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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to communications filed on 5/15/2025. Accordingly, claims 1-20 are pending.
Claim Objections
Claim 20 is objected to because of the following informalities: the claim is an independent claim written in dependent format. Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-3, 5-14 & 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Huh (US 11479231 B2).
Huh discloses:
1: A system for controlling a hybrid electric vehicle including a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels, the system comprising:
a first motor configured to provide torque to one of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels of the hybrid electric vehicle (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4; front and rear motors);
a second motor configured to provide torque to the remaining pair of wheels, among the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, not driven by the first motor, of the hybrid electric vehicle (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4; front and rear motors);
an engine configured to provide torque to the remaining pair of wheels of the hybrid electric vehicle (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4; Engine [100]);
a battery configured to provide energy to the second moto (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4; battery [160])r; and
a controller configured to: control at least one of the engine or the second motor to provide the torque to the remaining pair of wheels when a speed of the hybrid electric vehicle is greater than a predetermined speed value or a state of charge (SOC) of the battery is greater than a predetermined SOC value (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4; engine controller, motor controller); and
control the first motor to provide the torque to the one of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels to charge the battery through the second motor when the speed of the hybrid electric vehicle is equal to or less than the predetermined speed value and the SOC of the battery is equal to or less than the predetermined SOC value (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4, Abstract & Background & Summary; state of charge of battery and different control mode(s)).
2: wherein the controller is further configured to: control the engine to provide the torque to the remaining pair of wheels when the speed of the hybrid electric vehicle is greater than the predetermined speed value; and control the second motor to provide the torque to the remaining pair of wheels when the speed of the hybrid electric vehicle is equal to or less than the predetermined speed value and the SOC of the battery is greater than the predetermined SOC value (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4, Abstract & Background & Summary).
3: wherein the controller is further configured to: control two-wheel driving through the engine or four- wheel driving through the engine and the first motor when the speed of the hybrid electric vehicle is greater than the predetermined speed value (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4, Abstract & Background & Summary).
5: wherein the controller is further configured to: control the engine to be engaged with the second motor when the speed of the hybrid electric vehicle is greater than the predetermined speed value; and control the engine to be separated from the second motor when the speed of the hybrid electric vehicle is equal to or less than the predetermined speed value (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4, Abstract & Background & Summary).
6: wherein the controller is further configured to: control the engine to be engaged with the second motor when a revolutions per minute (RPM) of the remaining pair of wheels of the hybrid electric vehicle reaches an engagement condition RPM; receive a sensing value from an accelerator pedal sensor; and selectively adjust the engagement condition RPM according to the sensing value (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4, Abstract & Background & Summary).
7: wherein the controller is further configured to: receive corresponding data between the sensing value and a charge torque; and selectively increase the engagement condition RPM according to a relationship between the charge torque determined according to the sensing value and the corresponding data and a maximum torque corresponding to idling of the engine (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4, Abstract & Background & Summary).
8: wherein the controller is further configured to: control the engine to be engaged with the second motor when a revolutions per minute (RPM) of the remaining pair of wheels of the hybrid electric vehicle reaches an idle RPM of the engine; receive a sensing value from an accelerator pedal sensor; and selectively increase the idle RPM according to the sensing value (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4, Abstract & Background & Summary).
9: wherein the second motor is configured to: generate power and charge the battery according to a charge torque generated according to rotations of the front wheel and the rear wheel of the hybrid electric vehicle by the torque provided from the first motor when the speed of the hybrid electric vehicle is equal to or less than the predetermined speed value and the SOC of the battery is equal to or less than the predetermined SOC value (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4, Abstract & Background & Summary).
10: wherein the first motor is further configured to provide torque to the rear wheel, and wherein the second motor and the engine are further configured to provide torque to the front wheel (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4, Abstract & Background & Summary).
