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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application: NETHERLANDS N2028169 05/06/2021. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the foreign application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
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 1-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Garofalo et al. (US 2022/0348097) in view of Xincan Lv et al. (“A Robotic Charging Scheme for Electric Vehicles Based on Monocular Vision and Force Perception”) which of record in the applicant’s own information disclosure.
In order to be able to apply Garofalo et al., the prior art date of provisional application 63/182,228 is relied upon. The filing date of that provisional is April 30, 2021.
The examiner has reviewed provisional 63/182,228 and confirms that both the written specification and the drawings are essentially identical to the specification and drawings in Garofalo et al. (US 2022/0348097).
Re claim 1:
Garofalo et al. has a robotic arm and a connector with a camera at the end of it that uses machine vision to orient and attach a plug. That means the problem of vision and alignment with six degrees of movement must be solved.
Figure 2 of Garofalo et al. is shown below:
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Garofalo et al. teaches (with emphasis by examiner):
“[0022] The electronic charging unit 120 can include various electrical components for charging the vehicle 10. The electronic charging unit 120 can include a power supply for providing the power to the vehicle 10. As shown in FIG. 2, a charging plug 130 can be coupled to the power supply through a cord 140 to facilitate providing power to the vehicle 10. The charging plug 130 can be coupled to an actuator 150 through a robotic arm 151 which may be comprised of one or more armatures 152. The actuator 150 can be coupled to a controller and can move the plug 130 relative to the frame 110 in multiple directions and out of the frame 110 to connect with the vehicle 10 at a receiving location 160. The electronic charging unit 120 determines the receiving location 160 through a destination locator 162 in electronic communication with the controller. In one embodiment, the destination locator 162 may be an image capturing device, such as a camera, that may capture images of the vehicle 10 and send those images to the controller. The controller may then analyze the images to determine the location of a charging port and may actuate the charging plug 130 to that location. In one embodiment, the receiving location 160 is a socket that the charging plug 130 inserts into. In another embodiment, the receiving location 160 is the location of a wireless power receiver in the vehicle 10. When the charging plug 130 is connected to the vehicle 10, the charging plug 130 establishes an electrical connection with the vehicle 10 to provide electric charge to the vehicle 10 thereby. In one embodiment, the controller determines the receiving location 160 using a camera with object recognition, a sensor, or some other mechanism. The controller can determine the receiving location 160 as a set of x-, y-, and z-coordinates and communicate that determination to the actuator 150.”
Note that the language “the destination locator 162 may be an image capturing device, such as a camera, that may capture images of the vehicle 10 and send those images to the controller” in combination with figure 2 means that the camera is attached to, and moves with the connector.
Although it should be clear that Garofalo et al. must solve the orientation problem with all 6 degrees of freedom (position x 3 degrees + orientation of the plug x 3 degrees) via machine vision using the camera, Xincan Lv et al. is also employed to show in more detail the solving of this problem.
In fact both prior art references illustrate that the plug orientation orientation problem with all 6 degrees of freedom (position x 3 degrees + orientation of the plug x 3 degrees is essentially solved.
Re claims 2-25: The successful implementation of the connection essentially requires the various elements as claimed.
Some notables:
Illumination, though not directly taught by Garofalo et al., is standard for cameras.
Distance must be ascertained either directly or indirectly as part of the plug-in placement process.
Re claim 22, the send of positioning instructions to the vehicle is recited in the alternative
Providing navigating instructions to drivers to position themselves at charging stations has been conventional for a very long time. See for example Schumacher (US 12,018,950). The examiner is the owner of a Tesla Model Y (2022) that will drive itself fully to a charging station.
Having the camera be displaceable from the connector (claim 21) can simply mean the camera is replaceable or removable for servicing, which is expected for any breakable part.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL A HESS whose telephone number is (571)272-2392. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, from 9 AM to 5 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, Michael G. Lee can be reached at (571)272-2398. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANIEL A HESS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
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