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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on 9/29/25 has been entered
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) 1-2, 10, 12-16, 18-20, 22-27, 30, 31-34, 36-38, 40-43 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over King et al (US PG Pub No. 2008/0288132) in view of Coates et al (US Patent No. 6,686,724)
Regarding claim 1, King teaches
determine whether a geographic zone having an operational requirement exists on the route of the vehicle; (2nd zone figure 2; paragraph 29 third travel segment 224 engine shutdown)
create a prep zone that surrounds the geographic zone in response to determining that a geographic zone having an operational requirement exists on the route; (third zone figure 2)
create a prep zone powertrain configuration for the vehicle; and (222 figure 2 paragraph 29; paragraph 17 zones need not be static)
wherein the control system is configured to create the prep zone based on a current route or projected route of the vehicle, a speed of the vehicle, a distance of the vehicle from the geographic zone having the operational requirement, terrain of the route leading up to the geographic zone having the operational requirement, traffic conditions on the route leading up to the geographic zone having the operational requirement, weather conditions on the route leading up to the geographic zone having the operational requirement, a size, distance, road conditions, weather, terrain, traffic or speed requirements of the geographic zone having the operational requirement, a weight of the vehicle, a load of the vehicle, a battery system capacity in the vehicle, or any combination thereof. (third zone figure 2)
the prep zone powertrain configuration is based on a size, distance, road conditions, weather, terrain, traffic and speed requirements of the prep zone, a weight of the vehicle, a load of the vehicle, a battery system capacity in the vehicle, or any combination thereof (figure 2 third zone paragraph 30 and 31).
operate the vehicle through the prep zone in accordance with the prep zone powertrain configuration to provide the battery system with a predetermined state of charge (SoC) prior to the vehicle entering the geographic zone (222 figure 2 paragraph 29 operating mode which on-board battery are charged up to a maximum useable charge and battery temperature is adjusted paragraph 30).
King does not explicitly teach however Coates teaches teaches A vehicle comprising:
a fuel fed engine coupled to a first motor/generator (M/G) and configured to burn one or more fuels to provide power to the first M/G to generate electrical power; (30 figure 1)
a battery system coupled to the first M/G and configured to receive and store electrical power generated by the first M/G; (36 figure 1)
a second M/G coupled to the battery system and one or more drive axles and configured to receive electrical power from the battery system to provide a motive torque through the one or more drive axles to propel the vehicle over a route; and (38 figure 1 column 3 line 55-65 traction motor 38 drive wheels 42)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify King based on the teachings of Coates to teach teaches A vehicle comprising: a fuel fed engine coupled to a first motor/generator (M/G) and configured to burn one or more fuels to provide power to the first M/G to generate electrical power; a battery system coupled to the first M/G and configured to receive and store electrical power generated by the first M/G; a second M/G coupled to the battery system and one or more drive axles and configured to receive electrical power from the battery system to provide a motive torque through the one or more drive axles to propel the vehicle over a route. The motivation would be to reduce fuel consumption and further it is well known to have a hybrid vehicle in the above arrangement (Coates column 2 line 1-5).
Regarding claim 2, King teaches wherein the second M/G is configured to generate electrical power through the one or more drive axles in a regenerative braking mode to charge the battery system (paragraph 35 hybrid with traction motors… paragraph 40 during braking events regenerative braking “through the road” charging).
Regarding claim 10, King teaches wherein the operational requirement comprises a zero emissions operational requirement, a low emissions operational requirement that restricts an amount of pollutants emitted from the vehicle, a low noise operational requirement, a user-defined operational requirement that maximizes power performance or fuel efficiency of the vehicle, a time-based operational requirement, an operational requirement that restricts use of the fuel fed engine, or a combination thereof (2nd zone figure 2 230).
Regarding claim 11, King does not explicitly teach however Coates teaches wherein the control system is configured to receive the route, the user-defined operational requirement, or a combination thereof as input into a user interface of the control system (A30 figure 10 22 drive plan input means column 9 line 55-65)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify King based on the teachings of Coates to teach wherein the control system is configured to receive the route, the user-defined operational requirement, or a combination thereof as input into a user interface of the control system. The motivation would be to reduce fuel consumption and further it is well known to have a hybrid vehicle in the above arrangement (Coates column 2 line 1-5).
