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
This action is responsive to the amendments filed 04/10/2026. Claims 1, 3-20 are pending in this application. As directed, claims 1, 3-10, 12, 16-17, 20 have been amended; claim 2 cancelled.
With respect to Drawings Objections: Applicant’s amendments have overcome the Drawings Objections set forth in the Non-Final Office Action dated 01/13/2026.
With respect to Claim Objections: Applicant’s amendments to the Claims have overcome the Claim Objections set forth in the Non-Final Office Action dated 01/13/2026, except for the limitation “the movable door” recited in claim 6 – see details in the Claim Objections section below.
With respect to 35 U.S.C. 112(f) Claim Interpretation: Applicant’s amendments to the Claims have overcome the 35 U.S.C. 112(f) Claim Interpretation set forth in the Non-Final Office Action dated 01/13/2026.
With respect to 35 U.S.C. 112 Claim Rejections: Applicant’s amendments to the Claims have overcome the 35 U.S.C. 112(b) Claim Rejections set forth in the Non-Final Office Action dated 01/13/2026, except for the limitation “the periphery” recited in claim 6 & the limitation “the housing front face” recited in claim 16. Additionally, Applicant’s amendments to the Claims filed on 04/10/2026 have created another 35 U.S.C. 112(b) Claim Rejections. See details in the 35 U.S.C. 112 Claim Rejections below.
With respect to Double Patenting Rejections: Applicant’s amendments to the Claims have overcome the Double Patenting Rejections set forth in the Non-Final Office Action dated 01/13/2026.
Response to Arguments
With respect to 35 U.S.C. 102 & 103 Claim Rejections: Applicant(s)’ arguments filed 04/10/2026 have been fully considered but are moot based on new ground(s) of rejection necessitated by amendments.
Specifically, the newly cited reference Ashworth et al. (U.S. Patent No. 9,321,364 B1) is applied to teach the newly added limitations: “a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of an interior volume of the housing; and a controller, the controller configured to activate the heating element in response to data collected by the temperature sensor” recited in the independent claim 1, and “a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the cavity of the housing; and a controller, the controller configured to activate the heating element in response to data collected by the temperature sensor” recited in the independent claims 10 and 20 – see details in the 35 U.S.C. 103 Claim Rejections section below.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 3-9 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 recites the limitation “the energy port assembly” in lines 7, 8. This limitation should be changed to “the heated energy port assembly” to properly refer to the corresponding limitation recited previously in claim 1 (line 1).
Claims 3-9 are objected by virtue of their dependence on claim 1.
Claim 6 recites the limitation “the movable door” in lines 2, 4. It is understood that the limitation “the movable door” refers to the limitation “the movable door assembly” recited previously in claim 1 (line 4). Therefore, the limitation “the movable door” should be changed to “the movable door assembly” to properly refer to the corresponding limitation recited previously in claim 1 (line 4).
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1, 3-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 (lines 11-12), claim 10 (lines 11-12), claim 20 (lines 12-13) recite the limitation “the controller configured to activate the heating element in response to data collected by the temperature sensor” in lines 11-12. It is unclear what is meant by the limitation “activate the heating element” recited in claims 1, 10, and 20. Specifically, it is unclear if the limitation “activate the heating element” herein means a binary act of turning on the heating element, or the limitation “activate the heating element” herein means control/regulate the heating element because the specification of the Instant Application describes the heating is provided via the heating element in response to data collected by the temperature sensor in Par.0048, specifically, Par.0048 states: “For example, the controller 170 may configured to provide heat to the housing 110, movable door 130, and/or seal 140 via the heating element 160 responsive to an input from a temperature sensor 172.”. It is noted that providing heat is different from activating heat. To be more specific, providing heat via heating element means controlling/regulating the heating element, while activating the heating element means a binary act of turning on the heating element. Therefore, they are not identical. For examination purposes, the limitation “activate the heating element” recited in claims 1, 10, and 20 will be interpreted as provide heat via the heating element according to the specification [Par.0048] of the Instant Application.
Claims 3-9 are rejected by virtue of their dependence on claim 1.
Claims 11-19 are rejected by virtue of their dependence on claim 10.
Claim 3 recites the limitation “a controller” in line 2. It is unclear what is meant by this limitation because claim 3 depends on claim 1; however, claim 1 recites the limitation “a controller” in line 11. Therefore, it is unclear if they are the same controller or different controllers. For examination purposes, the limitation “a controller” recited in claim 3 will be interpreted as to refer to the limitation “a controller” recited previously in claim 1.
Claim 6 recites the limitation “the periphery” in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim because claim 6 depends on claim 5; claim 5 depends on claim 1; however, there is no “periphery” recited previously in claim 1, claim 5, or claim 6.
Claim 13 recites the limitation “a controller” in lines 1-2. It is unclear what is meant by this limitation because claim 13 depends on claim 10; however, claim 10 recites the limitation “a controller” in line 11. Therefore, it is unclear if they are the same controller or different controllers. For examination purposes, the limitation “a controller” recited in claim 13 will be interpreted as to refer to the limitation “a controller” recited previously in claim 10.
Claim 16 recites the limitation “the housing front face” in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim because claim 16 depends on claim 10; however, there is no “housing front face” recited previously in claim 10 or claim 16.
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 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.
Claims 1, 4-10, 12, 15-18, 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi et al. (JP 2016088250 A, previously cited) in view of Ashworth et al. (U.S. Patent No. 9,321,364 B1, newly cited).
