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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1 – 11 in the reply filed on 02/01/2026 is acknowledged.
The requirement is deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1 – 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an Abstract Idea without significantly more.
Step 1: Statutory Category
Claim 1 is directed to a method, which falls within the statutory categories of invention.
Step 2A: Prong 1: Judicial Exception
Claim 1 is directed to an Abstract Idea, specifically, mathematical concepts and mental processes. The claim recites the steps:
calculating an actual power consumption,
subtracting the actual power consumption from an initial power to determine a remaining power,
determine a predicted power consumption, and
using these values to control charging.
These steps involve mathematical calculations and evaluations that can be performed in
the human mind or with a pen and paper, including:
collecting data (initial power, electricity consuming information),
analyzing data (calculating actual consumption, predicting future consumption), and
making a determination (amount of charging needed).
Accordingly, the claim recites a judicial exception in the form of mathematical concepts
and mental processes.
Step 2A, Prong 2: Integration into a Practical Application
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because although the claim recites, “controlling a charging machine to charge the electric vehicle, this additional element merely applies the Abstract Idea using generic components and does not impose any meaningful limit on the judicial exception.
The claim:
does not improve the functioning of the electric vehicle or charging machine,
does not recited a specific technical implementation for controlling the charging machine, and
merely uses the calculated and predicted values to determine when to stop charging.
The recited charging step is therefore insignificant extra-solution activity and amounts to
Applying the Abstract Idea in a generic technical environment.
Accordingly, the claim does not integrate the judicial exception into a practical application.
Step 2B, Prong 2: Additional elements
The claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because the additional elements include:
an electric vehicle,
a charging machine, and
communication of information (e.g. receiving electricity consuming information, route information, weather information).
These elements are recited a high level of generality and represent well understood,
routine, conventional activities in the relevant field of electric vehicle charging and data processing.
For example:
monitoring battery state and calculating power consumption are conventional,
predicting energy usage based on route and weather is conventional, and
controlling a charging device based on calculated thresholds is conventional.
The dependent claims further recite additional data sources and conventional techniques
(e.g. coulomb counting, network communication, off-peak charging), which likewise do not amount to significantly more than the Abstract Idea.
Taken individually and as an ordered combination, the additional elements do not add a specific limitation beyond the Abstract Idea that is not well understood, routine and conventional.
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.
Claims 1, 2, and 4- 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hayashi (US 20120256588 ).
Regarding claim 1, Hayashi teaches the method of charging management of an electric vehicle (figures 1 and 2 show a method of charging management of an electric vehicle), comprising steps of:
A. getting an initial power of the electric vehicle (Paragraph [0033] discloses determining a remaining amount of power is interpreted as a State of Charge (SOC) expressed in a percentage wherein 100% is fully charged. Thus, determining an amount of SOC during an initial period is an initial power of the electric vehicle. Paragraph [0039] teaches detecting SOC of the battery and [0040] discloses determining the initial SOC as a “before the operation” SOC. Paragraph [0059] discloses detecting an initial power, interpreted as the present SOC);
B. calculating an actual power consumption of the electric vehicle in an operation period, and getting a remaining power by subtracting the actual power consumption from the initial power (Paragraph [0008] teaches a usage history recording unit configured to record a usage of an electric vehicle including an amount of power consumption of the electric vehicle in each period as a period-by-period usage history. Paragraph [0032] discloses wherein the usage history includes the an actual power consumption, interpreted as an amount of power consumption of the electric vehicle. Paragraph [0039] teaches wherein remaining power, interpreted as SOC, is calculated by subtracting the measured power consumption (an actual power consumption) from the amount of charge of the last charging or the “before the operation”).
C. getting a predicted power consumption of the electric vehicle in a next operation period (paragraphs [0008]-[0009] discloses wherein a future amount of power consumption is predicted. Paragraphs [0055] – [0056] discloses wherein a predicted amount of power consumption for the next period is determined and it is determined whether or not charging is necessary) ; and
D. controlling a charging machine to charge the electric vehicle after the electric vehicle is connected to the charging machine until a power of the electric vehicle reaches the predicted power consumption from the remaining power (Paragraph [0049] discloses determining whether charging is necessary based on predicted usage pattern, or power consumption, and present SOC. Paragraph [0059] discloses wherein the charging unit initiates charging and provides charging from a charging apparatus to a battery. When the electric vehicle reaches the predicted power consumption or target SOC the charging is completed.
