DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 1/26/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Acknowledgement is made of the amendment filed on 1/26/2026 in which claim 8 was amended. No claims were added and no claims were cancelled. Therefore, claims 1, 3-12, and 14-18 are pending examination below.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments have been fully considered and are persuasive, specifically where the AC/DC and DC/DC converters of Finn are separated into their own respective housings. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made as outlined below, where Gotz et al. US 20180162229 discloses the plural AC/DC and DC/DC converters being within the same module/cabinet and where there are fewer AC/DC converters than DC/DC converters.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gotz et al. US 20180162229 in view of Finn et al US 20230411967.
With regards to claim 8 Gotz discloses, a charger assembly for charging electric vehicles [figs 1, 7, and 8],
M AC/DC converters configured to be coupled to a power source at an input side of the MAC/DC converters [fig 7 AC/DC 720 and AC connection 721];
a DC bus connected to an output side of each of the M AC/DC converters [DC link 711];
N DC/DC converters coupled to the DC bus at an input side of the N DC/DC converters [DC/DC converters 710]; and
D energy exchange ports coupled to an output side of one or more of the N DC/DC converters at an input side of the D energy exchange ports, each of the D energy exchange ports configured to be coupled to an electric vehicle [fig 1 charging posts 12],
wherein N > M [fig 7 discloses 4 DC/DC and 2 AC/DC converters].
Gotz fails to explicitly disclose, wherein the charger assembly comprises a first charger and a second charger, and wherein the first and second chargers are interconnected to each other by the DC bus, and wherein one or more energy storages are connected to the DC bus.
However, Finn discloses, wherein the charger assembly comprises a first charger and a second charger [fig 2 chargers 106], and
wherein the first and second chargers are interconnected to each other by the DC bus [fig 2 chargers 106 are connected to each other via a DC bus 104], and
wherein one or more energy storages are connected to the DC bus [fig 2 battery 114 connected to the DC bus 104].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the charging systems of Gotz with Finn to include plural chargers connected via a bus in order to provide scalability and redundancy, and to include an energy store/battery on the DC bus in order to provide additional power supply to the system for redundancy and potential cost savings of usage times.
Claims 1, 3-4, 6-7, 9-12, and 14-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gotz et al. US 20180162229 in view of Kamal et al. US 11007891 further in view of Finn et al US 20230411967.
With regards to claim 1 Gotz discloses, a charger for charging electric vehicles [figs 1, 7, and 8], comprising:
M AC/DC converters configured to be coupled to a power source at an input side of the M AC/DC converters [fig 7 AC/DC 720 and AC connection 721];
a DC bus connected to an output side of each of the MAC/DC converters [DC link 711];
N DC/DC converters coupled to the DC bus at an input side of the N DC/DC converters [DC/DC converters 710]; and
D energy exchange ports coupled to an output side of one or more of the N DC/DC converters at an input side of the D energy exchange ports, each of the D energy exchange ports configured to be coupled to an electric vehicle [fig 1 charging posts 12],
wherein N > M [fig 7 discloses 4 DC/DC and 2 AC/DC converters].
Gotz fails to disclose, wherein the M AC/DC converters and the N DC/DC converters are arranged within a cabinet having a cabinet controller, and wherein the cabinet controller is configured to collect data from each of the M AC/DC converters and the N DC/DC converters and to distribute power over the N DC/DC converters.
However, Kamal discloses, wherein the M AC/DC converters and the N DC/DC converters are arranged within a cabinet having a cabinet controller [Fig. 1 system 100 AC-DC 111, DC-DC 150, and Controller 130 and Col. 8 line 65 to Col. 9 line 9 "Fig. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary system architecture for an extremely fast charging and distributed grid resource adequacy management system 100. In a preferred embodiment, the system may be comprised of the following components: an input isolator 110, a high-voltage battery pack 120, a controller 130, a heat exchanger 140, a high power direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converter 150, and one or more electric vehicle (EV) fast charging outlets 160 all self-contained within a single-box design. The single-box, self-contained design allows each charging station system 100 to be easily transported and deployed, requiring only a three-phase connection to an electric grid" where Fig. 1 discloses the AC/DC and DC/DC components within the single-box or claimed cabinet and the controller 130 teaches the claimed cabinet controller], and
wherein the cabinet controller is configured to collect data from each of the M AC/DC converters and the N DC/DC converters and to distribute power over the N DC/DC converters [Fig. 1 controller 130 (claimed cabinet controller) Col. 10 lines 22-35 "In a preferred embodiment, the extremely fast charging and distributed grid resource adequacy management system 100 is controlled by an on-board, cloud-connected controller 130 that performs tasks to optimize energy storage, exchange, and distribution. The controller 130 is responsible for mediating grid energy flow optimization, active monitoring of battery health, communicating with EVs via a charger communication protocol, and communicating with a cloud-based service to submit and request various types of data including, but not limited to: grid status and capacity information, power rates, power consumption, charging station status details and history, EV status details and history, battery status and lifespan, payments, consumer profiles, and road and location data" where the grid energy flow optimization, capacity status, energy exchange, and power consumption covers the claimed transmitted data of energy supplied by the AC/DC, energy requested by the DC/DC, and the power distribution of the DC/DC].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the chargers of Gotz and Kamal to include the AC/DC and DC/DC components in a cabinet along with a controller in order to consolidate electronics, simplify installation, and enable more efficient power distribution within the system.
