Response to Amendment
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 .
Status of Claims
In the Response of 12/18/2025, Applicant amended claims 1, 3, 6, 10,13-15 and 20. Therefore claims 1-20 are pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-2, 6-11, 14, 16 and 18-20 under 35 USC 103 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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).
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.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-2 6-9, 14 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ambroziak et al. (USP 10,998,753 B2)(hereinafter Ambroziak) in view of Hau et al. (US Pub. 2023/0116469 A1)(hereinafter Hau) in view of Swamy et al. (US Pub. 2022/0200303 A1)(hereinafter Swamy).
Regarding claim 1, Ambroziak discloses a charging system, (Ambroziak, Abstract; Systems and methods for charging...)
comprising: a processor, wherein the processor storing computer executable instructions in a non-transitory memory (Ambroziak, Fig. 4 and Col. 9, Lines 14-35; The ECS 440 may comprise various components such as a processor 446 and/or a data store 4481,2. )
that, when executed, cause the processor to: receive a charging time, a charging level request, (Ambroziak, Fig. 4 and 6 and Col. 9, Lines 47-63; the vehicle sensor 454 may communicate with the communication device 466 and/or the vehicle data store 464... of the vehicle 460; Col. 14, Lines 1-18; preference data may be defined... and/or updated or changed via the communication device 666... The operator of the vehicle 660 may... define settings regarding desired charge levels, charging times...)
and a communication device data; (Ambroziak, Figs. 4, and 6-7 and Col. 2, Lines 1-15; Intelligent charging may also or alternatively comprise receiving ...from a communication device... information indicative of an identifier of the vehicle; Col. 11, Lines 24-39; vehicle identification information and/or vehicle charging preferences and/or parameters may be communicated via the communication device of the vehicle 460; Col. 13, Lines 19-31; The system may comprise... a vehicle 660 comprising a communication device...; Col. 16, Lines 36-47; receiving from a communication device of a vehicle information indicative of an identifier of the vehicle)
determine a charging scheme (Ambroziak, Col. 16, Lines 36-47; The method may also or alternatively comprise determining, based at least on the information indicative of the identifier of the vehicle, a charging schedule for the vehicle... The preference information stored in relation to the vehicle identification information may, for example, be utilized to determine one or more rules and/or parameters that govern electrical transmissions to and/or from the vehicle (and/or a group or class of vehicles
based on the charging time, (Ambroziak, Col. 14, Lines 1-18; The operator of the vehicle 660 may... define settings regarding desired charging times...)
and the charging level request;(Ambroziak, Col. 14, Lines 1-18; The operator of the vehicle 660 may... define settings regarding desired charge levels,...)
establish a communication link with a communication device based on the communication device data; (Ambroziak, Figs 4 and 6 and Col. 9, Line 64-Col. 10, Line 18; information... may be communicated ... via the communication device 466 of the vehicle 460.)
and transmit a set of charging request information to the communication device. (Ambroziak, Col. 17, Lines 20-29; ...receiving via the communication device information indicative of a time when a best available rate will be available to purchase the required power )
Concerning a state-of-health information, while Ambroziak, teaches determining battery health, see for example Col. 15, Lines 36-45, Ambroziak does not specifically disclose that the state of health information is received by the processor of the a charging system. Hau, in the same field of endeavor, however, Hau teaches the charging system receiving a state of health information. (Hau, ¶0057; In some embodiments, the load manager 350 obtains ... battery characteristics for the EVs 110. The load manager 350 may receive battery characteristic data from the EVs 110 themselves... battery characteristics may include total battery capacity, state-of-health (SoH), the remaining useful life, and/or expected time to reach a full charge; ¶0090; ...further including receiving a battery characteristic for each of the plurality of EVs, the battery characteristic including ... a state of health of the battery, and a remaining useful life of the battery) Consequently, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed subject matter, to implement Ambroziak with the known technique of receiving a state of health information, as taught by Hau in order to allow for the adjustment of battery target charge levels based on the battery health. (Hau, ¶0020)
While Ambroziak discloses determining a charging scheme, Ambroziak does not specifically disclose that the charging scheme comprises a plurality of charging patterns. . Swamy, in the same field of endeavor, however, teaches providing the charging levels. (Swamy, ¶0091; In some embodiments, the EV charging station is a level one charger configured to provide 120V to the power supply 100. In some embodiments, the EV charging station is a level two charger configured to provide 240V to the power supply 100. In some embodiments, the EV charging station is a level three charger configured to provide 800V to the power supply 100. ) Consequently, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed subject matter, to implement Ambroziak with the known technique of providing a plurality of charging patterns, as taught by Swamy, in order to accommodate charging for vehicle of different charge reception capabilities.