Regarding claim 1, Hayashi discloses a heated energy port assembly (heated energy port assembly includes the energy supply unit 10 [Hayashi Fig.1], the heater ECU (Electric Control Unit) 201 [Hayashi Fig.6] and temperature sensor 204 [Hayashi Fig.6]) (Hayashi Translated Par.0022 discloses: “As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the first energy replenishment unit 10 includes a charge bracket 11 forming a recess 8 formed in the vehicle body 2, two charge ports 12a and 12b, a lid 14, and heaters 15a to 15d.”) (it is noted that the Instant Application defines the heated energy port assembly 100 including the housing 10 having cavity 112 and port 114, seal 140, door assembly 120 having door 130, heating element 160, controller 170 and sensor 172, as shown in Fig.1 of the Instant Application; therefore, the prior art Hayashi heated energy port assembly is interpreted to include the energy supply unit 10 [Hayashi Fig.1], the heater ECU (Electric Control Unit) 201 [Hayashi Fig.6] and temperature sensor 204 [Hayashi Fig.6]) comprising:
a housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4) (Hayashi Translated Par.0028 discloses: “The first bottom wall 21, the first top wall 22, the first plug support wall 23, the first rear wall 24, and the first front wall 25 each form the inner side of the charge bracket 11.”) configured to be coupled to a surface (surface of the vehicle body 2, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below) of a vehicle (vehicle 1, Hayashi Fig.1);
a movable door assembly (movable door assembly includes flat portion 51, bent portion 52, hinge 34; Hayashi Fig.2) coupled to the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4) and configured to move from a closed position (closed position as shown in Hayashi Figs.1 or 4) in which the movable door assembly (movable door assembly includes flat portion 51, bent portion 52, hinge 34; Hayashi Fig.2) forms a closed compartment (when the movable door assembly is in closed position, it forms a closed compartment with the charging bracket 11 as shown in Hayashi Fig.1) with the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4) and an open position (open position as shown in Hayashi Fig.2) in which the movable door assembly (movable door assembly includes flat portion 51, bent portion 52, hinge 34; Hayashi Fig.2) moves at least partially away (Hayashi Fig.2 shows the moveable door assembly moves at least partially away from the charging bracket 11) from the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4) to expose contents (the contents of the charging bracket 11 are exposed as shown in Hayashi Fig.2) of the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4);
a heating element (heaters 15a, 15b, 15c, Hayashi Fig.2) coupled to the energy port assembly (heated energy port assembly includes the energy supply unit 10 [Hayashi Fig.1], the heater ECU (Electric Control Unit) 201 [Hayashi Fig.6] and temperature sensor 204 [Hayashi Fig.6]) (the heaters 15a, 15b, 15c coupled to the charging bracket 11 and the flat portion 51 of the energy supply unit 10), the heating element (heaters 15a, 15b, 15c, Hayashi Fig.2) configured to heat at least a portion of the energy port assembly (heated energy port assembly includes the energy supply unit 10 [Hayashi Fig.1], the heater ECU (Electric Control Unit) 201 [Hayashi Fig.6] and temperature sensor 204 [Hayashi Fig.6]) (Hayashi Translated Par.0038 discloses: “when the heater 15a generates heat, the first bottom wall 21 is heated. When the heaters 15b and 15c generate heat, the lock portion 55 and the step portion 28 are heated. When the heater 15d generates heat, the communication pipe 47 is heated.”; it is noted that the first bottom wall 21, the lock portion 55, the step portion 28 belong to the energy supply unit 10, as shown in Hayashi Fig.2 and indicated by Translated Pars.0023, 0025; therefore, the heaters 15a, 15b, 15c configured to heat at least a portion of the energy supply unit 10 of the heated energy port assembly);
a temperature sensor (temperature sensor 204, Hayashi Fig.6),
a controller (heater ECU (Electric Control Unit) 201, Hayashi Fig.6), the controller (heater ECU (Electric Control Unit) 201, Hayashi Fig.6) configured to activate the heating element (heater 15c, Hayashi Fig.2) in response to data (“temperature information D3”, Hayashi Translated Pars.0047-0048) collected by the temperature sensor (temperature sensor 204, Hayashi Fig.6) (Hayashi Translated Par.0047 discloses: “The outside air temperature sensor 204 measures the temperature outside the vehicle 1 . Information indicating this measured temperature is output to the heater ECU 201 as temperature information D3.”, and Hayashi Translated Par.0048 discloses: “Next, the heating control of heaters A and B, i.e., the heating control of the energy supply unit 10 on the charging port side, performed by the heater ECU 201 based on the switch information D1, the status information D2, and the temperature information D3 will be described with reference to FIG. 7 .”; it is noted that the heater B is heater 15c, as indicated by Hayashi Translated Par.0043: “Here, heater A is heater 15a and heater 15b, heater B is heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2)”, and Hayashi Fig.2 & Par.0037 disclose the heater 15c is installed on the flat portion 51 of the movable door, specifically, Hayashi Translated Par.0037 discloses: “The lid 14 has a heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2) installed on the flat plate portion 51 thereof.”; therefore, Hayashi discloses the heater ECU (Electric Control Unit) 201 configured to provide heat to the flat portion 51 of the movable door assembly via the heater 15c in response to data collected by the temperature sensor 204)
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Hayashi does not explicitly disclose:
a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of an interior volume of the housing,
the controller configured to activate the heating element in response to temperature data of the interior volume of the housing collected by the temperature sensor
Ashworth teaches a heated energy port assembly (charging interface 16, Ashworth Figs.1-3):
a temperature sensor (temperature sensors 52, Ashworth Fig.3) configured to measure a temperature of an interior volume of the housing (see the interior volume of the housing of the charging interface 16 in Ashworth annotated Fig.2 below) (Ashworth Col.7 lines 43-48 teaches: “heating pad 40 may include temperature sensors 52 (thermocouples, thermistors, etc.) incorporated therein. These temperature sensors 52 may be configured to measure a temperature of the heating pad 40 (which may correspond to a surface temperature of the landing surface 30)”; therefore, in combination, by making the temperature sensors to be incorporated in the heaters of Hayashi, in combination, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the temperature sensors configured to measure temperature of interior volume of the housing because the Hayashi heaters 15a, 15b are located in the interior volume of the charging bracket 11, and the heater 15c is also in the interior volume when the lid 14 is closed, see Hayashi Fig.2); and
a controller (control system 90, Ashworth Fig.6), the controller (control system 90, Ashworth Fig.6) configured to activate the heating element (heating pad 40, Ashworth Figs.2-3) in response to data collected by the temperature sensor (temperature sensors 52, Ashworth Fig.3) (Ashworth Col.8 lines 55-59 teaches: “The control system may selectively operate the heating pad 40, 140 based on readings from the sensor. FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic illustration of an exemplary control system 90 that may be used to control the heating pads 40, 140 on bus 10.”, and Ashworth Fig.6 shows the control system 90 is in connection with the temperature sensor 52; therefore, the control system 90 is configured to activate the heating pad 40 in response to data collected by the temperature sensor 52).
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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 heated energy port assembly of Hayashi, by adding the teachings of temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of an interior volume of the housing and the controller configured to activate the heating element in response to data collected by the temperature sensor, as taught by Ashworth, in order to obtain localized thermal information of the interior/cavity of the housing of the heated energy port assembly. Thus, enable more precise and responsive activation of the heaters at the charging port, thereby improving de-icing effectiveness, preventing ice formation at the charging connection and also reducing unnecessary power consumption.
Regarding claim 4, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 1, Hayashi also discloses:
wherein the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4) includes an opening (opening, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below) when the movable door assembly (movable door assembly includes flat portion 51, bent portion 52, hinge 34; Hayashi Fig.2) is in the open position (open position as shown in Hayashi Fig.2), and wherein a seal (lock plate 53 and locking claw 32, Hayashi Fig.2) (it is noted that the definition of “seal” is “something that secures” – according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seal, accessed on 05/01/2026]; in this case, the lock plate 53 has a lock hole 31 at its end that engages with the lock claw 32; the locking claw 32 and the locking hole 31 form a locking portion 55 that fixes the moveable door in the closed position, thus, the lock plate 53 and the locking claw 32 secure the movable door; therefore, the lock plate 53 and the locking claw 32 are interpreted as seal) is disposed at least partially around a periphery (periphery of the opening, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below) of the opening (opening, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below) when the movable door assembly (movable door assembly includes flat portion 51, bent portion 52, hinge 34; Hayashi Fig.2) is in the closed position (closed position as shown in Hayashi Fig.4).
