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
The claims 1-7, 11-17, 19 and 21-22 are currently pending and have been examined. Applicant amended claims 1-4, 11-14 and 19, cancelled claims 8-10, 18 and 20, and added claims 21-22.
Response to Arguments/Amendments
The amendment filed December 10, 2025 has been entered. Claims 1-7, 11-17, 19 and 21-22 are currently pending in the Application.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-7, 11-17, 19 and 21-22 under U.S.C. 103 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Applicant's arguments regarding the 35 U.S.C. 101 mental process rejection have been fully considered and they are persuasive. As such, the rejection under 35 USC 101 has been withdrawn.
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) 1-3, 7, 11-13, 17, 19 and 21-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dufford (US 20150275788 A1) in view of Baum (US 20240094017 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Dufford teaches A system, comprising: a computing system comprising one or more processors, coupled with memory, to: identify a first drive route for a vehicle comprising a first charger at a first location along the first drive route configured to charge a battery of the vehicle (See at least paragraph [0066], “It may be determined that based on the predicted routes, the vehicle will reach a charging point (such as home or a recharging station). With this information and in anticipation of the charging point, the vehicle may deplete the battery (for example, by outputting more power using the motor 130) in advance to a greater extent than if the information regarding the approaching recharging point were not available in order to enhance overall energy efficiency.”); provide, via a display device of the vehicle, a graphical user interface to present the first drive route (See at least paragraph [0080], “In an embodiment, the processor may receive inputs from a user of the vehicle 100 to add, delete and/or adjust the notifications and/or event data. For example, the display 104 may be an interactive input/output touch screen display of an infotainment unit of the vehicle and/or a navigation unit 122. The infotainment unit and/or the navigation unit 104 may include a dial, buttons, and/or any other input device for accepting changes to the notifications and/or event data. The vehicle may accept inputs from the user via other devices and/or communication links without limiting the scope of the present invention. The input data may include notification trigger data such as location, time and/or characteristic of a route that define conditions under which the user desires to receive notification outputs.”); receive, via a communication session established with a mobile device, a command to add a stop at a second location (See at least paragraph [0079], “Referring to step 322 of FIG. 3, the processor may receive event data regarding an event of interest to a user of the vehicle. For example, referring to FIG. 1, the portable electronic device 128 or a remote server 126 may provide the event data to the processor. The processor may retrieve or receive the data from any computing device or server in communication with the processor, for example, via wireless communications (e.g., Bluetooth connection) and/or cloud-based technology. The portable electronic device 128 may be, for example, a smart phone, a tablet, or a laptop, or any other computing device capable of establishing a wireless or wired communication with the ECU 102 or a processor of a vehicle. The portable electronic device 128 may feed (e.g., wired or wirelessly transfer) event data to the processor or the ECU 102 regarding events of interest to the driver. The event data may include corresponding information regarding the event, including but not limited to location data, time data and/or descriptive data. Alternatively or in addition, the processor may receive similar data from a remote server 126” and paragraph [0080], “In an embodiment, the processor may receive inputs from a user of the vehicle 100 to add, delete and/or adjust the notifications and/or event data. For example, the display 104 may be an interactive input/output touch screen display of an infotainment unit of the vehicle and/or a navigation unit 122. The infotainment unit and/or the navigation unit 104 may include a dial, buttons, and/or any other input device for accepting changes to the notifications and/or event data. The vehicle may accept inputs from the user via other devices and/or communication links without limiting the scope of the present invention. The input data may include notification trigger data such as location, time and/or characteristic of a route that define conditions under which the user desires to receive notification outputs.”); determine, responsive to the command to add the stop at the second location, that the second location is within a threshold distance of a second charger configured to charge the battery of the vehicle (See at least paragraph [0071], “In yet another example, assume a driver charges the vehicle 100 at a charging station at his/her work place, and assume the vehicle 100 has 10 miles (16.09 km) of EV driving range after the vehicle 100 is charged at the work place. Furthermore, assume that after work, the driver drives to a gym that is 20 miles (32.18 km) away from his/her work place, and the gym is in close proximity of his/her home (for example, the gym is only 3 miles (4.8 km) away from his home). Furthermore, assume that the vehicle 100 remains at the gym for a long enough time (e.g., during the driver's 2-hour work-out at the gym) such that the engine 106 cools down before heading home. When driving from work to the gym, the vehicles known in the art would deplete the battery charge and use the 10 miles (16.09 km) driving range during the route from work to the gym. The vehicles known in the art would inefficiently re-start and re-warm the engine 106 for operation during the short drive from the gym to home. In an embodiment of the present invention, the processor learns the location data regarding the length of the routes and learns the time data regarding the time period between the routes (e.g., the 2-hour time gap). The processor predicts the routes and may save sufficient charge of the battery 118 for the route from the gym to home if possible (based on, for example, the available charge of the battery 118), thereby preventing or reducing the energy inefficiency associated with re-starting and re-warming the engine 106. In other words, the processor manages engine power and battery power during the route from the work place to the gym such that enough EV driving range remains for the route from the gym to home. For example, the vehicle 100 may reserve at least 3 miles (4.8 km) of EV driving range for the route from the gym to home to avoid inefficiencies associated with re-warming the engine 106.”).
