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 .
Status of the Claims
In the communication dated June 9, 2026 claims 88-107 are pending. Claims 94-107 are newly added. Claims 1-87 are presently cancelled.
Election/Restriction
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group III, claims 88-93 in the reply filed on June 9, 2026 is acknowledged.
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.
Claim 96 is 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 96 recites the limitation "the panel" in lines 3, 4, 5 and 6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim and should recites “the elongated panel”.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 88-89 and 94-95 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Steinbacher US20230079973A1.
Regarding claim 88. Steinbacher discloses a cable support assembly (FIG. 1) useful for electric vehicle charging (abstract), the cable support assembly comprising:
an arm (protective sleave 114);
a mount (flange 110) configured to attach the arm (114) to a structure (technical unit 106) such that the arm (114) projects outwardly from the mount (FIG. 1); and
Steinbacher discloses a force limiting mechanism (spring 104) configured to enable a cable (102) to releasably couple to the arm (¶25 – user may pull the cable to deform the spring to extend the cable to the desired location outside of the protective sleeve 114 and flange), the force limiting mechanism being operative to allow the cable to be separated from the arm in response to tension pulling the cable in a direction such that a force component in a direction transverse to the arm has a magnitude exceeding a threshold (¶25 – the pull is such that the helical compression spring 104 is deformed, thus, the force of the pull is that of a magnitude greater than the threshold of the spring allowing for the depression of the spring).
Regarding claim 89. Steinbacher discloses c) wherein the cable (102) includes a hanging portion extending from a distal location of the arm (FIG. 1 – cable extending from the top) and terminating in a charging plug (102), and the cable support assembly (FIG. 1) includes charging plug support means (116) adapted to be slidably coupled to the hanging portion (¶24 – mounting bracket removably contains the charging connector which is part of the hanging portion), wherein the charging plug support means includes a cable receiving portion engaging the hanging portion, a cradle portion adapted to support the charging plug, and a hook portion adapted to support one or more loops of the hanging portion of the charging plug support means (FIG., 2 illustrates the charging connector being inserted into the cradle of the mounting bracket which provides support for the charging cable hanging portion).
Regarding claim 94. Steinbacher discloses that the force limiting mechanism deforms elastically (¶22 – compression spring compresses and decompresses).
Regarding claim 95. Steinbacher discloses that the arm (114) is formed with a longitudinally extending channel that has an opening facing outwardly of the arm for receiving the cable (102) (FIG. 1), and wherein the force limiting mechanism (104) includes one or more members that block the cable from being pulled out of the channel through the opening (¶22 – cable 102 is routed through the flange 110 and connected inside technical unit thereby preventing the cable from being pulled out of the channel).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 90-91, 97, 99-107 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Steinbacher US20230079973A1 in view of Mallon et al. US20130257373A1.
Regarding claim 90. Steinbacher does not explicitly disclose that the arm includes at least one intermediate pivot joint configured to allow a distal portion of the arm to be pivoted relative to a proximal portion of the arm.
Mallon discloses that the arm (110) includes at least one intermediate pivot joint (140) configured to allow a distal portion of the arm to be pivoted relative to a proximal portion of the arm (FIG. 3A).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide the pivotal joint of Mallon to the system of Steinbacher in order to provide a variety of positioning for the charge connector (Mallon; ¶4-5).
Regarding claim 91. Steinbacher does not explicitly disclose that the at least one intermediate pivot joint includes a mechanical fuse configured to perform one or more of: a) allowing the angle between the distal portion of the arm and the horizontal plane to be adjusted within a selected range; and b) deforming or breaking to allow the distal portion of the arm to move to a dropped position in response to a moment caused by downward force on the distal portion of the arm, with the distal portion of the arm remaining in the dropped position until the distal portion of the mechanical fuse is reset or replaced.
Mallon discloses that the at least one intermediate pivot joint (140) includes a mechanical fuse (154) configured to perform allowing the angle between the distal portion of the arm and the horizontal plane to be adjusted within a selected range (FIG. 6A-6C; ¶154).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide the pivotal joint of Mallon to the system of Steinbacher in order to provide a variety of positioning for the charge connector (Mallon; ¶4-5).
Regarding claim 97. Steinbacher does not explicitly disclose that the force limiting mechanism includes a breakaway conduit attached to the arm by one or more releasable fasteners configured to allow the breakaway conduit to pull away from the arm in response to the force component acting on the breakaway conduit.
