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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 10/26/2023 been considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 7-10, and 13-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Mu et al. (US 20230137396 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Mu teaches an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) (106) configured to provide electrical power from a donor vehicle (102) to a recipient vehicle (104A-B) (see Fig. 1), the EVSE comprising:
electrical power transfer circuitry having a power input (receptacle 108) and a power output (cable 112B, ¶[28] “An opposite end of the cord 112B from the charging gun 110B can be coupled to the EVSE 106. For example, the opposite end can be permanently attached to the EVSE 106, or the opposite end can have a connector (e.g., a plug and corresponding receptacle) that facilitates removable coupling with the EVSE 106”);
a recipient connector (charging gun 110A) connected to the power output and configured to interconnect with a recipient charge port of the recipient vehicle (104A-B) (see Fig. 1 and ¶[28] “The cord set 100 includes a charging gun 110B coupled to an end of a cord 112B”); and
a donor connector (charging gun 110A), connected to the power input and configured to interconnect with a donor charge port of the donor vehicle (102) (¶[27] “The cord set 100 includes a charging gun 110A coupled to an end of a cord 112A”),
wherein the donor connector has one or more electrical attributes that distinguish the donor connector from the recipient connector (¶[32] “When the connectors 114A-114B are coupled to the receptacle 108, the voltage divider 120 can be coupled to the circuitry so as to be included in a proximity-pin line. The voltage divider 120 can include at least one resistor 122”, see also ¶[48]).
Regarding Claim 7, Mu teaches the electric vehicle supply equipment according to claim 1.
Mu further teaches wherein the recipient connector provides a control pilot signal and wherein the donor connector does not provide a control pilot signal (see Fig. 6, ¶[50] “In state D-E for the donor, no PWM is generated. In the corresponding state A for the acceptor, a 12V signal can be generated”).
Regarding Claim 8, Mu teaches the electric vehicle supply equipment according to claim 1.
Mu further teaches wherein the donor connector (charging gun 110A and cord 112A, see Fig. 1) is detachable from and reconnectable to the electric vehicle supply equipment (106) (¶[27] “A connector 114A is coupled to an opposite end of the cord 112A from the charging gun 110A”).
Regarding Claim 9, Mu teaches the electric vehicle supply equipment according to claim 8.
Mu further teaches wherein the donor connector (110A) is replaceable with a power connector configured to connect to an electrical power grid (118) (see Fig. 1 and ¶[30] “The cord set 100 includes a grid cord 116. A connector 114B is coupled to an end of the grid cord 116. The connector 114B is configured to be coupled with the receptacle 108 for G2V charging”).
Regarding Claim 10, Mu teaches a method of charging a battery of a recipient electrical vehicle (104) using electrical power from a battery of a donor electrical vehicle (102) (¶[25] “Each of the donor EV 102 and the acceptor EVs 104A-104B can be any of multiple types of EV having an onboard energy storage (e.g., battery pack)”), comprising:
connecting a donor connector (110A) of an electric vehicle supply equipment (106) to a donor charge port of a donor vehicle (102),
wherein the donor connector is connected to a power input of the electric vehicle supply equipment (see Fig. 1);
connecting a recipient connector (110B) of the electric vehicle supply equipment (106) to a recipient charge port of a recipient vehicle (104),
wherein the recipient connector is connected to a power output of the electric vehicle supply equipment (see Fig. 1, ¶[26] “The cord set 100 includes electric-vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) 106. The EVSE 106 includes circuitry for communicating with the donor EV 102 and the acceptor EVs 104A-104B. The EVSE 106 can be configured for power flow in a left-to-right direction in the present illustration)”,
wherein the donor connector has one or more electrical attributes that distinguish the donor connector from the recipient connector (¶[48] “The state 500-1 can be associated with pressing of a latch on the charging gun that is coupled to the donor EV. For example, the button 124A (FIG. 1) of the charging gun 110A can be pressed to generate the voltage corresponding to the state 500-1. The states 500-1 and 500-2 can have a lower voltage than other states of the detectable states 500. As such, the invocation of V2V charging, which can be done by coupling the voltage divider (e.g., the resistor 122 in FIG. 1) to the proximity pin through the cord, can involve lowering a voltage at the proximity pin”);
detecting an electrical attribute of the donor connector via an on-board control module in the donor vehicle (¶[45] “A voltage level 410 can be generated and be forwarded in either direction between the proximity pins 404A-404B. The voltage level 410 is generated when either of the connectors 114A and 114B (FIG. 1) is plugged in”); and
providing electrical power from a donor battery in the donor vehicle to a recipient battery in the recipient vehicle via the electric vehicle supply equipment (¶[48] “¶[26] “The cord set 100 includes electric-vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) 106. The EVSE 106 includes circuitry for communicating with the donor EV 102 and the acceptor EVs 104A-104B. The EVSE 106 can be configured for power flow in a left-to-right direction in the present illustration)”)
Regarding Claim 13, Mu teaches the method according to claim 10.