Dufford does not explicitly disclose, however, Baum, in the same field of endeavor, teaches and update, based on a comparison of the first location with the second location, the graphical user interface, that is presenting the first drive route, to (i) add the second charger at the second location and (ii) remove the first charger at the first location, wherein a second drive route to the second location conserves more power stored by the battery of the vehicle than the first drive route to the first location (See at least Figs. 6A-6K, paragraph [0276], “In some embodiments, the first suggested route is based on the first current estimated driving range, such as in FIG. 6E (e.g., the first suggested route is selected based on the estimate of the distance that the first vehicle is able to drive on the current fuel or charge level). In some embodiments, the first suggested route includes a suggested stop to refuel or recharge the vehicle (e.g., at a gas station or electric vehicle charging station) if the first current estimated driving range is not enough for the first vehicle to reach the second location from the first location. In some embodiments, the first suggested route includes a suggested stop to refuel or recharge the vehicle if the estimated fuel level or battery charge level when the vehicle reaches the destination is less than a threshold amount (e.g., such as less than 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, etc. of fuel or charge remaining, or with less than 2 miles, 5 miles, 10 miles, 20 miles, 50 miles, etc. of driving range remaining). Thus, in some embodiments, even if the current estimated range of the first vehicle is enough to reach the second location from the first location, the device will include a suggested stop to refuel or recharge the first vehicle if the first vehicle would otherwise be left with less than a threshold amount of fuel or electric charge”, paragraph [0277], “the second characteristic of the second vehicle includes a second current estimated driving range”, paragraph [0278], “In some embodiments, the second suggested route is based on the second current estimated driving range, such as in FIG. 6K (e.g., the second suggested route is selected based on the estimate of the distance that the second vehicle is able to drive on the current fuel or charge level). In some embodiments, the second suggested route includes a suggested stop to refuel or recharge the vehicle (e.g., at a gas station or electric vehicle charging station) if the second current estimated driving range is not enough for the second vehicle to reach the second location from the first location”, paragraph [0281], “if the second current estimated driving range for the second vehicle is less than the distance to drive from the first location to the second location, then the second suggested route includes a suggested stop to refuel or recharge the second vehicle”, paragraph [0285], “The above-described manner of displaying suggested stops that are within a particular charging network quickly and efficiently provides appropriate recharging stops along the route from a first to a second location (e.g., by automatically taking into consideration the charging network that is preferred by the user or otherwise associated with the vehicle when determining the recharging stops to add to the suggested route), which simplifies the interaction between the user and the electronic device and enhances the operability of the electronic device and makes the user-device interface more efficient (e.g., without requiring the user to separately determine whether the suggested recharging stop is within the user's charging network), which additionally reduces power usage and improves battery life of the electronic device by enabling the user to use the electronic device more quickly and efficiency while reducing errors in the usage of the device”, and paragraph [0286], “In some embodiments, the first characteristic of the first vehicle includes a first current estimated driving range for the first vehicle, such as in FIG. 6E (e.g., the first characteristic is an estimate of the distance that the first vehicle is able to drive on the current fuel or charge level). In some embodiments, the estimate of the distance that the first vehicle is able to drive depends on the current fuel or electric charge level, the driving efficiency of the vehicle, the recent driving patterns of the first vehicle, and/or the habits of the driver, etc.” The system determines an estimated driving range of the vehicle based on the vehicle’s fuel or battery charge level and selects a suggested route based on that estimated driving range, including adding a suggested stop to recharge the vehicle when the estimated driving range is insufficient to reach the destination or would leave the vehicle with less than a threshold amount of charge, thereby selecting a route that conserves more power stored by the vehicle battery compared to other routes.).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the invention of Dufford with the teachings of Baum such that the vehicle system of Dufford is further configured to update, based on a comparison of the first location with the second location, the graphical user interface, that is presenting the first drive route, to (i) add the second charger at the second location and (ii) remove the first charger at the first location, wherein a second drive route to the second location conserves more power stored by the battery of the vehicle than the first drive route to the first location, as taught by Baum (See paragraph [0276]-[0278], [0281], [0285], [0286].), with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation for doing so would be to improve user’s overall experience and interactions, as well as decrease user interaction time, as taught by Baum (See paragraph [0006].).
With respect to claim 11, please see the rejection above with respect to claim 1, which is commensurate in scope to claim 11, with claim 1 being drawn to a system for computing and claim 11 being drawn to a corresponding method.