Regarding claim 2, which depends from claim 1, Ambroziak discloses wherein the communication device data comprise at least one of a device identification, a mobile number, and a network identifier. (Ambroziak, Col. 2, Lines 1-15; Intelligent charging may also or alternatively comprise receiving...from a communication device... information indicative of an identifier of the vehicle;)
Regarding claim 6, which depends from claim 1, Swamy discloses wherein the plurality of charging pattern comprises a level 1 charging, a level 2 charging, and a level 3 charging. Swamy, in the same field of endeavor, however, teaches providing the charging levels. (Swamy, ¶0091; In some embodiments, the EV charging station is a level one charger configured to provide 120V to the power supply 100. In some embodiments, the EV charging station is a level two charger configured to provide 240V to the power supply 100. In some embodiments, the EV charging station is a level three charger configured to provide 800V to the power supply 100. ) Consequently, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed subject matter, to implement Ambroziak with the known technique of providing level 1 charging, level 2 charging, and level 3 charging, as taught by Swamy, in order to accommodate charging for vehicle of different charge reception capabilities.
Regarding claim 7, which depends from claim 6, Swamy discloses wherein the level 1 charging comprises a voltage range from 120-Volt to 208-Volt. (Swamy, ¶0091; In some embodiments, the EV charging station is a level one charger configured to provide 120V to the power supply 100.)
Regarding claim 8, which depends from claim 6, Swamy discloses wherein the level 2 charging comprises a voltage range from 208-Volt to 240-Volt. (Swamy, ¶0091; In some embodiments, the EV charging station is a level two charger configured to provide 240V to the power supply 100.)
Regarding claim 9, which depends from claim 6, Swamy wherein the level 3 charging comprises a voltage range from 400-Volt to 900-Volt. (Swamy, ¶0091; In some embodiments, the EV charging station is a level three charger configured to provide 800V to the power supply 100.)
Regarding claim 14 Ambroziak discloses a computer-implemented charging method, (Ambroziak, Figs. 4 and 6 and Abstract; Systems and methods for charging electric vehicles Col. 16, Lines 11-18; ... any of the methods described herein may be performed by hardware, software (including microcode), firmware, or any combination thereof. For example, a storage medium may store thereon instructions that when executed by a machine result in performance according to any of the embodiments described herein.)
the method comprising: receiving a charging time, charging level request, (Ambroziak, Fig. 6 and Col. 14, Lines 1-18; The operator of the vehicle 660 may... define settings regarding desired charge levels, charging times...)
a communication device data; (Ambroziak, Figs. 4, and 6-7 and Col. 2, Lines 1-15; Intelligent charging may also or alternatively comprise receiving, from a communication device, information indicative of an identifier of the vehicle; Col. 11, Lines 24-39; vehicle identification information and/or vehicle charging preferences and/or parameters may be communicated via the communication device of the vehicle; Col. 13, Lines 19-31; The system 600 may comprise, for example, a vehicle comprising a communication device; Col. 16, Lines 36-47; receiving from a communication device of a vehicle information indicative of an identifier of the vehicle)
determining a charging scheme (Ambroziak, Col. 16, Lines 36-47; The method may also or alternatively comprise determining, based at least on the information indicative of the identifier of the vehicle, a charging schedule for the vehicle... The preference information stored in relation to the vehicle identification information may, for example, be utilized to determine one or more rules and/or parameters that govern electrical transmissions to and/or from the vehicle ...)
based on the charging time, (Ambroziak, Col. 14, Lines 1-18; The operator of the vehicle 660 may...define settings regarding desired charging times....)