11: A system for controlling a hybrid electric vehicle, the system comprising: a first motor configured to provide torque to a rear wheel of a hybrid electric vehicle; a second motor configured to provide torque to a front wheel of the hybrid electric vehicle; an engine configured to provide torque to the front wheel of the hybrid electric vehicle; a battery configured to provide energy to the second motor; and a controller configured to: control the hybrid electric vehicle to four-wheel driving or front-wheel driving when a speed of the hybrid electric vehicle is greater than a predetermined speed value or a state of charge (SOC) of the battery is greater than a predetermined SOC value; and control the hybrid electric vehicle to rear-wheel driving when the speed of the hybrid electric vehicle is equal to or less than the predetermined speed value and the SOC of the battery is equal to or less than the predetermined SOC value (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4, Abstract & Background & Summary; see claim 1).
12: wherein the controller is further configured to: control the engine to be engaged with the second motor when the speed of the hybrid electric vehicle is greater than the predetermined speed value; and control the engine to be separated from the second motor when the speed of the hybrid electric vehicle is equal to or less than the predetermined speed value (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4, Abstract & Background & Summary).
13: wherein the controller is further configured to: control the engine to be engaged with the second motor when a revolutions per minute (RPM) of the front wheel reaches an engagement condition RPM; receive a sensing value from an accelerator pedal sensor; and selectively adjust the engagement condition RPM according to the sensing value (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4, Abstract & Background & Summary).
14: wherein the controller is further configured to: control the engine to be engaged with the second motor when a revolutions per minute (RPM) of the front wheel reaches an idle RPM of the engine; receive a sensing value from an accelerator pedal sensor; and selectively increase the idle RPM according to the sensing value (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4, Abstract & Background & Summary).
16: A method for controlling a hybrid electric vehicle including a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels, the method comprising: obtaining a speed of the hybrid electric vehicle and a state of charge (SOC) of a battery of the hybrid electric vehicle; determining whether a plurality of conditions is satisfied; controlling, based on a determination that a first condition among the plurality of conditions is satisfied, a first motor of the hybrid electric vehicle to provide torque to one of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels of the hybrid electric vehicle according to the first condition to charge the battery through a second motor of the hybrid electric vehicle; controlling, based on a determination that a second condition among the plurality of conditions is satisfied, the second motor to provide torque to the remaining pair of wheels, among the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, of the hybrid electric vehicle according to the second condition; and controlling, based on a determination that a third condition among the plurality of conditions is satisfied, an engine of the hybrid electric vehicle to provide torque to the remaining pair of wheels of the hybrid electric vehicle according to the third condition, wherein the first condition is that the speed of the hybrid electric vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined speed value and the SOC of the battery is equal to or less than a predetermined SOC value, wherein the second condition is that the speed of the hybrid electric vehicle is equal to or less than the predetermined speed value and the SOC of the battery is greater than the predetermined SOC value, and wherein the third condition is that the speed of the hybrid electric vehicle is greater than the predetermined speed value (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4, Abstract & Background & Summary; see claim 1).
17: wherein controlling according to the first condition includes controlling two-wheel driving through the torque provided by the first motor, wherein controlling according to the second condition includes controlling two-wheel driving through the second motor or four-wheel driving through the first and second motors, and wherein controlling according to the third condition includes controlling two-wheel driving through the engine or four-wheel driving through the engine and the first motor (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4, Abstract & Background & Summary).
18: wherein controlling according to the third condition includes: controlling the engine to be engaged with the second motor when a revolutions per minute (RPM) of the remaining pair of wheels of the hybrid electric vehicle reaches an engagement condition RPM; receiving a sensing value from an accelerator pedal sensor; and selectively adjusting the engagement condition RPM according to the sensing value (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4, Abstract & Background & Summary).
19: according to the third condition includes: controlling the engine to be engaged with the second motor when a revolutions per minute (RPM) of the remaining pair of wheels of the hybrid electric vehicle reaches an idle RPM of the engine; receiving a sensing value from an accelerator pedal sensor; and selectively increasing the idle RPM according to the sensing value (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4, Abstract & Background & Summary).
20: A non-transitory storage medium for storing one or more programs including commands for executing the method of claim 16 (see Huh at least fig. 1-10 and in particular fig. 1-4, Abstract & Background & Summary; see claim 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 & 15 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MACEEH ANWARI whose telephone number is 571-272-7591. The examiner can normally be reached on 9-9:30.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Angela Ortiz can be reached on 571-272-1206. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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MACEEH . ANWARI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3663
/MACEEH ANWARI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3663
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