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 9/15/2025 in which claims 1, 4, 9, and 11 were amended. No new claims were added. The claim objections have been overcome. Therefore claims 1-20 are pending for examination below.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 9/15/2025, have been considered but are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that “because of the parallel bus configuration, no intervening charging pile, such as pile 2, needs to take any action for charging pule 1 to receive power from any other charging pile”, but the examiner does not see how this is any different than what is currently being claimed by the applicant. The “interface switch” being closed would still allow power to be routed to any/all of the piles that are connected via the M interfaces.
Applicant also argues that “Zhang discloses a parallel bus configuration where power is made available between all charging piles without having to pass through other intermediate piles, no intermediate pile needs to close a switch to allow power to pass between interfaces so that power can be conducted from a pile connected to one interface to a pile connected to a second interface. Thus, Zhang fails to disclose an interface switch that, when closed, allowed power to flow from a charging pile connected to a first interface to another charging pile connected to a second interface.” Examiner disagrees, the new limitation in the claim recites “the interface switch, when closed, allows power to flow from a second charging pile connected to a first one of the M interfaces to a third charging pile connected to a second one of the M interfaces”, which is disclosed within Zhang Fig. 2 where the switches, when closed, allow power to flow from a second (or nth) charging pile to a third (or nth) charging pile and in Figs. 4 and 5 of Zhang where each of the charging piles is connected via interfaces. The switches of Zhang being closed determines which piles are connected to allow charging, so the piles can connect via the “interface switches” in order to add or remove piles from the system as needed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhang et al. CN 111137152.
With regards to claim 1 Zhang discloses, a charging pile, comprising: N charging branches (Fig. 1 charging pile 10 and Figs. 3-5, where each pile comprises two charging branches),
wherein each charging branch of the N charging branches comprises a charging gun (Fig. 1 charging gun 104),
a power module configured to supply power for the charging gun (Fig. 1 converter 102), and
an intra-branch switch connected between the charging gun and the power module (Fig. 3 discloses switches between the charging gun 104 and power);
K charging controllers (Fig. 1 power distribution controller 108),
wherein each charging controller of the K charging controllers is connected to at least one intra-branch switch (Fig. 3),
wherein each charging controller is configured to control turn-on and turn-off of the connected intra-branch switch (Fig. 3 power distribution controller with CAN (communication) lines to the switches),
wherein N ≥ K ≥ 1, and wherein N and K are integers (Figs. 1 discloses a single pile and 3-5 disclose plural piles of Fig. 1);
M interfaces, configured to connect to one or more charging piles other than the charging pile (Figs. 4 and 5 disclose parallel interface circuits), wherein N ≥ M ≥ 1, and wherein M is an integer; and
an interface switch, configured to connect to every two of the M interfaces, wherein each charging branch of the N charging branches is connected to one interface of the M interfaces using an external switch (Fig. 3 discloses plural Type B switch modules and ¶51 "Through the circuit design shown in the figure, each charging gun can share the internal and external parallel expansion type B switching DC module"), and
the interface switch, when closed, allows power to flow from a second charging pile connected to a first one of the M interfaces to a third charging pile connected to a second one of the M interfaces (Fig. 2 discloses the interface switches that when closed allow power to flow from a second charging pile to a third charging pile via the interfaces in Figs. 4/5 and ¶56 “As shown in Figure 4, the two connecting busbars of the parallel expansion of the dual DC charging piles are the electrical connection ports. Each charging pile has two charging guns, and a total of four charging guns are available. Each charging gun is connected to a DC contactor between it and the busbar. The pile contains four Type B switch modules, each with four DC bus outputs. The modules are connected to each other through these four bus lines. The DC contactor in Figure 2 can determine which DC bus line the module is connected to, thus achieving precise dynamic power distribution with the power of a single module as the basic adjustment unit” and ¶57 “Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a parallel expansion circuit for multiple DC charging piles according to another exemplary embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, n DC charging piles can be connected in parallel to expand the charging system. Each charging pile is equipped with an external interface circuit with two external terminals. One terminal leads out a DC bus to share with other charging piles, and the other terminal receives the shared DC bus from other charging piles”).
