DETAILED ACTION
This is a first action on the merits, in response to the claims received 07/11/2023. Claims 1-20 are pending for prosecution below.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) file on 11/12/2024 has been considered by the examiner. An initialed copy is attached herewith.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1-10,11,12-17,19 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kempton, (USNO.2011/0202217).
As for claim 1, Kempton discloses and shows in Figs. 1 and 7 an on-site device configured to be used with networked Electric Vehicle Supply Equipments (EVSEs), the on-site device comprising: a first coupler interface (via mating contacts) configured to electrically connect the on-site device to one or more EVSEs; a first communication interface (ref’s input/output port) to connect the on-site device to a short-range communication network on a wired network via Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) or Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) or on a wireless network; a second communication interface (via ref’s aggregation server) to connect the on-site device to a long-range wireless communication network; a processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the on-site device to: establish a communication connection with the EVSE; and interface to the EVSE via a programmable logic controller (PLC) on a control pilot, Modbus RTU or other near-field communication (NFC), perform diagnostics (via ref’s local aggregation) to locally recover charging operation or network connectivity of one or more EVSEs of the networked EVSEs and further aid in remote maintenance (par.[0034,0068,0077-0079,-0081,0096-0100])
As for claim 2, Kempton discloses and shows in Figs. 1 and 7 a second coupler interface configured to electrically connect the on-site device to an electric vehicle (EV).
As for claims 3 and 13, Kempton discloses and shows in Figs.6-7 the step to interface to the EVSE further comprising: establish a control pilot communication between the on-site device and the EVSE; simulate EV charging states; gather a status and diagnostic data about the EVSE; evaluate network fallouts; evaluate a failure mode; connect to a backend; propagate data upstream; and transmit EVSE/EV data over a network for evaluation over a remote server.
As for claims 4 and 14, Kempton discloses and shows in Figs.6-7 on-site device is configured to connect to the EVSE through the first coupler interface which allows for access to a control pilot signal and load voltage lines when the on-site device simulates a charging scenario
As for claims 5 and 15, Kempton discloses and shows in Figs.6-7 programmable logic controller (PLC) communication utilizing a pilot line allows to perform authentication of the on-site device similar to how the EV is authenticated (par.[0079])
As for claims 6 and 16, Kempton discloses and shows in Figs.6-7on-site device is configured to further request for fault data, network status, signal strength etc. (par.[0079-0081])
As for claim 7, Kempton discloses and shows in Figs.6-7 to the on-site device access to local diagnostic logs is configured such that the logs can be shared via a cellular network accessible on the on-site device for further evaluation of a non-functioning unit (par.[0079-0081])
As for claim 8, Kempton discloses and shows in Figs.6-7on-site device is configured to connect to the EVSE via the RTU, near-field communication (NFC) (Bluetooth®, Radio-frequency identification (RFID) interface) and extract diagnostic information (via ref’s short-range radio)(par.[0095])
As for claim 10, Kempton discloses and shows in Figs.6-7on-site device is configured to be used in a breakout mode (via local) inline with the EV
As for claim 11, Kempton discloses and shows in Figs. 1 and 7 a method for diagnosing networked Electric Vehicle Supply Equipments (EVSEs) with an on-site device, the method comprising: providing a first coupler interface (via mating contacts) configured to electrically connect the on-site device to one or more EVSEs; providing a first communication interface (ref’s input/output port) to connect the on-site device to a short-range communication network on a wired network via Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) or Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) or on a wireless network; providing a second communication interface (via ref’s aggregation server) to connect the on-site device to a long-range wireless communication network; providing a processor; and providing a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the on-site device to: establish a communication connection with the EVSE; and interface to the EVSE via a programmable logic controller (PLC) on a control pilot, Modbus RTU or other near-field communication (NFC), perform diagnostics (via ref’s local aggregation) to locally recover charging operation or network connectivity of one or more EVSEs of the networked EVSEs and further aid in remote maintenance (par.[0034,0068,0077-0079,-0081,0096-0100])
As for claim 12, Kempton discloses and shows in Figs. 1 and 7 a second coupler interface configured to electrically connect the on-site device to an electric vehicle (EV).
As for claim 17, Kempton discloses and shows in Figs. 1 and 7 on-site device access to local diagnostic logs is configured such that the logs can be shared via a cellular network accessible on the on-site device for further evaluation of a non-functioning unit. (par.[0080,0155])
As for claim 19, Kempton discloses and shows in Figs. 1 and 7 an on-site device configured to be used with networked Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSEs), the on-site device comprising: a first interface (via mating contacts) configured to electrically connect the on-site device to one or more EVSEs of the networked EVSEs; a first communication interface (ref’s input/output port) to connect the on-site device to a long-range communication network to allow transfer of diagnostic data to a remote server; a second communication interface (via ref’s aggregation server) to connect the on-site device to a short-range communication network at a site; a processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the on-site device to: establish a communication connection with an EVSE of the one or more EVSEs; and interface to the EVSE via a programmable logic controller (PLC) on a control pilot to perform diagnostic (via ref’s local aggregation) s to locally recover charging operation of the one or more EVSEs, further aid in local or remote maintenance (par.[0034,0068,0077-0079,-0081,0096-0100])
As for claim 20, Kempton discloses and shows in Figs. 1 and 7 a second interface configured to electrically connect the on-site device to an electric vehicle (EV)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9 and 18 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 following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 9: on-site device is configured to dynamically evaluate network issues causing loss of an Internet access to the EVSE and attempt to restore a network connection by restarting networking components on board and modifying a communication channel in case of congestion as a recovery mechanism, in combination with the remaining limitations of independent claims
Claim 18: on-site device is configured to connect to the EVSE via the RTU, near-field communication (NFC) (Bluetooth®, Radio-frequency identification (RFID) interface) and extract diagnostic information, wherein the on-site device is configured to dynamically evaluate network issues causing loss of an Internet access to the EVSE and attempt to restore a network connection by restarting networking components on board and modifying a communication channel in case of congestion as a recovery mechanism, and wherein the on-site device is configured to be used in a breakout mode inline with the EV, in combination with the remaining limitations of independent claims
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ARUN C WILLIAMS whose telephone number is (571)272-9765. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9 a.m. - 6 p.m..
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Julian Huffman can be reached on 571-272-2147. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ARUN C WILLIAMS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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