Regarding Claim 2, Dufford and Baum teach The system of claim 1, as set forth in the obviousness rejection above. Dufford teaches comprising: the computing system to receive the first drive route via a network from a server remote from the computing system and the mobile device (See at least paragraph [0079], “Referring to step 322 of FIG. 3, the processor may receive event data regarding an event of interest to a user of the vehicle. For example, referring to FIG. 1, the portable electronic device 128 or a remote server 126 may provide the event data to the processor. The processor may retrieve or receive the data from any computing device or server in communication with the processor, for example, via wireless communications (e.g., Bluetooth connection) and/or cloud-based technology. The portable electronic device 128 may be, for example, a smart phone, a tablet, or a laptop, or any other computing device capable of establishing a wireless or wired communication with the ECU 102 or a processor of a vehicle. The portable electronic device 128 may feed (e.g., wired or wirelessly transfer) event data to the processor or the ECU 102 regarding events of interest to the driver. The event data may include corresponding information regarding the event, including but not limited to location data, time data and/or descriptive data. Alternatively or in addition, the processor may receive similar data from a remote server 126” and paragraph [0081], “Referring to step 324, the processor (e.g., ECU 102) solely or in conjunction with other processors may analyze or process the event data received from the feed (e.g., portable electronic device 128 or the remote server 126) along with data regarding the known route segments, routes and/or route sets. The processor may determine a relationship between the data regarding the known route segments, routes and/or route sets and the event data. The determined relationship may be further based on a current location or time. The determined relationship may indicate information that would be helpful to a user of the vehicle 100.”).
With respect to claim 12, please see the rejection above with respect to claim 2, which is commensurate in scope to claim 12, with claim 2 being drawn to a system for computing and claim 12 being drawn to a corresponding method.
Regarding Claim 3, Dufford and Baum teach The system of claim 1, as set forth in the obviousness rejection above. Dufford teaches comprising the computing system to: receive a request from the mobile device to connect with the computing system (See at least paragraph [0009], “In an embodiment, a method and a system are utilized for providing driver notifications in a vehicle based on route prediction. A processor of the vehicle records the driving patterns in a memory so as to determine a known route. The vehicle may utilize other information such as the time of day, the day of the week, and the like to determine if the driver will drive the known route. The driver's mobile phone may be connected to the system via a wireless connection (e.g., using Bluetooth) or a remote server may be configured to push events to the vehicle (e.g., the vehicle's processor). The events are processed in conjunction with the known route so as to provide a notification to the driver of an event. The vehicle would use navigation features such as location, time of day, and route prediction to process events from the feed (i.e., mobile phone or remote server) and identify notifications which may be relevant to the driver.”); validate the mobile device for connection with the computing system (See at least paragraph [0009], “In an embodiment, a method and a system are utilized for providing driver notifications in a vehicle based on route prediction. A processor of the vehicle records the driving patterns in a memory so as to determine a known route. The vehicle may utilize other information such as the time of day, the day of the week, and the like to determine if the driver will drive the known route. The driver's mobile phone may be connected to the system via a wireless connection (e.g., using Bluetooth) or a remote server may be configured to push events to the vehicle (e.g., the vehicle's processor). The events are processed in conjunction with the known route so as to provide a notification to the driver of an event. The vehicle would use navigation features such as location, time of day, and route prediction to process events from the feed (i.e., mobile phone or remote server) and identify notifications which may be relevant to the driver.”); and establish, responsive to validation of the mobile device, the communication session between the mobile device and the computing system (See at least paragraph [0079], “Referring to step 322 of FIG. 3, the processor may receive event data regarding an event of interest to a user of the vehicle. For example, referring to FIG. 1, the portable electronic device 128 or a remote server 126 may provide the event data to the processor. The processor may retrieve or receive the data from any computing device or server in communication with the processor, for example, via wireless communications (e.g., Bluetooth connection) and/or cloud-based technology. The portable electronic device 128 may be, for example, a smart phone, a tablet, or a laptop, or any other computing device capable of establishing a wireless or wired communication with the ECU 102 or a processor of a vehicle. The portable electronic device 128 may feed (e.g., wired or wirelessly transfer) event data to the processor or the ECU 102 regarding events of interest to the driver. The event data may include corresponding information regarding the event, including but not limited to location data, time data and/or descriptive data. Alternatively or in addition, the processor may receive similar data from a remote server 126.”).
With respect to claim 13, please see the rejection above with respect to claim 3, which is commensurate in scope to claim 13, with claim 3 being drawn to a system for computing and claim 13 being drawn to a corresponding method.
Regarding Claim 7, Dufford and Baum teach The system of claim 1, as set forth in the obviousness rejection above. Dufford teaches comprising the computing system to: access, responsive to the command to add the stop at the second location, a charger map (See at least paragraph [0066], “It may be determined that based on the predicted routes, the vehicle will reach a charging point (such as home or a recharging station). With this information and in anticipation of the charging point, the vehicle may deplete the battery (for example, by outputting more power using the motor 130) in advance to a greater extent than if the information regarding the approaching recharging point were not available in order to enhance overall energy efficiency.”); and perform a lookup in the charger map with the second location to determine that the second location is within the threshold distance of the second charger (See at least paragraph [0071], “In yet another example, assume a driver charges the vehicle 100 at a charging station at his/her work place, and assume the vehicle 100 has 10 miles (16.09 km) of EV driving range after the vehicle 100 is charged at the work place. Furthermore, assume that after work, the driver drives to a gym that is 20 miles (32.18 km) away from his/her work place, and the gym is in close proximity of his/her home (for example, the gym is only 3 miles (4.8 km) away from his home). Furthermore, assume that the vehicle 100 remains at the gym for a long enough time (e.g., during the driver's 2-hour work-out at the gym) such that the engine 106 cools down before heading home. When driving from work to the gym, the vehicles known in the art would deplete the battery charge and use the 10 miles (16.09 km) driving range during the route from work to the gym. The vehicles known in the art would inefficiently re-start and re-warm the engine 106 for operation during the short drive from the gym to home. In an embodiment of the present invention, the processor learns the location data regarding the length of the routes and learns the time data regarding the time period between the routes (e.g., the 2-hour time gap). The processor predicts the routes and may save sufficient charge of the battery 118 for the route from the gym to home if possible (based on, for example, the available charge of the battery 118), thereby preventing or reducing the energy inefficiency associated with re-starting and re-warming the engine 106. In other words, the processor manages engine power and battery power during the route from the work place to the gym such that enough EV driving range remains for the route from the gym to home. For example, the vehicle 100 may reserve at least 3 miles (4.8 km) of EV driving range for the route from the gym to home to avoid inefficiencies associated with re-warming the engine 106.”).