With regards to claim 2, Zhang discloses, the charging pile according to claim 1, wherein N≥2 (Figs. 4 and 5 disclose plural piles), wherein every two of the N charging branches are connected to each other by an inter-branch switch (Figs. 3-5 switches), and wherein the inter-branch switch is controlled by one charging controller of the K charging controllers (Figs. 1 and 3 power distribution controller 108 where there is CAN (communication) lines between the controller and the internal and external interfaces to control the power flow).
With regards to claim 3 Zhang discloses, the charging pile according to claim 1, wherein N=M=2 (Figs. 4 and 5 multiple piles each with 2 interfaces).
With regards to claim 4 Zhang discloses, a charging system, comprising: a plurality of charging piles (Figs. 4 and 5),
each charging pile of the plurality of charging piles comprising: N charging branches (Fig. 1 charging pile 10 and Figs. 3-5),
wherein each charging branch of the N charging branches comprises a charging gun (Fig. 1 charging gun 104),
a power module configured to supply power for the charging gun (Fig. 1 converter 102), and
an intra-branch switch connected between the charging gun and the power module (Fig. 3 discloses switches between the charging gun 104 and the power);
K charging controllers (Fig. 1 power distribution controller 108),
wherein each charging controller of the K charging controllers is connected to at least one intra-branch switch (Fig. 3),
wherein each charging controller is configured to control turn-on and turn-off of the connected intra-branch switch (Fig. 3 power distribution controller with CAN (communication) lines to the switches), wherein N ≥ K ≥ 1, and wherein N and Kare integers;
M interfaces, configured to connect to one or more charging piles other than the respective charging pile (Figs. 4 and 5 disclose parallel interface circuits), wherein N ≥ M ≥ 1, and wherein M is an integer; and
an interface switch, configured to connect to every two of the M interfaces, wherein each charging branch of the N charging branches is connected to one interface of the M interfaces using an external switch (Fig. 3 discloses plural Type B switch modules and ¶51 "Through the circuit design shown in the figure, each charging gun can share the internal and external parallel expansion type B switching DC module"),
wherein each charging pile of the plurality of charging piles is connected to one or more other charging piles, of the plurality of charging piles, in the charging system through an interface (Figs. 4 and 5), and
the interface switch of each of the plurality of charging piles, when closed, allows power to flow from a second charging pile of the plurality of charging piles connected to a first one of the M interfaces to a third charging pile of the plurality of charging piles connected to a second one of the M interfaces (Fig. 2 discloses the interface switches that when closed allow power to flow from a second charging pile to a third charging pile via the interfaces in Figs. 4/5 and ¶56 “As shown in Figure 4, the two connecting busbars of the parallel expansion of the dual DC charging piles are the electrical connection ports. Each charging pile has two charging guns, and a total of four charging guns are available. Each charging gun is connected to a DC contactor between it and the busbar. The pile contains four Type B switch modules, each with four DC bus outputs. The modules are connected to each other through these four bus lines. The DC contactor in Figure 2 can determine which DC bus line the module is connected to, thus achieving precise dynamic power distribution with the power of a single module as the basic adjustment unit” and ¶57 “Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a parallel expansion circuit for multiple DC charging piles according to another exemplary embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, n DC charging piles can be connected in parallel to expand the charging system. Each charging pile is equipped with an external interface circuit with two external terminals. One terminal leads out a DC bus to share with other charging piles, and the other terminal receives the shared DC bus from other charging piles”).
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 5-7, 9-14, 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. CN 111137152 in view of Zeng et al. CN 107757396.
