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 .
Response to Amendment
Acknowledgement is made of the amendment filed on 8/12/2025 in which claims 1, 11, and 20 were amended. No new claims were added. Therefore claims 1-20 are pending for examination below.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 8/12/2025, have been considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection as necessitated by the amendment.
Claim Objections
Claim 11 is objected to because of the following informalities: claim 11 recites on line 5 “the electric vehicle”, there is no antecedent basis for “the electric vehicle”, examiner recommends changing it to “an electric vehicle”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 6-12, and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Malik et al. US 20180290553 in view of Uyeki et al. US 20190184844.
With regards to claim 1 Malik discloses, a system (Fig. 2 electric vehicle architecture 200), comprising:
processing circuitry (Fig. 2 vehicle computing device 202 discloses claimed "processing circuitry") configured to:
determine a distance to reach a priority location (¶44 “predetermined distance range (e.g., 10-20 miles based on the operation of the EV 102”);
determine whether a current state of charge of an electric vehicle is insufficient for the vehicle to travel the distance (¶44 "In one embodiment, the smart charge application 118 may also communicate with the battery of the EV 102 to determine a minimum required charge of the battery 106. The minimum required charge of the battery 106 may include a minimum charge that is required for the battery 106 to operate the electric motor 106 of the EV 102 for a predetermined time range (e.g., 40-60 minutes based on operation of the EV 102) and/or a predetermined distance range (e.g., 10-20 miles based on the operation of the EV 102)" where time and distance ranges are used to determine whether a location can be reached or not); and
in response to (a) the electric vehicle being connected to a charger at a time outside of the charging timeframe of the charging schedule (Fig. 5, ¶58 “In an exemplary embodiment, upon the EV 102 being connected to the charging station 112 to initiate the charging session, the SOC determinant module 404 may communicate with the battery 106 of the EV 102 and may determine the current SOC of the EV 102. Upon determining the current SOC of the EV 102, the SOC determinant module 404 may communicate the current SOC to the charging logic engine 408. The charging logic engine 408 may compare the current SOC to the minimum SOC, the target SOC (that may apply to the timeframe of the initiated charging session), and the maximum SOC. If the charging logic engine 408 determines that the current SOC is below the minimum SOC, the smart charge application 118 may initiate the method 500 at block 502, wherein the method 500 may including controlling charging of the EV 102 to charge the EV 102 to a minimum SOC”, ¶59 “In some embodiments, upon receipt of the signal(s) from the SOC determinant module 404 that pertains to the current SOC of the EV 102 reaching the minimum SOC, the charging logic engine 408 may send charging disable signal(s) to the vehicle computing device 202 and/or the charging station 112 to disable charging of the EV 102”, and ¶60 “If it is determined that the current SOC of the EV 102 does not reach the minimum SOC (at block 504), charging of the EV 102 may continue (per block 502). If it is determined that the current SOC of the EV 102 does reach the minimum SOC (at block 504), the method 500 may proceed to block 506, wherein the method 500 may include creating a charging schedule to reach a target SOC” disclosing that the vehicle can be charged to a minimum SOC outside of a charging schedule, and, once the minimum SOC is met the charging is disabled, then, in order to reach a target SOC a charging schedule is utilized) and
(b) determining that the current state of charge of the electric vehicle is insufficient for the vehicle to travel the distance, facilitate initiation of charging at an earlier time than the charging timeframe so that the electric vehicle is charged to a sufficient range to reach the priority location (¶44 "Upon determining the minimum required charge of the battery 106, the smart charge application 118 may store the minimum required charge of the battery 106 as the minimum SOC of the EV 102 within the data store 208 and/or the data store 308. As will be discussed below, the minimum SOC may be utilized by the smart charge application 118 as a threshold value that may be compared to the current SOC of the EV 102. For example, the minimum SOC may include a SOC of 10% that may be utilized as the threshold value that may be compared to the current SOC of the EV 102 when the smart charging functionality is enabled and the EV 102 is connected to the charging station 112 (labeled as the saved charging station) via the charging link 114" where along with the previous teachings of Malik, regardless of the charging schedule and/or timeframe the system will ensure that the EV has a minimum SOC required to operate within a minimum time and/or distance (claimed "priority location")); and
memory configured to store the charging schedule for charging the electric vehicle during the charging timeframe (Fig. 1 and 2 memory 206, abstract "A system and method for creating a charging schedule for an electric vehicle that include determining a current state of charge of the electric vehicle" and ¶49 "As discussed, the smart charge application 118 may include various modules and/or logic to facilitate creation and implementation of the one or more charging schedules and/or charging of the EV 102").