With respect to claim 17, please see the rejection above with respect to claim 7, which is commensurate in scope to claim 17, with claim 7 being drawn to a system for computing and claim 17 being drawn to a corresponding method.
Regarding Claim 19, Dufford teaches An electric vehicle, comprising: a computing system comprising one or more processors, coupled with memory, to: identify a first drive route for a vehicle comprising a first charger at a first location along the first drive route configured to charge a battery of the vehicle (See at least paragraph [0031], “Hereinafter, a “processor” may refer to the ECU 102, the processor of the navigation unit 122, a processor of the portable electronic device 128, another processor, or combinations thereof operating in conjunction with one another and configured to perform the steps described herein. For example, some of the steps described herein may be performed by the ECU 102, some of the steps may be performed by the processor of the navigation unit 122, and some of the steps may be performed by the ECU 102 and the processor of the navigation unit 122 communicating and operating in conjunction with one another. The processor may be any type of hardware or circuit capable of performing the method steps described, for example, a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, electronic control unit, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration” and paragraph [0066], “It may be determined that based on the predicted routes, the vehicle will reach a charging point (such as home or a recharging station). With this information and in anticipation of the charging point, the vehicle may deplete the battery (for example, by outputting more power using the motor 130) in advance to a greater extent than if the information regarding the approaching recharging point were not available in order to enhance overall energy efficiency.”); provide, via a display device of the electric vehicle, a graphical user interface to present the first drive route (See at least paragraph [0080], “In an embodiment, the processor may receive inputs from a user of the vehicle 100 to add, delete and/or adjust the notifications and/or event data. For example, the display 104 may be an interactive input/output touch screen display of an infotainment unit of the vehicle and/or a navigation unit 122. The infotainment unit and/or the navigation unit 104 may include a dial, buttons, and/or any other input device for accepting changes to the notifications and/or event data. The vehicle may accept inputs from the user via other devices and/or communication links without limiting the scope of the present invention. The input data may include notification trigger data such as location, time and/or characteristic of a route that define conditions under which the user desires to receive notification outputs.”); receive, via a communication session established with a mobile device, a command to add a stop at a second location (See at least paragraph [0079], “Referring to step 322 of FIG. 3, the processor may receive event data regarding an event of interest to a user of the vehicle. For example, referring to FIG. 1, the portable electronic device 128 or a remote server 126 may provide the event data to the processor. The processor may retrieve or receive the data from any computing device or server in communication with the processor, for example, via wireless communications (e.g., Bluetooth connection) and/or cloud-based technology. The portable electronic device 128 may be, for example, a smart phone, a tablet, or a laptop, or any other computing device capable of establishing a wireless or wired communication with the ECU 102 or a processor of a vehicle. The portable electronic device 128 may feed (e.g., wired or wirelessly transfer) event data to the processor or the ECU 102 regarding events of interest to the driver. The event data may include corresponding information regarding the event, including but not limited to location data, time data and/or descriptive data. Alternatively or in addition, the processor may receive similar data from a remote server 126” and paragraph [0080], “In an embodiment, the processor may receive inputs from a user of the vehicle 100 to add, delete and/or adjust the notifications and/or event data. For example, the display 104 may be an interactive input/output touch screen display of an infotainment unit of the vehicle and/or a navigation unit 122. The infotainment unit and/or the navigation unit 104 may include a dial, buttons, and/or any other input device for accepting changes to the notifications and/or event data. The vehicle may accept inputs from the user via other devices and/or communication links without limiting the scope of the present invention. The input data may include notification trigger data such as location, time and/or characteristic of a route that define conditions under which the user desires to receive notification outputs.”); determine, responsive to the command to add the stop at the second location, that the second location is within a threshold distance of a second charger configured to charge the battery of the vehicle (See at least paragraph [0071], “In yet another example, assume a driver charges the vehicle 100 at a charging station at his/her work place, and assume the vehicle 100 has 10 miles (16.09 km) of EV driving range after the vehicle 100 is charged at the work place. Furthermore, assume that after work, the driver drives to a gym that is 20 miles (32.18 km) away from his/her work place, and the gym is in close proximity of his/her home (for example, the gym is only 3 miles (4.8 km) away from his home). Furthermore, assume that the vehicle 100 remains at the gym for a long enough time (e.g., during the driver's 2-hour work-out at the gym) such that the engine 106 cools down before heading home. When driving from work to the gym, the vehicles known in the art would deplete the battery charge and use the 10 miles (16.09 km) driving range during the route from work to the gym. The vehicles known in the art would inefficiently re-start and re-warm the engine 106 for operation during the short drive from the gym to home. In an embodiment of the present invention, the processor learns the location data regarding the length of the routes and learns the time data regarding the time period between the routes (e.g., the 2-hour time gap). The processor predicts the routes and may save sufficient charge of the battery 118 for the route from the gym to home if possible (based on, for example, the available charge of the battery 118), thereby preventing or reducing the energy inefficiency associated with re-starting and re-warming the engine 106. In other words, the processor manages engine power and battery power during the route from the work place to the gym such that enough EV driving range remains for the route from the gym to home. For example, the vehicle 100 may reserve at least 3 miles (4.8 km) of EV driving range for the route from the gym to home to avoid inefficiencies associated with re-warming the engine 106.”).
