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 Claims
In the communication filed on 07/31/2026, claims 1-20 are pending. Claims 1-2, 4-5, 8-10, 12-13, 15, and 18-20 are amended. No claims are new. No claims are cancelled.
The amended independent claims 1 and 12 changed scopes by incorporating previously unclaimed subject matter (“executing a prediction module …; and executing a planning model …”). Thus, the amended claims require new grounds of rejection.
Response to Arguments
The prior action (Non-Final Rejection, 05/01/2026) indicated the original claims 1-20 (filed 04/23/2023) were not entitled to the benefit of the filing date of the parent application number 17/702,129 under 35 U.S.C. 120. As detailed infra, the amended claims 1-20 also are not entitled to the benefit of the parent application’s filing date.
The prior objections to the Drawings are withdrawn due to the amendments.
A copy of the drawings (07/31/2026) is attached with annotations to indicate the replacement drawings are approved.
The prior objections to the Specification are withdrawn due to the amendments.
A copy of the amended specification (07/31/2026) is attached with annotations to indicate the amendments are okay to enter.
A subset of the prior rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) are withdrawn due to the amendments. The following prior rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) remain:
Claim 1, lines 8-9 and claim 12, lines 6-7 each recite “comprising a plurality of DC input voltage ranges”.
The claim is indefinite as to which feature is intended to be modified by this language. For examination purposes, it is assumed this language modifies “at least one of a variable DC electricity input and a fixed DC input voltage”. However, it is unclear how a single voltage (as permitted by the “at least one” language) may comprise a plurality of “DC input voltage ranges”.
It is suggested the claim elements be revised to incorporate a limitation consistent with the examiner’s interpretation, such as the following: “wherein the one or more electricity inputs comprise one or more DC input voltage ranges”.
Claim 18 recites “the ESS”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this term in the claim language.
The applicant’s arguments with respect to the prior art rejections of claims 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the combination of references being used in the current rejection.
Priority
Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) is acknowledged. Applicant has not complied with one or more conditions for receiving the benefit of an earlier filing date under 35 U.S.C. 120 as follows:
The later-filed application must be an application for a patent for an invention which is also disclosed in the prior application (the parent or original nonprovisional application or provisional application). The disclosure of the invention in the parent application and in the later-filed application must be sufficient to comply with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, except for the best mode requirement. See Transco Products, Inc. v. Performance Contracting, Inc., 38 F.3d 551, 32 USPQ2d 1077 (Fed. Cir. 1994).
The disclosure of the prior-filed application, Application No. 17/702,129, fails to provide adequate support or enablement in the manner provided by 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph for claims 1-20 of this application.
The prior-filed 17/702,129 does not adequately disclose at least the following claimed subject matter of the instant application:
“by executing a prediction model configured to predict future variables comprising renewable generation, load consumption, and charging demand for a progressing horizon; and executing a planning model, decoupled from the prediction model, configured to determine an optimal action sequence over the progressing horizon using the predicted future variables, grid price data, and the power source information via a rolling-optimization procedure, wherein the prediction model provides updated predictions using real-time feedback to the planning model” (claims 1, 20)
Accordingly, claims 1-20 are not entitled to the benefit of the filing date of the prior application.
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.
Claims 1-20 are 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 1, lines 8-9 and claim 12, lines 6-7 each recite “comprising a plurality of DC input voltage ranges”.
The claim is indefinite as to which feature is intended to be modified by this language. For examination purposes, it is assumed this language modifies “at least one of a variable DC electricity input and a fixed DC input voltage”. However, it is unclear how a single voltage (as permitted by the “at least one” language) may comprise a plurality of “DC input voltage ranges”.
It is suggested the claim elements be revised to incorporate a limitation consistent with the examiner’s interpretation, such as the following: “wherein the one or more electricity inputs comprise one or more DC input voltage ranges”.
Claim 18 recites “the ESS”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this term in the claim language.
Claims 2-11, 13-17, and 19-20 are further rejected for their dependency on other rejected claims.
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.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bissonette et al. (US 2012/0249065 A1; hereinafter “Biss”) in view of Galbraith et al. (US 2024/0343149 A1; hereinafter “Gal”).
Regarding Claim 1, Biss discloses a system (Fig. 3) for bi-directional direct current (DC) charging (converts DC power to/from the EV’s “battery pack 110” and/or the “local energy storage device 230”; Figs. 1-4, 5A-5E, 6) in electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) (combo of “energy management system 210” and “user interface 350”, Figs. 3, 6; “210” supplies power to “electric vehicle 100”).
Biss further discloses the system (Fig. 3) comprising a bi-directional DC-to-DC conversion subsystem (combo of each “DC/DC converter electrical conversion module 330” and “isolated boost DC/DC electrical conversion module 344”, along with control/communication by “master controller 310”; Fig. 3; ¶ [50]: “plural renewable energy source DC/DC electrical conversion modules may be provided so that each one of the renewable energy sources … interfaces with the high voltage DC bus 300 through an individual DC/DC electrical conversion module”), communicatively coupled (via each “signal path” and “power path”; Fig. 3) to a power source managing subsystem (combo of “master controller 310”, “AC/DC electrical conversion module 320”, “battery control electrical conversion module 325”, and “peak power tracking electrical conversion module 342”; Fig. 3).