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Regarding claim 5, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 1, Hayashi also discloses:
wherein the heating element (heaters 15a, 15b, 15c, Hayashi Fig.2) is disposed on at least one of the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4) or the movable door assembly (movable door assembly includes flat portion 51, bent portion 52, hinge 34; Hayashi Fig.2) (it is noted that the limitation “at least one of the housing or the movable door” is in alternative form; therefore, only one of these was required during examination. In this case, Hayashi discloses the heaters 15a, 15b, 15c disposed on both the charging bracket 11 and the movable door assembly including flat portion 51, bent portion 52, hinge 34 because Hayashi Translated Par.0037 discloses: “That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the charge bracket cover 40 has a heater 15a (shown in FIG. 3) and a heater 15b (shown in FIG. 4) embedded in the second bottom wall 41 and the second rear side wall 44, respectively. The lid 14 has a heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2) installed on the flat plate portion 51 thereof.”, it is noted that the charging bracket 11 includes the charge bracket cover 40 because Hayashi Par.0029 discloses: “The charging bracket 11 further includes a charging bracket cover 40.”).
Regarding claim 6, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 5, Hayashi also discloses:
wherein the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4) includes an opening (opening, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below) when the movable door (movable door assembly includes flat portion 51, bent portion 52, hinge 34; Hayashi Fig.2) is in the open position (open position as shown in Hayashi Fig.2), and wherein the heating element (heaters 15a, 15b, 15c, Hayashi Fig.2) at least partially surrounds the periphery (periphery of the opening, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below) of the opening (opening, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below) when the movable door (movable door assembly includes flat portion 51, bent portion 52, hinge 34; Hayashi Fig.2) is in the closed position (closed position as shown in Hayashi Fig.4) (the heaters 15a, 15b, 15c are at least partially surrounds the periphery of the opening when the movable door assembly including flat portion 51, bent portion 52, hinge 34 is in closed position).
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Regarding claim 7, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 5, Hayashi also discloses:
wherein the movable door assembly (movable door assembly includes flat portion 51, bent portion 52, hinge 34; Hayashi Fig.2) has a door rear face (door rear face, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below) and a door front face (door front face, Hayashi annotated Fig.1 below), the door front face (door front face, Hayashi annotated Fig.1 below) faces an outside of the vehicle (vehicle 1, Hayashi Fig.1) (Hayashi annotated Fig.1 below shows the door front face faces an outside of the vehicle 1) and the door front face (door front face, Hayashi annotated Fig.1 below) and the door rear face (door rear face, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below) are oriented away from each other (Hayashi annotated Figs.1-2 below show the door front face and the door rear face are oriented away from each other), wherein the heating element (heater 15c, Hayashi Fig.2) is disposed along at least one of the door front face or the door rear face (door rear face, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below) (it is noted that the limitation “at least one of the door front face or the door rear face” is in alternative form; therefore, only one of these was required during examination. In this case, Hayashi discloses the heater 15c is disposed along the door rear face as shown in Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below and Hayashi Translated Par.0037 discloses: “The lid 14 has a heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2) installed on the flat plate portion 51 thereof.”).
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Regarding claim 8, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 5, Hayashi also discloses:
wherein the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4) has a housing rear face (housing rear face, Hayashi annotated Fig.4 below) and a housing front face (housing front face, Hayashi annotated Figs.2, 4 below), the housing front face (housing front face, Hayashi annotated Figs.2, 4 below) faces an outside of the vehicle (vehicle 1, Hayashi Fig.1) (Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below shows the housing front face faces an outside of the vehicle 1 when the movable door is in an open position as shown in Hayashi Fig.2), and the housing rear face (housing rear face, Hayashi annotated Fig.4 below) and the housing front face (housing front face, Hayashi annotated Figs.2, 4 below) are oriented away from each other (Hayashi annotated Fig.4 below shows the housing rear face and the housing front face are oriented away from each other), wherein the heating element (heaters 15a, 15b, Hayashi Fig.2) is disposed along at least one of the housing rear face or the housing front face (housing front face, Hayashi annotated Figs.2, 4 below) (it is noted that the limitation “at least one of the housing rear face or the housing front face” is in alternative form; therefore, only one of these was required during examination. In this case, Hayashi discloses the heaters 15a &15b are disposed along the housing front face as shown in Hayashi annotated Figs.2, 4 below and Hayashi Translated Par.0037 discloses: “That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the charge bracket cover 40 has a heater 15a (shown in FIG. 3) and a heater 15b (shown in FIG. 4) embedded in the second bottom wall 41 and the second rear side wall 44, respectively.”, it is noted that the charging bracket 11 includes the charge bracket cover 40 because Hayashi Par.0029 discloses: “The charging bracket 11 further includes a charging bracket cover 40.”, and Hayashi annotated Fig.4 below shows the charge bracket cover 40 are disposed along the housing front face).
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Regarding claim 9, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 5, Hayashi also discloses:
wherein the heating element (heater 15c, Hayashi Fig.2) is integrated in at least one of the housing or the movable door assembly (movable door assembly includes flat portion 51, bent portion 52, hinge 34; Hayashi Fig.2) (it is noted that the limitation “at least one of the housing or the movable door” is in alternative form; therefore, only one of these was required during examination. In this case, Hayashi discloses the heater 15c is integrated in the flat portion 51 of the movable door because Hayashi Translated Par.0037 discloses: “The lid 14 has a heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2) installed on the flat plate portion 51 thereof.”).