Dufford does not explicitly disclose, however, Baum, in the same field of endeavor, teaches and update, based on a comparison of the first location with the second location, the graphical user interface, that is presenting the first drive route to (i) add the second charger at the second location and (ii) remove the first charger at the first location, wherein a second drive route to the second location conserves more power stored by the battery of the electric vehicle than the first drive route to the first location (See at least Figs. 6A-6K, paragraph [0276], “In some embodiments, the first suggested route is based on the first current estimated driving range, such as in FIG. 6E (e.g., the first suggested route is selected based on the estimate of the distance that the first vehicle is able to drive on the current fuel or charge level). In some embodiments, the first suggested route includes a suggested stop to refuel or recharge the vehicle (e.g., at a gas station or electric vehicle charging station) if the first current estimated driving range is not enough for the first vehicle to reach the second location from the first location. In some embodiments, the first suggested route includes a suggested stop to refuel or recharge the vehicle if the estimated fuel level or battery charge level when the vehicle reaches the destination is less than a threshold amount (e.g., such as less than 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, etc. of fuel or charge remaining, or with less than 2 miles, 5 miles, 10 miles, 20 miles, 50 miles, etc. of driving range remaining). Thus, in some embodiments, even if the current estimated range of the first vehicle is enough to reach the second location from the first location, the device will include a suggested stop to refuel or recharge the first vehicle if the first vehicle would otherwise be left with less than a threshold amount of fuel or electric charge”, paragraph [0277], “the second characteristic of the second vehicle includes a second current estimated driving range”, paragraph [0278], “In some embodiments, the second suggested route is based on the second current estimated driving range, such as in FIG. 6K (e.g., the second suggested route is selected based on the estimate of the distance that the second vehicle is able to drive on the current fuel or charge level). In some embodiments, the second suggested route includes a suggested stop to refuel or recharge the vehicle (e.g., at a gas station or electric vehicle charging station) if the second current estimated driving range is not enough for the second vehicle to reach the second location from the first location”, paragraph [0281], “if the second current estimated driving range for the second vehicle is less than the distance to drive from the first location to the second location, then the second suggested route includes a suggested stop to refuel or recharge the second vehicle”, paragraph [0285], “The above-described manner of displaying suggested stops that are within a particular charging network quickly and efficiently provides appropriate recharging stops along the route from a first to a second location (e.g., by automatically taking into consideration the charging network that is preferred by the user or otherwise associated with the vehicle when determining the recharging stops to add to the suggested route), which simplifies the interaction between the user and the electronic device and enhances the operability of the electronic device and makes the user-device interface more efficient (e.g., without requiring the user to separately determine whether the suggested recharging stop is within the user's charging network), which additionally reduces power usage and improves battery life of the electronic device by enabling the user to use the electronic device more quickly and efficiency while reducing errors in the usage of the device”, and paragraph [0286], “In some embodiments, the first characteristic of the first vehicle includes a first current estimated driving range for the first vehicle, such as in FIG. 6E (e.g., the first characteristic is an estimate of the distance that the first vehicle is able to drive on the current fuel or charge level). In some embodiments, the estimate of the distance that the first vehicle is able to drive depends on the current fuel or electric charge level, the driving efficiency of the vehicle, the recent driving patterns of the first vehicle, and/or the habits of the driver, etc.” The system determines an estimated driving range of the vehicle based on the vehicle’s fuel or battery charge level and selects a suggested route based on that estimated driving range, including adding a suggested stop to recharge the vehicle when the estimated driving range is insufficient to reach the destination or would leave the vehicle with less than a threshold amount of charge, thereby selecting a route that conserves more power stored by the vehicle battery compared to other routes.).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the invention of Dufford with the teachings of Baum such that the vehicle system of Dufford is further configured to update, based on a comparison of the first location with the second location, the graphical user interface, that is presenting the first drive route to (i) add the second charger at the second location and (ii) remove the first charger at the first location, wherein a second drive route to the second location conserves more power stored by the battery of the electric vehicle than the first drive route to the first location, as taught by Baum (See paragraph [0276]-[0278], [0281], [0285], [0286].), with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation for doing so would be to improve user’s overall experience and interactions, as well as decrease user interaction time, as taught by Baum (See paragraph [0006].).