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Biss further discloses the bi-directional DC-to-DC conversion subsystem (310, 330, 344) is configured to receive, from the power source managing subsystem (310, 325, 342), via a plurality of power sources (combo of “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”; Figs. 1-4, 5A-5E, 6), one or more electricity inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”) corresponding to at least one of a variable DC electricity input (variable DC voltage outputs of the renewable sources “240”, “250”, and “253” has a variable DC output) and a fixed DC input voltage (battery of “230” has fixed DC voltage output) comprising a plurality of DC input voltage ranges (each source has a different power output, charge level, and thus voltage level, as indicated by Fig. 18, step 804; ¶ [104]; further, each source is input to a different DC/DC converter).
Biss further discloses the bi-directional DC-to-DC conversion subsystem (310, 330, 344) is further configured to transmit (communicated from “310” to “350”) power source information (information transmitted to “350”, including at least the available power from each source; Fig. 14, step 730: “availability of each source to provide power”; Fig. 15A, step 734: “availability of power of each source”; Fig. 16A, step 760: “availability of power …”; Fig. 16C, step 1760: “availability of power …”; Fig. 16D, step 2760: “availability of power …”; Fig. 17A, step 780”: “power output levels of all available sources”; Fig. 18, step 804: “current status of each source”) to an electric vehicle supply equipment (210, 350), based on receiving the one or more electricity inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”).
Biss further discloses the bi-directional DC-to-DC conversion subsystem (310, 330, 344) is further configured to receive (communicated from “350” to “210”) a connection request (any user input to the “menu window 390”, through which the user requests connection to one or more of the power sources, along with the later commanded connection to the associated power source; see annotated Fig. 7, included infra) from the EVSE (210, 350) to connect (Fig. 12A-12B depicts a process through which the system enters one of the modes, which is based on the communicated info regarding available power from each source) to the plurality of power sources (220, 230, 240, 250, 253) for receiving the one or more electricity inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”), based on the power source information (available power from each source).
Biss further discloses the connection request (user input to “390”) comprises at least one of a required one or more electricity inputs (user input to “390” indicates whether the user wants the charging power to primarily be supplied by the renewable “green” sources such as “230” & “240” or more quickly from “220” and/or “230”; further, the user inputs the “specified time by which charging … must be complete” per ¶ [100], which results in the determination of the charging rate needed) from the plurality of power sources (220, 230, 240, 250, 253).
NOTE 1-1: The claim 1 limitation “a required voltage for one or more power demands by one or more power demanding equipment” is interpreted to be optional due to the line 13 language “at least one of”.
Biss further discloses the bi-directional DC-to-DC conversion subsystem (310, 330, 344) is further configured to connect (Fig. 14, step 732: route power from each available source to the recipient”; other, more selective connections to specific power sources are executed in other modes of the Figs. 12A-12B, 13-14, 15A-15C, 16A-16D, 17A-17B, 18-20) to the plurality of power sources (220, 230, 240, 250, 253) for receiving the one or more electricity inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”), based on the received connection request (user input to “390” results in connection of preferred power sources per the process of Figs. 12A-12B, 13-14, 15A-15C, 16A-16D, 17A-17B, 18-20) from the EVSE (210, 350).
Biss further discloses the bi-directional DC-to-DC conversion subsystem (310, 330, 344) is further configured to generate, using one or more bi-directional DC-DC converters (“305”, “330”, “344”; Fig. 3), a converted DC electricity (“high voltage DC bus 300”; Fig. 3) by adjusting the received one or more electricity inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”) to a necessary voltage (“high voltage DC bus 300”) for one or more power demands (demand of the “power recipient” of Fig. 13, which may be the individual or combined power demands of the “electric vehicle 100”, “utility grid 220”, and/or “local energy storage device 230”; ¶ [70, 85]).
Biss further discloses the EVSE (210, 350), communicatively coupled (by including each of “330” & “344”, the EVSE “210” is also communicatively coupled to each) to the bi-directional DC-DC conversion subsystem (310, 330, 344).
Biss further discloses the EVSE (210, 350) is configured to display (see annotated Fig. 7, included infra), via a user interface (“user interface 350” with the “menu window 390” displayed on either “personal computer 351” or “remote personal computing device 355”; Figs. 3, 6-7) associated with the EVSE (210, 350), one or more selectable options (options selectable via “buttons 393”, “395”, and any other user inputs on “390”; Fig. 7) to a user (¶ [69]: “390 includes a mode select dropdown menu 392, in which the user can select the mode of operation”).
