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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Moravick et al. [US 2020/0031247].
With respect to claim 1, Moravick discloses an electric vehicle comprising: a footrest [115; i.e. vehicle is a scooter]; an extension part which comprises a housing frame extending from the footrest [120], and a steering tube rotatably coupled to the housing frame [i.e. depicted by the handle bar tube connected to the housing from 120]; a handlebar coupled to the steering tube to control a driving direction [see handlebar at the top of the scooter which includes brake lever and controls the steering of the scooter by moving in a clockwise/counterclockwise manner while being inserter into 120]; and a power reception apparatus which surrounds at least a portion of an outer surface of the extension part [105].
With respect to claim 2, Moravick further discloses wherein the power reception apparatus comprises a curved part formed to be curved so as to correspond to the outer surface of the extension part [as depicted by 105, see also items 9 and 10].
With respect to claim 7, Moravick discloses a charging station [110] comprising: a power transmission apparatus configured to wirelessly transmit a power to a power reception apparatus of an electric vehicle [125], wherein the power transmission apparatus is configured to form a concave housing space in which a curved surface of the power reception apparatus is housed [as depicted in figs 3 and 5-6].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 3-6 and 8-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moravick et al. [US 2020/0031247] as applied above, and further in view of Kim et al. [US 2023/0339339].
With respect to claims 3 and 16, Moravick discloses the power components curve around the steering shaft as detailed above, but fails to disclose the power reception apparatus comprises: a reception coil part; and a magnetic part in which the reception coil part is disposed.
The difference between the prior art and the instant invention then is using wireless power transfer instead of contact charging. The interchangeability between the two types of power transfer is well-known, with wireless power transfer including an advantage of not having exposed contacts on the electric vehicle. For example, Kim relates to a scooter and teaches utilizing a reception coil part and a magnetic part [see 70 and 110].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify Moravick to utilize the well-known wireless power transfer for the benefit of reducing the risk of electric shock accidents as explicitly stated by Kim [par. 0066]. Further, it is equally obvious to include the magnet part for the benefit of facilitating the connection between the coils to one another.
With respect to claims 4-5 and 8-9, Moravick as applied above further discloses wherein the magnetic part comprises a magnetic body having a coil seating surface on which the reception coil part is seated, wherein at least a portion of the magnetic body is formed to be curved so as to correspond to the curved part [Lee Fig. 6 discloses the coil is seated between the magnets, i.e. protrudes from the coil seating, and therefore incorporating the wireless option into Moravick's curved power reception device discloses the claimed limitations].
With respect to claims 6 and 10, Moravick further discloses wherein the reception coil part corresponds to a transmission coil part of a charging station [110]. Lee teaches the power reception apparatus [70] comprises: a housing in which the magnetic part is housed [110] and a shock absorbing member wherein the shock absorbing member is configured so that the reception coil part and the transmission coil part are spaced apart from each other at a set distance [144], however fails to disclose the absorbing member protrudes from the housing to face the transmission coil part (i.e. member is in the transmitter and not the receiver). First, duplication of essential working parts is an obvious variation. Providing an absorption member in the receiving side, along with the disclosed transmitter side, provides the benefit of further aiding in the connection between the vehicle and charging station by preventing damage from rigid contact and also to increase efficiency by helping to align the coils.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the instant invention to modify Moravick to include shock absorbing member which protrudes from the housing to face the transmission coil for the benefit of decreasing the compressing forces as stated by Lee.
With respect to claim 11, Lee as applied above further discloses wherein the power transmission apparatus is disposed to face the holding space, and includes a plurality of transmission coil parts arranged along an inner circumference of the holding part, wherein at least one of the plurality of transmission coil parts is configured to correspond to a reception coil part of the electric vehicle [coil 60, i.e. inductive coils are formed of many windings].
With respect to claim 12, Moravick further discloses wherein the electric vehicle is located between a driving position which is a drivable position and a charging position in which the electric vehicle is placed in the charging station [see fig 2a-2b], wherein the charging station comprises a guide part configured to guide the electric vehicle in a direction in which the electric vehicle moves toward the charging position from the driving position, wherein the guide part comprises: a first guide part configured to guide the electric vehicle in a left-right direction; and a second guide part configured to guide the electric vehicle in a front-rear direction [Fig. 6].
The difference between the prior art and the instant invention then is using wireless power transfer instead of contact charging. The interchangeability between the two types of power transfer is well-known, with wireless power transfer including an advantage of not having exposed contacts on the electric vehicle. For example, Kim relates to a scooter and teaches utilizing a reception coil part and a magnetic part [see 70 and 110].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify Moravick to utilize the well-known wireless power transfer for the benefit of reducing the risk of electric shock accidents as explicitly stated by Kim [par. 0066]. Further, it is equally obvious to include the magnet part for the benefit of facilitating the connection between the coils to one another.
With respect to claim 13, Moravick further discloses wherein the second guide part comprises: a first inclined surface slantly formed so that the electric vehicle is raised in the moving direction; and a second inclined surface which extends from the first inclined surface in the moving direction and formed slantly downward in the moving direction so that the electric vehicle is maintained in the charging position [i.e. formed by clamps 135].
With respect to claim 14, Moravick further discloses wherein the second guide part is operated between: a first guide position in which the second guide part is placed on the ground; and a second guide position in which the second guide part is tilted at a predetermined angle to the ground, thus to allow the electric vehicle placed on the second guide part to be moved to the charging position [Figs 20-21 further disclose guides that are ground based].
With respect to claim 15, Moravick further discloses wherein the electric vehicle comprises a front wheel and a rear wheel, wherein the second guide part comprises: an inclined surface slantly formed so that the electric vehicle is raised in the moving direction; and a stepped portion disposed in the moving direction from the inclined surface, and formed in a stepped shape from an end of the inclined surface so that the front wheel is stuck in the stepped portion [Figs 20-21 further disclose guides that are ground based].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 2022/0242256 to Cho et al relates to a wireless charging system for scooters and teaches and inclined charger surface at the ground 130/132.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHANIEL R PELTON whose telephone number is (571)270-1761. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am to 5pm.
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/NATHANIEL R PELTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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