`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMlVHSSIONER FOR PATENTS
`PO. Box 1450
`Alexandria1 Virginia 22313-1450
`www.uspto.gov
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`
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`14/633,376
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`02/27/2015
`
`Masaki IKEDA
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`ONDAP0136US
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`1045
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`08/10/2017
`
`7590
`51921
`MARK D. SARALINO (PAN)
`RENNER, OTTO, BOISSELLE & SKLAR, LLP
`1621 EUCLID AVENUE
`19TH FLOOR
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`CLEVELAND, OH 44115
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`:
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`EXAMINR
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`THAPASA ESH
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`PAPER NUMBER
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`2859
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`08/10/2017
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`ELECTRONIC
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`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.
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`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above—indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e—mail address(es):
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`ipdocket @rennerott0.c0m
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`PTOL—90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`

`

`
`
`Applicant(s)
`Application No.
` 14/633,376 IKEDA ET AL.
`
`Examiner
`Art Unit
`AIA (First Inventor to File)
`Office Action Summary
`
`2859SAILESH THAPA $2213
`
`-- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLY IS SET TO EXPIRE g MONTHS FROM THE MAILING DATE OF
`THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR1. 136( a).
`after SIX () MONTHS from 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) MONTHS from 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, even if timely filed, may reduce any
`earned patent term adjustment. See 37 CFR 1 .704(b).
`
`In no event, however, may a reply be timely filed
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`Status
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`1)IZI Responsive to communication(s) filed on RCE 07/28/2017.
`El A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2b)|Z| This action is non-final.
`2a)|:l This action is FINAL.
`3)I:I An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
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`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
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`4)|:| Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
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`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`Disposition of Claims*
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`5)IZI Claim(s) 1,2,4 and5is/are pending in the application.
`5a) Of the above claim(s)
`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`is/are allowed.
`6)I:I Claim(s)
`7)|Z| Claim(s) 1,2,4 and5is/are rejected.
`8)|:I Claim(s)_ is/are objected to.
`
`
`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement.
`9)I:I Claim((s)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
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`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`hit
`:/'I’\WIIW.usnto. ovI’ atentS/init events/
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`i1/index.‘3 or send an inquiry to PPI-iieedback{®usgtc.00v.
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`Application Papers
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`10)I:l The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)|Xl The drawing(s) filed on 02/27/2015 is/are: a)IXI accepted or b)|:l 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).
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`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
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`12)IXI Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
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`a)IZl All
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`b)|:l Some” c)I:l None of the:
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`1.IXI Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.|:l Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.|:| Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
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`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.
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`Attachment(s)
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`
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`3) D Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`1) E Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date.
`.
`.
`4) I:I Other'
`2) I] InformatIon DIsclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date
`US. Patent and Trademark Office
`PTOL—326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20170803
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/633,376
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`Page 2
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`Art Unit: 2859
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined
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`under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
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`Response to Arguments
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`This is in response to an application/remarks made in filed on 07/28/2017.
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`Claims 1, and 5 have been amended and claims 3 is cancelled.
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`However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in
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`light of applicant’s amendment.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35
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`U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any
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`correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of
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`rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be
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`the same under either status.
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`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all
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`obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
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`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.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/633,376
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`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 2859
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`Claim 1 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
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`Furui (WO 2013/014914 A2) in View of Hubinak et al. (US 2016/0013827 A1).
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`Regarding claim 1, Furui teaches an adapter for a power tool powered by a
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`detachable battery pack, comprising; a charging unit (charge/discharge controller 42,
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`fig.2A) that supplies direct current power to at least one battery cell of the battery pack
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`for charging a rechargeable battery of a power tool (refer fig.2A that shows a battery
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`pack 40 of a cordless power tool 10); a condition detection unit that detects condition
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`information of the battery pack (refer fig.2A that shows a charge/discharge
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`information detector); and an information processing unit that receives the condition
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`information of the battery pack from the condition detection unit (charge/discharge
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`controller 42 receives the battery information from charge/discharge information
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`detector 44 and the controller 42 operates according to instruction or program
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`code and data stored in the memory 16, fig.2A) and outputs the received condition
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`information of the rechargeable battery to a communication unit that is configured to
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`perform wireless communication with another device in accordance with a near field
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`communication standard capable of performing near field communication with another
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`device (communicator 48,18, 78 and 108 transfers the battery cell 50
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`charge/discharge information according to the wireless communication protocol
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`with an external device 100 refer ,para [0193], also fig.2A), further comprising a
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`charging device body that accommodates the charging unit , the condition detection
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`unit, and the information processing unit (refer fig.2A that shows a battery pack 40
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/633,376
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`Page 4
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`Art Unit: 2859
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`with a charge/discharge controller 42, detector 44, communicator 48), the charging
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`device body includes (battery pack 40); a plurality of terminals of the charging device
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`body that are respectively connectable to a plurality of electrodes of the battery pack
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`(refer fig.2A that a battery pack 40 with a plurality of terminals connecting to the
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`battery cell 50);
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`Furui does discloses the communication unit (communicator 48) but fails to
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`teach a slot that receives the communication unit in a removable manner.
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`Hubinak et al. discloses, a slot (slot 2, fig.1) that receives the communication
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`unit in a removable manner (removable memory card 4 or the removable card 5 of
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`SIM format can have an antenna to create an additional contactless
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`communication connection, abstract, also refer fig.1 and 7).