Biss further discloses the one or more selectable options (Fig. 7) comprises at least one of a charging operation (any of the first four modes listed are “charge” operations; Fig. 7), a discharging operation (“send power to utility grid”; Fig. 7), and a plurality of charging modes (any of the user-selected modes in Fig. 7, such as “charge … in minimum time”, “charge … min. cost”, “charge … max green source fraction”, and “mixed mode operation”; also see additional charging modes in Figs. 12A-12B).
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Biss further discloses the EVSE (210, 350) is further configured to determine, in response to a selected one or more selectable options (any of the selected options via Fig. 7), at least one of a charging schema for the charging operation (when “charge … in minimum time” is selected, the EVSE determines the schema per Fig. 14; when “charge … min. cost” is selected, the EVSE determines the schema per Fig. 15A; when “charge … max green source fraction” is selected, the EVSE determines the schema per Fig. 16A), an appropriate charging mode in the plurality of charging modes (when “mixed mode operation” is selected, the EVSE selects an appropriate charging mode per Fig. 18), and a discharging schema for the discharging operation (when “send power to utility grid” is selected, the EVSE determines the discharging schema per Fig. 19) based on the power source information (each operation is determined based on the available power from each source, communicated prior), and the one or more power demands (demand of the “power recipient” of Fig. 13, which may be the individual or combined power demands of the “electric vehicle 100”, “utility grid 220”, and/or “local energy storage device 230”; ¶ [70, 85]).
Biss further discloses the EVSE (210, 350) is further configured to transmit, upon receiving the power source information (available power from each source, such as received in step 730 of Fig. 14) from the bi-directional DC-DC conversion subsystem (310, 330, 344), the connection request (connection request to enable a source, such as in step 732 of Fig. 14) to the bi-directional DC-DC conversion subsystem (310, 330, 344), based on the determined at least one of the charging schema (sources are selected based on chosen mode and available power; charging schemas detailed in Figs. 14, 15A-15C, 16A-16D, 17A-17B), the appropriate charging mode (when “mixed mode operation” is selected, the EVSE selects and switches between the charging modes per Fig. 18, which results in connecting to the determined sources per the current schema), and the discharging schema (Fig. 19 discharging schema includes steps 822, 828, 836, and 838 in which connections to different power sources are made per the connection request).
Biss further discloses the EVSE (210, 350) is further configured to receive (“305”, located within “210”, receives the “high voltage DC bus 300” from each “344” and “330”; Fig. 3), in response to the connection request (connection request to any available source), the converted DC electricity (300) from the bi-directional DC-DC conversion subsystem (310, 330, 344), based on the determined at least one of the charging schema (charging schemas each result in power delivered to the recipient, as detailed in Figs. 14, 15A, 16A), the appropriate charging mode (Fig. 18 selects and changes between charging modes as needed, each resulting in power being delivered to the recipient), and the discharging schema (even when discharging the EV’s battery per the schema of Fig. 19, the generated DC electricity “300” is still present).
Biss further discloses the EVSE (210, 350) is further configured to execute, upon receiving the converted DC electricity (300), at least one of the charging operation (Figs. 14, 15A, 16A), the appropriate charging mode (Fig. 18), and the discharging operation (Fig. 19), based on the one or more power demands (power demanded by the recipient, such as the EV “100”).
As addressed supra, Biss discloses the EVSE is configured to determine, in response to a selected one or more selectable options, at least one of a charging schema for the charging operation, an appropriate charging mode in the plurality of charging modes, and a discharging schema for the discharging operation, based on the power source information, and the one or more power demands. However, Biss does not disclose this determination is performed “by executing a prediction model configured to predict future variables comprising renewable generation, load consumption, and charging demand for a progressing horizon; and executing a planning model, decoupled from the prediction model, configured to determine an optimal action sequence over the progressing horizon using the predicted future variables, grid price data, and the power source information via a rolling-optimization procedure, wherein the prediction model provides updated predictions using real-time feedback to the planning model”.
Gal teaches executing a prediction model (combo of “Load Predictor”, “Coincident Peaks Predictor”, “PV Predictor”, etc. within “310”; Fig. 3) configured to predict future variables (¶ [42] lists the future variables; ¶ [43]: “predictors that generate prediction information of any suitable types, including but not limited to the examples provided above and elsewhere herein”; ¶ [144] lists additional possible future variables predicted by prediction models) comprising renewable generation (¶ [42]: “availability of power from a grid, renewable sources, and/or on-site power generation including renewable such as wind or solar”), load consumption (¶ [42]: “load or demand of a power system such as a power grid”), and charging demand (¶ [42]: “EV charging demand”) for a progressing horizon (¶ [32]: “Receding-horizon optimization is a general control scheme that involves repeatedly solving an optimization problem over a moving time horizon, often with predictions”; ¶ [73]: “performing a receding horizon optimization for an operation optimization horizon having a plurality of time intervals”; thus, the horizons progress through a plurality of time intervals; thus, “receding horizon” is interpreted as equivalent to “progressing horizon”).
