DAILED 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 . As per the remarks of 05/21/2026, claims 15-18, 21-23 and 27-28 are amended. Applicant also amended the title as per the previous objection to the specification, hence the objection has been withdrawn. Applicant further amended the previously objected claims 1, 27, 28 and all other dependent claims contain similar expression separated by ‘or’ expressions. Therefore, the objections have been withdrawn. Claims 1-14 were previously cancelled.
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 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 present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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 of this title, 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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) 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.
Claims 15-28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lim (US 2019/0184849) in view of Hashimoto (US 2014/0109556).
With respect to claims 15, 23, 27 and 28, Lim discloses a charging cable for electrically connecting an energy store to be charged of a hybrid vehicle or electric vehicle to an energy supply unit providing electrical energy (Fig.1 cable 50 and EV 10’s battery; Para. # 0014 and 0019), the charging cable comprising: a charging line including a coupling and multiple electrical conductors electrically connected to the coupling for at least one of power transfer or signal transfer (Figs.3,4 connectors 54 and 52 Fig. 8a, 52);
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a first connection device including an energy transfer arrangement configured for indirectly or directly detachable wireless or wired electrical connection to the energy store (Para. # 0077: The CP signal may be a signal for requesting start or stop of power transfer or for controlling electrical energy), the energy transfer arrangement including contacts or induction coils (Fig. 8a, contacts 1 and 2);
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a second connection device including a first connection configured for indirectly or directly detachable wireless or wired electrical connection to the energy supply unit (Fig. 8a, contacts 1-5; to Para. # 0077: the CP signal is generated by a CP generator in the EVSE 20 or the charging cable 50 and may be transferred passing through a pilot function controller of the charging cable 50) and to a second connection for detachable electrical connection to the coupling (Fig. 8a, Inlet 1-4 on the vehicle side to the charging cable 50 through 1-2); wherein respectively one electrical conductor of the electrical conductor of the charging line being assigned to each of the contacts or induction coils (Fig. 8a, contacts 1-4); wherein the first connection device includes a control unit (Fig. 8a, 130; Para. # 77: the charging cable 50 and may be transferred passing through a pilot function controller of the charging cable 50); wherein the
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first connection device or the charging line include a switch, the switch being switchable between a first switching state and a second switching state as a function of a type of the second connection device (Para. # 0018/0087: the charging device of an electric vehicle, the relay control unit may switch off the first relay and the second relay after switching).
Lim, however, does not expressly disclose electrical connection is established by the bypass switch between contacts of a conductor.
Hashimoto, on the other hand, discloses a bypass switch established by the bypass switch to establish electrical connection between contacts of a conductor (See reproduced Fig. 3 below; Para. # 105, SW 1: a bypass switch S1# for electrically connecting the primary side and secondary side of the insulating transformer 330 is provided in the DC/DC converter 320 in the charger 300. The bypass switch S1# is switched ON/OFF in response to the control signal SE1 from the ECU 200, in the same manner as the bypass switch S1 shown in FIG. 3. Similarly to the bypass switch S1, the bypass switch S1# can be configured by any switching device.
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LIM and Hashimoto are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor namely charging device for electrical vehicle and Hybrid vehicle.
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have added a bypass switch as in an S1# for electrically connecting the primary side and secondary side of the insulating transformer 330 described in Hashimoto in view of Lim that the switched ON/OFF of the bypass switch in response to the control signal SE1 from the ECU 200, in the same manner as the bypass switch S1 shown in FIG. 3 (depicted above), and the bypass switch S1# can be configured by any switching device for efficient use of rerouting electrical or network traffic around a device, acting as a failsafe for maintenance, upgrades, or failures, ensuring continuous operation for critical systems in the vehicle.
With respect to claims 16 and 17, the combined references of Lim and Hashimoto discloses the charging cable as described above, Hashimoto further discloses wherein: the charging line including an additional coupling, the electrical conductors extend continuously between the coupling and the additional coupling for power transfer arrangement or of the control unit or of the bypass switch to the electrical conductors of the charging line (Para. # 106/9: the bypass switch S1# is connected between the power line 353 connected to the secondary coil 332 and the power line 354 connected to the primary coil 334. Alternatively, the bypass switch S1# may be connected between the power line GL1 and the power line GL3).