and the charging level request; (Ambroziak, Col. 14, Lines 1-18; The operator of the vehicle 660 may...define settings regarding desired charge levels...)
establishing a communication link with a communication device based on the communication device data; (Ambroziak, Figs 4 and 6 and Col. 9, Line 64-Col. 10, Line 18; information... may be communicated ... via the communication device 466 of the vehicle... Col. 13, Lines 19-31; The system may comprise... a vehicle ... comprising a communication device...)
and transmitting a set of charging request information to the communication device. (Ambroziak, Col. 17, Lines 20-29; receiving... via the communication device information indicative of a time when a best available rate will be available to purchase the required power )
Concerning a state-of-health information, while Ambroziak, teaches determining battery health, see for example Col. 15, Lines 36-45, Ambroziak does not specifically disclose that the state of health information is received by the a charging system. Hau, in the same field of endeavor, however, teaches receiving a state of health information. (Hau, ¶0057; The load manager 350 may receive battery characteristic data from the EVs 110 themselves... battery characteristics may include total battery capacity, state-of-health (SoH), the remaining useful life (RUH), ...; ¶0090; ...further including receiving a battery characteristic for each of the plurality of EVs, the battery characteristic including ... a state of health of the battery, and a remaining useful life of the battery) Consequently, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed subject matter, to implement Ambroziak with the known technique of receiving a state of health information, as taught by Hau, in order to allow for the adjustment of battery target charge levels based on the battery health. (Hau, ¶0020)
While Ambroziak discloses determining a charging scheme, Ambroziak does not specifically disclose that the charging scheme comprises a plurality of charging patterns. . Swamy, in the same field of endeavor, however, teaches providing the charging levels. (Swamy, ¶0091; In some embodiments, the EV charging station is a level one charger configured to provide 120V to the power supply 100. In some embodiments, the EV charging station is a level two charger configured to provide 240V to the power supply 100. In some embodiments, the EV charging station is a level three charger configured to provide 800V to the power supply 100. ) Consequently, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed subject matter, to implement Ambroziak with the known technique of providing a plurality of charging patterns, as taught by Swamy, in order to accommodate charging for vehicle of different charge reception capabilities.
Regarding claim 20, Ambroziak discloses a non-transitory storage medium storing a sequence of instructions, (Ambroziak, Figs. 4 and 6 and Col. 16, Lines 11-18; ... any of the methods described herein may be performed by hardware, software (including microcode), firmware, or any combination thereof. For example, a storage medium may store thereon instructions that when executed by a machine result in performance according to any of the embodiments described herein.)
which when executed by a processor associated with a charging system to cause: receiving a charging time, charging level request, (Ambroziak, Fig. 6 and Abstract; Systems and methods for charging electric vehicles; Col. 14, Lines 1-18; The operator of the vehicle 660 may...define settings regarding desired charge levels, charging times...)
a communication device data; (Ambroziak, Figs. 4, and 6-7 and Col. 2, Lines 1-15; Intelligent charging may also or alternatively comprise receiving, from a communication device, information indicative of an identifier of the vehicle; Col. 11, Lines 24-39; vehicle identification information and/or vehicle charging preferences and/or parameters may be communicated via the communication device of the vehicle; Col. 13, Lines 19-31; The system may comprise a vehicle comprising a communication device.; Col. 16, Lines 36-47; receiving from a communication device of a vehicle information indicative of an identifier of the vehicle)
determining a charging scheme (Ambroziak, Col. 16, Lines 36-47; The method
may ... comprise determining, based at least on the information indicative of the identifier of the vehicle, a charging schedule for the vehicle... The preference information stored in relation to the vehicle identification information may, ... be utilized to determine one or more rules and/or parameters that govern electrical transmissions to and/or from the vehicle.)
based on the charging time, (Ambroziak, Col. 14, Lines 1-18; The operator of the vehicle 660 may...define settings regarding desired charging times.)
and the charging level request; (Ambroziak, Col. 14, Lines 1-18; The operator of the vehicle 660 may...define settings regarding desired charge levels...)