Regarding Claim 21, Dufford and Baum teach The system of claim 1, as set forth in the obviousness rejection above. Dufford does not explicitly disclose, however, Baum, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the graphical user interface includes: a first portion to provide information associated with the second drive route (See at least Figs. 6A-6K and paragraph [0278], “In some embodiments, the second suggested route is based on the second current estimated driving range, such as in FIG. 6K (e.g., the second suggested route is selected based on the estimate of the distance that the second vehicle is able to drive on the current fuel or charge level). In some embodiments, the second suggested route includes a suggested stop to refuel or recharge the vehicle (e.g., at a gas station or electric vehicle charging station) if the second current estimated driving range is not enough for the second vehicle to reach the second location from the first location.”); and a second portion to provide a map (See at least Figs. 6A-6K, paragraph [0276], “In some embodiments, the first suggested route is based on the first current estimated driving range, such as in FIG. 6E (e.g., the first suggested route is selected based on the estimate of the distance that the first vehicle is able to drive on the current fuel or charge level). In some embodiments, the first suggested route includes a suggested stop to refuel or recharge the vehicle (e.g., at a gas station or electric vehicle charging station) if the first current estimated driving range is not enough for the first vehicle to reach the second location from the first location. In some embodiments, the first suggested route includes a suggested stop to refuel or recharge the vehicle if the estimated fuel level or battery charge level when the vehicle reaches the destination is less than a threshold amount (e.g., such as less than 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, etc. of fuel or charge remaining, or with less than 2 miles, 5 miles, 10 miles, 20 miles, 50 miles, etc. of driving range remaining). Thus, in some embodiments, even if the current estimated range of the first vehicle is enough to reach the second location from the first location, the device will include a suggested stop to refuel or recharge the first vehicle if the first vehicle would otherwise be left with less than a threshold amount of fuel or electric charge.” The system displays the second suggested route via a graphical user interface that includes a map portion displaying the route on a map and a separate portion presenting information associated with the route, such as route details and suggested stops.).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the invention of Dufford with the teachings of Baum such that the vehicle system of Dufford is further configured to update, based on a comparison of the first location with the second location, the graphical user interface, that is presenting the first drive route to (i) add the second charger at the second location and (ii) remove the first charger at the first location, wherein a second drive route to the second location conserves more power stored by the battery of the electric vehicle than the first drive route to the first location; wherein the graphical user interface includes: a first portion to provide information associated with the second drive route; and a second portion to provide a map, as taught by Baum (See paragraph [0276]-[0278], [0281], [0285], [0286].), with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation for doing so would be to improve user’s overall experience and interactions, as well as decrease user interaction time, as taught by Baum (See paragraph [0006].).
Regarding Claim 22, Dufford and Baum teach The system of claim 1, as set forth in the obviousness rejection above. Dufford does not explicitly disclose, however, Baum, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the graphical user interface includes information to indicate a duration of time to charge the battery of the vehicle using the second charger (See at least Figs. 6A-6K and paragraph [0292], “In some embodiments, in accordance with a determination that the first suggested route includes a suggested stop for increasing a remaining driving range of the first vehicle, the estimated total travel time includes an estimated time to increase the remaining driving range of the first vehicle at the suggested stop, such as in FIG. 6E (e.g., if the first suggested route includes a suggested stop to refuel or recharge the vehicle, then the displayed estimated amount of time to travel includes an estimated amount of time required to refuel or recharge the vehicle). For example, if the amount of time it takes to recharge the vehicle to a respective suggested amount is estimated to take 15 minutes, then the estimated total travel time includes the 15 minutes of charge time. In some embodiments, if the second suggested route (e.g., for the second vehicle) includes a suggested stop to refuel or recharge the second vehicle, then the estimated total travel time includes the estimated time for refueling or recharging.”).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the invention of Dufford with the teachings of Baum such that the vehicle system of Dufford is further configured to update, based on a comparison of the first location with the second location, the graphical user interface, that is presenting the first drive route to (i) add the second charger at the second location and (ii) remove the first charger at the first location, wherein a second drive route to the second location conserves more power stored by the battery of the electric vehicle than the first drive route to the first location; wherein the graphical user interface includes information to indicate a duration of time to charge the battery of the vehicle using the second charger, as taught by Baum (See paragraph [0276]-[0278], [0281], [0285], [0286], [0292].), with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation for doing so would be to improve user’s overall experience and interactions, as well as decrease user interaction time, as taught by Baum (See paragraph [0006].).