With respect to claims 18 and 19, the combined references of Lim and Hashimoto discloses the charging cable as described above, Hashimoto further discloses wherein: (i) the bypass switch is switched in a presence of a supply voltage into the second switching state and into the first switching state in an absence of a supply voltage, or (ii) the bypass switch is switchable by the control unit between the first switching state and the second switching state (Para. # 105: the bypass switch S1# is switched ON/OFF in response to the control signal SE1 from the ECU 200, in the same manner as the bypass switch S1 shown in FIG. 3. Similarly to the bypass switch S1, the bypass switch S1# can be configured by any switching device).
With respect to claims 20 and 21, the combined references of Lim and Hashimoto discloses the charging cable as described above, Lim further discloses wherein the second connection device includes a switch unit, via which an electrical connection between the energy supply unit and the second connection is activatable or reactivatable, the switch unit being controllable by the control unit, to control the charging process (Par. # 108: the charger 300 can energize the EHC 140 by the power from the power storage device 70 after the EHC 140 has been electrically insulated from the power storage device 70, and providing the bypass switch S1#).
With respect to claims 22 and 25-26, the combined references of Lim and Hashimoto discloses the charging cable as described above, Lim further discloses wherein the first connection device includes: a communication unit including a radio communication interface, or a display module or input module for inputting a desired charge current intensity, or an energy measuring module configured to ascertain, an electrical energy that has flowed through the charging cable, or an authentication module configured for authenticating in the energy supply unit (Para. # 80: each of the EV and the EVSE may include a PLC chip and perform power line communication (PLC) through the PLC chip).
With respect to claim 24, the combined references of Lim and Hashimoto discloses the charging cable as described above, Hashimoto further discloses wherein the temperature monitoring module includes an evaluation circuit, which is connected to at least one temperature sensor situated in the second connection device, the evaluation circuit providing a status signal, as a function of an ascertained temperature, which is transmitted via an electrical conductor to the control unit, so that power input from the energy supply unit is reduced or interrupted using the control unit as a function of the status signal (Para. # 45-47 par.47: the CPU is configured to perform computational processing using the detection values from various sensors; and The EHC 140 is required to be energized according to the catalyst temperature. For example, the EHC 140 is required to be energized when the catalyst temperature is, lower than a predetermined temperature as the vehicle operation is started or when the vehicle runs).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed in the remarks of 05/21/2026 have been considered but are not persuasive to overcome the rejections based on the references described (see the above office action).
Applicant argued that “… the claims recite the feature of the bypass switch being switchable between a first switching state and a second switching state as a function of a type of the second connection device, wherein (i) in the first switching state an electrical connection is established ... while bypassing the control unit, and (ii) in the second switching state the control unit is electrically interconnected ... to control a charging process”.
Examiner described that the first reference in the combination of the two references, Lim discloses a charging cable for electrically connecting an energy store to be charged of vehicle to energy supply unit providing electrical energy as described in paragraph 14 and 19. Furthermore, Lim discussed the charging cable having a charging line including a coupling and multiple electrical conductors electrically connected to the coupling for at least one of power transfer. Lim, however, fails disclose electrical connection that is established by the bypass switch between contacts of a conductor. The second reference, Hashimoto discloses a bypass switch in paragraph 105 stating that the bypass switch S1# is for electrically connecting the primary side and secondary side of the insulating transformer is provided in the DC/DC converter in the charger. The bypass switch S1# is switched ON/OFF in response to the control signal SE1 from the ECU, in the same manner as the bypass switch S1 as described in FIG. 3. Similarly to the bypass switch S1, the bypass switch S1# can also be configured by any switching device.
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Therefore, applicant argument that none of the references, Lim or Hashimoto, do not disclose the bypass switch to establish electrical connection between contacts of a conductor is not found persuasive.
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 extension fee 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.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YALKEW FANTU whose telephone number is (571)272-8928. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:00AM-4:00PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, DREW A DUNN can be reached at 571-272-2312.
The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/YALKEW FANTU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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