Appeal No. 96-3944
Application 08/041,543
out of the circuit when charging begins, not when charging is
completed."
While Meinhold does take some battery cells out of the
circuit [see column 4, lines 35-40], this is for synchronization
purposes since some of the cells are of a different charged state
than other cells. Meinhold is concerned with both charging each
storage cell to its maximum capacity and preventing over
discharging of each storage cell of the battery. When a storage
cell reaches its maximum capacity, the protective circuit of
Meinhold shunts across each cell which causes a bridge, or a
short of each cell, preventing overcharging of the cell. Thus,
while some cells may be taken out of the circuit in Meinhold,
while others are being charged to maximum value, we fail to see
how this results, as appellant contends, in taking "the battery
out of the circuit when charging begins, not when charging is
completed." If every cell of the battery were taken out of the
circuit when charging begins, there would appear to be no point
in charging since there would be nothing to charge. Accordingly,
appellant's argument that Meinhold takes the battery out of the
circuit when charging begins is not persuasive.
Appellant further argues [pages 6-9 of the principal
brief] that the differing characteristics between capacitors and
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