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 .
Claims 1-20 are pending and under consideration for this Office Action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 and 5-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Velev et al (US 20180257499 A1).
Claim 1: Velev discloses a system for ancillary electric vehicle or fuel cell electric vehicle charging and refueling (see e.g. abstract), the system comprising:
a hydrogen generation system (see e.g. #10 on Fig 1) in communication with an input power source (see e.g. #20), the hydrogen generation system comprising:
an electrochemical stack for producing hydrogen (see e.g. #105 on Fig 1; [0017]: “electrolyzer system”);
a power source receiving an input power signal from the input power source (see e.g. #112 on Fig 1; [0022]) and in electrical communication with an electric vehicle network (see e.g. #104 on Fig 1) and the electrochemical stack (see e.g. #105 on Fig 1); and
a controller comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with instructions (see e.g. #101 on Fig 1; [0019] and [0020]), which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
receive a request for an output power signal comprising a requested power level (see e.g. [0024]: “The allocation of power and the proportion of allocated power may be determined by processor 101 based on conditions such as time, cost, efficiency, and the like”); and
control the power source to convert the input power signal into an output power signal at the requested power level to either the electrochemical stack or the electric vehicle network (see e.g. [0004]; [0024]).
Claim 5: Velev discloses that the power source comprises a power electronics converter (DC-DC convertor, see e.g. [0022]).
Claim 6: Velev discloses that the power electronics converter comprises a configurable DC to DC converter for configuring the output power signal to the requested power level (DC-DC convertor, see e.g. [0022]).
Claim 7: Velev discloses that the input power signal is an AC power signal and the output power signal is a DC power signal (when using the AC-DC convertor, see e.g. [0022]).
Claim 8: Velev discloses a hydrogen processor providing the hydrogen to electric vehicle network in response to a request for the hydrogen from the electric vehicle network (see e.g. #107 on Fig 1).
Claim 9: Velev discloses a storage tank storing the produced hydrogen, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to provide the hydrogen to the electric vehicle network from the storage tank (see e.g. [0025]; [0029]).
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claim(s) 2-4 and 10-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Velev in view of Ballatine et al (US 20120326668 A1).
Claim 2: Velev does not explicitly teach that the power source comprises an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) rectifier and a DC to DC converter. Velev does teach that system can comprise components such as AC-DC convertors and DC-DC convertors (see e.g. [0022]) and that the input power can be grid or renewable power sources (see e.g. [0017]). Ballantine teaches a system for charging electric vehicles (see e.g. abstract) making it analogous art (see MPEP § 2141.01(a) I). The system of Ballantine includes an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) rectifier (see e.g. #804 and #814 on Fig 8A) for converting grid power from AC to DC (see e.g. [0101]). The converted current is then split into a DC to DC converters (see e.g. #808 on Fig 8A) to boost the voltage to higher voltage suitable for EV batteries (see e.g. [0100]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the system of Velev so that the power source comprises an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) rectifier and a DC to DC converter as taught in Ballantine to convert the grid power into useable DC current and further boost the voltage to a value suitable for EV batteries.
Claim 3: Velev does not explicitly teach that the power source comprises an AC to DC rectifier, a first DC to DC converter, and a second DC to DC converter, wherein the first DC to DC converter and the second DC to DC converter are connected in series. Velev does teach that system can comprise components such as AC-DC convertors and DC-DC convertors (see e.g. [0022]) and that the input power can be grid or renewable power sources (see e.g. [0017]). Ballantine teaches a system for charging electric vehicles (see e.g. abstract) making it analogous art (see MPEP § 2141.01(a) I). The system of Ballantine includes an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) rectifier (see e.g. #804 and #814 on Fig 8A) for converting grid power from AC to DC (see e.g. [0101]). The converted current is then sent to two DC to DC converters connected in series to achieve a higher voltage and power for high performance or large vehicles (see e.g. [0112]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the system of Velev so that the power source comprises an AC to DC rectifier, a first DC to DC converter, and a second DC to DC converter, wherein the first DC to DC converter and the second DC to DC converter are connected in series as taught in Ballantine to convert the grid power into useable DC current and further boost the voltage to a value suitable for high performance or large vehicles.