Mallon discloses that the force limiting mechanism includes a breakaway conduit (138) attached to the arm by one or more releasable fasteners configured to allow the breakaway conduit to pull away from the arm in response to the force component acting on the breakaway conduit (¶43 – breakaway attachment provides a predetermined point of detachment of the elongated arm upon a disconnective force).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide the breakaway system of Mallon to the charging system of Steinbacher in order to prevent damage from excessive force (Mallon; ¶45).
Regarding claim 99. Steinbacher does not explicitly disclose that the arm is coupled to the mount by a pivot assembly configured to allow the arm to pivot about a substantially vertical axis.
Mallon discloses that the arm (110) is coupled to the mount by a pivot assembly (154/130/132/134/136/138) configured to allow the arm to pivot about a substantially vertical axis (FIG. 1).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide the pivotal joint of Mallon to the system of Steinbacher in order to provide a variety of positioning for the charge connector (Mallon; ¶4-5).
Regarding claim 100. Steinbacher does not explicitly disclose including one or more of: wherein the pivot assembly includes a bias mechanism connected to bias the arm toward a stowed position; and wherein the pivot assembly includes a detent mechanism configured to resist movement of the arm away from one or more selected positions.
Mallon discloses the pivot assembly (154/130/132/134/136/138) includes a bias mechanism connected to bias the arm toward a stowed position (¶50).
the pivot assembly (154/130/132/134/136/138) includes a detent mechanism (130) configured to resist movement of the arm away from one or more selected positions (¶42).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide the pivotal joint of Mallon to the system of Steinbacher in order to provide a variety of positioning for the charge connector (Mallon; ¶4-5).
Regarding claim 101. Steinbacher does not explicitly teach that the detent mechanism comprises: a circular detent plate having a plurality of radial grooves formed thereon; and a spring ball plunger, the spring ball plunger selectively engageable with said radial grooves.
Mallon teaches that the detent mechanism (130) comprises:
a circular detent plate having a plurality of radial grooves formed thereon (133); and
a spring ball plunger (132), the spring ball plunger selectively engageable with said radial grooves (¶50).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide the pivotal joint of Mallon to the system of Steinbacher in order to provide a variety of positioning for the charge connector (Mallon; ¶4-5).
NOTE: because the claim depends from 100, which includes the optional language of including the detent mechanism. Thus, the element of the detent in this claim is also considered optional language.
Regarding claim 102. Steinbacher does not explicitly disclose that the pivot assembly includes a mechanical fuse, the mechanical fuse being configured to deform or break to allow a pivot axis of the pivot assembly to shift from a normal vertical orientation to an inclined orientation in response to a moment caused by downward force on the arm exceeding a threshold moment, and wherein the pivot assembly is configured so that the pivot axis remains at the inclined orientation until the mechanical fuse is reset or replaced.
Mallon discloses the pivot assembly (154/132/134/136/138) includes a mechanical fuse (134/138), the mechanical fuse being configured to deform or break to allow a pivot axis of the pivot assembly to shift from a normal vertical orientation to an inclined orientation in response to a moment caused by downward force on the arm exceeding a threshold moment, and wherein the pivot assembly is configured so that the pivot axis remains at the inclined orientation until the mechanical fuse is reset or replaced (¶43 – breakover coupling maintains a rigid coupling until the excessive force is applied and returns to the rigid coupling upon the cessation of the excessive force – thus being reset, if too much force is used then breakaway attachment is used and detaches the elongated arm requiring it to be replaced).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide the breakaway system of Mallon to the charging system of Steinbacher in order to prevent damage from excessive force (Mallon; ¶45).
Regarding claim 103. Steinbacher does not explicitly disclose that the pivot assembly includes first and second spaced apart bearings that define the pivot axis, wherein the mechanical fuse holds the first bearing in a position such that the pivot axis is vertical and wherein deformation or breaking of the mechanical fuse allows transverse movement of the first bearing relative to the second bearing such that the pivot axis is movable to an angle that is inclined to vertical.