establishing a communication link with a communication device based on the communication device data; (Ambroziak, Figs 4 and 6 and Col. 9, Line 64-Col. 10, Line 18; information... may be communicated ... via the communication device of the vehicle 460. Col. 13, Lines 19-31; The system may comprise a vehicle comprising a communication device.)
and transmitting a set of charging request information to the communication device. (Ambroziak, Col. 17, Lines 20-29; receiving via the communication device information indicative of a time when a best available rate will be available to purchase the required power )
Concerning a state-of-health information, while Ambroziak, teaches determining battery health, Col. 15, Lines 36-45, Ambrosia does not specifically disclose that the state of health information is received by the a charging system. Hau, in the same field of endeavor however teaches the charging system receiving a state of health information. (Hau, ¶0057; The load manager 350 may receive battery characteristic data from the EVs 110 themselves... battery characteristics may include total battery capacity, state-of-health (SoH), the remaining useful life (RUH), a...; ¶0090; ...further including receiving a battery characteristic for each of the plurality of EVs, the battery characteristic including ... a state of health of the battery, and a remaining useful life of the battery...) Consequently, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed subject matter, to implement Ambroziak with the known technique of receiving a state of health information, as taught by Hau, in order to allow for the adjustment of battery target charge levels based on the battery health. (Hau, ¶0020)
While Ambroziak discloses determining a charging scheme, Ambroziak does not specifically disclose that the charging scheme comprises a plurality of charging patterns. . Swamy, in the same field of endeavor, however, teaches providing the charging levels. (Swamy, ¶0091; In some embodiments, the EV charging station is a level one charger configured to provide 120V to the power supply 100. In some embodiments, the EV charging station is a level two charger configured to provide 240V to the power supply 100. In some embodiments, the EV charging station is a level three charger configured to provide 800V to the power supply 100. ) Consequently, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed subject matter, to implement Ambroziak with the known technique of providing a plurality of charging patterns, as taught by Swamy, in order to accommodate charging for vehicle of different charge reception capabilities.
Claim(s) 10-11 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ambroziak in view of Hau in view of Swamy in view of Maeda et al. (US Pub. 2023/0264582 A1)(hereinafter Maeda)
Regarding claim 10, claim 10 depends from claim 1. As already discussed the limitations of claim 10 are obvious over Ambroziak in view of Hau in view of Swamy. Concerning claim 10, while Ambroziak discloses receiving a starting location of the vehicle, see claim 1 for example, Ambroziak does not specifically disclose further comprises a location monitoring component of the communication device configured to monitor location of the communication device. Maeda, in the same field of endeavor, however, teaches the limitation (Maeda, Fig. 2 and ¶0043; The VCD 202 may include a processor, a memory, a data store, a position determination device (GPS), a plurality of vehicle systems and a communication interface 214.) Consequently, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed subject matter, to implement Ambroziak with the known technique of providing a location monitoring component, as taught by Maeda, in order to enable Ambroziak’s teaching of providing a starting location of the vehicle.
Regarding claim 11, which depends from claim 10, Ambroziak discloses wherein the communication device comprises at least one of a mobile phone, a palmtop, a laptop, a message processor, and a handheld device. (Ambroziak, Fig. 6 and Col. 11, Lines 24-39; In some embodiments, the communication device may comprise a wireless and/or cellular communication device such as an OnStar® system and/or a cellular telephone operated in proximity to the vehicle 460 connected through the vehicle via Bluetooth® technology such as utilized by Uconnect® systems).; Col. 13, Lines 19-31; The system may comprise, in some embodiments, a user device comprising one or more menu options 682 and/or one or more charging preference options 684a-c. )
Regarding claim 16, claim 16 depends from claim 14. As already discussed the limitations of claim 14 are obvious over Ambroziak in view of Hau in view of Swamy. Concerning claim 16, Ambroziak does not specifically disclose wherein the method further comprises monitoring a location of the communication device. Maeda, in the same field of endeavor, however, teaches the limitation (Maeda, Fig. 2 and ¶0043; The VCD may include ... a position determination device 210 (GPS), a plurality of vehicle systems 212 and a communication interface 214.) Consequently, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed subject matter, to implement Ambroziak with the known technique of providing location monitoring as taught by Maeda, in order to provide for enabling Ambroziak’ s teaching of providing a starting location of the vehicle.