Gotz fails to disclose, wherein the cabinet controller of the charger is configured to connect to a site controller, wherein the cabinet controller is configured to transmit the collected data to the site controller, and wherein the energy delivered to the charger from the power source is controllable by the site controller, and wherein an energy storage is coupled to the DC bus.
However, Finn discloses, wherein the cabinet controller of the charger is configured to connect to a site controller [Fig. 2 charge controller 112 (claimed cabinet controller) is connected to the site controller 110],
wherein the cabinet controller is configured to transmit the collected data to the site controller [Fig. 2 charge controller 112 has communication link to site controller 110 and ¶45 “The site controller 110 is in data communication with each of the charge controllers 112”],
wherein the energy delivered to the charger from the power source is controllable by the site controller [¶19 “the site controller is adapted to control the distribution of power to the one or more DC/DC converters based on requests for power to power an electric vehicle”], and
wherein an energy storage is coupled to the DC bus [fig 2 battery 114 connected to the DC bus].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the chargers of Gotz with Finn to have both a cabinet and site controller, allow the controllers to communicate with each other, and allow the site controller to control the energy in order to achieve site level energy management and load balancing, and to include an energy store/battery on the DC bus in order to provide additional power supply to the system for redundancy and potential cost savings of usage times.
2. (Canceled)
With regards to claim 3 the combination discloses, the charger according to claim 1, further comprising a switch matrix arranged between the N DC/DC converters and the D energy exchange ports and configured for coupling one or more of the N DC/DC converters to one or more of the D energy exchange ports [Gotz fig 7 switching elements 722 and 723].
With regards to claim 4 the combination discloses, the charger according to claim 1, wherein the charger is configured to connect to a site controller [Finn Fig. 2 where the chargers 106 are connected to the site controller 110].
With regards to claim 6 the combination discloses, the charger according to claim 1, wherein the energy storage is a battery configured for storing electric energy [Finn fig 2 battery 114].
With regards to claims 7, 12, and 18 the combination discloses, the charger according to claim 1, further comprising one or more solar panels operatively connected to the DC bus (Finn Fig. 2 PV system 118).
Claims 12 and 18 are rejected for similar reasons as claim 7 above, a detailed discussion is avoided for brevity.
With regards to claim 9 Gotz in view of Finn fail to disclose, the charger assembly according to claim 8, wherein the M AC/DC converters and the N DC/DC converters of each charger are arranged within a cabinet having a cabinet controller and wherein the cabinet controller is configured for collecting data from each of the M AC/DC converters and the N DC/DC converters and for distributing power over the N DC/DC converters.
However, Kamal discloses, wherein the M AC/DC converters and the N DC/DC converters of each charger are arranged within a cabinet having a cabinet controller [Fig. 1 system 100 AC-DC 111, DC-DC 150, and Controller 130 and Col. 8 line 65 to Col. 9 line 9 "Fig. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary system architecture for an extremely fast charging and distributed grid resource adequacy management system 100. In a preferred embodiment, the system may be comprised of the following components: an input isolator 110, a high-voltage battery pack 120, a controller 130, a heat exchanger 140, a high power direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converter 150, and one or more electric vehicle (EV) fast charging outlets 160 all self-contained within a single-box design. The single-box, self-contained design allows each charging station system 100 to be easily transported and deployed, requiring only a three-phase connection to an electric grid" where Fig. 1 discloses the AC/DC and DC/DC components within the single-box or claimed cabinet and the controller 130 teaches the claimed cabinet controller], and
wherein the cabinet controller is configured for collecting data from each of the M AC/DC converters and the N DC/DC converters and for distributing power over the N DC/DC converters [Kamal Fig. 1 controller 130 (claimed cabinet controller) Col. 10 lines 22-35 "In a preferred embodiment, the extremely fast charging and distributed grid resource adequacy management system 100 is controlled by an on-board, cloud-connected controller 130 that performs tasks to optimize energy storage, exchange, and distribution. The controller 130 is responsible for mediating grid energy flow optimization, active monitoring of battery health, communicating with EVs via a charger communication protocol, and communicating with a cloud-based service to submit and request various types of data including, but not limited to: grid status and capacity information, power rates, power consumption, charging station status details and history, EV status details and history, battery status and lifespan, payments, consumer profiles, and road and location data" where the grid energy flow optimization, capacity status, energy exchange, and power consumption covers the claimed transmitted data of energy supplied by the AC/DC, energy requested by the DC/DC, and the power distribution of the DC/DC].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further combine the charging systems of Gotz in view of Finn with Kamal to include the AC/DC and DC/DC components in a cabinet along with a controller in order to consolidate electronics, simplify installation, and enable more efficient power distribution within the system.