Malik fails to disclose receive a user input defining a charging timeframe; and determine a charging schedule based on the received user input.
However Uyeki discloses, receive a user input defining a charging timeframe (Fig. 2 block 204 and ¶31 “Further, the user may input the times a user may depart from a location, the duration of charging at a specific period time” where the duration and period of time both read on the claimed user input charging timeframe); and
determine a charging schedule based on the received user input (Fig. 2 blocks 204 thru 210 and ¶37 “For example, the alterations or adjustments may be based upon input changes by a user regarding preferences”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Malik and Uyeki to have the user input define a charging timeframe to better control the charging in order to improve user control and convenience.
With regards to claim 2 the combination discloses, the system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine the priority location based on user driving history (Malik ¶45 "In one embodiment, the smart charge application 118 may communicate with the battery 106, the GPS 210, and/or the plurality of vehicle systems 212 to determine a driving profile of the EV 102. The driving profile of the EV 102 may include a profile of the average distance and/or time the EV 102 is driven during one or more specific timeframes. For example, the driving profile of the EV 102 may include a profile of the average distance and/or time the EV 102 is driven for each day of the week", where the disclosed profile (average distance and/or time) includes the limitations of the claimed priority location which is utilized by the disclosed system to create the driving profile or claimed user driving history).
With regards to claim 6 the combination discloses, the system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine an estimated cost to charge the electric vehicle to reach the sufficient range based on a charge cost rate associated with the charge (Malik ¶2 "The method also includes determining an average price per kilowatt-hour of energy to charge the electric vehicle to reach at least one of: the target state of charge and a maximum state of charge of the electric vehicle").
With regards to claim 7 the combination discloses, the system of claim 6, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine the estimated cost to charge the electric vehicle to reach the sufficient range by:
identifying the charge cost rate based on a current time of day and the charger (Malik ¶30 "In one embodiment, the utility computing infrastructure 116 may receive perspective and/or real-time price data that may be provided by each respective energy provider to communicate different utility rates. The perspective and/or real-time price data may include daily energy rates during a certain period of time (e.g, hourly, daily, weekly)" and ¶30 "The price per kWh may include a dynamic value that may change over time based on a time of day, a season, a region, a time zone, etc");
determining a current electric vehicle range; determining a charge amount needed to reach the sufficient range based on a route distance to the priority location and the current electric vehicle range; and determining the estimated cost to charge the electric vehicle to reach the sufficient range based on the charge cost rate and the charge amount (Malik Abstract "A system and method for creating a charging schedule for an electric vehicle that include determining a current state of charge of the electric vehicle. The system and method also include determining an average price per kilowatt-hour of energy to charge the electric vehicle to reach at least one of: a target state of charge of the electric vehicle and a maximum state of charge of the electric vehicle. The system and method further include creating the charging schedule based on the current state of charge and the average price per kilowatt-hour of energy" and ¶55 "As discussed below, the pricing determinant module 406 may evaluate the current SOC of the EV 102 with respect to the target SOC of the EV 102 and/or the maximum SOC of the EV 102. The charging logic engine 408 may calculate a time to charge value (TTC value) that may be provided for each the target SOC and maximum SOC to the pricing determinant module 406. The TTC value may reflect an estimated time to charge the battery 106 of the EV 102 from the current SOC to the target SOC. Additionally, another TTC value may reflect an estimated time to charge the battery 106 of the EV 102 from the current SOC to the target SOC. In one or more embodiments, the pricing determinant module 406 may determine the average price(s) per kWh based on the TTC to achieve the target SOC and/or the maximum SOC based on the particular timeframe (e.g., time, day, etc.) for a particular charging session of the EV 102").
