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 April 12, 2023, claims 1-15 are pending.
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 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Jackson et al. US20160129797A1.
Regarding claim 1. Jackson discloses a system (FIG. 1) comprising:
a charging device (18) providing electrical power for charging a vehicle (10), wherein providing the electrical power produces heat during charging (¶16 - temperature of battery 12 will be higher when the battery is charged by a high current); and
a coolant device (20) transferring coolant to the vehicle during charging for cooling the heat at the vehicle (¶17 - cooling system 20 delivers a chilled coolant to battery 12).
Regarding claim 2. Jackson discloses the charging device (18) provides electrical power to charge a battery of the vehicle (¶13 – charging station 18 provides electrical energy to the battery) and the battery produces heat (¶16 temperature of battery 12 will be higher when the battery is charged by a high current).
Regarding claim 3. Jackson discloses the coolant device comprises a coolant chiller for cooling the coolant to a cooled temperature (¶17 – cooling system delivers chilled coolant to battery).
Regarding claim 4. Jackson discloses a cooled coolant connection to the vehicle wherein the coolant device transfers the coolant at the cooled temperature to the vehicle through the cooled coolant connection (¶17 - For instance, cooling system 20 delivers a chilled coolant to battery 12).
Regarding claim 5. Jackson discloses that the coolant conducts the heat from the battery and increases from the cooled temperature to a heated temperature (¶17 - cooling system 20 delivers a chilled coolant to battery 12 and returns a warmer coolant back to the cooling system).
Regarding claim 6. Jackson discloses a heated coolant connection to the vehicle wherein the coolant device withdraws the coolant at the heated temperature from the vehicle through the heated coolant connection (¶17 - returns a warmer coolant back to the cooling system. Cooling system 20 may either dissipate the heat through heat exchangers (e.g., a radiator) to the outside environment or to the interior of vehicle 10).
Regarding claim 7. Jackson discloses that the coolant device receives the coolant at the heated temperature (¶17 - returns a warmer coolant back to the cooling system) and the coolant chiller cools the coolant to the cooled temperature (¶17 - Cooling system 20 may either dissipate the heat through heat exchangers (e.g., a radiator) to the outside environment or to the interior of vehicle 10).
Regarding claim 8. Jackson discloses that the coolant device recirculates the coolant at the cooled temperature back to the vehicle during charging (¶17 - Cooling system 20 may either dissipate the heat through heat exchangers (e.g., a radiator) to the interior of vehicle 10).
Regarding claim 9. Jackson discloses the charging device provides the electrical power to the vehicle in accordance with direct current (DC) fast charging (¶14 - charging station 18 is a “DC fast charge” charging station which uses high voltage (e.g., 400-500V) and high current (e.g., 100-300 A) to charge battery 12).
Regarding claim 10. Jackson discloses a system (FIG. 1) comprising:
a charger (18) providing electrical power to charge a vehicle (10), wherein providing the electrical power involves one or more charging components of the vehicle such that heat is produced during charging (¶16 - temperature of battery 12 will be higher when the battery is charged by a high current); and
a coolant exchanger (28) analyzing temperature monitoring data (22) from the vehicle (10) to determine whether the heat produced during charging is within a threshold of overheating limits (¶21 - Controller 28 is configured to control cooling system 20 to cool battery 12 to lower or maintain the battery temperature below the maximum temperature), and controlling the transfer of coolant to the vehicle during charging to lower the heat to below the threshold of the overheating limits (¶21 - Controller 28 controls cooling system 20 based on the battery temperature, the ambient temperature, the maximum operating temperature).
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 11-13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jackson et al. US20160129797A1 in view of Christen et al. US11052776B2.
Regarding claim 11. Jackson discloses that the coolant exchanger (20) transfers the coolant at a cooled temperature (¶17 - cooling system 20 delivers a chilled coolant to battery 12).
Because the coolant exchanger of Jackson is arranged within the vehicle, it does not explicitly teach transferring to the vehicle.
However, this is merely a design choice for the system as illustrated by Christen FIG. 2 which illustrates the coolant system 40 transferring coolant to the vehicle 12.
To one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date, to provide the coolant system to the charger in order to provide an infrastructure easily accessible (column 1, lines 25-31).
Regarding claim 12. Jackson discloses that the coolant conducts the heat from the battery and increases from the cooled temperature to a heated temperature (¶17 - cooling system 20 delivers a chilled coolant to battery 12 and returns a warmer coolant back to the cooling system).
Regarding claim 13. Jackson discloses that the coolant exchanger (20) receives the coolant at the heated temperature (¶17 - returns a warmer coolant back to the cooling system) and cools the coolant to the cooled temperature to recirculate to the vehicle during charging (¶17 - Cooling system 20 may either dissipate the heat through heat exchangers (e.g., a radiator) to the interior of vehicle 10).
Regarding claim 15. Although Jackson teaches a coolant, the reference does not explicitly teach that the coolant comprises liquid coolant or gas coolant.
Christen discloses that the coolant comprises liquid coolant or gas coolant (column 5, lines 10-15).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the coolant as a liquid or a gas, as taught by Christen in order to use a state of the coolant that is easily transferable.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jackson et al. US20160129797A1 in view of Dyer et al. US11276890B2.
Regarding claim 14. Jackson does not explicitly teach that the coolant exchanger controls the transfer of coolant to the vehicle by adjusting a rate of transferring the coolant to the vehicle based on the temperature monitoring data.
Dyer discloses that the coolant exchanger (14/70) controls the transfer of coolant to the vehicle by adjusting a rate of transferring the coolant to the vehicle based on the temperature monitoring data (column 8, lines 7-42 [Wingdings font/0xE0] “controller 70 can limit the supply of charge from high power charging source 12 to below the maximum charging rate and adjust the flow rate and/or temperature of coolant from coolant source 14 to a corresponding value”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in art by the time of filing to adjust the rate of flow, as taught by Dyer, to the coolant system of Jackson in order to account for a battery that is warmer or cooler than usual due to weather conditions or use of the vehicle (column 8, lines 7-42).
Relevant Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Dyer et al. US20120043943A1 discloses delivering coolant to the electric vehicle to cool the electric battery.
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