Regarding claim 10, Hayashi discloses a heated energy port assembly (heated energy port assembly includes the energy supply unit 10 [Hayashi Fig.1], the heater ECU (Electric Control Unit) 201 [Hayashi Fig.6] and temperature sensor 204 [Hayashi Fig.6]) (Hayashi Translated Par.0022 discloses: “As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the first energy replenishment unit 10 includes a charge bracket 11 forming a recess 8 formed in the vehicle body 2, two charge ports 12a and 12b, a lid 14, and heaters 15a to 15d.”) (it is noted that the Instant Application defines the heated energy port assembly 100 including the housing 10 having cavity 112 and port 114, seal 140, door assembly 120 having door 130, heating element 160, controller 170 and sensor 172, as shown in Fig.1 of the Instant Application; therefore, the prior art Hayashi heated energy port assembly is interpreted to include the energy supply unit 10 [Hayashi Fig.1], the heater ECU (Electric Control Unit) 201 [Hayashi Fig.6] and temperature sensor 204 [Hayashi Fig.6]) comprising:
a housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4) (Hayashi Translated Par.0028 discloses: “The first bottom wall 21, the first top wall 22, the first plug support wall 23, the first rear wall 24, and the first front wall 25 each form the inner side of the charge bracket 11.”) configured to be disposed along an exterior of a vehicle (vehicle 1, Hayashi Fig.1) (Hayashi Figs.1-4 shows the charging bracket 11 disposed along an exterior of the vehicle 1), the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4) defining a cavity (recess 8, Hayashi Fig.2) (Hayashi Translated Par.0022 discloses: “As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the first energy replenishment unit 10 includes a charge bracket 11 forming a recess 8 formed in the vehicle body 2”) configured to accept an external power source (“normal charging gun” & “quick charging gun”, Hayashi Translated Par.0032) for insertion into a port (charging ports 12a & 12b, Hayashi Fig.2) (Hayashi Translated Par.0032 discloses: “As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first energy replenishment unit 10 has one charging port 12a connectable to a normal charging gun and the other charging port 12b connectable to a quick charging gun.”) disposed within the cavity (recess 8, Hayashi Fig.2);
a movable door assembly (movable door assembly includes flat portion 51, bent portion 52, hinge 34; Hayashi Fig.2) comprising a movable door (moveable door includes flat portion 51 and bent portion 52, Hayashi Fig.2) coupled to the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4);
a seal (lock plate 53 and locking claw 32, Hayashi Fig.2) (it is noted that the definition of “seal” is “something that secures” – according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seal, accessed on 05/01/2026]; in this case, the lock plate 53 has a lock hole 31 at its end that engages with the lock claw 32; the locking claw 32 and the locking hole 31 form a locking portion 55 that fixes the moveable door in the closed position, thus, the lock plate 53 and the locking claw 32 secure the movable door; therefore, the lock plate 53 and the locking claw 32 are interpreted as seal) interposed between the movable door (moveable door includes flat portion 51 and bent portion 52, Hayashi Fig.2) and the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4) (it is noted that the charging bracket 11 is formed by the first bottom wall 21, the first top wall 22, the first plug support wall 23, the first rear wall 24, and the first front wall 25, as indicated by Hayashi Translated Par.0032, thus, Hayashi Fig.4 shows the lock plate 53 and locking claw 32 are in between the charging bracket 11 and the moveable door including flat portion 51 and bent portion 52); and
a heating element (heaters 15a, 15b, 15c, Hayashi Fig.2) coupled to at least one of the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4), the movable door (moveable door includes flat portion 51 and bent portion 52, Hayashi Fig.2), or the seal (it is noted that the limitation “coupled to at least one of the housing, the movable door, or the seal” is in alternative form; therefore, only one of these was required during examination. In this case, Hayashi discloses the heaters 15a, 15b are coupled to the charging bracket 11, and heater 15c is coupled to the flat portion 51 of the movable door because Hayashi Translated Par.0037 discloses: “That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the charge bracket cover 40 has a heater 15a (shown in FIG. 3) and a heater 15b (shown in FIG. 4) embedded in the second bottom wall 41 and the second rear side wall 44, respectively. The lid 14 has a heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2) installed on the flat plate portion 51 thereof.”, it is noted that the charging bracket 11 includes the charge bracket cover 40 because Hayashi Par.0029 discloses: “The charging bracket 11 further includes a charging bracket cover 40.”), the heating element (heaters 15a, 15b, 15c, Hayashi Fig.2) configured to heat at least a portion of the at least one of the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4), the movable door (moveable door includes flat portion 51 and bent portion 52, Hayashi Fig.2), or the seal (lock plate 53 and locking claw 32, Hayashi Fig.2) (it is noted that the limitation “at least a portion of the at least one of the housing, the movable door, or the seal” is in alternative form; therefore, only one of these was required during examination. In this case, Hayashi discloses the heaters 15a, 15b, 15c configured to heat at least a portion of the charging bracket 11, the movable door including the flat portion 51 and the bent portion 52, and the seal including the lock plate 53 and the locking claw 32 because Hayashi Translated Par.0038 discloses: “when the heater 15a generates heat, the first bottom wall 21 is heated. When the heaters 15b and 15c generate heat, the lock portion 55 and the step portion 28 are heated.”, and since the “heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2) installed on the flat plate portion 51 thereof”, as shown in Hayashi Fig.2 & indicated by Hayashi Translated Par.037, the heater 15c is configured to heat the flat portion 51 of the movable door. Therefore, Hayashi discloses the heaters 15a, 15b, 15c configured to heat at least a portion of the charging bracket 11, the movable door including the flat portion 51 and the bent portion 52, and the seal including the lock plate 53 and the locking claw 32),
a temperature sensor (temperature sensor 204, Hayashi Fig.6),
a controller (heater ECU (Electric Control Unit) 201, Hayashi Fig.6), the controller (heater ECU (Electric Control Unit) 201, Hayashi Fig.6) configured to activate the heating element (heater 15c, Hayashi Fig.2) in response to data (“temperature information D3”, Hayashi Translated Pars.0047-0048) collected by the temperature sensor (temperature sensor 204, Hayashi Fig.6) (Hayashi Translated Par.0047 discloses: “The outside air temperature sensor 204 measures the temperature outside the vehicle 1 . Information indicating this measured temperature is output to the heater ECU 201 as temperature information D3.”, and Hayashi Translated Par.0048 discloses: “Next, the heating control of heaters A and B, i.e., the heating control of the energy supply unit 10 on the charging port side, performed by the heater ECU 201 based on the switch information D1, the status information D2, and the temperature information D3 will be described with reference to FIG. 7 .”; it is noted that the heater B is heater 15c, as indicated by Hayashi Translated Par.0043: “Here, heater A is heater 15a and heater 15b, heater B is heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2)”, and Hayashi Fig.2 & Par.0037 disclose the heater 15c is installed on the flat portion 51 of the movable door, specifically, Hayashi Translated Par.0037 discloses: “The lid 14 has a heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2) installed on the flat plate portion 51 thereof.”; therefore, Hayashi discloses the heater ECU (Electric Control Unit) 201 configured to provide heat to the flat portion 51 of the movable door assembly via the heater 15c in response to data collected by the temperature sensor 204)
Hayashi does not explicitly disclose:
a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the cavity of the housing;
the controller configured to activate the heating element in response to temperature data of the cavity of the housing collected by the temperature sensor
Ashworth teaches a heated energy port assembly (charging interface 16, Ashworth Figs.1-3):
a temperature sensor (temperature sensors 52, Ashworth Fig.3) configured to measure a temperature of the cavity of the housing (see the cavity of the housing of the charging interface 16 in Ashworth annotated Fig.2 below) (Ashworth Col.7 lines 43-48 teaches: “heating pad 40 may include temperature sensors 52 (thermocouples, thermistors, etc.) incorporated therein. These temperature sensors 52 may be configured to measure a temperature of the heating pad 40 (which may correspond to a surface temperature of the landing surface 30)”; therefore, in combination, by making the temperature sensors to be incorporated in the heaters of Hayashi, in combination, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the temperature sensors configured to measure temperature of the cavity of the housing because the Hayashi heaters 15a, 15b are located in the cavity of the charging bracket 11, and the heater 15c is also in the cavity when the lid 14 is closed, see Hayashi Fig.2); and
a controller (control system 90, Ashworth Fig.6), the controller (control system 90, Ashworth Fig.6) configured to activate the heating element (heating pad 40, Ashworth Figs.2-3) in response to data collected by the temperature sensor (temperature sensors 52, Ashworth Fig.3) (Ashworth Col.8 lines 55-59 teaches: “The control system may selectively operate the heating pad 40, 140 based on readings from the sensor. FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic illustration of an exemplary control system 90 that may be used to control the heating pads 40, 140 on bus 10.”, and Ashworth Fig.6 shows the control system 90 is in connection with the temperature sensor 52; therefore, the control system 90 is configured to activate the heating pad 40 in response to data collected by the temperature sensor 52).