With regards to claim 8 the combination discloses, the system of claim 6, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: determine whether the estimated cost exceeds a cost sensitivity index previously identified by the user (Malik ¶61 "In some embodiments, the one or more charging intervals of the charging schedule may be determined based on one or more price thresholds and the aforementioned driving profile" where the disclosed price thresholds read on the claimed cost sensitivity index); and
in response to the estimated cost exceeding the cost sensitivity index, causing a notification to be generated, which enables the user to cancel the initiation of charging at an earlier time than the charging timeframe (Malik ¶39 "In an exemplary embodiment, the smart charge application 118 may include one or more user input interfaces and/or input means (e.g., buttons) that may be presented via the display 218, presented via the portable device 222, and or included within the EV 102 and/or on the portable device 222. In one embodiment, the one or more user input interfaces and/or input means may include enable and disable inputs that may be utilized by an individual to enable or disable smart charging functionality. More specifically, if the individual utilizes the enable input to enable the smart charging functionality, the smart charge application 118 may create one or more charging schedules based on analyzing the current SOC of the EV 102 and the price per kWh for one or more periods of time provided by the utility computing infrastructure 116" disclosing that the user is presented with information on a display (either within the vehicle or on a portable device) that allows them to determine if they want to charge the vehicle or not).
With regards to claim 9 the combination discloses, the system of claim 8, wherein the notification comprises:
a distance the electric vehicle can travel at the sufficient range or an identification of the priority location (Malik ¶75 "If the charging logic engine 408 determines that the current SOC is above the target SOC, the smart charge application 118 may initiate the method 700 at block 702, wherein the method 700 may include calculating a TTC value to charge the EV to a maximum SOC);
the estimated cost; and an option that enables the user to cancel the initiation of charging at an earlier time than the charging timeframe (Malik ¶39 "In an exemplary embodiment, the smart charge application 118 may include one or more user input interfaces and/or input means (e.g., buttons) that may be presented via the display 218, presented via the portable device 222, and or included within the EV 102 and/or on the portable device 222. In one embodiment, the one or more user input interfaces and/or input means may include enable and disable inputs that may be utilized by an individual to enable or disable smart charging functionality. More specifically, if the individual utilizes the enable input to enable the smart charging functionality, the smart charge application 118 may create one or more charging schedules based on analyzing the current SOC of the EV 102 and the price per kWh for one or more periods of time provided by the utility computing infrastructure 116").
With regards to claim 10 the combination discloses, the system of claim 1, wherein the charging timeframe comprises a user-inputted charging timeframe for when to charge the electric vehicle (Malik ¶39 "The charge execution input may be utilized to initiate charging of the EV 102 based on the individual's intent to have the EV 102 charged for a period of time per his/her choosing or until the EV 102 reaches a maximum SOC").
With regards to claim 11 Malik discloses, a method, comprising:
determining a distance to reach a priority location (¶44 “predetermined distance range (e.g., 10-20 miles based on the operation of the EV 102)”);
determining, using processing circuitry (Fig. 2 vehicle computing device 202 discloses claimed "processing circuitry"),
whether the electric vehicle is connected to a charger at a time outside of the charging schedule for charging the electric vehicle (¶40 "In other words, when enabled, the smart charge application 118 may only create the one or more charging schedules that pertain to the EV 102 when it is determined that the EV 102 is connected to a saved charging station(s). For example, if the individual designates the charging station 112 as a saved charging station, if the smart charge application 118 determines the EV 102 is connected to the charging station 112, the smart charge application 118 may create the one or more charging schedules that pertain to the EV 102");
determining, using the processing circuitry, whether a current state of charge of the electric vehicle is insufficient for the vehicle to travel the distance (¶44 "In one embodiment, the smart charge application 118 may also communicate with the battery of the EV 102 to determine a minimum required charge of the battery 106. The minimum required charge of the battery 106 may include a minimum charge that is required for the battery 106 to operate the electric motor 106 of the EV 102 for a predetermined time range (e.g., 40-60 minutes based on operation of the EV 102) and/or a predetermined distance range (e.g., 10-20 miles based on the operation of the EV 102)" where time and distance ranges are used to determine whether a location can be reached or not); and
