www.uspto.gov
`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and TrademarkOffice
`Address; COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`16/610,069
`
`10/31/2019
`
`Senichi ONODA
`
`NIIP.1PUSO1
`
`4904
`
`MARKD. SARALINO (PAN)
`RENNER, OTTO, BOISSELLE & SKLAR, LLP
`1621 EUCLID AVENUE
`ISTH FLOOR
`
`CLEVELAND, OH 44115
`
`LIEU,JULIE BICHNGOC
`
`2684
`
`12/08/2021
`
`ELECTRONIC
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
`
`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e-mail address(es):
`
`ipdocket @rennerotto.com
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-8 is/are pending in the application.
`)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s) ___ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`Cj] Claim(s)
`is/are allowed.
`Claim(s) 1-2 and 7-8 is/are rejected.
`Claim(s) 3-6 is/are objectedto.
`£] Claim(s)
`are subjectto restriction and/or election requirement
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you maybeeligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`http:/Awww.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
`
`) ) ) )
`
`Application Papers
`10) The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)() The drawing(s) filedon__ is/are: a)C) accepted or b)C) objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12). Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d)or (f).
`Certified copies:
`cc) None ofthe:
`b)L) Some**
`a)D) All
`1.1) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.1) Certified copies of the priority documents have beenreceived in Application No.
`3.2.) Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been receivedin this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`* See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
`
`Attachment(s)
`
`1)
`
`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`
`Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`2)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3) (J Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`(Qj Other:
`
`4)
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20211203
`
`Application No.
`Applicant(s)
`16/610,069
`ONODAetal.
`
`Office Action Summary Art Unit|AIA (FITF) StatusExaminer
`JULIE B LIEU
`2684
`Yes
`
`
`
`-- The MAILING DATEofthis communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available underthe provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply betimely filed after SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing
`date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133}.
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, evenif timely filed, may reduce any earned patent term
`adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`Status
`
`1) Responsive to communication(s) filed on 31 October 2019.
`C) A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
`
`2a)L) This action is FINAL. 2b)¥)This action is non-final.
`3)02 An election was madeby the applicant in responseto a restriction requirement set forth during the interview
`on
`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
`4\0) Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quayle, 1935 C.D. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/610,069
`Art Unit: 2684
`
`Page 2
`
`DETAILED ACTION
`
`Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
`
`1.
`
`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined underthe
`
`first inventor to file provisions of the AJA.
`
`2.
`
`This Office action is in response to Applicant’s preliminary amendmentfiled 31 October
`
`2019. Claims 3-8 were amended.
`
`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
`
`3.
`
`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 for the rejection will not be considered a new ground ofrejection if the prior art
`
`relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same undereither status.
`
`4,
`
`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 madein this Office action:
`
`A person shall be entitled to a patent unless —
`
`(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued undersection 151, or
`in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b),
`in whichthe patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and
`waseffectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/610,069
`Art Unit: 2684
`
`Page 3
`
`5.
`
`Claim(s) 1, 2, 7, and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by
`
`Miki et al. (US Pub No. 2018/0233914 Al).
`
`Regarding claim 1, Miki discloses a controller 4 in an electricity storage system 100a
`
`(Fig. 4) that includesa first DC/DC converter 31 connected to a storage battery 2, and a
`
`bidirectional inverter 38 connected to the first DC/DC converter, the controller 3 comprising:
`
`a control circuit 45 which changes a content to be displayed by a display 41 connected
`
`with the controller 4, according to whetherthe electricity storage system is in a predetermined
`
`state (i.e. charging) in which a solar cell module is connected to the bidirectional inverter via a
`
`DC bus BL (Fig. 4 and paras. [0047], [0060],[0066]).
`
`Regarding claim 2, Miki discloses display 41.
`
`Regarding claim 7, the controller 45 in Miki includesthe first DC/DC converter 31; the
`
`bidirectional inverter 38; and a second DC/DC converter 33 connected betweenthe solar cell
`
`module 1 and the bidirectional inverter. Fig. 4.
`
`Regarding claim 8, the rejection of claim 8 recites the rejection of claim 1. Further, it is
`
`inherent that the system in Miki has non-transitory computer program recording medium in
`
`which a program causesthe controlling of the electricity storage system so that the charging and
`
`the display can be performed by the system.
`
`Allowable Subject Matter
`
`6.
`
`Claims 3-6 are objected to as being dependent upona rejected base claim, but would be
`
`allowable if rewritten in independentform includingall of the limitations of the base claim and
`
`any intervening claims.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/610,069
`Art Unit: 2684
`
`Page 4
`
`7.
`
`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
`
`examinershould be directed to JULIE BICHNGOCLIEU whosetelephone numberis (571)272-
`
`2978. The examiner can normally be reached 1OAM-6PM.
`
`Examinerinterviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using
`
`a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicantis
`
`encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR)at
`
`http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
`
`If attempts to reach the examinerby telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
`
`supervisor, Quan-Zhen Wang can be reached on 5712723114. The fax phone numberfor the
`
`organization wherethis application or proceedingis assigned is 571-273-8300.
`
`Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be
`
`obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available
`
`to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit:
`
`https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more
`
`information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about
`
`filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC)
`
`at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service
`
`Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA)or 571-272-1000.
`
`/JULIE B LIEU/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2684
`
`03 Dec 21
`
`