Mallon discloses that the pivot assembly (154/132/134/136/138) includes first and second spaced apart bearings that define the pivot axis (see reproduced and annotated FIG. 6B below),
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wherein the mechanical fuse (134/138) holds the first bearing in a position such that the pivot axis is vertical and wherein deformation or breaking of the mechanical fuse allows transverse movement of the first bearing relative to the second bearing such that the pivot axis is movable to an angle that is inclined to vertical (¶43 – breakover coupling maintains a rigid coupling until the excessive force is applied and returns to the rigid coupling upon the cessation of the excessive force – thus being reset, if too much force is used then breakaway attachment is used and detaches the elongated arm requiring it to be replaced).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide the breakaway system of Mallon to the charging system of Steinbacher in order to prevent damage from excessive force (Mallon; ¶45).
Regarding claim 104. Steinbacher does not explicitly disclose that the first bearing is slidable along a slot that extends transversely relative to the pivot axis and wherein the mechanical fuse includes a member that blocks the first bearing from sliding along the slot until a force reacting to the threshold moment on the mechanical fuse exceeds a threshold.
Mallon discloses that the first bearing is slidable along a slot that extends transversely relative to the pivot axis (¶53 – cam teeth 132 slidably passes to retract the elongated arm) and wherein the mechanical fuse (134/138) includes a member that blocks the first bearing from sliding along the slot until a force reacting to the threshold moment on the mechanical fuse exceeds a threshold (¶43 – breakover coupling maintains a rigid coupling until the excessive force is applied and returns to the rigid coupling upon the cessation of the excessive force – thus being reset, if too much force is used then breakaway attachment is used and detaches the elongated arm requiring it to be replaced).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide the breakaway system of Mallon to the charging system of Steinbacher in order to prevent damage from excessive force (Mallon; ¶45).
Regarding claim 105. Steinbacher does not explicitly disclose including a mechanical fuse, the mechanical fuse being configured to deform or break to allow an angle of the arm relative to a pivot axis of the pivot assembly to shift downward from a normal orientation to a changed orientation in which the distal end of the arm is in a lowered inclined orientation in response to a moment caused by downward force on the arm exceeding a threshold moment.
Mallon discloses including a mechanical fuse (134/138), the mechanical fuse being configured to deform or break to allow an angle of the arm relative to a pivot axis of the pivot assembly to shift downward from a normal orientation to a changed orientation in which the distal end of the arm is in a lowered inclined orientation in response to a moment caused by downward force on the arm exceeding a threshold moment (¶43 – breakover coupling maintains a rigid coupling until the excessive force is applied and returns to the rigid coupling upon the cessation of the excessive force).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide the breakaway system of Mallon to the charging system of Steinbacher in order to prevent damage from excessive force (Mallon; ¶45).
Regarding claim 106. Steinbacher does not explicitly disclose the mechanical fuse is located between a bearing of the pivot assembly and a support member on the arm and the mechanical fuse is in a line of force transmission between the support member and the bearing, and i) wherein the mechanical fuse is normally in compression and is configured to be reduced in length upon being deformed or broken or ii) wherein the mechanical fuse is normally in tension and is configured to be increased in length upon being deformed or broken or iii) wherein the mechanical fuse is normally in shear and is configured to shear partially or fully upon being deformed or broken.
Mallon discloses that the mechanical fuse (134/138) is located between a bearing (130) of the pivot assembly and a support member on the arm (end of arm 110) and the mechanical fuse is in a line of force transmission between the support member and the bearing, ii) wherein the mechanical fuse (134) is normally in tension and is configured to be increased in length upon being deformed or broken (¶43 – in deployment the spring is expanded) or iii) wherein the mechanical fuse (138) is normally in shear and is configured to shear partially or fully upon being deformed or broken (¶43 – breakaway attachment 138 provides determined point of detachment).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide the breakaway system of Mallon to the charging system of Steinbacher in order to prevent damage from excessive force (Mallon; ¶45).
Regarding claim 107. Steinbacher does not explicitly disclose that the mechanical fuse is configured to be variable in length to allow the angle of the arm relative to the pivot axis to be adjusted within a selected range.
Mallon discloses that the mechanical fuse (134) is configured to be variable in length to allow the angle of the arm relative to the pivot axis to be adjusted within a selected range (¶43 – coupling is a spring until a certain threshold is reached then the attachment 138 disconnects, thus, it expands to a selected range).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide the breakaway system of Mallon to the charging system of Steinbacher in order to prevent damage from excessive force (Mallon; ¶45).