in response to (a) determining that the electric vehicle is connected to a charger at a time outside of the charging timeframe of the charging schedule (¶58 “In an exemplary embodiment, upon the EV 102 being connected to the charging station 112 to initiate the charging session, the SOC determinant module 404 may communicate with the battery 106 of the EV 102 and may determine the current SOC of the EV 102. Upon determining the current SOC of the EV 102, the SOC determinant module 404 may communicate the current SOC to the charging logic engine 408. The charging logic engine 408 may compare the current SOC to the minimum SOC, the target SOC (that may apply to the timeframe of the initiated charging session), and the maximum SOC. If the charging logic engine 408 determines that the current SOC is below the minimum SOC, the smart charge application 118 may initiate the method 500 at block 502, wherein the method 500 may including controlling charging of the EV 102 to charge the EV 102 to a minimum SOC”, ¶59 “In some embodiments, upon receipt of the signal(s) from the SOC determinant module 404 that pertains to the current SOC of the EV 102 reaching the minimum SOC, the charging logic engine 408 may send charging disable signal(s) to the vehicle computing device 202 and/or the charging station 112 to disable charging of the EV 102”, and ¶60 “If it is determined that the current SOC of the EV 102 does not reach the minimum SOC (at block 504), charging of the EV 102 may continue (per block 502). If it is determined that the current SOC of the EV 102 does reach the minimum SOC (at block 504), the method 500 may proceed to block 506, wherein the method 500 may include creating a charging schedule to reach a target SOC” disclosing that the vehicle can be charged to a minimum SOC outside of a charging schedule, and, once the minimum SOC is met the charging is disabled, then, in order to reach a target SOC a charging schedule is utilized) and
(b) determining that the current state of charge of the electric vehicle is insufficient for the vehicle to travel the distance, facilitating, using the processing circuitry, initiation of charging at an earlier time than the charging timeframe so that the electric vehicle is charged to a sufficient range to reach the priority location (¶44 "Upon determining the minimum required charge of the battery 106, the smart charge application 118 may store the minimum required charge of the battery 106 as the minimum SOC of the EV 102 within the data store 208 and/or the data store 308. As will be discussed below, the minimum SOC may be utilized by the smart charge application 118 as a threshold value that may be compared to the current SOC of the EV 102. For example, the minimum SOC may include a SOC of 10% that may be utilized as the threshold value that may be compared to the current SOC of the EV 102 when the smart charging functionality is enabled and the EV 102 is connected to the charging station 112 (labeled as the saved charging station) via the charging link 114" where along with the previous teachings of Malik that regardless of the charging schedule and/or timeframe the system will ensure that the EV has a minimum SOC required to operate within a minimum time and/or distance (claimed "priority location")).
Malik fails to disclose receiving a user input defining a charging timeframe; and determining a charging schedule based on the received user input.
However, Uyeki discloses receiving a user input defining a charging timeframe (Fig. 2 block 204 and ¶31 “Further, the user may input the times a user may depart from a location, the duration of charging at a specific period time” where the duration and period of time both read on the claimed user input charging timeframe); and
determining a charging schedule based on the received user input (Fig. 2 blocks 204 thru 210 and ¶37 “For example, the alterations or adjustments may be based upon input changes by a user regarding preferences”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Malik and Uyeki to have the user input define a charging timeframe to better control the charging in order to improve user control and convenience.
With regards to claim 12 the combination discloses, the method of claim 11, further comprising determining the priority location based on user driving history (Malik ¶45 "In one embodiment, the smart charge application 118 may communicate with the battery 106, the GPS 210, and/or the plurality of vehicle systems 212 to determine a driving profile of the EV 102. The driving profile of the EV 102 may include a profile of the average distance and/or time the EV 102 is driven during one or more specific timeframes. For example, the driving profile of the EV 102 may include a profile of the average distance and/or time the EV 102 is driven for each day of the week", where the disclosed profile (average distance and/or time) includes the limitations of the claimed priority location which is utilized by the disclosed system to create the driving profile or claimed user driving history).
With regards to claim 16 the combination discloses, the method of claim 11, further comprising determining an estimated cost to charge the electric vehicle to reach the sufficient range based on a charge cost rate associated with the charging (Malik ¶2 "The method also includes determining an average price per kilowatt-hour of energy to charge the electric vehicle to reach at least one of: the target state of charge and a maximum state of charge of the electric vehicle").