With regards to claim 10 the combination discloses, the charger assembly according to claim 9, wherein the cabinet controller of each charger is in data communication with a site controller (Finn Fig. 2 site controller 110 in communication with charger controllers 112),
wherein the cabinet controller is configured to transmit the collected data to the site controller (Finn Fig. 2 charge controller 112 has communication link to site controller 110 and ¶45 “The site controller 110 is in data communication with each of the charge controllers 112”), and
wherein the energy delivered to each charger from the power source is controllable by the site controller (Finn ¶19 “the site controller is adapted to control the distribution of power to the one or more DC/DC converters based on requests for power to power an electric vehicle”).
With regards to claims 11 and 17 the combination discloses, the charger assembly according to claim 8, wherein the one or more energy storages connected to the DC bus include at least one battery storage (Fig. 2 battery 114 connected to the DC bus 104).
Claim 17 is rejected for similar reasons as claim 11 above, a detailed discussion is avoided for brevity.
13. (Canceled)
With regards to claim 14 Gotz discloses, a charger assembly for charging electric vehicles [figs 1, 7, and 8],
M AC/DC converters configured to be coupled to a power source at an input side of the M AC/DC converters [fig 7 AC/DC 720 and AC connection 721];
a DC bus connected to an output side of each of the M AC/DC converters [DC link 711];
N DC/DC converters coupled to the DC bus at an input side of the N DC/DC converters [DC/DC converters 710]; and
D energy exchange ports coupled to an output side of one or more of the N DC/DC converters at an input side of the D energy exchange ports, each of the D energy exchange ports configured to be coupled to an electric vehicle [fig 1 charging posts 12],
wherein N > M [fig 7 discloses 4 DC/DC and 2 AC/DC converters].
Gotz fails to disclose, wherein the charger assembly comprises a first charger and a second charger, wherein the first and second chargers are interconnected to each other by the DC bus, and wherein one or more energy storages are connected to the DC bus.
However, Finn discloses, wherein the charger assembly comprises a first charger and a second charger [fig 2 chargers 106], and
wherein the first and second chargers are interconnected to each other by the DC bus [fig 2 chargers 106 are connected to each other via a DC bus 104], and
wherein one or more energy storages are connected to the DC bus [fig 2 battery 114 connected to the DC bus 104].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the charging systems of Gotz with Finn to include plural chargers connected via a bus in order to provide scalability and redundancy, and to include an energy store/battery on the DC bus in order to provide additional power supply to the system for redundancy and potential cost savings of usage times.
Gotz fails to disclose, wherein the M AC/DC converters and the N DC/DC converters of each charger are arranged within a cabinet having a cabinet controller, and wherein the cabinet controller is operatively connected to the AC/DC converters and the DC/DC converters .
However, Kamal discloses, wherein the M AC/DC converters and the N DC/DC converters are arranged within a cabinet having a cabinet controller, and wherein the cabinet controller is operatively connected to the AC/DC converters and the DC/DC converters [Fig. 1 system 100 AC-DC 111, DC-DC 150, and Controller 130 and Col. 8 line 65 to Col. 9 line 9 "Fig. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary system architecture for an extremely fast charging and distributed grid resource adequacy management system 100. In a preferred embodiment, the system may be comprised of the following components: an input isolator 110, a high-voltage battery pack 120, a controller 130, a heat exchanger 140, a high power direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converter 150, and one or more electric vehicle (EV) fast charging outlets 160 all self-contained within a single-box design. The single-box, self-contained design allows each charging station system 100 to be easily transported and deployed, requiring only a three-phase connection to an electric grid" where Fig. 1 discloses the AC/DC and DC/DC components within the single-box or claimed cabinet and the controller 130 teaches the claimed cabinet controller].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the chargers of Gotz and Kamal to include the AC/DC and DC/DC components in a cabinet along with a controller in order to consolidate electronics, simplify installation, and enable more efficient power distribution within the system.