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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 heated energy port assembly of Hayashi, by adding the teachings of temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the cavity of the housing and the controller configured to activate the heating element in response to data collected by the temperature sensor, as taught by Ashworth, in order to obtain localized thermal information of the interior/cavity of the housing of the heated energy port assembly. Thus, enable more precise and responsive activation of the heaters at the charging port, thereby improving de-icing effectiveness, preventing ice formation at the charging connection and also reducing unnecessary power consumption.
Regarding claim 12, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 10, and also teaches:
the controller (heater ECU (Electric Control Unit) 201, Hayashi Fig.6) configured to provide heat to the at least one of the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4), the movable door (movable door assembly includes flat portion 51, bent portion 52, hinge 34; Hayashi Fig.2), or the seal (lock plate 53 and locking claw 32, Hayashi Fig.2) via the heating element (heaters 15a, 15b, 15c, Hayashi Fig.2) responsive to an input from the temperature sensor (Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches provide heat via the heating element responsive to an input from the temperature sensor, as cited, explained and incorporated in the rejection of claim 10 above).
Regarding claim 15, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 10, Hayashi also discloses:
wherein the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4) has a housing front face (housing front face, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below) and the movable door (moveable door includes flat portion 51 and bent portion 52, Hayashi Fig.2) has a door rear face (door rear face, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below), the housing front face (housing front face, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below) is oriented toward an outside of the vehicle (vehicle 1, Hayashi Fig.1) (Hayashi Fig.1 and annotated Fig.2 below shows the housing front face is oriented toward an outside of the vehicle 1) and the door rear face (door rear face, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below) is oriented toward the housing front face (housing front face, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below) (Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below shows the door rear face is oriented toward the housing front face), wherein the heating element (heaters 15a, 15b, 15c, Hayashi Fig.2) is disposed along at least one of the housing front face (housing front face, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below) or the door rear face (door rear face, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below) (it is noted that the limitation “at least one of the housing front face or the door rear face” is in alternative form; therefore, only one of these was required during examination. In this case, Hayashi discloses the heaters 15a &15b are disposed along the housing front face as shown in Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below and Hayashi Translated Par.0037 discloses: “That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the charge bracket cover 40 has a heater 15a (shown in FIG. 3) and a heater 15b (shown in FIG. 4) embedded in the second bottom wall 41 and the second rear side wall 44, respectively.”, it is noted that the charging bracket 11 includes the charge bracket cover 40 because Hayashi Par.0029 discloses: “The charging bracket 11 further includes a charging bracket cover 40.”, and Hayashi annotated Fig.4 below shows the charge bracket cover 40 are disposed along the housing front face. Hayashi further discloses the heaters 15c is disposed along the door rear face as shown in Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below and Hayashi Translated Par.0037 discloses: “The lid 14 has a heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2) installed on the flat plate portion 51 thereof.”. Therefore, Hayashi discloses the heaters 15a &15b are disposed along the housing front face, and Hayashi discloses the heater 15c is disposed along the door rear face).
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Regarding claim 16, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 10, Hayashi also discloses:
wherein the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4) has a housing rear face (housing rear face, Hayashi annotated Fig.4 below) and the movable door (moveable door includes flat portion 51 and bent portion 52, Hayashi Fig.2) has a door front face (door front face, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below), the housing front face (housing front face, Hayashi annotated Figs.2, 4 below) is oriented toward an outside of the vehicle (vehicle 1, Hayashi Fig.1) (Hayashi Fig.1 and annotated Fig.2 below show the housing front face is oriented toward an outside of the vehicle 1) and the housing rear face (housing rear face, Hayashi annotated Fig.4 below) is oriented away from the housing front face (housing front face, Hayashi annotated Figs.2, 4 below), and
wherein the heating element (heaters 15a, 15b, 15c, Hayashi Fig.2) is disposed along at least one of the housing rear face or the door front face (door front face, Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below) (it is noted that the limitation “at least one of the housing rear face or the door front face” is in alternative form; therefore, only one of these was required during examination. In this case, Hayashi discloses the heater 15c is disposed along the door front face as shown in Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below and Hayashi Translated Par.0037 discloses: “The lid 14 has a heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2) installed on the flat plate portion 51 thereof.”).
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Regarding claim 17, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 10, Hayashi also discloses:
wherein the heating element (heater 15c, Hayashi Fig.2) includes a resistive wire element (Hayashi Translated Par.0036 discloses: “The heaters 15a to 15h are, for example, electric heating wires”; it is noted that the electric heating wire is resistive wire element) integrated into at least one of the housing or movable door (movable door includes flat portion 51 and bent portion 52; Hayashi Fig.2) (it is noted that the limitation “at least one of the housing or movable door” is in alternative form; therefore, only one of these was required during examination. In this case, Hayashi discloses the heater 15c is integrated in the flat portion 51 of the movable door because Hayashi Translated Par.0037 discloses: “The lid 14 has a heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2) installed on the flat plate portion 51 thereof.”).
Regarding claim 18, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 10, Hayashi also discloses:
wherein the heating element (heaters 15a, 15b, 15c, Hayashi Fig.2) is configured to receive energy from a battery (battery 205, Hayashi Fig.6) disposed on the vehicle (vehicle 1, Hayashi Fig.1) (Hayashi Translated Par.0036 discloses: “The heaters 15a to 15h are, for example, electric heating wires, and are electrically connected to an auxiliary battery 205 (shown in FIG. 6, which will be described later) mounted on the vehicle 1 via wiring.”).