Gal further teaches executing a planning model (“Optimizer” within “310”; Fig. 3), decoupled from the prediction model (Fig. 3 shows the predictors are decoupled from the “Optimizer” within “310”; ¶ [144]: “predictors, an optimizer, preprocessing units, and so on, may be grouped or split into multiple compute modules for security or other reasons”), configured to determine an optimal action sequence (¶ [39]: “optimization may determine optimal or efficient actions for the EVs or the EV charging infrastructure”; example action sequences for an EVSE are described in ¶ [118-121]) over the progressing horizon (“receding horizon” / “moving time horizon”) using the predicted future variables (listed in ¶ [42, 144]), grid price data (Fig. 1D shows an optimization function based on grid price data, as described in ¶ [132-133]; ¶ [182]: “price per unit of energy (e.g., per kWh) taken from a power grid to charge the EVs and ESS”), and the power source information (¶ [42]: “availability of power from a grid, renewable sources, and/or on-site power generation including renewable such as wind or solar”) via a rolling-optimization procedure (¶ [133]: “optimization may be repeated with each subsequent point in time or time interval as the horizon moves forward in time, making use of new knowledge of the updated situation for which the optimization is performed”).
Gal further teaches the prediction model (combo of various predictors shown in Fig. 3) provides updated predictions using real-time feedback (¶ [133]: “optimization may be repeated with each subsequent point in time or time interval as the horizon moves forward in time, making use of new knowledge of the updated situation for which the optimization is performed”) to the planning model (“Optimizer”).
Gal further teaches the technique for rolling optimization to determine an optimal action sequence over a progressing horizon to optimize efficiency, cost, and/or emissions of operating the EVSE (¶ [39]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the EVSE’s determination of at least one of a charging schema, an appropriate charging mode, and a discharging schema disclosed by Biss to use rolling optimization to determine an optimal action sequence over a progressing horizon, as taught by Gal, to optimize efficiency, cost, and/or emissions of operating the EVSE.
Regarding Claim 2, the combo of Biss & Gal teaches the system of claim 1.
Biss further discloses an energy storage subsystem (ESS) (“local energy storage device 230”; Figs. 1-4, 5A-5E, 6), communicatively coupled (via control from “210”) to the EVSE (210, 350).
Biss further discloses the ESS (230) is configured to receive (“230” receives power from one or more of the other energy/power sources when the “local battery” is selected as the recipient with the “button 395” on “390”; Fig. 7) at least one of one or more energy inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”) from one or more energy sources (220, 230, 240, 250, 253) and the one or more electricity inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”) from the plurality of power sources (220, 230, 240, 250, 253), based on the charging schema (charging schemas detailed in Figs. 14, 15A-15C, 16A-16D, 17A-17B).
Biss further discloses the ESS (230) is configured to store (“230” is a battery array that stores any received energy/power) the received at least one of the one or more energy inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”) and the one or more electricity inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”).
Biss further discloses the ESS (230) is configured to transmit to the EVSE (210, 350), the stored at least one of the one or more energy inputs and the one or more electricity inputs (any energy/power stored in “230” can be transmitted through “210” to the “utility grid 220” when the “send power to utility grid” button of Fig. 7 is selected), based on the discharging schema (Fig. 19 discharging schema includes step 828: “enable power flow from local energy storage device”).
Regarding Claim 12, Biss discloses a method (method of Figs. 12A-12B, 13-14, 15A-15C, 16A-16D, 17A-17B, 18-20) for a bi-directional direct current (DC) charging (converts DC power to/from the EV’s “battery pack 110” and/or the “local energy storage device 230”; Figs. 1-4, 5A-5E, 6) in an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) (combo of “energy management system 210” and “user interface 350”, Figs. 3, 6; “210” supplies power to “electric vehicle 100”), the method comprising the following.
Biss further discloses receiving, from a power source managing subsystem (combo of “master controller 310”, “AC/DC electrical conversion module 320”, “battery control electrical conversion module 325”, and “peak power tracking electrical conversion module 342”; Fig. 3) associated with a bi-directional DC-to-DC conversion subsystem (combo of each “DC/DC converter electrical conversion module 330” and “isolated boost DC/DC electrical conversion module 344”, along with control/communication by “master controller 310”; Fig. 3; ¶ [50]: “plural renewable energy source DC/DC electrical conversion modules may be provided so that each one of the renewable energy sources … interfaces with the high voltage DC bus 300 through an individual DC/DC electrical conversion module”), via a plurality of power sources (combo of “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”; Figs. 1-4, 5A-5E, 6), one or more electricity inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”).
Biss further discloses the one or more electricity inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”) corresponding to at least one of a variable DC electricity input (variable DC voltage outputs of the renewable sources “240”, “250”, and “253” has a variable DC output) and a fixed DC input voltage (battery of “230” has relatively fixed DC voltage output) comprising a plurality of DC input voltage ranges (each source has a different power output, charge level, and thus voltage level, as indicated by Fig. 18, step 804; ¶ [104]; further, each source is input to a different DC/DC converter).