Claim 4: Velev does not explicitly teach that the power source comprises an AC to DC rectifier, a first DC to DC converter, and a second DC to DC converter, wherein the first DC to DC converter and the second DC to DC converter are connected in parallel. Velev does teach that system can comprise components such as AC-DC convertors and DC-DC convertors (see e.g. [0022]) and that the input power can be grid or renewable power sources (see e.g. [0017]). Ballantine teaches a system for charging electric vehicles (see e.g. abstract) making it analogous art (see MPEP § 2141.01(a) I). The system of Ballantine includes an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) rectifier (see e.g. #804 and #814 on Fig 8A) for converting grid power from AC to DC (see e.g. [0101]). The converted current is then split into parallel DC to DC converters (see e.g. #808 on Fig 8A) to boost the voltage to higher voltage suitable for EV batteries (see e.g. [0100]) for multiple cars at the same time (see e.g. #812 on Fig 8A). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the system of Velev so that the power source comprises an AC to DC rectifier, a first DC to DC converter, and a second DC to DC converter, wherein the first DC to DC converter and the second DC to DC converter are connected in parallel as taught in Ballantine to convert the grid power into useable DC current and further boost the voltage to a value suitable for EV batteries for multiple cars at the same time.
Claim 10: Velev discloses a method (see e.g. abstract; [0020]) comprising:
receiving, at a hydrogen generating system, a request for electrical power at an electrical/hydrogen vehicle network (see e.g. [0024]);
generating, at a controller of the hydrogen generating system, one or more instructions for a power source of the hydrogen generating system for providing an output power signal at a requested power level (see e.g. [0024]); and
transmitting, to the power source, the one or more instructions to cause the power source to:
convert an input power signal from an input power source in electrical communication with the hydrogen generating system into an output power signal at the requested power level to either an electrochemical stack of the hydrogen generating system or the electrical/hydrogen vehicle network (see e.g. [0024]).
Velev does not explicitly teach that the method involves receiving a request comprising a requested power level for electrical power at an electrical/hydrogen vehicle network. Rather, Velev discloses that the allocation of power “may be determined by processor 101 based on conditions such as time, cost, efficiency, and the like” (see e.g. [0024]) and “Thus, these examples are presented herein for purposes of illustration, and not limitation. For example, steps or processes disclosed herein are not limited to being performed in the order described, but may be performed in any order, and some steps may be omitted, consistent with the disclosed embodiments. Further, the boundaries of the functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternative boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed. Alternatives (including equivalents, extensions, variations, deviations, etc., of those described herein) will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Such alternatives fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments” (see e.g. [0043]).
Ballantine teaches a system for charging electric vehicles (see e.g. abstract) making it analogous art (see MPEP § 2141.01(a) I). The system adjusts the power being delivered to the system based on demands of the load (see e.g. [0035]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the method of Velev so that the method additionally receives a request comprising a requested power level for electrical power at an electrical/hydrogen vehicle network as taught in Ballantine so that the adequate power is provided to vehicles needing electrical power and any remaining power can be redirected to a battery for power storage or the electrolyzer for generating hydrogen for the hydrogen vehicles (see e.g. Velev – [0024]).
Claim 11: Velev does not explicitly teach that the power source comprises an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) rectifier and a DC to DC converter. Velev does teach that system can comprise components such as AC-DC convertors and DC-DC convertors (see e.g. [0022]) and that the input power can be grid or renewable power sources (see e.g. [0017]). Ballantine teaches a system for charging electric vehicles (see e.g. abstract) making it analogous art (see MPEP § 2141.01(a) I). The system of Ballantine includes an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) rectifier (see e.g. #804 and #814 on Fig 8A) for converting grid power from AC to DC (see e.g. [0101]). The converted current is then split into a DC to DC converters (see e.g. #808 on Fig 8A) to boost the voltage to higher voltage suitable for EV batteries (see e.g. [0100]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the method of Velev so that the power source comprises an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) rectifier and a DC to DC converter as taught in Ballantine to convert the grid power into useable DC current and further boost the voltage to a value suitable for EV batteries.