With regards to claim 5 Zhang fails to disclose, the charging system according to claim 4, wherein a first charging gun in a first charging pile, of the plurality of charging piles, in the charging system is configured to receive a charging request, and the charging request comprises data associated with a required power for charging; wherein the first charging gun is further configured to forward the charging request to a first charging controller, of the K charging controllers of the first charging pile, connected to the first charging gun; wherein the first charging controller is configured to determine, based on the received charging request, whether remaining power of the first charging pile meets the required power; and wherein the first charging controller is further configured to determine, in response to the remaining power of the first charging pile is less than the required power, based on the remaining power of the first charging pile and the required power, shared power required by the first charging pile, wherein the shared power is power that needs to be shared, with the first charging pile, by one or more other charging piles of the plurality of charging piles, other than the first charging pile.
However, Zeng discloses, the charging system according to claim 4, wherein a first charging gun in a first charging pile, of the plurality of charging piles, in the charging system is configured to receive a charging request (Fig. 3 step 301 "Get the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged"), and
the charging request comprises data associated with a required power for charging (Fig. 3 step 301 "Get the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged");
wherein the first charging gun is further configured to forward the charging request to a first charging controller, of the K charging controllers of the first charging pile, connected to the first charging gun (Fig. 3 step 301 and Fig. 4 flexible charging device 400 includes CPU 422 (claimed controller) and ¶83 "the vehicle to be charged is connected to the first charging pile, the first charging pile is an idle charging pile, and the charging gun of the first charging pile is connected to the charging port of the vehicle to be charged. At this time, the request information sent by the vehicle to be charged through the charging gun can be received, and the request information carries the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged");
wherein the first charging controller is configured to determine, based on the received charging request, whether remaining power of the first charging pile meets the required power (Fig. 3 step 302 "When the vehicle to be charged needs to be charged, determine the number of idle charging piles and the power of each idle charging pile"); and
wherein the first charging controller is further configured to determine, in response to the remaining power of the first charging pile is less than the required power, based on the remaining power of the first charging pile and the required power, shared power required by the first charging pile, wherein the shared power is power that needs to be shared, with the first charging pile, by one or more other charging piles of the plurality of charging piles, other than the first charging pile (Fig. 3 step 303 "Select at least two target charging piles from the idle charging piles according to the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged, the number of idle charging piles, and the power of each idle charging pile" and ¶94 "Select the target charging piles with the least number required to achieve the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged from the idle charging piles according to the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged").
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 Zhang and Zeng to ensure the system can provide the required power in order to improve the efficiency of charging.
With regards to claim 6 the combination discloses, the charging system according to claim 5, wherein the first charging controller is further configured to determine a target charging pile from the plurality of charging piles based on the shared power (Zeng Fig. 3 step 304 "Select the target charging piles with the least number required to achieve the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged from the idle charging piles according to the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged"), and
wherein the target charging pile is a charging pile of the plurality of charging piles whose remaining power is greater than or equal to the shared power (Zeng ¶97 "In this embodiment, after at least two target charging piles are determined, the power of the at least two target charging piles can be combined, and the charging gun of the first charging pile can charge the to-be-charged vehicle with the combined power").
With regards to claim 7, Zhang as modified discloses, the charging system according to claim 6, wherein the first charging controller is further configured to send a power sharing request to a second charging controller (Fig. 1 power distribution controller 108 and Figs. 4 and 5 which disclose plural piles according to Fig. 1),
wherein the power sharing request comprises data indicating the shared power, wherein the power sharing request requests to obtain the shared power from the target charging pile, and wherein the second charging controller is a charging controller of the target charging pile (¶18 "the master pile controls the current distribution of the slave pile to achieve capacity expansion between the at least two DC charging piles, including: the master pile collects charging information of the slave pile; determines the allocated power of the slave pile based on the charging information; and transmits current to the slave pile based on the allocated power" and ¶19 " determining the allocated power of the slave pile based on the charging information includes: determining the number of charging modules and the DC bus power distribution based on the charging information; and determining the allocated power of the slave pile through the DC bus power distribution").
With regards to claim 9, Zhang as modified discloses, the charging system according to claim 7, wherein the second charging controller is one of a charging controller in a charging branch, of a plurality of charging branches that are of the K charging branches of the target charging pile and that can provide the shared power (Figs. 4 and 5 and steps S602-S610).
