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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Narita (US 2015/0203059) in view of Ishikawa et al. (US 2012/0299556)
Re Claim 1; Narita discloses A power distribution device (250) having a function of distributing power to an electronic device (20), comprising: (Fig. 7)
a plurality of ports (402) to which a plurality of respective electronic devices are connectable; (Fig. 7, Par 0050)
a distribution unit (30) capable of distributing power supplied from a battery to an electronic device via one of the plurality of ports; (Fig. 7, The mobile terminal connection unit 302, controlled by the control unit 308, manages power supply from the battery 0040, 0045 0050) and
a detection unit configured to detect entry of a no-idling state of a vehicle, when a vehicle spend decreases to a speed less than or equal to a predetermined value, or when the vehicle speed decreases to zero; (The cranking detection unit 306, which detects cranking (a state of engine restart after idling-stop or no-idling) based on supplied voltage and ignition status (0040, 0044). The context of "no-idling state" is supported by descriptions of idling-stop vehicles and engine restarting (0031, 0006)
wherein, when the detection unit detects the no-idling state, the distribution unit reduces the amount of power supply to a non-preferred electronic device while maintaining the amount of power supply to a preferred electronic device. (Par 0045, 51-53)
Narita does not disclose the detection unit configured to detect entry of a no-idling state of a vehicle based on vehicle speed information acquired from an in-vehicle bus when a vehicle speed decreases to a speed less than or equal to a predetermined value, or when the vehicle speed decreases to zero, and prior to an engine restart;
However, Ichikawa discloses disclose the detection unit configured to detect entry of a no-idling state of a vehicle based on vehicle speed information acquired from an in-vehicle bus when a vehicle speed decreases to a speed less than or equal to a predetermined value, or when the vehicle speed decreases to zero (Par 0077-79, 146-8, Fig. 4, 6 etc.), and prior to an engine restart (the information received by the ECU is active and continuous).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing of the invention to have added the detection unit of Ichikawa to the system of Narita motivated by the desire to effective determine the state of the vehicle so that power is effectively transmitted to the port.
Re Claim 2; Narita discloses wherein a preferred electronic device is connectable to a preferred port and a non-preferred electronic device is connectable to a non-preferred port. (Par 0045 The control unit 308 determines "disconnectable connection ports" (non-preferred ports) and "not disconnectable" (preferred ports) based on monitoring results, usage states, or pre-defined rules, implicitly defining which devices connected to which ports are preferred or non-preferred for continuous power supply)
Re Claim 3; Narita discloses wherein the distribution unit includes a step-up portion (boost power supply) configured to step up a voltage, and is capable of distributing a stepped-up voltage to a connected electronic device at a time of no idling. (Par 0007, Fig. 9b The system uses "boost power supply" (which would include a step-up portion) to provide a boosted voltage (e.g., 6V) to VBUS of USB connections during cranking, ensuring devices remain operative despite voltage drops)
Re Claim 4; Narita discloses wherein the distribution unit is connected to the battery via a fuse and supplies to a connected non-preferred electronic device power with which the fuse is not burned out. (Par 0009)
Re Claim 5; Narita discloses wherein, when the no-idling state is detected, the distribution unit conducts a negotiation with a connected non-preferred electronic device to determine the amount of power supply to the connected non-preferred electronic device.(Par 0045 The patent notes the problem in related art that full power compensation during cranking could lead to issues like "a fuse of the on-vehicle device or the electric wiring in the vehicle may become disconnected," which the present disclosure aims to solve by managing power supply (0009)
Re Claim 6; Narita discloses a negotiation as disclosed above.
Narita does not disclose wherein the negotiation includes transmission of a power profile specifying selectable power and reception of a selected power profile from the non-preferred electronic device.
However, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to implement a negotiation mechanism for power management. Given the existing technological landscape and the common practice in device communication protocols (e.g., USB Power Delivery specifications) for managing power profiles and capabilities between connected devices, integrating such a negotiation feature into Narita's system would have been a matter of routine design choice and within the ordinary skill in the art. The motivation for such a modification would be to enable more sophisticated and flexible power management, allowing connected non-preferred devices to dynamically adjust their power consumption rather than simply being disconnected entirely. A person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize the benefit of a more nuanced power management system that could, for example, allow partial charging or reduced functionality rather than complete power cut-off for certain non-preferred devices during cranking, thereby improving user experience and device compatibility. This adaptation would yield predictable results by allowing for dynamic and intelligent power allocation among devices.
Re Claim 7; Narita discloses wherein the detection unit detects a restart of an engine after the no-idling state, and wherein, when the restart of the engine is detected after the no-idling state, the distribution unit conducts a negotiation with the non-preferred electronic device to determine the amount of power supply to the non-preferred electronic device again. (Fig. 3, based on the placement of the usage state monitoring unit, the monitoring device continuously monitors the power supplied to all the loads on the circuit at all time, which will include after a restart of the vehicleThe cranking detection unit 306 detects the "cranking period" (a state during engine restart after idling-stop) (0040, 0044). The control unit 250 (part of the distribution unit) "restarts the power supply to the disconnected connection ports" once cranking is no longer detected, implying the restoration of full power to these devices (0053))
Re Claim 8; Narita discloses wherein the plurality of ports are USB ports, and the electronic device is a USB compatible device. (Par 0049 The connection ports are specified as USB connection ports 50 (0033). The mobile terminals 20 are connected via USB and receive power, indicating they are USB compatible devices (0033))
Re Claim 9; Narita discloses wherein the preferred port is a port for USB communication and charging, and the non-preferred port is a dedicated port for charging. (Fig. 10b start phone is being charged with 2.5A whiles USB playing audio is using 0.5A)
Re Claim 10; Narita discloses wherein a preferred electronic device is a mobile terminal capable of executing an application, and wherein a preferred electronic device connected to the preferred port performs USB communication with another electronic unit connected to the power distribution device. (Par 0050 Mobile terminals 20, specifically smartphones capable of running applications for music reproduction or hands-free conversation, are examples of devices connected to ports deemed "not disconnectable" (preferred ports) during cranking to maintain their operations (0042, 0045))
Re Claim 11; Narita discloses wherein the detection unit detects entry of the no-idling state by acquiring vehicle information from an in-vehicle bus.
The on-vehicle device 30 is capable of receiving "GPS positioning information, vehicle speed information, direction information and the like necessary for the navigation operation" (0038), which would typically be acquired from an in-vehicle bus and could potentially contribute to detecting a no-idling state, although the primary detection method mentioned is battery voltage and ignition key state (0044).
Re Claim 12; Narita discloses wherein the detection unit detects entry of the no-idling state by acquiring engine information from an engine control unit.
The cranking detection unit 306 "may acquire status (state) information from an ignition switch" (0044), which is a form of engine information likely provided or managed by an engine control unit.
Re Claim 13; Narita discloses wherein the detection unit detects entry of the no-idling state based on an ignition signal or a TACHO signal.
The cranking detection unit 306 detects cranking based on "the Voltage Supplied from the battery and an ignition key state" (ignition signal) (0044).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 02/18/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 5-10, filed 11/26/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-13 under 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Ichikawa
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL KESSIE whose telephone number is (571)272-4449. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pmEst.
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/DANIEL KESSIE/
01/16/2026
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836