Regarding claim 20, Hayashi discloses a heated energy port assembly (energy supply unit 10, Hayashi Fig.1) (Hayashi Translated Par.0022 discloses: “As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the first energy replenishment unit 10 includes a charge bracket 11 forming a recess 8 formed in the vehicle body 2, two charge ports 12a and 12b, a lid 14, and heaters 15a to 15d.”) (it is noted that the Instant Application defines the entire port assembly as shown in Fig.8 of the Instant Application as a heated energy port assembly, specifically, Par.0016 of the Specification of the Instant Application cited: “Figure 8 illustrates a perspective view of a heated energy port assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.”; therefore, the energy supply unit 10 as shown in Hayashi Figs.1-4 is interpreted as a heated energy port assembly) comprising:
a housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4) (Hayashi Translated Par.0028 discloses: “The first bottom wall 21, the first top wall 22, the first plug support wall 23, the first rear wall 24, and the first front wall 25 each form the inner side of the charge bracket 11.”) configured to be disposed along a vehicle (vehicle 1, Hayashi Fig.1) (Hayashi Figs.1-4 show the charging bracket 11 disposed along the vehicle 1), the vehicle (vehicle 1, Hayashi Fig.1) having at least a top (top of vehicle 1, Hayashi annotated Fig.1 below), a bottom (bottom of vehicle 1, Hayashi annotated Fig.1 below), and a side (side of vehicle 1, Hayashi annotated Fig.1 below) connecting the top (top of vehicle 1, Hayashi annotated Fig.1 below) and the bottom (bottom of vehicle 1, Hayashi annotated Fig.1 below), the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4) disposed along the side (side of vehicle 1, Hayashi annotated Fig.1 below) of the vehicle (vehicle 1, Hayashi Fig.1) (Hayashi annotated Fig.2 below shows the charging bracket 11 disposed along the side of the vehicle 1), the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4) defining a cavity (recess 8, Hayashi Fig.2) (Hayashi Translated Par.0022 discloses: “As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the first energy replenishment unit 10 includes a charge bracket 11 forming a recess 8 formed in the vehicle body 2”) configured to accept an external power source (“normal charging gun” & “quick charging gun”, Hayashi Translated Par.0032) for insertion into a port (charging ports 12a & 12b, Hayashi Fig.2) (Hayashi Translated Par.0032 discloses: “As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first energy replenishment unit 10 has one charging port 12a connectable to a normal charging gun and the other charging port 12b connectable to a quick charging gun.”) disposed within the cavity (recess 8, Hayashi Fig.2);
a movable door assembly (movable door assembly includes flat portion 51, bent portion 52, hinge 34; Hayashi Fig.2) comprising a movable door (moveable door includes flat portion 51 and bent portion 52, Hayashi Fig.2) coupled to the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4);
a seal (lock plate 53 and locking claw 32, Hayashi Fig.2) (it is noted that the definition of “seal” is “something that secures” – according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seal, accessed on 05/01/2026]; in this case, the lock plate 53 has a lock hole 31 at its end that engages with the lock claw 32; the locking claw 32 and the locking hole 31 form a locking portion 55 that fixes the moveable door in the closed position, thus, the lock plate 53 and the locking claw 32 secure the movable door; therefore, the lock plate 53 and the locking claw 32 are interpreted as seal) interposed between the movable door (moveable door includes flat portion 51 and bent portion 52, Hayashi Fig.2) and the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4) (it is noted that the charging bracket 11 is formed by the first bottom wall 21, the first top wall 22, the first plug support wall 23, the first rear wall 24, and the first front wall 25, as indicated by Hayashi Translated Par.0032, thus, Hayashi Fig.4 shows the lock plate 53 and locking claw 32 are in between the charging bracket 11 and the moveable door including flat portion 51 and bent portion 52);
a heating element (heaters 15a, 15b, 15c, Hayashi Fig.2) coupled to at least one of the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4), the movable door (moveable door includes flat portion 51 and bent portion 52, Hayashi Fig.2), or the seal (it is noted that the limitation “coupled to at least one of the housing, the movable door, or the seal” is in alternative form; therefore, only one of these was required during examination. In this case, Hayashi discloses the heaters 15a, 15b are coupled to the charging bracket 11, and heater 15c is coupled to the flat portion 51 of the movable door because Hayashi Translated Par.0037 discloses: “That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the charge bracket cover 40 has a heater 15a (shown in FIG. 3) and a heater 15b (shown in FIG. 4) embedded in the second bottom wall 41 and the second rear side wall 44, respectively. The lid 14 has a heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2) installed on the flat plate portion 51 thereof.”, it is noted that the charging bracket 11 includes the charge bracket cover 40 because Hayashi Par.0029 discloses: “The charging bracket 11 further includes a charging bracket cover 40.”), the heating element (heaters 15a, 15b, 15c, Hayashi Fig.2) configured to heat at least a portion of the at least one of the housing (charging bracket 11, Hayashi Figs.1-4), the movable door (moveable door includes flat portion 51 and bent portion 52, Hayashi Fig.2), or the seal (lock plate 53 and locking claw 32, Hayashi Fig.2) (it is noted that the limitation “at least a portion of the at least one of the housing, the movable door, or the seal” is in alternative form; therefore, only one of these was required during examination. In this case, Hayashi discloses the heaters 15a, 15b, 15c configured to heat at least a portion of the charging bracket 11, the movable door including the flat portion 51 and the bent portion 52, and the seal including the lock plate 53 and the locking claw 32 because Hayashi Translated Par.0038 discloses: “when the heater 15a generates heat, the first bottom wall 21 is heated. When the heaters 15b and 15c generate heat, the lock portion 55 and the step portion 28 are heated.”, and since the “heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2) installed on the flat plate portion 51 thereof”, as shown in Hayashi Fig.2 & indicated by Hayashi Translated Par.037, the heater 15c is configured to heat the flat portion 51 of the movable door. Therefore, Hayashi discloses the heaters 15a, 15b, 15c configured to heat at least a portion of the charging bracket 11, the movable door including the flat portion 51 and the bent portion 52, and the seal including the lock plate 53 and the locking claw 32),
a temperature sensor (temperature sensor 204, Hayashi Fig.6),