Zhang as modified by Zeng fails to disclose, with a largest number, or a charging controller in a charging branch, of the plurality of charging branches, with a smallest number in the plurality of charging branches, wherein a number of each charging branch of the plurality of charging branches is associated with a distance between the respective charging branch and a first charring branch associated with the first charging gun.
However, a person of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the invention was effectively filed, has general knowledge of the relationship between cable length and electrical resistance/power loss, wherein as the length (distance) of cable increases, so does the resistance and power loss. Therefore, it would have been obvious to utilize the shortest distance between charging piles (shortest cable length) with appropriate power to charge an electric vehicle which would minimize the electrical resistance of the system, for the purpose of improving charging efficiency and reducing power loss.
With regards to claim 10, the combination fails to disclose, the charging system according to claim 6, wherein the target charging pile is a charging pile of the plurality of charging piles that is closest to the first charging pile and that whose remaining power is greater than or equal to the shared power.
However, a person of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the invention was effectively filed, has general knowledge of the relationship between cable length and electrical resistance/power loss, wherein as the length (distance) of cable increases, so does the resistance and power loss. Therefore, it would have been obvious to utilize the shortest distance between charging piles (shortest cable length) with appropriate power to charge an electric vehicle which would minimize the electrical resistance of the system, for the purpose of improving charging efficiency and reducing power loss.
With regards to claim 11 the combination discloses, a charging method, comprising: determining, based on a shared power required by a first charging pile of a plurality of charging piles of a charging system, a target charging pile, of the plurality of charging piles, other than the first charging pile (Zhang Fig. 4 steps S602-S610 master pile (claimed first charging pile) and slave pile (claimed target pile)),
wherein each charging pile is connected to one or more charging piles of the plurality of charging piles through an interface (Zhang Figs. 4 and 5),
wherein a first charging pile in the charging system is a charging pile that needs to share power with one or more charging piles other than the first charging pile in the charging system (Zhang Fig. 4 steps S602-S610 master pile (claimed first charging pile) and slave pile (claimed target pile)), and
wherein each charging pile of the plurality of charging piles comprises N charging branches (Zhang Fig. 1 charging pile 10 and Figs. 3-5),
K charging controllers (Zhang Fig. 1 power distribution controller 108),
M interfaces (Zhang Figs. 4 and 5 disclose parallel interface circuits), and
an interface switch (Zhang Fig. 3 plural Type B switch modules),
wherein each charging branch of the N charging branches comprises a charging gun (Zhang Fig. 1 charging gun 104),
a power module configured to supply power for the charging gun (Zhang Fig. 1 converter 102), and
an intra-branch switch connected between the charging gun and the power module (Zhang Fig. 3 discloses switches between the charging gun 104 and power),
wherein each charging controller of the K charging controllers is connected to at least one intra-branch switch (Zhang Fig. 3),
wherein each charging controller is configured to control turn-on and turn-off of the connected intra-branch switch (Zhang Fig. 3), wherein N ≥ K ≥ 1, and wherein N and Kare integers,
wherein the M interfaces are configured to connect to one or more charging piles other than the charging pile (Zhang Figs. 4 and 5 disclose parallel interface circuits), wherein N ≥ M ≥ 1, and wherein M is an integer, and
wherein the interface switch is configured to connect to every two of the M interfaces, wherein each charging branch of the N charging branches is connected to one interface of the M interfaces using an external switch (Zhang Fig. 3 discloses plural Type B switch modules and ¶51 "Through the circuit design shown in the figure, each charging gun can share the internal and external parallel expansion type B switching DC module"),
wherein the target charging pile is a charging pile whose remaining power is greater than or equal to the shared power in the plurality of charging piles (Zeng ¶97 "In this embodiment, after at least two target charging piles are determined, the power of the at least two target charging piles can be combined, and the charging gun of the first charging pile can charge the to-be-charged vehicle with the combined power"),
wherein the shared power is determined based on remaining power of the first charging pile and required power (Zeng Fig. 3 steps 302 and 303), and
wherein a charging request received by a first charging gun in the first charging pile comprises data indicating the required power (Zeng Fig. 3 step 301 "Get the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged"); and