Regarding claim 2, Hayashi teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in step B, an electricity consuming information of the electric vehicle during the operation period is obtained from the electric vehicle, and the actual power consumption is calculated based on the electricity consuming information (paragraph [0039] discloses wherein the electricity consuming information of the electric vehicle, interpreted as a State of Charge (SOC) obtained from the vehicle. The SOC is detected on the basis of the electrode voltage of the battery. [0040] discloses wherein the before the operation SOC and after operation SOC is used for the usage history, which includes an actual power consumption determination. Paragraph [0045] discloses wherein power consumption is determined as a value of SOC. Actual power consumption uses initial State of charge to determine the power consumption. [0081] discloses wherein an actual power consumption is determined as it corresponds to the SOC of the battery. Paragraph [0079] discloses wherein an electricity consuming information is the amount of charge the vehicle receives. [0081] discloses determining the amount of power consumption as it corresponds to an amount of charge to be received).
Regarding claim 4, Hayashi teaches the method as claimed in claim 3, wherein in step B, the electricity consuming information from the electric vehicle is received through a network during the operation period (paragraphs [0074] and [0078] disclose wherein the usage histories are stored in a network, interpreted as via the internet and stored in a management server).
Regarding claim 5, Hayashi teaches the method as claimed in claim 3, wherein in step B, the electricity consuming information from the electric vehicle is received by communicating with the electric vehicle after the operation period is completed (paragraphs [0078] – [0079] discloses communication with the vehicle via a communication control unit during and after charging periods).
Regarding claim 6, Hayashi teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in step A, a power of the electric vehicle sent from the electric vehicle is received to use as the initial power by communicating with the electric vehicle before the operation period starts (paragraph [0071] discloses wherein the communication control unit communicates with the electric vehicle during charging periods)
Regarding claim 7, Hayashi teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in step C, the predicted power consumption is obtained by at least inputting a route information and a weather information of the next operation period to a predictive model (paragraph [0033] discloses wherein route information is obtained).
Regarding claim 8, Hayashi teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in step D, a power of the electric vehicle during a process of charging is obtained through the charging machine, and the charging machine stops charging when the power of the electric vehicle obtained reaches the predicted power consumption (paragraph [0059] discloses wherein the charging unit stops charging or disconnects from the battery when the charging is complete, after reaching a target SOC).
Regarding claim 9, Hayashi teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein before step D, comprising a step of getting a required power by subtracting the remaining power from the predicted power consumption (paragraph [0039] discloses wherein the SOC is calculated by subtracting the summation of measured power consumption values from the amount of charge at the time of the last charging. Paragraph [0049] discloses wherein the required power for charging is determined by the charge determination unit 30 which predicts a usage pattern on the next day in STEP 13 and determines whether the charging of the battery 13 is necessary on the basis of the predicted usage pattern and the present SOC (remaining power) of the battery. The amount of charging is then calculated from these values as the target SOC); in step D, the charging machine stops charging when a power that the charging machine outputs to the electric vehicle reaches the required power (paragraph [0059] discloses wherein the charging is stopped or disconnected when the SOC reaches the target SOC).
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 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi (US 20120256588 ) in view of Borhan (US 20150326037)
Regarding claim 3, Hayashi teaches the method as claimed in claim 2, wherein in step B, the electricity consuming information comprises a plurality of fetch timestamps and a plurality of battery states, wherein each of the plurality of battery states corresponds to one of the plurality of fetch timestamps; each of the plurality of battery states comprises a current value, and the actual power consumption is calculated based on the plurality of fetch timestamps d (figures 3A, 3B, 5A and 5B and paragraph [0035] discloses a plurality of timestamps and battery states corresponding to a plurality of timestamps. The timestamps include time periods such as a day).
Hayashi does not explicitly teach wherein the current values by using a coulomb counting method.