With regards to claim 17 the combination discloses, the method of claim 16, wherein determining the estimated cost to charge the electric vehicle to reach the sufficient range comprises:
identifying the charge cost rate based on a current time of day and the charger (Malik ¶30 "In one embodiment, the utility computing infrastructure 116 may receive perspective and/or real-time price data that may be provided by each respective energy provider to communicate different utility rates. The perspective and/or real-time price data may include daily energy rates during a certain period of time (e.g, hourly, daily, weekly)" and ¶30 "The price per kWh may include a dynamic value that may change over time based on a time of day, a season, a region, a time zone, etc");
determining a current electric vehicle range; determining a charge amount needed to reach the sufficient range based on a route distance to the priority location and the current electric vehicle range (Abstract "A system and method for creating a charging schedule for an electric vehicle that include determining a current state of charge of the electric vehicle. The system and method also include determining an average price per kilowatt-hour of energy to charge the electric vehicle to reach at least one of: a target state of charge of the electric vehicle and a maximum state of charge of the electric vehicle. The system and method further include creating the charging schedule based on the current state of charge and the average price per kilowatt-hour of energy"); and
determining the estimated cost to charge the electric vehicle to reach the sufficient range based on the charge cost rate and the charge amount (Malik ¶55 "As discussed below, the pricing determinant module 406 may evaluate the current SOC of the EV 102 with respect to the target SOC of the EV 102 and/or the maximum SOC of the EV 102. The charging logic engine 408 may calculate a time to charge value (TTC value) that may be provided for each the target SOC and maximum SOC to the pricing determinant module 406. The TTC value may reflect an estimated time to charge the battery 106 of the EV 102 from the current SOC to the target SOC. Additionally, another TTC value may reflect an estimated time to charge the battery 106 of the EV 102 from the current SOC to the target SOC. In one or more embodiments, the pricing determinant module 406 may determine the average price(s) per kWh based on the TTC to achieve the target SOC and/or the maximum SOC based on the particular timeframe (e.g., time, day, etc.) for a particular charging session of the EV 102").
With regards to claim 18 the combination discloses, the method of claim 16, further comprising:
determining whether the estimated cost exceeds a cost sensitivity index previously identified by the user (Malik ¶61 "In some embodiments, the one or more charging intervals of the charging schedule may be determined based on one or more price thresholds and the aforementioned driving profile" where the disclosed price thresholds read on the claimed cost sensitivity index); and
in response to the estimated cost exceeding the cost sensitivity index, causing a notification to be generated, which enables the user to cancel the initiation of charging at an earlier time than the charging timeframe (Malik ¶39 "In an exemplary embodiment, the smart charge application 118 may include one or more user input interfaces and/or input means (e.g., buttons) that may be presented via the display 218, presented via the portable device 222, and or included within the EV 102 and/or on the portable device 222. In one embodiment, the one or more user input interfaces and/or input means may include enable and disable inputs that may be utilized by an individual to enable or disable smart charging functionality. More specifically, if the individual utilizes the enable input to enable the smart charging functionality, the smart charge application 118 may create one or more charging schedules based on analyzing the current SOC of the EV 102 and the price per kWh for one or more periods of time provided by the utility computing infrastructure 116").
With regards to claim 19 the combination discloses, the method of claim 18, wherein the notification comprises: a distance the electric vehicle can travel at the sufficient range or an identification of the priority location (Malik ¶75 "If the charging logic engine 408 determines that the current SOC is above the target SOC, the smart charge application 118 may initiate the method 700 at block 702, wherein the method 700 may include calculating a TTC value to charge the EV to a maximum SOC. In one embodiment, the charging logic engine 408 may send communication signal(s) to the display 218 and/or the portable device 222 to present the calculated TTC value as a remaining time required to charge the EV 102 to the maximum SOC to the individual. The individual may utilize this information to determine if he/she would like to disable the smart charging functionality or allow the charging of the EV 102 to initiate");
the estimated cost; and an option that enables the user to cancel the initiation of charging at an earlier time than the charging timeframe (Malik ¶39 "In an exemplary embodiment, the smart charge application 118 may include one or more user input interfaces and/or input means (e.g., buttons) that may be presented via the display 218, presented via the portable device 222, and or included within the EV 102 and/or on the portable device 222. In one embodiment, the one or more user input interfaces and/or input means may include enable and disable inputs that may be utilized by an individual to enable or disable smart charging functionality. More specifically, if the individual utilizes the enable input to enable the smart charging functionality, the smart charge application 118 may create one or more charging schedules based on analyzing the current SOC of the EV 102 and the price per kWh for one or more periods of time provided by the utility computing infrastructure 116").