Regarding claim 12, King teaches wherein the control system is configured to identify an environmentally sensitive geographic zone and automatically creates a low or zero emissions operational requirement, a low noise operational requirement, or a combination thereof for the geographic zone (figure 2).
Regarding claim 13, King teaches wherein the control system is configured to identify a heavy terrain geographic zone and automatically creates a maximum power operational requirement for the geographic zone (paragraph 40).
Regarding claim 14, King teaches wherein the control system is configured to identify a heavily populated geographic zone and to automatically create a time-based operational requirement that restricts operation of the fuel fed engine during a predetermined timeframe in the geographic zone (paragraph 17 zone dynamically changes figure 2).
Regarding claim 15, King teaches wherein the control system is configured to assign a priority to each operational requirement among a plurality of operational requirements where the geographic zone comprises the plurality of operational requirements (figure 2).
Regarding claim 16, King teaches wherein the control system is configured to prioritize mandatory operational requirements over user-defined or rule-based operational requirements (figure 2)
Regarding claim 18, King teaches wherein the prep zone defines when the vehicle needs to begin charging the battery system based on a current trajectory of the vehicle along the route to achieve a desired minimum state of charge (SoC) for the battery system prior to the vehicle entering the geographic zone having the operational requirement (third zone figure 2).
Regarding claim 19, King teaches wherein the control system is configured to determine a prep zone powertrain configuration for the vehicle comprising specific operating instructions for the vehicle in the prep zone that ensure the battery system achieves the minimum SoC prior to the vehicle entering the geographic zone having the operational requirement (figure 2 third zone paragraph 30 and 31).
Regarding claim 20, King teaches wherein the minimum SoC ensures sufficient electrical power from the battery system is available to power the vehicle through the geographic zone having the operational requirement and remain in compliance with the operational requirement (figure 2 third zone paragraph 30 and 31).
Regarding claim 22, King teaches wherein the control system is configured to operate the vehicle in accordance with the prep zone powertrain configuration upon the vehicle entering the prep zone (figure 2 third zone paragraph 30 and 31).
Regarding claim 23, King teaches wherein the control system is configured to determine a geographic zone powertrain configuration for the vehicle comprising specific operating instructions for the vehicle to operate through the geographic zone having the operational requirement and remain in compliance with the operational requirement in the geographic zone (figure 2 third zone paragraph 30 and 31).
Regarding claim 24, King teaches wherein the geographic zone powertrain configuration is based on a size, distance, road conditions, weather, terrain, traffic and speed requirements of the geographic zone, a weight of the vehicle, a load of the vehicle, a battery system capacity in the vehicle, or any combination thereof (figure 2 third zone paragraph 30 and 31).
Regarding claim 25, King teaches herein the control system is configured to operate the vehicle in accordance with the geographic zone powertrain configuration upon entering the geographic zone having the operational requirement (figure 2 third zone paragraph 30 and 31).
Regarding claims 26-27, 30, 31-34, 36-38, 39-43, see the rejection to claims 1, 23, 2, 10, 12-16, 18-20, 22-25 as the limitations are substantially similar
Claim(s) 3-9, 11, 28-29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over King et al (US PG Pub No. 2008/0288132) and Coates et al (US Patent No. 6,686,724) and in view Saga et al (US Patent No. 5,815,824)
Regarding claim 3, King and Coates do not explicitly teach however Saga teaches wherein the control system comprises a main control unit (20 controller figure 1 column 9 line 35-40), a drive processing unit (11 figure 1 navigation), a gateway therebetween (figure 1 all connections between), one or more databases (31 figure 1 column 10 line 45-65) configured to receive and store vehicle data, and a user interface (figure 1 26 display column 10 line 20-30).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify King based on the teachings of Saga to teach wherein the control system comprises a main control unit, a drive processing unit, a gateway therebetween, one or more databases configured to receive and store vehicle data, and a user interface. The motivation would be to help determining the remaining capacity of the battery and optimum use of the battery (Saga abstract).
