DETAILED ACTION
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
2. This Non-Final office action is in response to application 17/801,632, Applicant’s amendment filed on 11/07/2025.
3. Claims 16 and 20 are currently amended by Applicant. Claims 31-32 are presented as new by Applicant. Claims 1-15, 19, 21, and 24-25 are cancelled by Applicant. Claims 16-18, 20, 22-23 and 26-32 are currently pending in this application.
Response to Arguments
4. Applicant’s arguments and claim amendments have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Mallon.
As a result, Applicant’s arguments and claim amendments filed 11/07/2025 have are now moot because the new ground of rejection relies on reference Mallon in a new 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection, and Mallon was not cited in the prior rejection of record.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
5. The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(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.
(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.
6. Claim(s) 16-18, 20, 22-23 and 28-32 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Mallon, IV et al. (US PG Pub No. 2013/0257373).
7. With respect to claim 16, Mallon teaches:
charging station for charging electric vehicles (charging station for electric vehicles, para 4, 8, 15), comprising
an electric charging cable (charging cable secured to charging cable arm, Abstract, para 4-6, 33-35) and
a spring element (see spring element, para 43);
which is fixed at one end (charging cable with fixed portion 122 attached to elongated arm, para 39; see spring element on/at elongated arm with fixed position on one side, para 42-45) and
which is resiliently movable at another end (see expanded/movable side of spring, para 43),
wherein the spring element at least partially supports the electric charging cable (see attachment of spring element and elongated arm to support attached charging cable, para 43), and wherein
the spring element is arranged at its one end on a technical unit (see portion of spring element 134 attached to technical unit 154, Fig 2c, para 43-45),
the technical unit is fixed under a bottom surface or behind a wall surface (see technical unit or charging apparatus 100/102 shown in Fig 1A, which attaches to the ground, para 6, 8, 30-35),
the charging station comprises a status display (status display in Fig 5A at 104/106, station status on display, Figs 5A-5D, para 49), and
the display is arranged at the other end of the spring element (see display 104/106 at one end of spring shown in Fig 4C, para 48-52).
8. With respect to claim 17, Mallon teaches:
charging station according to claim 16, wherein the spring element partially surrounds the electrical charging cable (see cable handling conduit shown in Fig 3B which clearly has cable coming out of conduit which contains spring, Fig 3B, para 48-52).
9. With respect to claim 18, Mallon teaches:
Charging station according to claim 16, wherein the spring member supports the electrical charging cable in a relaxed state such that the electrical charging cable does not contact a bottom surface (see Fig 3B, where spring and cable conduit system support cable so cable does not touch ground, distance 156b, para 146).
10. With respect to claim 20, Mallon teaches:
Charging station according to claim 19, wherein the technical unit comprises at least one of the following components: cooling device, controller, DC-DC converter, contactor and relay (see electrical equipment suitable for transforming voltage and current to achieve suitable voltage and current to charge EV 20, para 48).
11. With respect to claim 22, Mallon teaches:
Charging station according to claim 16, wherein the charging station comprises a direct current charging station, which is in particular connected to a direct current line (see power supply and electrical equipment suitable for transforming voltage and current to achieve suitable voltage and current to charge EV 20, para 48).
12. With respect to claim 23, Mallon teaches:
Charging station according to claim 16, wherein the electrical charging cable comprises a connector, and the charging station comprises a connector mounting for removably holding the connector (see charging station and connector, Abstract).
13. With respect to claim 28, Mallon teaches:
Charging station according to claim 16, wherein the spring element comprises a coil spring (see coil spring, para 40-45).
14. With respect to claim 29, Mallon teaches:
Charging station according to claim 16, wherein the spring element has at least two different pitches (see pitch at spring based on movement and expansion of spring, Fig 2C-2D, para 40-45).
15. With respect to claim 30, Mallon teaches:
Charging station according to claim 16, wherein the spring element is surrounded by a flexible protective sleeve (see flexible/bendable conduit, para 4-5, 32).
16. With respect to claim 31, Mallon teaches:
the technical unit is fixed under a bottom surface (see power supply coming from ground below charging unit, Fig 2-3C; see power supply and electrical equipment suitable for transforming voltage and current to achieve suitable voltage and current to charge EV 20, para 48).
17. With respect to claim 32, Mallon teaches:
the technical unit is fixed behind a wall surface (see wall-unit, Fig 8A-8B).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
18. 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.
19. Claim(s) 26-27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mallon, IV et al. (US PG Pub No. 2013/0257373) in view of Bianco et al. (US PG Pub No. 2017/0129351).
20. With respect to claim 26, Mallon appears to be silent regarding:
Charging station according to claim 16, wherein the charging station comprises a wireless communication means.
However, Bianco teaches:
Charging station according to claim 16, wherein the charging station comprises a wireless communication means (Fig 35D, wireless communication, payment station, RFID card reader, wireless network data transmission, para 67).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the invention to have incorporated Bianco’s wireless communications feature into the invention of Mallon for at least the following reason(s): as evidenced by Bianco, it is well known in the art that charging stations like those disclosed in both Mallon and Bianco have wireless communications features that enable vehicles and users to receive information and status remotely via their vehicle management system or on a user’s mobile device, and for mobile payment processing and authorization.
21. With respect to claim 27, while Mallon is silent regarding the limitations recited in claim 27, Bianco teaches:
Charging station according to claim 26, wherein the wireless communication means is arranged at the other end of the spring element (see wireless communication element in control box which is located opposite the cable and spring mechanisms, see Fig 35D, and Fig 14-15 for spring functions within cable management box and cable reel 301 of Fig 14-15).
(For motivation to combine Mallon and Bianco, please see rejection of claim 26).
Conclusion
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/SUCHIN PARIHAR/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2851