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`It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to modify the
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`communicator units of Furui with a slot and a removable communication unit as taught
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`by Hubinak such that for user convenience.
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`Regarding claim 5, Furui teaches an adapter for a power tool powered by a
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`detachable battery pack, comprising; a battery pack of a power tool (battery pack 40 of
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`a cordless power tool 10, fig.2A); a power tool charging device that charges a
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`battery pack of a power tool (refer fig.2A), wherein the power tool charging device
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`includes, a charging unit (charge/discharge controller 42, fig.2A) that supplies direct
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`current power to at least one battery cell of the battery pack for charging a rechargeable
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`battery of a power tool (refer fig.2A that shows a battery pack 40 of a cordless
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/633,376
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`Page 5
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`Art Unit: 2859
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`power tool 10); a condition detection unit that detects condition information of the
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`battery pack (refer fig.2A that shows a charge/discharge information detector); and
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`an information processing unit that receives the condition information of the battery pack
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`from the condition detection unit (charge/discharge controller 42 receives the
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`battery information from charge/discharge information detector 44 and the
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`controller 42 operates according to instruction or program code and data stored
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`in the memory 16, fig.2A) and outputs the received condition information of the
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`rechargeable battery to a communication unit that is configured to perform wireless
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`communication with another device in accordance with a near field communication
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`standard capable of performing near field communication with another device
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`(communicator 48,18, 78 and 108 transfers the battery cell 50 charge/discharge
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`information according to the wireless communication protocol with an external
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`device 100 refer ,para [0193], also fig.2A), the power tool charging device further
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`including a charging device body that accommodates the charging unit , the condition
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`detection unit, and the information processing unit (refer fig.2A that shows a battery
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`pack 40 with a charge/discharge controller 42, detector 44, communicator 48), the
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`charging device body includes (battery pack 40); a plurality of terminals of the charging
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`device body that are respectively connectable to a plurality of electrodes of the battery
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`pack (refer fig.2A that a battery pack 40 with a plurality of terminals connecting to
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`the battery cell 50);
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`Furui does discloses the communication unit (communicator 48) but fails to
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`teach a slot that receives the communication unit in a removable manner.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/633,376
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`Page 6
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`Art Unit: 2859
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`Hubinak et al. discloses, a slot (slot 2, fig.1) that receives the communication
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`unit in a removable manner (removable memory card 4 or the removable card 5 of
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`SIM format can have an antenna to create an additional contactless
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`communication connection, abstract, also refer fig.1 and 7).
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`It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to modify the
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`communicator units of Furui with a slot and a removable communication unit as taught
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`by Hubinak such that for user convenience.
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`Claims 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Furui (WO
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`2013/014914 A2) in view of Hubinak et al. (US 2016/0013827 A1) with further view of
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`Huang (US 2015/0171638 A1).
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`Regarding claim 2, Furui in view of Hubinak et al. teaches the power tool
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`charging device according to claim 1. Furui further teaches, the condition detection unit
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`detects the condition information of the rechargeable battery (charge/discharge
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`information detector 44 detects the condition information of the battery cell 50,
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`fig.2A), and the information processing unit outputs the condition information of the
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`rechargeable battery detected by the condition detection unit to the communication unit
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`(charge/discharge controller 42 receives the battery information from
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`charge/discharge information detector 44 and also information being transferred
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`to the communicator 48, fig.2A).
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/633,376
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`Page 7
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`Art Unit: 2859
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`Furui in view of Hubinak teaches all the claimed limitation except for, wherein
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`the condition detection unit detects the condition information of the rechargeable battery
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`regardless of whether or not the charging unit is charging the rechargeable battery.
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`Huang teaches, wherein the condition detection unit detects the condition
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`information of the rechargeable battery regardless of whether or not the charging unit is
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`charging the rechargeable battery (continuously receiving the battery information
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`from a battery management system in each rechargeable battery, also refer para
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`[0031]).
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`It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the
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`teachings of Huang into a system of Furui in view of Hubinak such that for charging
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`the rechargeable battery having the minimal value of the battery information (abstract).
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`Claims 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Furui (WO
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`2013/014914 A2) in view of Hubinak et al. (US 2016/0013827 A1) with further view of
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`Conrad et al. (US 2014/0119575 A1).
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`Regarding claim 4, Furui in view of Hubinak teaches the power tool charging
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`device according to claim 1. Furui in view of Hubinak teaches all the claimed limitations
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`except for, wherein when receiving a charging termination signal from another device
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`via the communication unit, the information processing unit has the charging unit
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`terminate charging of the rechargeable battery.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/633,376
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`Page 8
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`Art Unit: 2859
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`Conrad further teaches, wherein when receiving a charging termination signal
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`from another device via the communication unit, the information processing unit has the
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`charging unit terminate charging of the rechargeable battery (the audio device 100
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`carries out the received commands, such as....power down..., para [0053], this
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`could terminate the charging of the rechargeable battery).
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`Conclusion
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to SAILESH THAPA whose telephone number is (469)295-
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`9108. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Thurs 8:00-5:00 CST.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, Dunn Drew can be reached on (571)272-2312. The fax phone number for
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`the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571 -273-
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`8300.Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent
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`applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status
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`information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/633,376
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`Page 9
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`Art Unit: 2859
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`/S. T./
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`Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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`Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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`Drew A. Dunn
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`/Drew A. Dunn/
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`