Mu further teaches wherein the on-board control module detects that the donor connector does not provide a control pilot signal (see Fig. 6, ¶[50] “In state D-E for the donor, no PWM is generated. In the corresponding state A for the acceptor, a 12V signal can be generated” see also ¶[68] “the onboard charger of the donor EV can engage in a handshaking procedure with a VCU and/or a BMU. In operation 804B, the onboard charger can stop the PWM signal on the control pin”).
Regarding Claim 14, Mu teaches the method according to claim 10.
Mu further teaches detaching the donor connector (110A) from the electric vehicle supply equipment (106) (¶[27] “A connector 114A is coupled to an opposite end of the cord 112A from the charging gun 110A. The connector 114A is configured to be coupled with the receptacle 108 for V2V charging”).
Regarding Claim 15, Mu teaches the method according to claim 14.
Mu further teaches reattaching the donor connector (110A) to the electric vehicle supply equipment (106) (see ¶[27] quoted above and Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 16, Mu teaches the method according to claim 14.
Mu further teaches replacing the donor connector with a power connector configured to connect to an electrical power grid (¶[30] “The cord set 100 includes a grid cord 116. A connector 114B is coupled to an end of the grid cord 116. The connector 114B is configured to be coupled with the receptacle 108 for G2V charging”).
Claim(s) 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhou et al. (US 20190217732 A1).
Regarding Claim 17, Zhou teaches an electric vehicle (Fig. 1), comprising:
a battery (see Fig. 1, ¶[78] “The electric vehicle in FIG. 1 includes a high-voltage battery pack”);
a charge port conforming to a charging standard and configured to receive a charging connector (¶[79] “The electric vehicle may be charged using the direct current charging socket and the alternating current charging socket”); and
an on-board control module containing software that, when executed, causes the on-board control module to (¶[83] “The foregoing processes may be completed by the vehicle control apparatus”):
transfer electrical power from the charge port to the battery when the on-board control module detects that one or more electrical attributes of the charging connector are within a specified range of values according to the charging standard (¶[144] “If a vehicle control apparatus of the discharged vehicle detects, using the pin CC2, that the Rb is 2kΩ, the vehicle control apparatus determines that the discharging plug has been inserted into the direct current socket, and this vehicle is the discharged vehicle”), and
transfer electrical power from the battery to the charge port when the on-board control module detects that one or more electrical attributes are outside the specified range of values according to the charging standard (¶[145] “If a vehicle control apparatus of the charged vehicle detects, using the pin CC, that the Ra is 2.5 kΩ, the vehicle control apparatus determines that the charging plug has been inserted into the alternating current socket, and this vehicle is the charged vehicle”).
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.
Claim(s) 2-6 and 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mu et al. (US 20230137396 A1) in view of Zhou et al. (US 20190217732 A1)
Regarding Claim 2, Mu teaches the electric vehicle supply equipment according to claim 1.
Mu does not explicitly teach wherein the donor connector provides a first proximity signal that is always different than a second proximity signal provided by the recipient connector when the electrical power transfer circuitry is operating. Zhou teaches wherein the donor connector provides a first proximity signal that is always different than a second proximity signal provided by the recipient connector when the electrical power transfer circuitry is operating (¶[144-145] “If a vehicle control apparatus of the discharged vehicle detects, using the pin CC2, that the Rb is 2 kΩ, the vehicle control apparatus determines that the discharging plug has been inserted into the direct current socket, and this vehicle is the discharged vehicle … If a vehicle control apparatus of the charged vehicle detects, using the pin CC, that the Ra is 2.5 kΩ, the vehicle control apparatus determines that the charging plug has been inserted into the alternating current socket, and this vehicle is the charged vehicle”)
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mu to incorporate the teachings of Zhou to provide wherein the donor connector provides a first proximity signal that is always different than a second proximity signal provided by the recipient connector when the electrical power transfer circuitry is operating in order to easily identify which vehicle is donating power and which vehicle is receiving power.
Regarding Claim 3, Mu teaches the electric vehicle supply equipment according to claim 1.
Mu does not explicitly teach wherein a second proximity signal provided by the recipient connector according to a charging standard operates within a specified range of values and wherein a first proximity signal provided by the donor connector operates outside the specified range of values utilized by the recipient connector.