Claims 92-93 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Steinbacher US20230079973A1 in view of Becker US20160009191A1
Regarding claim 92. Steinbacher discloses that the cable (102) is a charging cable for an electric vehicle (abstract).
Steinbacher does not explicitly disclose that the cable support assembly further includes a control unit attached to the arm and connectable to the charging cable, the control unit connectable to receive electrical power from an electrical power supply cable.
Becker discloses that the cable support assembly further includes a control unit (34) connectable to the charging cable (18) (FIG. 2), the control unit (34) connectable to receive electrical power from an electrical power supply cable (¶45 – charge control device controlled to turn the charging current on and off).
Although not explicitly taught that the control unit is attached to an arm, because the charging cable of Steinbacher is attached to an arm, it follows that when combined with the control unit of Becker, the control unit would also be attached to the arm along with the charging cable.
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the charging controller of Becker to the system of Steinbacher in order to provide appropriate control of the power to the charging system.
Regarding claim 93. Steinbacher does not explicitly disclose the cable support assembly further comprises one or more of: a) a sensor coupled to the arm and adapted to generate a signal in response to motion in a vicinity of the control unit, the control unit including a communication means for communicating one or more of state and fault conditions of the control unit and the signal of the sensor to a user; and b) the control unit including a primary charging circuit controller and a plurality of receptacles adapted to connect a secondary charging circuit controller to the primary charging circuit controller within the control unit.
Becker teaches that the cable support assembly further comprises:
b) the control unit (34/32) including a primary charging circuit controller (34) and a plurality of receptacles adapted to connect a secondary charging circuit controller (32) to the primary charging circuit controller (34) within the control unit (34/32) (¶45).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the charging controller of Becker to the system of Steinbacher in order to provide appropriate control of the power to the charging system.
Claim 96 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Steinbacher US20230079973A1 in view of Takahashi et al. US20150060611A1
Regarding claim 96. Steinbacher discloses wherein the force limiting mechanism (104) is included within the arm.
Steinbacher does not explicitly disclose that the force limiting mechanism includes an elongated panel that covers the opening of the channel and wherein one or more of: i) the panel is held to the arm by push-in rivets spaced apart along a length of the channel; and ii) the panel includes laterally-projecting flexible tab portions, the channel includes first and second recesses on opposing sides of the channel and the panel is held to the arm by engagement of the flexible tabs of the panel with the recesses on the opposing sides of the channel.
Takahashi discloses that the configuration further includes an elongated panel (second arm 3) that covers the opening of the channel (FIG. 1A) and the panel is held to the arm by push-in rivets spaced apart along a length of the channel (as illustrated in partially reproduce and annotated FIG. 2A, the second arm is held to the first arm by a plurality of fasteners. Although a rivet is not explicitly mentioned, because a rivet is a common fastener, it would not take undo experimentation for a person of ordinary skill in the art to use a rivet as it is a commonly used fastening mechanism.)
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It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide a protective cover as taught by Takahashi to the system of Steinbacher in order to prevent abrasion and degradation of the charging cable (Takahashi; ¶5).
Claim 98 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Steinbacher US20230079973A1 in view of Pham et al. US20120306444A1
Regarding claim 98. Steinbacher does not explicitly disclose that the mount includes a wall bracket with one or more bend relief slots, with the bracket being configured to permanently deform at a predetermined range of load.
Pham discloses that the mount includes a wall bracket with one or more bend relief slots, with the bracket being configured to permanently deform at a predetermined range of load (¶36 – charging cord is attached to the EVSE with a strain relief; ¶39 – strain relief 70 disengages from the enclosure when pulled far enough).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide a strain relief, as taught by Pham, to the connection of Steinbacher in order to provide breakaway action if pulled in various directions with force (Pham; ¶40).
Related Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Carder et al. US6123123 (column 1, lines 26-35 –“the breakaway coupling is typically attached to a short connector hose (known as a "spacer hose" or "whip hose") which is in turn attached to an overhead arm on the dispenser”).
Rodriguez US10308122B2 discloses a charging stand having a charging arm with counterweight which operates to raise and lower the arm.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAMELA JEPPSON whose telephone number is (571)272-4094. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Drew Dunn can be reached at 571-272-2312. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PAMELA J JEPPSON/Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/DREW A DUNN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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