With regards to claim 15 the combination discloses, the charger assembly according to claim 14, wherein the cabinet controller is configured for collecting data from each of the M AC/DC converters and the N DC/DC converters and for distributing power over the N DC/DC converters [Kamal Fig. 1 controller 130 (claimed cabinet controller) Col. 10 lines 22-35 "In a preferred embodiment, the extremely fast charging and distributed grid resource adequacy management system 100 is controlled by an on-board, cloud-connected controller 130 that performs tasks to optimize energy storage, exchange, and distribution. The controller 130 is responsible for mediating grid energy flow optimization, active monitoring of battery health, communicating with EVs via a charger communication protocol, and communicating with a cloud-based service to submit and request various types of data including, but not limited to: grid status and capacity information, power rates, power consumption, charging station status details and history, EV status details and history, battery status and lifespan, payments, consumer profiles, and road and location data" where the grid energy flow optimization, capacity status, energy exchange, and power consumption covers the claimed transmitted data of energy supplied by the AC/DC, energy requested by the DC/DC, and the power distribution of the DC/DC].
With regards to claims 16 the combination discloses, the charger assembly according to claim 15, wherein the cabinet controller of each charger is in data communication with a site controller [Finn Fig. 2 site controller 110 in communication with charger controllers 112], wherein the cabinet controller is configured to transmit the collected data to the site controller [Finn Fig. 2 charge controller 112 has communication link to site controller 110 and ¶45 “The site controller 110 is in data communication with each of the charge controllers 112”], and wherein the energy delivered to each charger from the power source is controllable by the site controller [Finn ¶19 “the site controller is adapted to control the distribution of power to the one or more DC/DC converters based on requests for power to power an electric vehicle”].
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gotz et al. US 20180162229 in view of Kamal et al. US 11007891 further in view of Finn et al US 20230411967 further in view of Jiang et al US 20080179956.
With regards to claim 5 the combination of Finn and Kamal fail to disclose, the charger according to claim 1, further comprising a switch matrix arranged between the M AC/DC converters and the N DC/DC converters, wherein the switch matrix is configured for selectively connecting outputs of the M AC/DC converters to the N DC/DC converters.
However, Jiang discloses, the charger according to claim 1, further comprising a switch matrix arranged between the M AC/DC converters and the N DC/DC converters, wherein the switch matrix is configured for selectively connecting outputs of the M AC/DC converters to the N DC/DC converters (Fig. 3 AC-DC Converter 110 connected to Control Circuit 140 connected to the DC-DC converters VC1-VCn and ¶72 "The control circuit 140 has a first input 1401 for receiving the positive terminal of the first DC voltage V.sub.DC1, a second input 1402 for receiving the ground terminal of the first DC voltage V.sub.DC1, a third input 1403 for receiving the positive terminal of the voltage Supply V.sub.B, a fourth input 1404 for receiving the ground terminal of the voltage supply V.sub.B, a first output 1405 for providing the positive terminal of a second DC voltage V.sub.DC2, and a second output 1406 for providing the ground terminal of the second DC voltage V.sub.DC2. The control circuit 140 receives DC voltages from both the AC-DC converter 110 (input terminals 1401 and 1402, respectively) and the rechargeable battery array 130 (input terminal 1403 and 1404, respectively), and selects one DC voltage for output through the output terminals 1405 and 1406, respectively" and ¶73 "If the AC power supply is received at the input 1101 and 1102 of the AC-DC converter 110, the rechargeable battery array 130 maintains the electric charge and the voltage supply V.sub.B is the same as the first DC voltage V.sub.DC1. In this case, the output terminals 1103 and 1104 of the AC-DC converter 110 are electrically coupled to the output terminals 1405 and 1406 of the control circuit 140, respectively. The second DC voltage V.sub.DC2 draws electrical power from the output terminals 1103 and 1104 of the AC-DC converter 110. If the AC power supply is not received at the input 1101 and 1102 of the AC-DC converter 110, or the first DC voltage V.sub.DC1 is lower than the voltage supply V.sub.B of the rechargeable battery array 130 by a predetermined amount, the control circuit 140 switches the output voltage from the output terminals 1103 and 1104 of the AC-DC converter 110 to the output terminals 1303 and 1304 of the voltage supply V.sub.B, respectively. The output switch over should not have any noticeable change in the output voltage").
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the combination of Gotz, Kamal, and Finn with Jiang to provide switching elements in order to control the power AC/DC converter(s) or battery(ies) outputs providing power to the DC/DC converter(s) that are currently in use.
Conclusion
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/NATHAN J INSTONE/
Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/JULIAN D HUFFMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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