Biss further discloses transmitting (communicated from “310” to “350”), by the bi-directional DC-DC conversion subsystem (310, 330, 344), power source information (information transmitted to “350”, including at least the available power from each source; Fig. 14, step 730: “availability of each source to provide power”; Fig. 15A, step 734: “availability of power of each source”; Fig. 16A, step 760: “availability of power …”; Fig. 16C, step 1760: “availability of power …”; Fig. 16D, step 2760: “availability of power …”; Fig. 17A, step 780”: “power output levels of all available sources”; Fig. 18, step 804: “current status of each source”) to the EVSE (210, 350), based on receiving the one or more electricity inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”).
Biss further discloses receiving (communicated from “350” to “210”), by the bi-directional DC-DC conversion subsystem (310, 330, 344), a connection request (any user input to the “menu window 390”, through which the user requests connection to one or more of the power sources, along with the later commanded connection to the associated power source; see annotated Fig. 7, included supra) from the EVSE (210, 350) to connect (Fig. 12A-12B depicts a process through which the system enters one of the modes, which is based on the communicated info regarding available power from each source) to the plurality of power sources (220, 230, 240, 250, 253) for receiving one or more electricity inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”), based on the power source information (available power from each source).
Biss further discloses the connection request (user input to “390”, along with the later commanded connection to the associated power source) comprises at least one of a required one or more electricity inputs (user input to “390” indicates whether the user wants the charging power to primarily be supplied by the renewable “green” sources such as “230” & “240” or more quickly from “220” and/or “230”; further, the user inputs the “specified time by which charging … must be complete” per ¶ [100], which results in the determination of the charging rate needed) from the plurality of power sources (220, 230, 240, 250, 253).
NOTE 12-1: The claim 12 limitation “a required voltage for one or more power demands by one or more power demanding equipment” is interpreted to be optional due to the line 14 language “at least one of”.
Biss further discloses connecting (Fig. 14, step 732: route power from each available source to the recipient”; other, more selective connections to specific power sources are executed in other modes of the Figs. 12A-12B, 13-14, 15A-15C, 16A-16D, 17A-17B, 18-20), by the bi-directional DC-DC conversion subsystem (310, 330, 344), to the plurality of power sources (220, 230, 240, 250, 253) for receiving the one or more electricity inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”), based on the received connection request (user input to “390” results in connection of preferred power sources per the process of Figs. 12A-12B, 13-14, 15A-15C, 16A-16D, 17A-17B, 18-20) from the EVSE (210, 350).
Biss further discloses generating, by the bi-directional DC-DC conversion subsystem (310, 330, 344), using one or more bi-directional DC-DC converters (“305”, “330”, “344”; Fig. 3), a converted DC electricity (“high voltage DC bus 300”; Fig. 3) by adjusting the received one or more electricity inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”) to a necessary voltage (“high voltage DC bus 300”) for one or more power demands (demand of the “power recipient” of Fig. 13, which may be the individual or combined power demands of the “electric vehicle 100”, “utility grid 220”, and/or “local energy storage device 230”; ¶ [70, 85]).
Biss further discloses displaying (see annotated Fig. 7, included supra), via a user interface (“user interface 350” with the “menu window 390” displayed on either “personal computer 351” or “remote personal computing device 355”; Figs. 3, 6-7) associated with the EVSE (210, 350) communicatively coupled (by including each of “330” & “344”, the EVSE “210” is also communicatively coupled to each) to the bi-directional DC-DC conversion subsystem (310, 330, 344), one or more selectable options (options selectable via “buttons 393”, “395”, and any other user inputs on “390”; Fig. 7) to a user (¶ [69]: “390 includes a mode select dropdown menu 392, in which the user can select the mode of operation”).
Biss further discloses the one or more selectable options (Fig. 7) comprises at least one of a charging operation (any of the first four modes listed are “charge” operations; Fig. 7), a discharging operation (“send power to utility grid”; Fig. 7), and a plurality of charging modes (any of the user-selected modes in Fig. 7, such as “charge … in minimum time”, “charge … min. cost”, “charge … max green source fraction”, and “mixed mode operation”; also see additional charging modes in Figs. 12A-12B).
Biss further discloses determining, by the EVSE (210, 350), in response to a selected one or more selectable options (any of the selected options via Fig. 7), at least one of a charging schema for the charging operation (when “charge … in minimum time” is selected, the EVSE determines the schema per Fig. 14; when “charge … min. cost” is selected, the EVSE determines the schema per Fig. 15A; when “charge … max green source fraction” is selected, the EVSE determines the schema per Fig. 16A), an appropriate charging mode in the plurality of charging modes (when “mixed mode operation” is selected, the EVSE selects an appropriate charging mode per Fig. 18; step 880: “enable the mode of highest rank that is viable”; Fig. 18, step 808 is based on the power source information obtained in step 804), and a discharging schema for the discharging operation (when “send power to utility grid” is selected, the EVSE determines the discharging schema per Fig. 19) based on the power source information (each operation is determined based on the available power from each source, communicated prior), and the one or more power demands (demand of the “power recipient” of Fig. 13, which may be the individual or combined power demands of the “electric vehicle 100”, “utility grid 220”, and/or “local energy storage device 230”; ¶ [70, 85]).