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ambroziak in view of Hau in view of Swamy in view of Sutardja (US Pub. 2014/0184156 A1)(hereinafter Sutardja)
Regarding claim 18, claim 18 depends from claim 14. As already discussed the limitations of claim 14 are obvious over Ambroziak in view of Hau in view of Swamy. Concerning claim 18, Ambroziak does not disclose wherein the method further comprises generating an alternate charging scheme based on an option to alter the charging received from the communication device. Sutardja in the same field of endeavor, however, teaches generating an alternative charging scheme based on an option to alter the charging received from the communication device. (Sutardja, Fig. 8A and ¶0275; In step 204, the utility company 23 may receive charging parameters from the CMM 104 and/or the user of the vehicle 102. In step 206, the LMM 134-1 may analyze the charging parameters and determine the load on the distribution system; ¶0276; In step 207, the LMM 134-1 may determine whether the user demands charge at normal priority. If true, the LMM 134-1 may determine in step 208 whether the utility company 23 can supply power at normal priority. If false, the LMM 134-1 may transmit alternate charging parameters to the user in step 210; ¶0277; On the other hand, if the result of step 207 is false, the LMM 134-1 may determine in step 214 whether the utility company 23 can supply power at the higher priority. If false, the method 200 may perform steps beginning at step 208. Otherwise, the LMM 134-1 may transmit alternate charging parameters including additional cost to the user in step 216.) Consequently, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed subject matter, to implement Ambroziak with the known technique of generating an alternative charging scheme, as taught by Sutardja, in order to provide a user alternative charging options when the system cannot meet the received desired charging parameters. (Sutardja, Fig. 8 and ¶¶0275-0277)
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ambroziak in view of Hau in view of Swamy in view of Ricci (US Pub. 2017/0136892 A1)(hereinafter Ricci)
Regarding claim 19, claim 19 depends from claim 14. As already discussed, the limitations of claim 14 are obvious over Ambroziak in view of Hau in view of Swamy. Concerning claim 19, while Hau discloses providing battery health information, Hau does not disclose health information corresponding to different portions of the battery, and therefore does not disclose wherein state-of-health information comprises a first state- of-health information that corresponds to a first portion of the battery pack, a second state-of- health information that corresponds to a second portion of the battery pack, and a third state-of- health information that corresponds to a third portion of the battery pack. Ricci, in the same field of endeavor however discloses obtain health information for multiple portions of the battery. (Ricci, Fig. 13 and ¶0104; a charge controller 1324 that may be configured to ... monitor a health of the power source 1308, e.g., one or more cells, portions, etc..) Consequently, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed subject matter, to implement Hau with the known technique of health information corresponding to different portions of the battery, as taught by Ricci, in order to communicate the health to and receive charge instruction from controllers. (Ricci, ¶0104)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 12 15 and 17 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 4-5 and claim 13 depend from claims 3 and 12, respectively and therefore also would be allowable.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Baek (US Pub. 20190176641-A1).
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 JEROLD B MURPHY whose telephone number is (571)270-1564. The examiner can normally be reached M-T, Th-F 10am-7pm, W 1pm-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, STEVEM LIM can be reached at 5712701210. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JEROLD B MURPHY/Examiner, Art Unit 2687
/STEVEN LIM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2688
1 Col. 3, Lines 41-51; Some embodiments described herein are associated with a “control system”. As used herein, the term “control system” may generally refer to any combination of hardware, software, firmware, and/or microcode that is operative to carry out and/or facilitate embodiments described herein. For example, a control system may comprise a processor performing instructions of a program to facilitate intelligent vehicle charging. The control system may comprise, according to some embodiments, a single device and/or component or may comprise any practicable number of networked devices
2 Col. 16, Lines 11-18; Note that any of the methods described herein may be performed by hardware, software (including microcode), firmware, or any combination thereof. For example, a storage medium may store thereon instructions that when executed by a machine result in performance according to any of the embodiments described herein.