Claim(s) 4-6, 14-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dufford (US 20150275788 A1) in view of Baum (US 20240094017 A1) and Rolnik (US 20180017399 A1)
Regarding Claim 4, Dufford and Baum teach The system of claim 1, as set forth in the obviousness rejection above. Dufford and Baum do not explicitly disclose, however, Rolnik, in the same field of endeavor, teaches comprising the computing system to: identify, based on establishment of the communication session with the mobile device, a profile linked to the mobile device, the profile comprising one or more preferences for charger selection (See at least paragraph [0043], “The power-up 211 can be recessed from the intended route 203. As such, it might not be visible to even attentive passengers as the car makes a closest approach. Additionally, signage can be non-existent for the power-up, at least along the route. An option may present itself in graphic form, as per FIG. 6, or in words, as per FIGS. 5A-5C. Graphically, the diversion is symbolically shown with two legs: 1) the approach leg 213; and 2) the return leg 215. Each of these legs, when added to the route remainder 251, can become part of the new route. The sum of approach leg, return leg and route remainder minus the intended route remaining from diversion point 220 is the amount of the diversion. A diversion point is a place where an alternative route diverges from the intended route. The diversion point can be at a location on a shortest road route from a vehicle's current location to a power-up. In other words, the diversion distance associated between the intended route and power-up 211, is the additional distance to incorporate the power-up into a new route to the destination 290, at least with respect to the initially planned route. The actual diversion distance can be estimated, given, that there is an unknown driving distance among multiple charging options present at a power up, such as an RV park. This diversion distance must not exceed a threshold set for the corresponding segment of the intended route. The thresholds may diminish as the car gets closer to the destination, as described further in FIG. 3B below”, paragraph [0051], “At this time, the navigation computer may identify power-ups, recessed from the route, that are to be presented to the driver. The navigation computer may refer to FIG. 3B to filter power-ups from a database of slow chargers. Two power-ups may be in the database. FIG. 3B shows distant power-up 303 may lie above a function of maximum diversion distance 350 that corresponds to this phase of the trip. This function can be preset by the manufacturer and/or modified by the driver as an expression of how comfortable the driver feels about straying from the intended route to find alternate power sources. The phase of the trip, is on the X-axis in terms of miles remaining to reach the destination. The maximum diversion distance, is the maximum added driving distance the user prefers to drive to add any proposed power-up to the route, with its distance measured along the Y-axis. The maximum diversion distance may taper to a smaller distance, as the scale of the remaining trip shrinks to the right of FIG. 3B. The function can be modified to suit a driver's preferences”, and paragraph [0053], “FIG. 4 is a flowchart in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Initially, the navigation computer can receive an unacceptably low charge (ULC) zone from a driver 401. For a simple setting for new drivers, the driver may set a distance of 35 miles, thereby replacing the function of FIG. 3A with a flat function over all distances to the destination. The driver may also enter to the navigation computer, a preferred reaction time or distance to initial turn to a diversion option. The unacceptably low charge zone may be a simple function for a constant mileage for all states of charge, e.g., 35 miles and below is unacceptably low charge. Alternatively, a driver may set a more complex unacceptably low charge zone, such as unacceptably low charge zone 300 of FIG. 3A. In sum, the unacceptably low charge (ULC) conceptually represents a buffer of charge that provides a measure of security to a driver, that the driver can use to cope with unexpected occurrences on the drive, and still be able to reach a destination or an optional intermediate charging point. One might draw comparisons to the ULC with a ‘low fuel’ light in more conventional internal combustion cars. However, unlike the ‘low fuel’ light, the ULC can be tailored to reflect varying needs for a buffer throughout the different stages of a trip. Some drivers might not care to have any interruptions concerning refueling options during a first 40 miles driven after giving their vehicle a full 100% charge of say, an estimated 200 miles of range. Accordingly, those drivers might set the function to show that 0 rated miles of charge and above for SOCs between 200 and 160 rated miles to the destination. In other words, only when 0% or less charge is projected to be in the battery, upon reaching the destination, should any report be generated. And only projected charges of less than 0%, relative to the maximum battery capacity, are expected to generate reports/options about alternative power-ups. A driver may even set a preference to make some thresholds a negative projected rated range, particularly when the driver can expect herself to drive very efficiently early in a trip.”); and determine, based on the one or more preferences of the profile, to replace the first charger at the first location with the second charger at the second location (See at least paragraph [0043], “The power-up 211 can be recessed from the intended route 203. As such, it might not be visible to even attentive passengers as the car makes a closest approach. Additionally, signage can be non-existent for the power-up, at least along the route. An option may present itself in graphic form, as per FIG. 6, or in words, as per FIGS. 5A-5C. Graphically, the diversion is symbolically shown with two legs: 1) the approach leg 213; and 2) the return leg 215. Each of these legs, when added to the route remainder 251, can become part of the new route. The sum of approach leg, return leg and route remainder minus the intended route remaining from diversion point 220 is the amount of the diversion. A diversion point is a place where an alternative route diverges from the intended route. The diversion point can be at a location on a shortest road route from a vehicle's current location to a power-up. In other words, the diversion distance associated between the intended route and power-up 211, is the additional distance to incorporate the power-up into a new route to the destination 290, at least with respect to the initially planned route. The actual diversion distance can be estimated, given, that there is an unknown driving distance among multiple charging options present at a power up, such as an RV park. This diversion distance must not exceed a threshold set for the corresponding segment of the intended route. The thresholds may diminish as the car gets closer to the destination, as described further in FIG. 3B below” and paragraph [0052], “Accordingly, distant power-up 303 fails to meet the criteria for maximum diversion distance. However, power-up A 305 may be below the maximum diversion distance. However, power-up A 305 may be too near, at approximately 108 miles from the destination, such that it cannot be presented to the driver to allow a pre-set reaction time or distance before committing to a diversion at a diversion point. In other words, power-up A might include an initial turn off the intended route within a mile of the car's current position, while the driver prefers diversion notifications of at least four miles before an initial diversion off the intended route. Power-up B 351 may meet both of these criteria. First, it is within the maximum diversion distance. Second, it can be 25 miles away from the vehicle and have an initial turn off or diversion point greater than a preset reaction time/distance, which can be set to four miles. Diversion options behind the driver may not be considered.”).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the invention of Dufford with the teachings of Baum and Rolnik such that the vehicle system of Dufford is further configured to update, based on a comparison of the first location with the second location, the graphical user interface, that is presenting the first drive route to (i) add the second charger at the second location and (ii) remove the first charger at the first location, wherein a second drive route to the second location conserves more power stored by the battery of the electric vehicle than the first drive route to the first location, as taught by Baum (See paragraph [0276]-[0278], [0281], [0285], [0286].), and to identify, based on the establishment of the communication session with the mobile device, a profile linked to the mobile device, the profile comprising one or more preferences for charger selection, and determine, based on the one or more preferences of the profile, to replace the first charger at the first location in the drive route with the second charger at the second location, as taught by Rolnik (See paragraph [0043], [0051]-[0053].), with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation for doing so would be to improve user’s overall experience and interactions, as well as decrease user interaction time, as taught by Baum (See paragraph [0006].). The motivation for doing so would be to maintain a more continuous power supply, as taught by Rolnik (See paragraph [0002].).