a controller (heater ECU (Electric Control Unit) 201, Hayashi Fig.6), the controller (heater ECU (Electric Control Unit) 201, Hayashi Fig.6) configured to activate the heating element (heater 15c, Hayashi Fig.2) in response to data (“temperature information D3”, Hayashi Translated Pars.0047-0048) collected by the temperature sensor (temperature sensor 204, Hayashi Fig.6) (Hayashi Translated Par.0047 discloses: “The outside air temperature sensor 204 measures the temperature outside the vehicle 1 . Information indicating this measured temperature is output to the heater ECU 201 as temperature information D3.”, and Hayashi Translated Par.0048 discloses: “Next, the heating control of heaters A and B, i.e., the heating control of the energy supply unit 10 on the charging port side, performed by the heater ECU 201 based on the switch information D1, the status information D2, and the temperature information D3 will be described with reference to FIG. 7 .”; it is noted that the heater B is heater 15c, as indicated by Hayashi Translated Par.0043: “Here, heater A is heater 15a and heater 15b, heater B is heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2)”, and Hayashi Fig.2 & Par.0037 disclose the heater 15c is installed on the flat portion 51 of the movable door, specifically, Hayashi Translated Par.0037 discloses: “The lid 14 has a heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2) installed on the flat plate portion 51 thereof.”; therefore, Hayashi discloses the heater ECU (Electric Control Unit) 201 configured to provide heat to the flat portion 51 of the movable door assembly via the heater 15c in response to data collected by the temperature sensor 204)
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Hayashi does not explicitly disclose:
a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the cavity of the housing;
the controller configured to activate the heating element in response to temperature data of the cavity of the housing collected by the temperature sensor
Ashworth teaches a heated energy port assembly (charging interface 16, Ashworth Figs.1-3):
a temperature sensor (temperature sensors 52, Ashworth Fig.3) configured to measure a temperature of the cavity of the housing (see the cavity of the housing of the charging interface 16 in Ashworth annotated Fig.2 below) (Ashworth Col.7 lines 43-48 teaches: “heating pad 40 may include temperature sensors 52 (thermocouples, thermistors, etc.) incorporated therein. These temperature sensors 52 may be configured to measure a temperature of the heating pad 40 (which may correspond to a surface temperature of the landing surface 30)”; therefore, in combination, by making the temperature sensors to be incorporated in the heaters of Hayashi, in combination, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the temperature sensors configured to measure temperature of the cavity of the housing because the Hayashi heaters 15a, 15b are located in the cavity of the charging bracket 11, and the heater 15c is also in the cavity when the lid 14 is closed, see Hayashi Fig.2); and
a controller (control system 90, Ashworth Fig.6), the controller (control system 90, Ashworth Fig.6) configured to activate the heating element (heating pad 40, Ashworth Figs.2-3) in response to data collected by the temperature sensor (temperature sensors 52, Ashworth Fig.3) (Ashworth Col.8 lines 55-59 teaches: “The control system may selectively operate the heating pad 40, 140 based on readings from the sensor. FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic illustration of an exemplary control system 90 that may be used to control the heating pads 40, 140 on bus 10.”, and Ashworth Fig.6 shows the control system 90 is in connection with the temperature sensor 52; therefore, the control system 90 is configured to activate the heating pad 40 in response to data collected by the temperature sensor 52).
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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 heated energy port assembly of Hayashi, by adding the teachings of temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the cavity of the housing and the controller configured to activate the heating element in response to data collected by the temperature sensor, as taught by Ashworth, in order to obtain localized thermal information of the interior/cavity of the housing of the heated energy port assembly. Thus, enable more precise and responsive activation of the heaters at the charging port, thereby improving de-icing effectiveness, preventing ice formation at the charging connection and also reducing unnecessary power consumption.
Claims 3 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi et al. (JP 2016088250 A, previously cited) in view of Ashworth et al. (U.S. Patent No. 9,321,364 B1, newly cited), and further in view of Hamamoto et al. (JP 2011255735 A, previously cited).
Regarding claim 3, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 1, Hayashi also discloses:
a controller (heater ECU (Electric Control Unit) 201, Hayashi Fig.6)
Hayashi in view of Ashworth does not teach further comprising
a charging sensor, the controller configured to provide heat to the movable door assembly via the heating element responsive to an input from the charging sensor.
Hamamoto teaches a heater assembly in a vehicle (Hamamoto Abstract & Figs.1, 3):
a controller (controller A, Hamamoto Figs.1, 3) and a charging sensor (charge detection sensor 151, Hamamoto Figs.1, 3), the controller (controller A, Hamamoto Figs.1, 3) configured to provide heat via the heating element (heater 105, Hamamoto Figs.1, 3) responsive to an input from the charging sensor (charge detection sensor 151, Hamamoto Figs.1, 3) (Hamamoto Translated Abstract teaches the charge detection sensor 151, which detects whether the battery 120 is in a state of normal charge and whether it is in a state of fast charge; and a controller A, which controls the heater 105. When the battery is detected to be in the state of fast charge, the controller A is structured to control the heater 105 so as to decrease the heating capacity compared with the time when it is detected to be in the state of normal charge).
It is noted that in combination, by adding Hamamoto’s teachings to the Hayashi in view of Ashworth heated energy port assembly, Hayashi in view of Ashworth and Hamamoto teaches the controller configured to provide heat to the movable door assembly via the heating element responsive to an input from the charging sensor because the Hayashi heating element configured to heat the movable door assembly since the “heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2) installed on the flat plate portion 51 thereof”, as shown in Hayashi Fig.2 & indicated by Hayashi Translated Par.037, the heater 15c is configured to heat the flat portion 51 of the movable door.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi in view of Ashworth, by adding charging sensor and making controller configured to provide heat via the heating element responsive to an input from the charging sensor, as taught by Hamamoto, in order to ensure safety, efficiency, and prevent overheating. Furthermore, by accurately sensing the charging state, the system prevents overcharging or deep discharging, which extends the overall life and health of the vehicle’s battery.
Regarding claim 13, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 10, Hayashi also discloses:
a controller (heater ECU (Electric Control Unit) 201, Hayashi Fig.6)
Hayashi in view of Ashworth does not teach further comprising
a charging sensor, the controller configured to provide heat to the at least one of the housing, the movable door, or the seal via the heating element responsive to an input from the charging sensor.
Hamamoto teaches a heater assembly in a vehicle (Hamamoto Abstract & Figs.1, 3):
a controller (controller A, Hamamoto Figs.1, 3) and a charging sensor (charge detection sensor 151, Hamamoto Figs.1, 3), the controller (controller A, Hamamoto Figs.1, 3) configured to provide heat via the heating element (heater 105, Hamamoto Figs.1, 3) responsive to an input from the charging sensor (charge detection sensor 151, Hamamoto Figs.1, 3) (Hamamoto Translated Abstract teaches the charge detection sensor 151, which detects whether the battery 120 is in a state of normal charge and whether it is in a state of fast charge; and a controller A, which controls the heater 105. When the battery is detected to be in the state of fast charge, the controller A is structured to control the heater 105 so as to decrease the heating capacity compared with the time when it is detected to be in the state of normal charge).
