DETAILED ACTION
This is a first action on the merits, in response to the claims received 4/19/2023. Claims 1-11 are pending for prosecution below.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS)(s) file has been considered by the examiner. An initialed copy is attached herewith.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1,4,6-11, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by YOSHIDA, (USNO.2012/0053771).
As for claim 1, Yoshida discloses and shows in Fig. 1 a display device comprising: a first acquisition unit that acquires a first schedule (ref’s initial business schedule) indicating a time zone in which charging or discharging of a power storage device is scheduled; a second acquisition unit (ref’s business schedule read out) that acquires a second schedule indicating a time zone in which a demand response for requesting charging or discharging of the power storage device is scheduled; and a display unit (ref’s display device) that displays a schedule screen, wherein the display unit simultaneously (via comparing on display device) displays the first schedule and the second schedule on the schedule screen in an identifiable manner (par.[0057,0076,0093,0106]).
As for claim 4, Yoshida discloses and shows in Fig. 1 a first information
management unit that manages information indicating whether the demand response is fixed, wherein the display unit displays the following on the schedule screen in a manner
distinguished from each other: the second schedule indicating a time zone in which the fixed demand response is scheduled; and the second schedule indicating a time zone in which the unfixed demand response is scheduled (par.[0075-0076]).
As for claim 6, Yoshida discloses and shows in Fig. 1 a changing unit that changes the first schedule displayed on the schedule screen in
response to a user operation on the schedule screen; and a transmission unit that transmits the first schedule that has been changed by the changing unit to a first control device (via travel route) able to control at least one of charging and discharging of the power storage device(via charge-discharge management device) (par.[0057,0074-0075,0093,0102]).
As for claim 7, Yoshida discloses and shows in Fig. 1 the display unit is configured to display the first schedule and the second schedule set
in the same time zone on the schedule screen in a superimposed manner, and
the display device further includes a switching unit that switches whether to allow a
second control device (via battery info) able to control at least one of charging and discharging of the power storage device to execute charging or discharging of the power storage device in accordance with the second schedule displayed superimposing the first schedule, in response to a user operation on the schedule screen (par.[0057,0074-0075,0093,0102]).
As for claim 8, Yoshida discloses and shows in Fig. 1 n energy management system comprising: an energy management device (ref’s charge-discharge management device) that requests, by a demand response, charging or discharging of a power storage device electrically connectable to an external power source; and the display device according to claim 1 (par.[0057,0076,0093,0106]).
As for claim 9, Yoshida discloses and shows in Figs. 1-2 a external power source is a power system (via commercial power); the power storage device is a power storage device mounted on a vehicle; the first acquisition unit is configured to acquire information on the first schedule from an input device that receives an input from a user; the second acquisition unit is configured to acquire information on the second schedule from a communication device that receives information from an outside; and each of the display device, the input device, and the communication device is mounted on a mobile terminal that manages information of the vehicle (par.[0026,0057,0063,0076,0093,0106]).
As for claim 10, Yoshida discloses and shows in Figs. 1-2
the external power source is a power system; the power storage device is a power storage device mounted on a vehicle; the first acquisition unit is configured to acquire information on the first schedule from an input device that receives an input from a user; the second acquisition unit is configured to acquire information on the second schedule from a communication device that receives information from an outside; and
each of the display device, the input device, and the communication device is mounted
on the vehicle (par.[0026,0057,0063,0076,0093,0106]).
As for claim 11, Yoshida discloses and shows in Fig. 1 schedule display method comprising: setting information (via ref’s charge-discharge schedule) on a schedule of at least one of charging and discharging of a power storage device to an information terminal; requesting, by a demand response, the information terminal to charge or discharge the power storage device; and simultaneously (via comparing on display device) displaying the following on the same schedule screen by the information terminal that has received a request by the demand response: a first schedule (ref’s initial business schedule) indicating a time zone in which charging or discharging of the power storage device is scheduled; and a second schedule (ref’s business schedule read out) indicating a time zone in which the demand response is scheduled (par.[0057,0076,0093,0106]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2,3, and 5 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 2: the first acquisition unit acquires the first schedule indicating a time zone in which charging of the power storage device is scheduled, and the first schedule indicating a time zone in which discharging of the power storage device is scheduled; the second acquisition unit acquires the second schedule indicating a time zone in which a demand response for requesting charging of the power storage device is scheduled, and the second schedule indicating a time zone in which a demand response for requesting discharging of the power storage device is scheduled; and the display unit simultaneously displays the following on the schedule screen in an identifiable manner: the first schedule indicating a time zone in which charging of the power storage device is scheduled; the first schedule indicating a time zone in which discharging of the power storage device is scheduled; the second schedule indicating a time zone in which a demand response for requesting charging of the power storage device is scheduled; and the second schedule indicating a time zone in which a demand response for requesting discharging of the power storage device is scheduled, in combination with the remaining limitations of independent claims.
Claim 3: a first DR distinguishing unit that distinguishes the demand response for a power transmission and distribution business operator and the demand response for a retail electric utility, wherein the display unit displays the following on the schedule screen in a manner distinguished from each other: the second schedule indicating a time zone in which the demand response for the power transmission and distribution business operator is scheduled; and the second schedule indicating a time zone in which the demand response for the retail electric utility is scheduled, in combination with the remaining limitations of independent claims.
Claim 5: a second information management unit that manages information about a supply-and-demand condition of an external power source for which supply-and-demand is adjusted by the demand response; and a second DR distinguishing unit that distinguishes the demand response in accordance with a degree of tightness of power supply and demand of the external power source, wherein the display unit displays the second schedule of each demand response that has been distinguished by the second DR distinguishing unit on the schedule screen in a manner distinguished from each other, in combination with the remaining limitations of independent claims.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ARUN C WILLIAMS whose telephone number is (571)272-9765. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9 a.m. - 6 p.m..
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Julian Huffman can be reached on 571-272-2147. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/ARUN C WILLIAMS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859