Borhan teaches wherein the current values by using a coulomb counting method (paragraph [0024] teaches wherein the current values of the batteries, the state of charge, is determined by coulomb counting).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the charging system of the Hayashi reference with the charging system of the Borhan reference so that a faster charging time may be created for charging the batteries.
The suggestion/motivation for combination can be found in the Bohan reference in paragraph [0005] wherein a faster charging time is taught.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi (US 20120256588 ) in view of Mori (US 20160001671).
Regarding claim 10, Hayashi teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in step D, comprising a step of monitoring an instant power consumption of an electricity consuming field where the charging machine is located (paragraph [0008] discloses wherein a history recording unit configured to record a usage of an electric vehicle including an amount of power consumption of the electric vehicle in each period as a period-by-period usage history).
Hayashi does not explicitly teach controlling the charging machine to charge the electric vehicle in a way of reducing output power when the instant power consumption is greater than a predetermined power consumption.
Mori teaches controlling the charging machine to charge the electric vehicle in a way of reducing output power when the instant power consumption is greater than a predetermined power consumption (paragraph [0126] teaches wherein a charging plan is created based on reducing power consumption).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the charging system of the Hayashi reference with the charging system of the Mori reference so that the supply and demand of electric power is balanced in order to cut back on the amount of electric power purchased from power companies
The suggestion/motivation for combination can be found in the Mori reference in paragraph [0006] wherein balancing the supply and demand for electric power is taught.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi (US 20120256588 ) in view of Hancock (US 20110313652).
Regarding claim 11, Hayashi teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, but does not explicitly teach wherein in step D, controlling the charging machine to charge the electric vehicle when determines that a current time falls within an off-peak power consumption period of an electricity consuming field where the charging machine is located.
Hancock teaches controlling the charging machine to charge the electric vehicle when determines that a current time falls within an off-peak power consumption period of an electricity consuming field where the charging machine is located (paragraph [0053] discloses wherein the charging is scheduled to charge the vehicle during off-peak power consumption periods).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the charging system of the Hayashi reference with the charging system of the Hancock reference so that the charging is more cost efficient or cheaper for the user.
The suggestion/motivation for combination can be found in the Hancock reference in paragraph [0053] wherein charging during off-peak hours is cheaper.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Us 20210063983 A1 Energy Management System Anderson; Thomas Et Al.
Us 20250004059 A1 Battery Capacity Estimation Device Chen; Chen Et Al.
Us 20130179061 A1 Smart Electric Vehicle Charging Gadh; Rajit Et Al.
Us 20210339650 A1 Vehicle Power Supply System Hashimoto; Makoto Et Al.
Us 20230303056 A1 Battery Energy Management Hu; Zhimin Et Al.
Us 20120323386 A1 Electric Power Supply System Ito; Akira
Us 20250332956 A1 Prediction Apparatus Iwamoto; Miho Et Al.
Us 20220111751 A1 Charging Electric Vehicles Kim; Junkyeong Et Al.
Us 20230097499 A1 Power Transaction Management Kimura; Kazutaka Et Al.
Us 20210086647 A1 Electric Vehicle Fleet Management Kiessling; Thomas Et Al.
Us 20120161692 A1 Charging Control System Kobayashi; Yuichi Et Al.
Us 20210138927 A1 Predicting EV Battery Consumption Maeng; Jichan Et Al.
Us 20220242272 A1 Monitoring Device Okamoto; Hiroyuki Et Al.
Us 20220305937 A1 Charging Control Method For Electric Moving Body Saita; Akira
Us 9940840 B1 Smart Platooning Of Vehiclesn Schubert; Martin Friedrich Et Al.
Us 20210380012 A1 Charging Assistance System Tsuda; Hiroyuki Et Al.
Us 20160159241 A1 Predicted Remaining Amount Of Energy Ueda; Kyohei
Us 20100102776 A1 EV Charging Control Apparatus Uchida; Masatoshi
Us 20220080852 A1 Vehicle Recharge Of Home Energy Storage Yu; Lan Et Al.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXIS B PACHECO whose telephone number is (571)272-5979. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00 - 5:30.
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, Julian Huffman can be reached at 571-272-2147. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
ALEXIS BOATENG PACHECO
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2859
/ALEXIS B PACHECO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859