Claim 12: Velev does not explicitly teach that the power source comprises an AC to DC rectifier, a first DC to DC converter, and a second DC to DC converter, wherein the first DC to DC converter and the second DC to DC converter are connected in series. Velev does teach that system can comprise components such as AC-DC convertors and DC-DC convertors (see e.g. [0022]) and that the input power can be grid or renewable power sources (see e.g. [0017]). Ballantine teaches a system for charging electric vehicles (see e.g. abstract) making it analogous art (see MPEP § 2141.01(a) I). The system of Ballantine includes an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) rectifier (see e.g. #804 and #814 on Fig 8A) for converting grid power from AC to DC (see e.g. [0101]). The converted current is then sent to two DC to DC converters connected in series to achieve a higher voltage and power for high performance or large vehicles (see e.g. [0112]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the method of Velev so that the power source comprises an AC to DC rectifier, a first DC to DC converter, and a second DC to DC converter, wherein the first DC to DC converter and the second DC to DC converter are connected in series as taught in Ballantine to convert the grid power into useable DC current and further boost the voltage to a value suitable for high performance or large vehicles.
Claim 13: Velev does not explicitly teach that the power source comprises an AC to DC rectifier, a first DC to DC converter, and a second DC to DC converter, wherein the first DC to DC converter and the second DC to DC converter are connected in parallel. Velev does teach that system can comprise components such as AC-DC convertors and DC-DC convertors (see e.g. [0022]) and that the input power can be grid or renewable power sources (see e.g. [0017]). Ballantine teaches a system for charging electric vehicles (see e.g. abstract) making it analogous art (see MPEP § 2141.01(a) I). The system of Ballantine includes an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) rectifier (see e.g. #804 and #814 on Fig 8A) for converting grid power from AC to DC (see e.g. [0101]). The converted current is then split into parallel DC to DC converters (see e.g. #808 on Fig 8A) to boost the voltage to higher voltage suitable for EV batteries (see e.g. [0100]) for multiple cars at the same time (see e.g. #812 on Fig 8A). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the method of Velev so that the power source comprises an AC to DC rectifier, a first DC to DC converter, and a second DC to DC converter, wherein the first DC to DC converter and the second DC to DC converter are connected in parallel as taught in Ballantine to convert the grid power into useable DC current and further boost the voltage to a value suitable for EV batteries for multiple cars at the same time.
Claim 14: Velev in view of Ballantine discloses that the power source comprises a power electronics converter (DC-DC convertor, see e.g. [0022]).
Claim 15: Velev in view of Ballantine discloses that the one or more instructions further cause the power source to select from a plurality of outputs to transmit the output power signal to either an electrochemical stack of the hydrogen generating system or the electrical/hydrogen vehicle network (see e.g. Velev - [0024]).
Claim 16: Velev in view of Ballantine discloses receiving, at the hydrogen generating system, a request for hydrogen; and controlling a hydrogen processor to provide the hydrogen to the electrical/hydrogen vehicle network in response to the request for the hydrogen (see e.g. Velev - [0024]).
Claim 17: Velev discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program instructions stored (see e.g. [0040]) thereon that when executed by a processor, cause a computing device to perform:
receiving, at a hydrogen generating system, a request for electrical power at an electrical/hydrogen vehicle network (see e.g. [0024]),
generating, by the computing device, one or more instructions for a power source of the hydrogen generating system for providing an output power signal at the requested power level (see e.g. [0024]); and
transmitting, to the power source, the one or more instructions to cause the power source to:
convert an input power signal from an input power source in electrical communication with the hydrogen generating system into an output power signal at the requested power level to either an electrochemical stack of the hydrogen generating system or the electrical/hydrogen vehicle network (see e.g. [0024]).