Zhou teaches wherein a second proximity signal provided by the recipient connector according to a charging standard operates within a specified range of values (¶[145] “If a vehicle control apparatus of the charged vehicle detects, using the pin CC, that the Ra is 2.5 kΩ, the vehicle control apparatus determines that the charging plug has been inserted into the alternating current socket, and this vehicle is the charged vehicle”) and wherein a first proximity signal provided by the donor connector operates outside the specified range of values utilized by the recipient connector (¶[144] “If a vehicle control apparatus of the discharged vehicle detects, using the pin CC2, that the Rb is 2 kΩ, the vehicle control apparatus determines that the discharging plug has been inserted into the direct current socket, and this vehicle is the discharged vehicle”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mu to incorporate the teachings of Zhou to provide wherein a second proximity signal provided by the recipient connector according to a charging standard operates within a specified range of values and wherein a first proximity signal provided by the donor connector operates outside the specified range of values utilized by the recipient connector in order to clearly differentiate the recipient and donor connector and improve the detection by the controller.
Regarding Claim 4, Mu teaches the electric vehicle supply equipment according to claim 1.
Mu does not explicitly teach wherein the donor connector includes a first proximity circuit having a resistance value of 261 or 471 ohms.
Zhou further teaches wherein the donor connector includes a first proximity circuit having a resistance value (¶[144] “If a vehicle control apparatus of the discharged vehicle detects, using the pin CC2, that the Rb is 2 kΩ, the vehicle control apparatus determines that the discharging plug has been inserted into the direct current socket, and this vehicle is the discharged vehicle”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mu to incorporate the teachings of Zhao to provide wherein the donor connector includes a first proximity circuit having a resistance value in order to determine if the charging gun is connected.
Furthermore the SAE J1772 standard uses a proximity detection circuit with resistors, which further shows that it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Mu in view of Zhou does not explicitly teach that the resistance value is 261 or 471 ohms, however it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to select any resistance value that clearly differentiates the donor connector and recipient connectors.
Regarding Claim 5, Mu teaches the electric vehicle supply equipment according to claim 1.
Mu does not explicitly teach wherein the recipient connector includes a second proximity circuit having a resistance value of 150 or 480 ohms.
Zhou further teaches wherein the recipient connector includes a second proximity circuit having a resistance value (¶[145] “If a vehicle control apparatus of the charged vehicle detects, using the pin CC, that the Ra is 2.5 kΩ, the vehicle control apparatus determines that the charging plug has been inserted into the alternating current socket, and this vehicle is the charged vehicle”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mu to incorporate the teachings of Zhao to provide wherein the recipient connector includes a second proximity circuit having a resistance value in order to determine if the charging gun is connected.
Furthermore the SAE J1772 standard uses a proximity detection circuit with resistors, which further shows that it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Mu in view of Zhou does not explicitly teach that the resistance value is 150 or 480 ohms, however it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to select any resistance value that clearly differentiates the donor connector and recipient connectors.
Regarding Claim 6, Mu in view of Zhou teaches the electric vehicle supply equipment according to claim 5.
Zhou further teaches wherein a resistance value of a proximity circuit of the donor connector has a value other than 150 or 480 ohms (¶[144] “If a vehicle control apparatus of the discharged vehicle detects, using the pin CC2, that the Rb is 2 kΩ, the vehicle control apparatus determines that the discharging plug has been inserted into the direct current socket, and this vehicle is the discharged vehicle”).
Regarding Claim 11, Mu teaches the method according to claim 10.
Mu does not explicitly teach wherein the electrical attribute is a resistance value of a proximity circuit, and wherein the on-board control module detects that the resistance value is different than 150 or 480 ohms.
Zhou teaches wherein the electrical attribute is a resistance value of a proximity circuit, and wherein the on-board control module detects that the resistance value is different than 150 or 480 ohms (¶[145] “If a vehicle control apparatus of the charged vehicle detects, using the pin CC, that the Ra is 2.5 kΩ, the vehicle control apparatus determines that the charging plug has been inserted into the alternating current socket, and this vehicle is the charged vehicle”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mu to incorporate the teachings of Zhou to provide wherein the electrical attribute is a resistance value of a proximity circuit, and wherein the on-board control module detects that the resistance value is different than 150 or 480 ohms in order to easily distinguish the donor connector and recipient connector.
Regarding Claim 12, Mu teaches the method according to claim 10.
Mu does not explicitly teach wherein the electrical attribute is a resistance value of a proximity circuit, and wherein the on-board control module detects that the resistance value is 261 or 471 ohms.
Zhou teaches wherein the electrical attribute is a resistance value of a proximity circuit (¶[144] “If a vehicle control apparatus of the discharged vehicle detects, using the pin CC2, that the Rb is 2 kΩ, the vehicle control apparatus determines that the discharging plug has been inserted into the direct current socket, and this vehicle is the discharged vehicle”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mu to incorporate the teachings of Zhao to provide wherein the electrical attribute is a resistance value of a proximity circuit in order to determine if the charging gun is connected.
Furthermore the SAE J1772 standard uses a proximity detection circuit with resistors, which further shows that it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Mu in view of Zhou does not explicitly teach that the resistance value is 261 or 471 ohms, however it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to select any resistance value that clearly differentiates the donor connector and recipient connectors.
Conclusion
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/A.B./Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/JULIAN D HUFFMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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