Regarding claim 4, King and Coates do not explicitly teach however Saga teaches wherein the vehicle data comprises a current location of the vehicle, a speed of the vehicle, load information of the vehicle, a planned destination for the vehicle, a route of the vehicle, a state of charge (SoC) of the battery system of the vehicle, terrain data, a grade of road on which the vehicle is travelling, geographic information associated with the route of the vehicle, ordinances or regulations associated with the route of the vehicle, a fuel level, or any combination thereof (21 road map info stage means figure 1 column 10 line 10-20 31 area determination means figure 1 column 10 line 45-60 pollution inhibited area etc)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify King and Coates based on the teachings of Saga to teach wherein the vehicle data comprises a current location of the vehicle, a speed of the vehicle, load information of the vehicle, a planned destination for the vehicle, a route of the vehicle, a state of charge (SoC) of the battery system of the vehicle, terrain data, a grade of road on which the vehicle is travelling, geographic information associated with the route of the vehicle, ordinances or regulations associated with the route of the vehicle, a fuel level, or any combination thereof. The motivation would be to help determining the remaining capacity of the battery and optimum use of the battery (Saga abstract).
Regarding claim 5, King and Coates do not explicitly teach however Saga teaches wherein the control system is configured to determine whether a geographic zone having an operational requirement exists on the route based on the vehicle data (31 area determination means figure 1 column 10 line 45-60 pollution inhibited area etc)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify King based on the teachings of Saga to teach wherein the control system is configured to determine whether a geographic zone having an operational requirement exists on the route based on the vehicle data. The motivation would be to help determining the remaining capacity of the battery and optimum use of the battery (Saga abstract).
Regarding claim 6, King and Coates do not explicitly teach however Saga teaches wherein the control system is connected in wireless communication with a cloud computing system and configured to receive external data from the cloud computing system for use locally on the vehicle (14 and 23 figure 1 34 uses GPS data for positioning figure 2 and 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify King based on the teachings of Saga to teach wherein the control system is connected in wireless communication with a cloud computing system and configured to receive external data from the cloud computing system for use locally on the vehicle. The motivation would be to help determining the remaining capacity of the battery and optimum use of the battery (Saga abstract).
Regarding claim 7, King and Coates do not explicitly teach however Saga teaches wherein the external data comprises a grade of each portion of the route of the vehicle, road conditions of the route of the vehicle, weather data associated with the route of the vehicle, geographic information associated with the route of the vehicle, ordinances or regulations associated with the route of the vehicle, traffic information associated with the route of the vehicle, or any combination thereof (34 column 12 line 10-30 traffic jam 34 uses GPS data for positioning).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify King based on the teachings of Saga to teach wherein the external data comprises a grade of each portion of the route of the vehicle, road conditions of the route of the vehicle, weather data associated with the route of the vehicle, geographic information associated with the route of the vehicle, ordinances or regulations associated with the route of the vehicle, traffic information associated with the route of the vehicle, or any combination thereof. The motivation would be to help determining the remaining capacity of the battery and optimum use of the battery (Saga abstract).
Regarding claim 8, King and Coates do not explicitly teach however Saga teaches wherein the control system is configured to determine whether the geographic zone having an operational requirement exists on the route based on the external data (31 area determination means determines pollution inhibited non-inhibited class information uses GPS location).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify King based on the teachings of Saga to teach wherein the control system is configured to determine whether the geographic zone having an operational requirement exists on the route based on the external data. The motivation would be to help determining the remaining capacity of the battery and optimum use of the battery (Saga abstract).
Regarding claim 9, King and Coates do not explicitly teach however Saga teaches wherein the control system is configured to determine whether the geographic zone having an operational requirement exists on the route as the vehicle travels over a road segment or prior to the vehicle beginning to travel over the route (figure 10).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify King based on the teachings of Saga to teach wherein the control system is configured to determine whether the geographic zone having an operational requirement exists on the route as the vehicle travels over a road segment or prior to the vehicle beginning to travel over the route. The motivation would be to help determining the remaining capacity of the battery and optimum use of the battery (Saga abstract).
Regarding claims 28-29, see the rejection of claims 11 and 9 as the limitation are substantially similar.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 9/29/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding applicants arguments on page 12 paragraph 2-3: applicant states that examiner does not address original claims 17-21 where a third zone/prep zone is varied based on characteristics of road conditions… or any combination thereof
Examiner disagrees and states that paragraph 30 states that third characteristic is used to define metes and bounds of third zone. Additionally, paragraph 32 states that third one takes advantage of downgrade to regenerate battery… and the travel path is adjusted in the third zone.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 GEORGE C. JIN whose telephone number is (571)272-9898. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-6PM.
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/GEORGE C JIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747