unit [see 130] is configured to output one of the basic control signal [see CS1 and/or CS2] and the retain signal [see Rs] as the relay control signal based on a signal level of a result signal of computing the first and second decision-control signals [see CS1-CS3 and 0051-0066].
Regarding claims 3, 12 and 18, Cho in [Figs. 1 and 3] discloses the relay control apparatus according to claims 1, 8 and 9, wherein when the operation state of the processor [see 110] is a reset state [such that the signa level of control signal CS3 is set to be maintained as a low level, see 0063], and the processor [see 110] is configured to output a first switching control signal [see CS1], which is a first decision-control signal [see RCS1] having a different signal level from the first decision-control signal output when the processor [see 110] is in a normal state, to the relay state determining unit [see 130], and wherein when the operation state of the processor is the reset state [such that the signa level of control signal CS3 is set to be maintained as a low level, see 0063], the monitoring unit is configured to output a second switching control signal, which is a second decision-control signal [see RCS2] having a different signal level from the second decision-control signal output when the processor [see 110] is in the normal state, to the relay state determining unit [see 130 and 0058-0066].
Regarding claims 5, 14 and 20, Cho in [Figs. 1 and 2] discloses the relay control apparatus according to claims 3, 12 and 18, wherein the relay state determining unit [see 130] is configured to output the basic control signal [see RCS1 and/or RCS2] as the relay control signal when either of the first and second switching control signals [CS1 and CS2] is not received, and to output the retain signal [see RS] as the relay control signal when both the first and second switching control signals are received [see 0051-0066].
Regarding claims 6 and 15, Cho in [Figs. 1 and 2] discloses the relay control apparatus according to claims 1 and 8, wherein when the operation state of the processor [see 110] is a reset state [such that the signa level of control signal CS3 is set to be maintained as a low level, see 0063], the monitoring unit [see 120] is configured to output the retain signal [see RS] having a signal level corresponding to the basic control signal output by the processor in a normal state immediately before the reset state [see 0058-0066].
Regarding claims 7 and 16, Cho in [Figs. 1 and 2] discloses the relay control apparatus according to claims 1 and 8, wherein when a reset state of the processor [see 110] continues for a reference time [such that the signa level of control signal CS3 is set to be maintained as a low level, see 0063], the monitoring unit [see 120] is configured to output the retain signal [see RS] at a second signal level, and to output the retain signal at a first signal level after the reference time.
Regarding claim 8, Cho in [Figs. 1 and 2] discloses a battery pack [see 0005, 0023 and 0139-0140], comprising the relay control apparatus [see 100] according to claim 1.
Regarding claim 9, Cho in [Figs. 1 and 2] discloses a vehicle [see 0141], comprising the relay control apparatus [see 100] according to claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim 3, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 13 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim 12, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 19 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim 18, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TERRENCE RONIQUE WILLOUGHBY whose telephone number is (571)272-2725. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-5:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Rexford Barnie can be reached at 571-272-7492. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TERRENCE R WILLOUGHBY/Examiner, Art Unit 2836 7/25/26
/REXFORD N BARNIE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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