With regards to claim 20 Malik discloses, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having non-transitory computer-readable instructions encoded thereon (¶80 "The embodiments discussed herein may also be described and implemented in the context of computer-readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions") that,
when executed by processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to: determine a distance to reach a priority location (¶44 “predetermined distance range (e.g., 10-20 miles based on the operation of the EV 102”);
determine whether an electric vehicle is connected to a charger at a time outside of the charging schedule for charging the electric vehicle (¶40 "In other words, when enabled, the smart charge application 118 may only create the one or more charging schedules that pertain to the EV 102 when it is determined that the EV 102 is connected to a saved charging station(s). For example, if the individual designates the charging station 112 as a saved charging station, if the smart charge application 118 determines the EV 102 is connected to the charging station 112, the smart charge application 118 may create the one or more charging schedules that pertain to the EV 102");
determine whether a current state of charge of the electric vehicle is insufficient for the vehicle to travel the distance (Fig. 2 vehicle computing device 202 discloses claimed "processing circuitry" and ¶44 "In one embodiment, the smart charge application 118 may also communicate with the battery of the EV 102 to determine a minimum required charge of the battery 106. The minimum required charge of the battery 106 may include a minimum charge that is required for the battery 106 to operate the electric motor 106 of the EV 102 for a predetermined time range (e.g., 40-60 minutes based on operation of the EV 102) and/or a predetermined distance range (e.g., 10-20 miles based on the operation of the EV 102)"); and
in response to (a) determining that the electric vehicle is connected to a charger at a time outside the charging timeframe of the charging schedule (¶58 “In an exemplary embodiment, upon the EV 102 being connected to the charging station 112 to initiate the charging session, the SOC determinant module 404 may communicate with the battery 106 of the EV 102 and may determine the current SOC of the EV 102. Upon determining the current SOC of the EV 102, the SOC determinant module 404 may communicate the current SOC to the charging logic engine 408. The charging logic engine 408 may compare the current SOC to the minimum SOC, the target SOC (that may apply to the timeframe of the initiated charging session), and the maximum SOC. If the charging logic engine 408 determines that the current SOC is below the minimum SOC, the smart charge application 118 may initiate the method 500 at block 502, wherein the method 500 may including controlling charging of the EV 102 to charge the EV 102 to a minimum SOC”, ¶59 “In some embodiments, upon receipt of the signal(s) from the SOC determinant module 404 that pertains to the current SOC of the EV 102 reaching the minimum SOC, the charging logic engine 408 may send charging disable signal(s) to the vehicle computing device 202 and/or the charging station 112 to disable charging of the EV 102”, and ¶60 “If it is determined that the current SOC of the EV 102 does not reach the minimum SOC (at block 504), charging of the EV 102 may continue (per block 502). If it is determined that the current SOC of the EV 102 does reach the minimum SOC (at block 504), the method 500 may proceed to block 506, wherein the method 500 may include creating a charging schedule to reach a target SOC” disclosing that the vehicle can be charged to a minimum SOC outside of a charging schedule, and, once the minimum SOC is met the charging is disabled, then, in order to reach a target SOC a charging schedule is utilized) and
(b) determining that the current state of charge of the electric vehicle is insufficient for the vehicle to travel the distance, facilitate the initiation of charging at an earlier time than the charging timeframe so that the electric vehicle is charged to a sufficient range to reach the priority location (¶44 "Upon determining the minimum required charge of the battery 106, the smart charge application 118 may store the minimum required charge of the battery 106 as the minimum SOC of the EV 102 within the data store 208 and/or the data store 308. As will be discussed below, the minimum SOC may be utilized by the smart charge application 118 as a threshold value that may be compared to the current SOC of the EV 102. For example, the minimum SOC may include a SOC of 10% that may be utilized as the threshold value that may be compared to the current SOC of the EV 102 when the smart charging functionality is enabled and the EV 102 is connected to the charging station 112 (labeled as the saved charging station) via the charging link 114" where along with the previous teachings of Malik that regardless of the charging schedule and/or timeframe the system will ensure that the EV has a minimum SOC required to operate within a minimum time and/or distance (claimed "priority location")).
Malik fails to disclose receive a user input defining a charging timeframe; and determine a charging schedule based on the received user input.
However Uyeki discloses, receive a user input defining a charging timeframe (Fig. 2 block 204 and ¶31 “Further, the user may input the times a user may depart from a location, the duration of charging at a specific period time” where the duration and period of time both read on the claimed user input charging timeframe); and
determine a charging schedule based on the received user input (Fig. 2 blocks 204 thru 210 and ¶37 “For example, the alterations or adjustments may be based upon input changes by a user regarding preferences”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Malik and Uyeki to have the user input define a charging timeframe to better control the charging in order to improve user control and convenience.
Claims 3-5 and 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Malik et al. US 20180290553 in view of Uyeki US 20190184844, hereinafter Uyeki 4844, further in view of Uyeki US 20120109519, hereinafter Uyeki 9519.