sending a power sharing request to a second charging controller, wherein the power sharing request comprises data indicating the shared power, wherein the power sharing request requests to obtain the shared power from the target charging pile, wherein the second charging controller is a charging controller of the target charging pile (Zeng Fig. 3 step 303 "Select at least two target charging piles from the idle charging piles according to the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged, the number of idle charging piles, and the power of each idle charging pile" and step 304 "Select the target charging piles with the least number required to achieve the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged from the idle charging piles according to the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged"), and
wherein the interface switch of each of the plurality of charging piles, when closed, allows power to flow from a second charging pile of the plurality of charging piles connected to a first one of the M interfaces to a third charging pile of the plurality of charging piles connected to a second one of the M interfaces (Fig. 2 discloses the interface switches that when closed allow power to flow from a second charging pile to a third charging pile via the interfaces in Figs. 4/5 and ¶56 “As shown in Figure 4, the two connecting busbars of the parallel expansion of the dual DC charging piles are the electrical connection ports. Each charging pile has two charging guns, and a total of four charging guns are available. Each charging gun is connected to a DC contactor between it and the busbar. The pile contains four Type B switch modules, each with four DC bus outputs. The modules are connected to each other through these four bus lines. The DC contactor in Figure 2 can determine which DC bus line the module is connected to, thus achieving precise dynamic power distribution with the power of a single module as the basic adjustment unit” and ¶57 “Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a parallel expansion circuit for multiple DC charging piles according to another exemplary embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, n DC charging piles can be connected in parallel to expand the charging system. Each charging pile is equipped with an external interface circuit with two external terminals. One terminal leads out a DC bus to share with other charging piles, and the other terminal receives the shared DC bus from other charging piles”).
With regards to claim 12, the combination discloses, the method according to claim 11, wherein the determining the target charging pile comprises: sequentially querying remaining power of each of the plurality of charging piles other than the first charging pile (Zeng Fig. 3 steps 302 "When the vehicle to be charged needs to be charged, determine the number of idle charging piles and the power of each idle charging pile").
The combination fails to disclose determining the target charging pile based on the shared power and a distance between each of the one or more charging piles and the first charging pile, wherein the target charging pile is one charging pile that is closest to the first charging pile and that is one of one or more charging piles whose remaining power is greater than or equal to the shared power.
However, a person of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the invention was effectively filed, has general knowledge of the relationship between cable length and electrical resistance/power loss, wherein as the length (distance) of cable increases, so does the resistance and power loss. Therefore, it would have been obvious to utilize the shortest distance between charging piles (shortest cable length) with appropriate power to charge an electric vehicle which would minimize the electrical resistance of the system, for the purpose of improving charging efficiency and reducing power loss.
With regards to claim 13, the combination fails to disclose, the method according to claim 11, wherein the determining the target charging pile comprises: determining, based on the shared power, the target charging pile from the plurality of charging piles in ascending order of distances from the first charging pile, wherein the target charging pile is one charging pile that is closest to the first charging pile and that is one of one or more charging piles whose remaining power is greater than or equal to the shared power.
However, a person of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the invention was effectively filed, has general knowledge of the relationship between cable length and electrical resistance/power loss, wherein as the length (distance) of cable increases, so does the resistance and power loss. Therefore, it would have been obvious to utilize the shortest distance between charging piles (shortest cable length) with appropriate power to charge an electric vehicle which would minimize the electrical resistance of the system, for the purpose of improving charging efficiency and reducing power loss.
