UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
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`
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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`PO. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 2231371450
`www.uspto.gov
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`16/055,049
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`08/04/2018
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`YUTAKA TANAKA
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`PANDP0306US
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`8348
`
`MARK D. SARALINO (PAN)
`RENNER, OTTO, BOISSELLE & SKLAR, LLP
`1621 EUCLID AVENUE
`19TH FLOOR
`CLEVELAND, OH 441 15
`
`THAPA~ SAILESH
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`ART UNIT
`2859
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`PAPER NUMBER
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`10/07/2019
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`ELECTRONIC
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`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
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`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
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`following e—mail address(es):
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`ipdoeket@rennerotto.eom
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`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`

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`0,7709 A0170” Summary
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`Application No.
`16/055,049
`Examiner
`SAILESH THAPA
`
`Applicant(s)
`TANAKA, YUTAKA
`Art Unit
`AIA (FITF) Status
`2859
`Yes
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`- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet wit/7 the correspondence address -
`Period for Reply
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`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 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply be timely filed after SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing
`date of this communication.
`|f 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).
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`Status
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`1). Responsive to communication(s) filed on 08/04/2018.
`[:1 A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2a)D This action is FINAL.
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`2b)
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`This action is non-final.
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`3)[:] An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
`; 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
`closed in accordance with the practice under Expat/7e Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`Disposition of Claims*
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`5)
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`Claim(s) fl is/are pending in the application.
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`5a) Of the above claim(s)
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`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`E] Claim(s)
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`is/are allowed.
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`Claim(s) fl is/are rejected.
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`[:1 Claim(s) _ is/are objected to.
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`) ) ) )
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`6 7
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`8
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`
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement
`[j Claim(s)
`9
`* If any claims have been determined aflowabie. 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
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`http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPeredback@uspto.gov.
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`Application Papers
`10)[:] The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
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`11). The drawing(s) filed on 08/04/2018 is/are: a). accepted or b)[:] objected to by the Examiner.
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`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
`12). 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). All
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`b)D Some**
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`C)D None of the:
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`1.. Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
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`2.[:] Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
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`3:] Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
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`** 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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`1)
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`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
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`Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`2)
`Paper No(s)/Mail DateW.
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
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`3) C] Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`4) CI Other-
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`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
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`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20190929
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/055,049
`Art Unit: 2859
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`Page 2
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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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`Information Disclosure Statement
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`The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 08/04/2018 is in
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`compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure
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`statement is being considered by the examiner.
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`Priority
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`Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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`The certified copy has been filed on 09/27/2018.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that
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`form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
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`A person shall be entitled to a patent unless —
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`(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.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/055,049
`Art Unit: 2859
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`Page 3
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`(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an
`application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or
`application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the
`effective filing date of the claimed invention.
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`Claims 1-4 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a (2) as being anticipated by
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`Nishio (US 2014/0009114 A1).
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`Regarding claim 1, Nishio teaches a charging device (fig.1) comprising; a
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`charger (114, fig.1) configured to charge a secondary battery (115, fig.1) with a charging
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`current at a current value being presently set (control unit 113 changes the input
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`currents (lc) of the charger 114 into a plurality of values, and controls the input current
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`(lc) when the input voltage (Vc) has changed, abstract, also refer fig.2—5), the charging
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`is carried out by using power entered from an external device (refer fig.1 that shows
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`house with a power supply circuit 180); and a charging controller (control section 113,
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`fig.1) configured to set the current value (Control section 113 controls the input current
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`of charger 114 according to the table of the found first-order approximation straight line,
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`para [0026], also refer fig.2—6), wherein the charging controller (control section 113,
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`fig.1) sets, at beginning of charging of the secondary battery (Control section 113 finds
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`a first-order approximation straight line, for example, before the start of charge, para
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`[0030]), the current value to a set value among a plurality of set values predetermined
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`(refer fig.2-6 that shows control section 113 setting up the charging current values), and
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`sets, during charging of the secondary battery (115, fig.1), when an input voltage from
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`the external device lowers below a predetermined value (does Vc decrease ST504,
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`fig.5), the current value to another set value among the plurality of set values (decrease
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`lc ST505, fig.5, also refer para [0049-0055], fig.6-7).
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/055,049
`Art Unit: 2859
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`Page 4
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`Regarding claim 2, Nishio teaches the charging device according to claim 1.
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`Nishio further teaches, wherein the charging controller sets (refer fig.1-5 that shows
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`control section 113 that set ups charging current), when the input voltage from the
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`external device lowers below the predetermined value (does Vc decrease ST504, fig.5),
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`the current value to another set value among the plurality of set values, the other set
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`value being lower than the set value being presently set (decrease lc ST505, fig.5, also
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`refer para [0049-0055], fig.6-7).
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`Regarding claim 3, Nishio teaches the charging device according to claim 1.
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`Nishio further teaches, wherein the charging controller sets, at the beginning of charging
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`of the secondary battery (Control section 113 finds a first-order approximation straight
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`line, for example, before the start of charge, para [0030]), the current value to a highest
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`set value among the plurality of set values (refer fig.2—4 that shows varying input current
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`lc according to input voltage Vc).
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`Regarding claim 4, Nishio teaches the charging device according to claim 1.
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`Nishio further teaches, wherein the charging controller controls three types of set values
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`as the plurality of set values (Control section 113 controls the input current of charger
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`114 according to the table of the found first-order approximation straight line, para
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`[0026], also refer fig.2—6).
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`Regarding claim 7, Nishio teaches an electronic device (vehicle 160, fig.1)
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`comprising; a rechargeable secondary battery (battery 115, fig.1); and the charging
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/055,049
`Art Unit: 2859
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`Page 5
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`device according to claim 1 (refer fig.1 that shows charger 114), the charging device
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`being configured to charge the rechargeable secondary battery (A charger 114 charges
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`the battery 115, abstract, fig.1-7).
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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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`Claims 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nishio
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`(US 2014/0009114 A1).
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`Regarding claim 5-6, Nishio teaches the charging device according to claim 1.
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`Nishio teaches, the charger 114 that allows power from power circuit 180 to charge
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`rechargeable battery 115 via socket 105 but fails to disclose in compliance with a
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`universal serial bus (USB) standard. However, it would have been an obvious matter of
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/055,049
`Art Unit: 2859
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`Page 6
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`design of choice to select USB while charging such that USB not only allows for
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`charging but also send/receive data which is well known within the ordinary skill in the
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`art.
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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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`E. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 8am to 5pm.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, Drew Dunn can be reached on 571-272-2312. The fax phone number for the
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`organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the
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`Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published
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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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`more information about the PAIR system, see \ Should you
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`have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business
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`Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO
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`Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call
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`(800)786-9199 (IN USA on CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
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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/
`
`