Biss further discloses transmitting, by the EVSE (210, 350), upon receiving the power source information (available power from each source, such as received in step 730 of Fig. 14) from the bi-directional DC-DC conversion subsystem (310, 330, 344), the connection request (connection request to enable a source, such as in step 732 of Fig. 14) to the bi-directional DC-DC conversion subsystem (310, 330, 344), based on the determined at least one of the charging schema (sources are selected based on chosen mode and available power; charging schemas detailed in Figs. 14, 15A-15C, 16A-16D, 17A-17B), the appropriate charging mode (when “mixed mode operation” is selected, the EVSE selects and switches between the charging modes per Fig. 18, which results in connecting to the determined sources per the current schema), and the discharging schema (Fig. 19 discharging schema includes steps 822, 828, 836, and 838 in which connections to different power sources are made per the connection request).
Biss further discloses receiving (“305”, located within “210”, receives the “high voltage DC bus 300” from each “344” and “330”; Fig. 3), by the EVSE (210, 350), in response to the connection request (connection request to any available source), the converted DC electricity (300) from the bi-directional DC-DC conversion subsystem (310, 330, 344), based on the determined at least one of the charging schema (charging schemas each result in power delivered to the recipient, as detailed in Figs. 14, 15A, 16A), the appropriate charging mode (Fig. 18 selects and changes between charging modes as needed, each resulting in power being delivered to the recipient), and the discharging schema (even when discharging the EV’s battery per the schema of Fig. 19, the generated DC electricity “300” is still present).
Biss further discloses executing, by the EVSE (210, 350), upon receiving the converted DC electricity (300), at least one of the charging operation (Figs. 14, 15A, 16A), the appropriate charging mode (Fig. 18), and the discharging operation (Fig. 19), based on the one or more power demands (power demanded by the recipient, such as the EV “100”).
As addressed supra, Biss discloses determining, by the EVSE, in response to a selected one or more selectable options, at least one of a charging schema for the charging operation, an appropriate charging mode in the plurality of charging modes, and a discharging schema for the discharging operation, based on the power source information, and the one or more power demands. However, Biss does not disclose this determination is performed “by executing a prediction model configured to predict future variables comprising renewable generation, load consumption, and charging demand for a progressing horizon; and executing a planning model, decoupled from the prediction model, configured to determine an optimal action sequence over the progressing horizon using the predicted future variables, grid price data, and the power source information via a rolling-optimization procedure, wherein the prediction model provides updated predictions using real-time feedback to the planning model”.
Gal teaches (see detailed claim item mapping in the claim 1 section, included supra) by executing a prediction model configured to predict future variables comprising renewable generation, load consumption, and charging demand for a progressing horizon; and executing a planning model, decoupled from the prediction model, configured to determine an optimal action sequence over the progressing horizon using the predicted future variables, grid price data, and the power source information via a rolling-optimization procedure, wherein the prediction model provides updated predictions using real-time feedback to the planning model.
Gal further teaches the technique for rolling optimization to determine an optimal action sequence over a progressing horizon to optimize efficiency, cost, and/or emissions of operating the EVSE (¶ [39]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method’s determination of at least one of a charging schema, an appropriate charging mode, and a discharging schema disclosed by Biss to use rolling optimization to determine an optimal action sequence over a progressing horizon, as taught by Gal, to optimize efficiency, cost, and/or emissions of operating the EVSE.
Regarding Claim 13, the combo of Biss & Gal teaches the method of claim 12.
Biss further discloses receiving (“230” receives power from one or more of the other energy/power sources when the “local battery” is selected as the recipient with the “button 395” on “390”; Fig. 7), by an energy storage subsystem (ESS) (“local energy storage device 230”; Figs. 1-4, 5A-5E, 6) communicatively coupled (via control from “210”) to the EVSE (210, 350), at least one of one or more energy inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”) from one or more energy sources (220, 230, 240, 250, 253) and the one or more electricity inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”) from the plurality of power sources (220, 230, 240, 250, 253), based on the charging schema (charging schemas detailed in Figs. 14, 15A-15C, 16A-16D, 17A-17B).
Biss further discloses storing (“230” is a battery array that stores any received energy/power), by the ESS (230), the received at least one of the one or more energy inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”) and the one or more electricity inputs (outputs of sources “220”, “230”, “240”, “250”, “253”).
Biss further discloses transmitting, by the ESS (230), to the EVSE (210, 350), the stored at least one of the one or more energy inputs and the one or more electricity inputs (any energy/power stored in “230” can be transmitted through “210” to the “utility grid 220” when the “send power to utility grid” button of Fig. 7 is selected), based on the discharging schema (Fig. 19 discharging schema includes step 828: “enable power flow from local energy storage device”).
