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 .
Acknowledgement is made of application #18/312,679 filed on 05/05/2023 in which claims 1-12 have been presented for prosecution in a first action on the merits.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) filed on 11/17/2023 has been considered and placed of record. An initialed copy is attached herewith.
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1,7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN112455269A to Jia et al., (Jia)(Machine Translation) in view of KSR.
Regarding claims 1 and 7: Jia at least discloses and shows in Figs. 1-2: A system for coordinated energy replenishment summoning through pile-station integration, wherein the system is applied to a battery swap station(4)(which includes a battery compartment 41 and a battery swapping robot 42 and several batteries are stored in the battery compartment 41.; see page 4, lines 25-26), and a charging pile(31) is arranged outside the battery swap station(see Fig. 2), the system comprising: a battery swap summoning unit(42) configured to: arrange a battery swap station(4) for a vehicle(see Fig. 2; not labeled but shown in battery-swap parking spaces 52 and outside of waiting parking spaces 53; page 4, lines 8-14) , to have a battery swapped, and if the arranged battery swap station(4) is capable of meeting battery swap requirements of the vehicle, dispatch a battery swap task(via 42) to the battery swap station such that the vehicle enters the battery swap station(4) to attempt a battery swap(note-The battery swapping device 4 is connected to the station control system 1 via Ethernet communication. The vehicle-mounted terminal 2 is set on the vehicle, and is used to send a charging request or a battery replacement request to the station control system 1. The station control system 1, the charging equipment 3 and the power exchange equipment 4 are all set in the charging and swapping electric field station. The station control system 1 is used to receive the charging request and the power replacement request, and analyze and judge according to the charging request and the power replacement request, and send it to the vehicle terminal 2 Feedback the target parking space and issue charging instructions and replacement instructions to the charging device 3 and the battery swapping device 4. The charging device 3 shares the power with the battery swapping device 4, and the station control system 1 controls the power switching. The charging device 3 is used for the vehicle and the battery swapping device charge, the battery replacement device 4 is used to replace the battery of the vehicle; see page 3, lines 56 to page 4, lines 6); an energy replenishment confirmation unit(construed as control system 1) configured to: after the vehicle has attempted a battery swap, determine whether the battery swap for the vehicle is successful(note- the station control system 1 is used to receive the charging request and the power replacement request, and analyze and judge according to the charging request and the power replacement request, and send it to the vehicle terminal 2 Feedback the target parking space and issue charging instructions and replacement instructions to the charging device 3 and the battery swapping device 4; see page 3, line 60 to page 4 line 4); if it is confirmed that the battery swap for the vehicle is not successful, further determine whether there is a possibility that the vehicle attempts a battery swap again; if it is determined that there is a possibility that the vehicle attempts a battery swap again, summon the vehicle to attempt a battery swap again; and if it is determined that there is no possibility that the vehicle attempts a battery swap again, further determine whether the vehicle meets charging conditions; and a charging summoning unit(3) configured to: if the energy replenishment confirmation unit(as performed by control system) confirms that the vehicle meets the charging conditions, notify the vehicle to complete energy replenishment by charging at the charging pile(31)(note-The charging pile 31 shares power with the battery swapping device 4. The charging pile 31 can charge the vehicle or one of the battery swapping devices 4 at the same time. When the vehicle needs to be charged, the charging pile 31 can charge the vehicle. When there is no vehicle to charge, the charging pile 31 can charge the vehicle. The pile 31 can charge the battery in the power exchange device 4; see page 4, lines 20-23 and lines 25-29).
Jia does not expressly discloses the limitations of:
if it is confirmed that the battery swap for the vehicle is not successful, further determine whether there is a possibility that the vehicle attempts a battery swap again; if it is determined that there is a possibility that the vehicle attempts a battery swap again, summon the vehicle to attempt a battery swap again; and if it is determined that there is no possibility that the vehicle attempts a battery swap again, further determine whether the vehicle meets charging conditions, which examiner deemed to be AI configured.
However, Jia discusses that the vehicle-mounted terminal 2 can independently choose to charge or swap. The charging equipment 3 shares the power with the battery swapping device 4. The station control system 1 realizes intelligent scheduling and improves the utilization efficiency of the charging device 3. According to the conditions of the charging device 3 and the battery swapping device 4, Guide the vehicle-mounted terminal 2 to the target parking space and perform related operations. Intelligent scheduling effectively reduces labor operating costs; see page 4, lines 31-35). Jia further discloses that “when the vehicle needs to be charged, the charging pile 31 can charge the vehicle. When there is no vehicle to charge, the charging pile 31 can charge the vehicle. The pile 31 can charge the battery in the power exchange device 4”(see page 4, page 4, lines 21-23).
It would have been obvious matter of design choice to one having ordinary skill in the art to modify the control system of Jia by having it configured to include further processes and steps, including, if it is confirmed that the battery swap for the vehicle is not successful, further determine whether there is a possibility that the vehicle attempts a battery swap again; if it is determined that there is a possibility that the vehicle attempts a battery swap again, summon the vehicle to attempt a battery swap again; and if it is determined that there is no possibility that the vehicle attempts a battery swap again, further determine whether the vehicle meets charging conditions, as recited, in order to ensure an efficient way of battery replacement. Furthermore, when a device or technology is available in one field of endeavor, design incentives and other market forces can prompt variations of it, either in the same field or in a different one, so that if a person of ordinary skill can implement a predictable variation, the variation is likely obvious, since the limitations supra are “AI” oriented (see specifications [0067] of the instant application) and thus the control system of Jia can as well be programmed to perform the recites steps and functions.
Accordingly claims 1 and 7 would at least have been obvious.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-6,8-12 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The prior art of record does not teach nor reasonably suggest, among other patentable features and steps,
As in claim 2: “wherein the battery swap summoning unit is further configured to: after dispatching the battery swap task to the battery swap station, determine whether the battery swap station currently meets battery swap conditions; if yes, lock reserved resources of the battery swap station; and if no, wait a time t1 and then redetermine whether the battery swap station currently meets the battery swap conditions; wherein determining whether the battery swap station currently meets battery swap conditions comprises: determining whether the battery swap station supports a type of the vehicle, and determining whether the battery swap station stores a battery compatible with the vehicle; and the reserved resources of the battery swap station comprise: a reserved parking space of the battery swap station and the battery compatible with the vehicle”.
As in claim 8: “wherein the battery swap summoning step further comprises: after dispatching the battery swap task to the battery swap station, determining whether the battery swap station currently meets battery swap conditions; if yes, locking reserved resources of the battery swap station; and if no, waiting a time t1 and then redetermining whether the battery swap station currently meets the battery swap conditions; wherein determining whether the battery swap station currently meets battery swap conditions comprises: determining whether the battery swap station supports a type of the vehicle, and determining whether the battery swap station stores a battery compatible with the vehicle; and the reserved resources of the battery swap station comprise: a reserved parking space of the battery swap station and the battery compatible with the vehicle”.
Claims 3-6 and respectively claims 9-12 depend either directly or indirectly from claim 2 and respectively claim 8 and therefore are also allowable for the same reasons.
Conclusion
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M'BAYE DIAO
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2859
/M BAYE DIAO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859 February 10, 2026