With regards to claim 14, Zhang as modified discloses, the method according to claim 11, wherein the method is performed by a first charging controller in the first charging pile (Fig. 4 step S610 master pile controls current distribution of the slave piles), wherein the first charging controller is a charging controller configured to control a first charging gun in the first charging pile, wherein the first charging gun is a charging gun that is in the first charging pile and that receives the charging request (Figs. 1 and 3-5 master pile controller (claimed first charging controller) connected to the charging gun 4), and wherein the charging request comprises required data indicating power for charging (¶18 "the master pile controls the current distribution of the slave pile to achieve capacity expansion between the at least two DC charging piles, including: the master pile collects charging information of the slave pile; determines the allocated power of the slave pile based on the charging information; and transmits current to the slave pile based on the allocated power" and ¶19 "determining the allocated power of the slave pile based on the charging information includes: determining the number of charging modules and the DC bus power distribution based on the charging information; and determining the allocated power of the slave pile through the DC bus power distribution").
With regards to claim 16, the combination discloses, the method according to claim 11, further comprising: determining whether the remaining power of the first charging pile reaches the required power (Zeng Fig. 3 step 2 of S303 ¶94 "Step 2: Select the target charging piles with the least number required to achieve the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged from the idle charging piles according to the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged"); and
determining the shared power required by the first charging pile in response to the remaining power of the first charging pile not reaching the required power (Zeng ¶95 "When the power of the idle charging pile is different from the power of the first charging pile, the target charging piles with the least number required to reach the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged are selected from the idle charging piles according to the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged, and the target charging piles with the least number include the first charging pile. That is, while satisfying the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged, as few charging piles as possible are selected from the idle charging piles to charge the vehicle to be charged").
With regards to claim 17, Zhang as modified discloses, a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program for execution by a computer for performing a charging method, according to claim 11 (Fig. 8 computer readable storage media).
With regards to claim 18, the combination discloses, the charging pile according to claim 1, wherein a first charging gun of a charging branch of the N charging branches is configured to receive a charging request (Zeng Fig. 3 step 301 "Get the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged"), and
the charging request comprises data associated with a required power for charging (Zeng Fig. 3 step 301 "Get the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged");
wherein the first charging gun is further configured to forward the charging request to a first charging controller, of the K charging controllers, connected to the first charging gun (Zeng Fig. 3 step 301 and Fig. 4 flexible charging device 400 includes CPU 422 (claimed controller) and ¶83 "the vehicle to be charged is connected to the first charging pile, the first charging pile is an idle charging pile, and the charging gun of the first charging pile is connected to the charging port of the vehicle to be charged. At this time, the request information sent by the vehicle to be charged through the charging gun can be received, and the request information carries the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged");
wherein the first charging controller is configured to determine, based on the received charging request, whether remaining power of the charging pile meets the required power (Zeng Fig. 3 step 302 "When the vehicle to be charged needs to be charged, determine the number of idle charging piles and the power of each idle charging pile"); and
wherein the first charging controller is further configured to determine, in response to the remaining power of the first charging pile being less than the required power, based on the remaining power of the first charging pile and the required power, shared power required by the charging pile (Zeng Fig. 3 step 303 "Select at least two target charging piles from the idle charging piles according to the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged, the number of idle charging piles, and the power of each idle charging pile" and ¶94 "Select the target charging piles with the least number required to achieve the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged from the idle charging piles according to the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged"), wherein the shared power is power that needs to be shared, with the first charging pile, by one or more other charging piles other than the charging pile.
With regards to claim 19, the combination discloses, the charging pile according to claim 18, wherein the first charging controller is further configured to determine a target charging pile from a plurality of charging piles based on the shared power (Zeng Fig. 3 step 304 "Select the target charging piles with the least number required to achieve the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged from the idle charging piles according to the maximum charging power of the vehicle to be charged"), and
wherein the target charging pile is a charging pile of the plurality of charging piles whose remaining power is greater than or equal to the shared power (Zeng ¶97 "In this embodiment, after at least two target charging piles are determined, the power of the at least two target charging piles can be combined, and the charging gun of the first charging pile can charge the to-be-charged vehicle with the combined power").