Regarding Claims 3 and 14, the combo of Biss & Gal teaches the system of claim 1 and the method of claim 12.
Biss further discloses the plurality of power sources (220, 230, 240, 250, 253) comprises at least one of the following.
Biss further discloses a breaker-box (“electric utility panel 224”; Fig. 3; ¶ [60]: “utility grid 220 is coupled to the high voltage bus 300 through an electric utility panel 224 having a main switch 224-1 that interrupts connection to the utility grid 220”) connected to an electricity grid (“utility grid 220”; Figs. 1-4, 5A-5E, 6).
Biss further discloses one or more energy storage subsystem (ESS) sources (“local energy storage device 230”; Figs. 1-4, 5A-5E, 6) comprising at least one of electro-chemical batteries (¶ [41]: “230 … may be a battery array”).
Biss further discloses one or more renewable energy sources (240, 250) comprising at least one of a photovoltaic (PV) solar energy source (“solar cell array electric generator 250”; Figs. 1-4, 5A-5E, 6; ¶ [41]) and a wind energy source (“wind turbine electric generator 240”; Figs. 1-4, 5A-5E, 6; ¶ [41]).
Regarding Claims 4 and 15, the combo of Biss & Gal teaches the system of claim 1 and the method of claim 12.
Biss further discloses the power source information (information transmitted to “350”, including at least the available power from each source; Fig. 14, step 730: “availability of each source to provide power”; Fig. 15A, step 734: “availability of power of each source”; Fig. 16A, step 760: “availability of power …”; Fig. 16C, step 1760: “availability of power …”; Fig. 16D, step 2760: “availability of power …”; Fig. 17A, step 780”: “power output levels of all available sources”; Fig. 18, step 804: “current status of each source”) is comprised of at least one of the following.
NOTE 4-1: The claim 4 limitations “one or more voltage ranges of the one or more electricity inputs”, “current and future power pricing data”, and “electrical grid demand response data” are interpreted as optional due to the lines 1-2 language “at least one of”.
Biss further discloses a type (available power from each source, inherently including some indexing to the associated source type) of each of the plurality of power sources (220, 230, 240, 250, 253).
Biss further discloses one or more electricity inputs (available power) received from each of the plurality of power sources (220, 230, 240, 250, 253).
Biss further discloses a capacity (available power) of each of the plurality of power sources (220, 230, 240, 250, 253).
Biss further discloses current or future power source capacity data (available power).
Regarding Claim 5, the combo of Biss & Gal teaches the system of claim 1.
Biss further discloses the one or more bi-directional DC-DC converters (“305”, “330”, “344”; Fig. 3; ¶ [48]: “330 may be bi-directional”) comprise a buck based DC-DC converter (¶ [49]: “330 reduces the high DC voltage supplied by the high voltage DC bus 300 down to a DC voltage near the battery voltage of the local energy storage device 230”)
NOTE 5-1: The other varieties of DC-DC converters are interpreted as optional due to the claim 5, line 2 language “at least one of”.
Regarding Claims 6 and 16, the combo of Biss & Gal teaches the system of claim 1 and the method of claim 12.
Biss further discloses the one or more selectable options (options selectable via “buttons 393”, “395”, and any other user inputs on “390”; Fig. 7) further comprises a preference (per ¶ [104], the user inputs “rankings of the different modes in order of preference); the modes include different uses for the power sources) of each of the plurality of power sources (220, 230, 240, 250, 253), a period of charging operation ( per ¶ [100], the user inputs the “specified time by which charging … must be complete”, used to charge the EV battery “110” when the “E.V.” is selected as the recipient on “390”; Fig. 7), and a period of discharging operation (when the “E.V.” is selected as the recipient on “390”, then the ESS “230” is discharged to help charge the EV battery “100” before the “specified time” input by the user; thus the “specified time” is a period of discharging the ESS “230”).
Regarding Claims 7 and 17, the combo of Biss & Gal teaches the system of claim 1 and the method of claim 12.
Biss further discloses the charging operation (any of the first four modes listed on the “menu window 390” are charging operations; Fig. 7) is comprised of at least one of (one or both of the EV battery pack and/or the ESS may be selected to receive charge by selecting the appropriate “button 395” in Fig. 7; ¶ [70]) charging a battery pack (“on-board EV battery pack 110”; Figs. 1-2, 4, 5A-5E) configured to power an electric vehicle (EV) (“electric vehicle 100”; Figs. 1-2, 6) and charging an energy storage unit (“local energy storage device 230”; Figs. 1-4, 5A-5E, 6) associated with an energy storage subsystem (ESS) (230) communicatively coupled to the EVSE (210, 350), based on the charging schema (Figs. 14, 15A, 16A).
Regarding Claims 8 and 18, the combo of Biss & Gal teaches the system of claim 1 and the method of claim 12.