It is noted that in combination, by adding Hamamoto’s teachings to the Hayashi in view of Ashworth heated energy port assembly, Hayashi in view of Ashworth and Hamamoto teaches the controller configured to provide heat to the at least one of the housing, the movable door, or the seal via the heating element responsive to an input from the charging sensor because the Hayashi heating element configured to heat the at least one of the housing, the movable door, or the seal because Hayashi discloses the heaters 15a, 15b, 15c configured to heat at least a portion of the charging bracket 11, the movable door including the flat portion 51 and the bent portion 52, and the seal including the lock plate 53 and the locking claw 32 because Hayashi Translated Par.0038 discloses: “when the heater 15a generates heat, the first bottom wall 21 is heated. When the heaters 15b and 15c generate heat, the lock portion 55 and the step portion 28 are heated.”, and since the “heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2) installed on the flat plate portion 51 thereof”, as shown in Hayashi Fig.2 & indicated by Hayashi Translated Par.037, the heater 15c is configured to heat the flat portion 51 of the movable door. Therefore, Hayashi discloses the heaters 15a, 15b, 15c configured to heat at least a portion of the charging bracket 11, the movable door including the flat portion 51 and the bent portion 52, and the seal including the lock plate 53 and the locking claw 32.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi in view of Ashworth, by adding charging sensor and making controller configured to provide heat via the heating element responsive to an input from the charging sensor, as taught by Hamamoto, in order to ensure safety, efficiency, and prevent overheating. Furthermore, by accurately sensing the charging state, the system prevents overcharging or deep discharging, which extends the overall life and health of the vehicle’s battery.
Claims 11 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi et al. (JP 2016088250 A, previously cited) in view of Ashworth et al. (U.S. Patent No. 9,321,364 B1, newly cited), and further in view of Ishii et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2005/0173414 A1, previously cited).
Regarding claim 11, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 10, but does not teach:
wherein the heating element comprises a positive thermal coefficient (PTC) material.
Ishii discloses a heater assembly for use in a vehicle (Ishii Figs.1A & 1B, Par.0001):
wherein the heating element (PTC heating element as shown in Ishii Figs.1A-1B & Pars.0078-0084; the PTC heating element includes substrate 1, electrodes 2, PTC resistor 3 and cover material 4) comprises a positive thermal coefficient (PTC) material (Ishii Par.0078 teaches: “PTC resistor (hereinafter as resistor) 3 is obtained by screen printing and drying a PTC ink.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi in view of Ashworth, by making heating element to be PTC heating element, as taught by Ishii, in order to self-regulating for safety and efficiency because PTC heating elements cause their electrical resistance to increase dramatically as they gets hotter, automatically limiting current and preventing dangerous overheating, leading to lower energy consumption, faster heat-up for reliable charging in cold weather, compact size, and longer lifespan. This self-regulating feature makes PTC heating elements safer and more efficient than traditional heating elements.
Regarding claim 14, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 10, Hayashi also discloses:
wherein at least one of the housing or the movable door comprises integrated heating element (movable door includes flat portion 51 and bent portion 52; Hayashi Fig.2) (it is noted that the limitation “at least one of the housing or the movable door” is in alternative form; therefore, only one of these was required during examination. In this case, Hayashi discloses the heater 15c is integrated in the flat portion 51 of the movable door because Hayashi Translated Par.0037 discloses: “The lid 14 has a heater 15c (shown in FIG. 2) installed on the flat plate portion 51 thereof.”).
However, Hayashi in view of Ashworth does not teaches:
wherein the heating element comprises an integrated PTC element.
Ishii discloses a heater assembly for use in a vehicle (Ishii Figs.1A & 1B, Par.0001):
wherein the heating element (PTC heating element as shown in Ishii Figs.1A-1B & Pars.0078-0084; the PTC heating element includes substrate 1, electrodes 2, PTC resistor 3 and cover material 4) comprises an integrated PTC element (PTC resistor 3, Ishii Figs.1A-1B) (Ishii Par.0078 teaches: “PTC resistor (hereinafter as resistor) 3 is obtained by screen printing and drying a PTC ink.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi in view of Ashworth, by making heating element to be PTC heating element, as taught by Ishii, in order to self-regulating for safety and efficiency because PTC heating elements cause their electrical resistance to increase dramatically as they gets hotter, automatically limiting current and preventing dangerous overheating, leading to lower energy consumption, faster heat-up for reliable charging in cold weather, compact size, and longer lifespan. This self-regulating feature makes PTC heating elements safer and more efficient than traditional heating elements.
Claims 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi et al. (JP 2016088250 A, previously cited) in view of Ashworth et al. (U.S. Patent No. 9,321,364 B1, newly cited), and further in view of Kamachi (U.S. Pub. No. 2015/0028019 A1, previously cited).
Regarding claim 19, Hayashi in view of Ashworth teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 10, but does not explicitly teach:
wherein the heating element is configured to receive energy via a charging cable.
Kamachi teaches a heating system in a vehicle (Kamachi Figs.1-2):
wherein the heating element (heater 7, Kamachi Figs.1-2) is configured to receive energy via a charging cable (charge cable 11, Kamachi Figs.1-2) (Kamachi Par.0026 teaches: “This heater 7 is a heating device which generates heat for warming up the vehicle 10 by using a current supplied from the battery 6 or a current supplied from the external power supply.”, and Kamachi Par.0027 teaches: “a charge gun 12 is provided at one end of the charge cable 11, and a connector 12 a is provided at a distal end of the charge gun 12 for connection with the inlet 15 of the vehicle. A plug 14 is provided at the other end of the charge cable 11 for connection with a plug socket 16 of a household charging equipment or a public charging equipment. This plug socket 16 is connected to an external power supply (for example, a commercial power supply or a non-utility generation power supply) via an electric wiring, not shown.”; therefore, Kamachi teaches the heater 7 is configured to receive energy via charge cable 11).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi in view of Ashworth, by making the heating element is configured to receive energy via charging cable, as taught by Kamachi, in order to pre-heat before a journey, primarily to conserve the main car battery’s charge and maximize driving range because initiate the heater using the car’s battery can consume a significant amount of power, especially in cold weather, and thus, it can reduce the vehicle’s driving range. Therefore, by making the heating element configured to receive energy from external source via charging cable, the heating system draws power from the grid instead of the onboard battery, preserving the full charge for driving.
Conclusion
The following prior arts made of record and not relied upon is/are considered pertinent to Applicant’s disclosure.
McGrath et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2016/0280084 A1) discloses an electric vehicle charging system including a charging interface positioned on an external surface of the electric vehicle and one or more electrodes positioned on the charging interface.
Simonini et al. (U.S. Patent No. 9,321,366 B1) discloses a method for charging an electric vehicle at a charging station may include electrically connecting the electric vehicle to the charging station, and determining a desired amount of energy to be provided to the electric vehicle at the charging station.
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.
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/THAO UYEN TRAN-LE/Examiner, Art Unit 3761 05/01/2026
/STEVEN W CRABB/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3761
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