With regards to claim 3 Malik in view of Uyeki 4844 fails to disclose the system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine the priority location by searching for one or more emergency locations closest to the electric vehicle.
However Uyeki 9519 discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine the priority location by searching for one or more emergency locations closest to the electric vehicle (¶26 "In normal operation, the navigation system 150 receives a desired traveling destination 148 from an operator, for instance, using the interface 134, or can obtain the destination from another vehicle system or external system, such as a database of certain points of interest providing destination locations or for emergency routing to a hospital or other location 148").
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Malik in view of Uyeki 4844 with Uyeki 9519 to determine an emergency location based on the location of the vehicle in order to ensure the vehicle/user is capable of reaching the location required.
With regards to claim 4 the combination teaches the system of claim 3, wherein the one or more emergency locations comprises one or more of a hospital, medical clinic, veterinarian office, or a user inputted priority location (Uyeki 9519 ¶26 "In normal operation, the navigation system 150 receives a desired traveling destination 148 from an operator, for instance, using the interface 134, or can obtain the destination from another vehicle system or external system, such as a database of certain points of interest providing destination locations or for emergency routing to a hospital or other location 148").
With regards to claim 5 the combination teaches the system of claim 3, wherein: the one or more emergency locations comprise a plurality of emergency locations; the processing circuitry is further configured to: determine a route distance to each of the plurality of emergency locations; and determine a longest route distance of the determined route distances (Uyeki 9519 ¶26 "In certain embodiments, the navigation system 150 searches for a traveling route 140 extending from the current vehicle location 146 obtained from the GPS system 136 to the desired destination 148, divides the traveling route into segments, and may associate one of a plurality of traveling modes with each segment of the segmented traveling route 140. In certain embodiments, the navigation system 150 determines multiple candidate routes 140 and displays these to the user via the interface 134, allowing the driver to select a candidate for use in routing to the destination 148" where the multiple candidate routes would be inclusive of a longest route distance); and
the processing circuitry is configured determine whether the current state of charge of the electric vehicle is insufficient to reach the priority location based on the longest route distance (Uyeki 9519 ¶28 "The system 150 determines at 310 whether the current SOC value 144 for the vehicle 100 meets or exceeds the estimated charge expenditure for the selected route").
With regards to claim 13 the combination discloses, the method of claim 11, further comprising determining the priority location by searching for one or more emergency locations closest to the electric vehicle (Uyeki 9519 ¶26 "In normal operation, the navigation system 150 receives a desired traveling destination 148 from an operator, for instance, using the interface 134, or can obtain the destination from another vehicle system or external system, such as a database of certain points of interest providing destination locations or for emergency routing to a hospital or other location 148").
With regards to claim 14 the combination discloses, the method of claim 13, wherein the one or more emergency locations comprises one or more of a hospital, medical clinic, veterinarian office, or a user-inputted priority location (Uyeki 9519 ¶26 "In normal operation, the navigation system 150 receives a desired traveling destination 148 from an operator, for instance, using the interface 134, or can obtain the destination from another vehicle system or external system, such as a database of certain points of interest providing destination locations or for emergency routing to a hospital or other location 148").
With regards to claim 15 the combination discloses, the method of claim 13, wherein:
searching for the one or more emergency locations closest to the electric vehicle comprises:
determining a route distance to each of the emergency locations; and determining a longest route distance of the determined route distances (Uyeki 9519 ¶26 "In certain embodiments, the navigation system 150 searches for a traveling route 140 extending from the current vehicle location 146 obtained from the GPS system 136 to the desired destination 148, divides the traveling route into segments, and may associate one of a plurality of traveling modes with each segment of the segmented traveling route 140. In certain embodiments, the navigation system 150 determines multiple candidate routes 140 and displays these to the user via the interface 134, allowing the driver to select a candidate for use in routing to the destination 148", where the multiple candidate routes would be inclusive of a longest route distance); and
determining whether the current state of charge of the electric vehicle is insufficient to reach the priority location is based on the longest route distance (Uyeki 9519 ¶28 "The system 150 determines at 310 whether the current SOC value 144 for the vehicle 100 meets or exceeds the estimated charge expenditure for the selected route").
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Nathan Instone whose telephone number is (571)272-1563. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-4 EST.
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/NATHANIEL J INSTONE/Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/JULIAN D HUFFMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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