Velev does not explicitly teach that the instructions involve receiving a request comprising a requested power level for electrical power at an electrical/hydrogen vehicle network. Rather, Velev discloses that the allocation of power “may be determined by processor 101 based on conditions such as time, cost, efficiency, and the like” (see e.g. [0024]) and “Thus, these examples are presented herein for purposes of illustration, and not limitation. For example, steps or processes disclosed herein are not limited to being performed in the order described, but may be performed in any order, and some steps may be omitted, consistent with the disclosed embodiments. Further, the boundaries of the functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternative boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed. Alternatives (including equivalents, extensions, variations, deviations, etc., of those described herein) will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Such alternatives fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments” (see e.g. [0043]).
Ballantine teaches a system for charging electric vehicles (see e.g. abstract) making it analogous art (see MPEP § 2141.01(a) I). The system adjusts the power being delivered to the system based on demands of the load (see e.g. [0035]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the method of Velev so that the ininstruction additionally including receiving a request comprising a requested power level for electrical power at an electrical/hydrogen vehicle network as taught in Ballantine so that the adequate power is provided to vehicles needing electrical power and any remaining power can be redirected to a battery for power storage or the electrolyzer for generating hydrogen for the hydrogen vehicles (see e.g. Velev – [0024]).
Claim 18: Velev does not explicitly teach that the power source comprises an AC to DC rectifier, a first DC to DC converter, and a second DC to DC converter, wherein the first DC to DC converter and the second DC to DC converter are connected in series. Velev does teach that system can comprise components such as AC-DC convertors and DC-DC convertors (see e.g. [0022]) and that the input power can be grid or renewable power sources (see e.g. [0017]). Ballantine teaches a system for charging electric vehicles (see e.g. abstract) making it analogous art (see MPEP § 2141.01(a) I). The system of Ballantine includes an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) rectifier (see e.g. #804 and #814 on Fig 8A) for converting grid power from AC to DC (see e.g. [0101]). The converted current is then sent to two DC to DC converters connected in series to achieve a higher voltage and power for high performance or large vehicles (see e.g. [0112]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the instructions of Velev so that the power source comprises an AC to DC rectifier, a first DC to DC converter, and a second DC to DC converter, wherein the first DC to DC converter and the second DC to DC converter are connected in series as taught in Ballantine to convert the grid power into useable DC current and further boost the voltage to a value suitable for high performance or large vehicles.
Claim 19: Velev does not explicitly teach that the power source comprises an AC to DC rectifier, a first DC to DC converter, and a second DC to DC converter, wherein the first DC to DC converter and the second DC to DC converter are connected in parallel. Velev does teach that system can comprise components such as AC-DC convertors and DC-DC convertors (see e.g. [0022]) and that the input power can be grid or renewable power sources (see e.g. [0017]). Ballantine teaches a system for charging electric vehicles (see e.g. abstract) making it analogous art (see MPEP § 2141.01(a) I). The system of Ballantine includes an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) rectifier (see e.g. #804 and #814 on Fig 8A) for converting grid power from AC to DC (see e.g. [0101]). The converted current is then split into parallel DC to DC converters (see e.g. #808 on Fig 8A) to boost the voltage to higher voltage suitable for EV batteries (see e.g. [0100]) for multiple cars at the same time (see e.g. #812 on Fig 8A). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the instructions of Velev so that the power source comprises an AC to DC rectifier, a first DC to DC converter, and a second DC to DC converter, wherein the first DC to DC converter and the second DC to DC converter are connected in parallel as taught in Ballantine to convert the grid power into useable DC current and further boost the voltage to a value suitable for EV batteries for multiple cars at the same time.
Claim 20: Velev in view of Ballantine discloses that the power source comprises a power electronics converter (DC-DC convertor, see e.g. [0022]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER W KEELING whose telephone number is (571)272-9961. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM. 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, Luan Van can be reached at 571-272-8521. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ALEXANDER W KEELING/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1795