With respect to claim 14, please see the rejection above with respect to claim 4, which is commensurate in scope to claim 14, with claim 4 being drawn to a system for computing and claim 14 being drawn to a corresponding method.
Regarding Claim 5, Dufford, Baum, and Rolnik teach The system of claim 4, as set forth in the obviousness rejection above. Dufford and Baum do not explicitly disclose, however, Rolnik, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the one or more preferences comprise at least one of charger speed, charger operator, charging port configuration, or charger layout (See at least paragraph [0085], “Posting the recharge option can include displaying a name of an operator of the recharge option and a distance added to include the recharge option between a current vehicle position and the destination. Determining projected charge remaining comprises iteratively determining projected charge consumption for legs along the remainder of the route.”).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the invention of Dufford with the teachings of Baum and Rolnik such that the vehicle system of Dufford is further configured to update, based on a comparison of the first location with the second location, the graphical user interface, that is presenting the first drive route to (i) add the second charger at the second location and (ii) remove the first charger at the first location, wherein a second drive route to the second location conserves more power stored by the battery of the electric vehicle than the first drive route to the first location, as taught by Baum (See paragraph [0276]-[0278], [0281], [0285], [0286].), and the one or more preferences comprise at least one of charger speed, charger operator, charging port configuration, or charger layout, as taught by Rolnik (See paragraph [0043], [0051]-[0053], [0085].), with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation for doing so would be to improve user’s overall experience and interactions, as well as decrease user interaction time, as taught by Baum (See paragraph [0006].). The motivation for doing so would be to maintain a more continuous power supply, as taught by Rolnik (See paragraph [0002].).
With respect to claim 15, please see the rejection above with respect to claim 5, which is commensurate in scope to claim 15, with claim 5 being drawn to a system for computing and claim 15 being drawn to a corresponding method.
Regarding Claim 6, Dufford, Baum, and Rolnik teach The system of claim 4, as set forth in the obviousness rejection above. Dufford teaches wherein the one or more preferences comprises the threshold distance (See at least paragraph [0071], “In yet another example, assume a driver charges the vehicle 100 at a charging station at his/her work place, and assume the vehicle 100 has 10 miles (16.09 km) of EV driving range after the vehicle 100 is charged at the work place. Furthermore, assume that after work, the driver drives to a gym that is 20 miles (32.18 km) away from his/her work place, and the gym is in close proximity of his/her home (for example, the gym is only 3 miles (4.8 km) away from his home). Furthermore, assume that the vehicle 100 remains at the gym for a long enough time (e.g., during the driver's 2-hour work-out at the gym) such that the engine 106 cools down before heading home. When driving from work to the gym, the vehicles known in the art would deplete the battery charge and use the 10 miles (16.09 km) driving range during the route from work to the gym. The vehicles known in the art would inefficiently re-start and re-warm the engine 106 for operation during the short drive from the gym to home. In an embodiment of the present invention, the processor learns the location data regarding the length of the routes and learns the time data regarding the time period between the routes (e.g., the 2-hour time gap). The processor predicts the routes and may save sufficient charge of the battery 118 for the route from the gym to home if possible (based on, for example, the available charge of the battery 118), thereby preventing or reducing the energy inefficiency associated with re-starting and re-warming the engine 106. In other words, the processor manages engine power and battery power during the route from the work place to the gym such that enough EV driving range remains for the route from the gym to home. For example, the vehicle 100 may reserve at least 3 miles (4.8 km) of EV driving range for the route from the gym to home to avoid inefficiencies associated with re-warming the engine 106.”).
With respect to claim 16, please see the rejection above with respect to claim 6, which is commensurate in scope to claim 16, with claim 6 being drawn to a system for computing and claim 16 being drawn to a corresponding method.
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 JEWEL ASHLEY KUNTZ whose telephone number is (571)270-5542. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30am-5:30pm.
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/JEWEL A KUNTZ/Examiner, Art Unit 3666
/ANNE MARIE ANTONUCCI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3666