With regards to claim 20, Zhang as modified discloses, the charging pile according to claim 19, wherein the first charging controller is further configured to send a power sharing request to a second charging controller (Fig. 1 power distribution controller 108),
wherein the power sharing request comprises data indicating the shared power, wherein the power sharing request requests to obtain the shared power from the target charging pile, and wherein the second charging controller is a charging controller of the target charging pile (¶18 "the master pile controls the current distribution of the slave pile to achieve capacity expansion between the at least two DC charging piles, including: the master pile collects charging information of the slave pile; determines the allocated power of the slave pile based on the charging information; and transmits current to the slave pile based on the allocated power" and ¶19 " determining the allocated power of the slave pile based on the charging information includes: determining the number of charging modules and the DC bus power distribution based on the charging information; and determining the allocated power of the slave pile through the DC bus power distribution").
Claims 8 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. CN 111137152 in view of Zeng et al. CN 107757396 further in view of Tombelli US 20220324336.
With regards to claim 8, Zhang as modified by Zeng discloses, and wherein the power sharing request requests that the power adjustment controller determine, from the one or more charging piles other than the first charging pile, a target charging pile whose remaining power is greater than or equal to the shared power; wherein the power adjustment controller is configured to determine the target charging pile from the one or more charging piles based on the power sharing request; and wherein the power adjustment controller is further configured to send the power sharing request to a second charging controller, wherein the second charging controller is a charging controller of the target charging pile (Fig. 4 steps S602-S610 wherein multiple piles can be connected and power distributed from the slave pile(s) to the master pile in order to charge the connected battery).
Zhang as modified by Zeng fails to disclose the charging system according to claim 5, further comprising a power adjustment controller, wherein the power adjustment controller is connected to each charging controller of each charging pile of the plurality of charging piles; wherein the first charging controller is further configured to send a power sharing request to the power adjustment controller, wherein the power sharing request comprises data indicating the shared power.
However, Tombelli discloses, the charging system according to claim 5, further comprising a power adjustment controller (Fig. 1 site controller 12),
wherein the power adjustment controller is connected to each charging controller of each charging pile of the plurality of charging piles (Fig. 1 site controller 12 connected to each cabinet controller 11);
wherein the first charging controller is further configured to send a power sharing request to the power adjustment controller (¶43 "The charger assembly 1 is further provided with a site controller 12 which is operatively connected to each of the charger cabinets 9 of the chargers 10, in particular to the cabinet controller 11 thereof. The cabinet controllers 11 transmit the collected data to the site controller 12, therewith enabling the site controller 12 to control each of the chargers 10 in order to optimize cooperation between the chargers 10 and/or to optimize a power flow between the chargers 10 and/or the power grid to which the chargers 10 are connected"),
wherein the power sharing request comprises data indicating the shared power (¶42 "Each cabinet controller 11 is configured for collecting data of each of the AC/DC converters 2 and the DC/DC converters 5, for example the amount of electric energy supplied by the AC/DC converters 5 and the amount of electric energy requested at the DC/DC converters 5, and for distributing power over the DC/DC converters 5 depending on the collected data").
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify Zhang in view of Zeng with Tombelli to include a site controller (claimed power adjustment controller) in order to more effectively control the entire charging system to improve efficiency.
With regards to claim 15, the combination discloses, the method according to claim 11, wherein the determining the first charging pile and the sending the power sharing request are performed by a power adjustment controller (Tombelli Fig. 1 site controller 12), and
wherein the power adjustment controller is connected to each charging controller of each charging pile of the plurality of charging piles (Tombelli Fig. 1 site controller 12 connected to each cabinet controller 11); and
wherein the method further comprises: receiving, by the power adjustment controller, a power sharing request from a first charging controller (Tombelli ¶43 above),
wherein the power sharing request comprises data indicating the shared power (Tombelli ¶42 above),
wherein the first charging controller is a charging controller configured to control a first charging gun in the first charging pile, wherein the first charging gun is a charging gun that is in the first charging pile and that receives the charging request, wherein the charging request comprises required power for charging, and wherein the shared power is determined based on the required power and the remaining power of the first charging pile (Zhang Fig. 4 steps S602-S610 wherein multiple piles can be connected and power distributed to the master pile in order to charge the connected battery).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/NATHAN J INSTONE/ Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/JULIAN D HUFFMAN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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