Biss further discloses the discharging operation (“send power to utility grid”; Fig. 7) comprises discharging an energy storage unit (discharges from “230” when the “local battery” is selected as the “button 395”; Fig. 7) associated with the energy storage subsystem (ESS) (“local energy storage device 230”; Figs. 1-4, 5A-5E, 6) to power a house load (¶ [60]: “supply backup power to the household when the utility grid 220 experiences a power outage or blackout”; see “household panel 224” in Fig. 5C), based on the discharging schema (Fig. 19).
Regarding Claims 9 and 19, the combo of Biss & Gal teaches the system of claim 1 and the method of claim 12.
Biss further discloses the plurality of charging modes (any of the user-selected modes in Fig. 7, such as “charge … in minimum time”, “charge … min. cost”, “charge … max green source fraction”, and “mixed mode operation”; also see additional charging modes in Figs. 12A-12B) is used for charging a battery pack (“on-board EV battery pack 110”; Figs. 1-2, 4, 5A-5E) configured to power an electric vehicle (EV) (“electric vehicle 100”; Figs. 1-2, 6).
Biss further discloses the plurality of charging modes comprises at least one of a renewable charging mode (“green charging” per Fig. 12A, step 672; Figs. 16A-16C; maximizes use of the renewable power sources), a green charging mode (“green charging” per Fig. 12A, step 672; Figs. 16A-16C), a fast-charging mode (“minimum time charging” per Fig. 12A, step 664; Fig. 14), an economy charging mode (“minimum cost charging” per Fig. 12A, step 668; Figs. 15A-15C), a time-based charging mode (“charge within specified time” per Fig. 12A, step 676; Figs. 17A-17B), and a capacity-based charging mode (any of the charging modes inherently are based on the capacity of the recipient; further, ¶ [102]: “to achieve a full charge of the electric vehicle battery pack by the specified time”).
Regarding Claims 10 and 20, the combo of Biss & Gal teaches the system of claim 9 and the method of claim 19.
Biss further discloses the renewable charging mode (“green charging” per Fig. 12A, step 672; Figs. 16A-16C; maximizes use of the renewable power sources) uses one or more available renewable energy sources (“solar cell array electric generator 250” and/or “wind turbine electric generator 240”; Figs. 1-4, 5A-5E, 6; ¶ [41]; “250” and/or “240” used per steps 1764 and 1765 of Fig. 16C) from the plurality of power sources (220, 230, 240, 250, 253).
Biss further discloses the green charging mode (“green charging” per Fig. 12A, step 672; Figs. 16A-16C) uses at least one of the one or more renewable energy sources (“250” and/or “240” used per steps 1764 and 1765; Fig. 16C) and one or more energy storage subsystem (ESS) sources (Fig. 17, step 1767 enables power flow from the “local energy storage device 230” of Figs. 1-4, 5A-5E, 6).
Biss further discloses the fast charging mode (“minimum time charging” per Fig. 12A, step 664; Fig. 14) uses a maximum energy (Fig. 14, step 732: “route power from each available source to the recipient”; ¶ [86]: “utilize the available energy sources to supply the maximum amount of power to the power recipient in order to minimize the time to charge the power recipient”) from each of the plurality of power sources (220, 230, 240, 250, 253) to charge the EV (100) in a short period (“minimum time”).
Biss further discloses the economy charging mode (“minimum cost charging” per Fig. 12A, step 668; Figs. 15A-15C) is used for the charging operation based on a lowest energy cost mixture (¶ [88]: “each of the energy sources available … has an associated energy rate or energy cost (in dollars per kilowatt hour) for the power that it provides, and the master controller 310 utilizes these costs to select what energy sources to use to provide power to the power recipient”) of the plurality of power sources (220, 230, 240, 250, 253).
NOTE 10-1: Due to the claim 9, line 3 language “at least one of …”, the “time-based charging mode” is optional. Thus, the claim 10 limitation “wherein the time-based charging mode uses one or more of the plurality of the power sources selected to minimize grid cost to charge the EV to a certain capacity by a certain time” is also option.
Biss further discloses the capacity-based charging mode (any of the charging modes inherently are based on the capacity of the recipient; further, ¶ [72] indicates the charging stops upon “110 reaching full charge”) uses one or more of the plurality of power sources selected to minimize grid cost (Fig. 15A: “Minimum-Cost Charging Mode”) to charge the EV (100) to a pre-determined capacity (¶ [102]: “to achieve a full charge of the electric vehicle battery pack by the specified time”).
Regarding Claim 11, the combo of Biss & Gal teaches the system of claim 1.
Biss further discloses the appropriate charging mode (when “mixed mode operation” is selected, the EVSE selects an appropriate charging mode per Fig. 18, step 880: “enable the mode of highest rank that is viable”) is determined based on the power source information (Fig. 18, step 808 is based on the power source information obtained in step 804).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/DANIEL P MCFARLAND/ Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/DREW A DUNN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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