Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Objections
Claim 9 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Replace “State of charge” with “State of Charge”
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-6, 12-14 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wakita (JP 2008252986 A).
Independent claim 1, Wakita teaches
A charging system (Fig. 1, charging system, ¶17) comprising:
a charging cord body (Fig. 1, charging cable 20, ¶17);
a light emitting diode (LED) strip comprising a plurality of LEDs (Fig. 3, display unit 44, LEDs 441-44n, ¶38, the LED lights are arranged along the extension of the power line 42) disposed about the charging cord body, wherein the LED strip is configured to emit light in a plurality of modes (Figs. 3, 4, lighting control unit 56, ¶47); and
a processor (Fig. 3, lighting control unit 56) communicatively coupled to the LED strip (see ¶46), wherein the processor is configured to:
obtain charging information (Fig. 3, ¶’s [31, 46], the lighting control unit 56 receives signals including charging information) associated with at least one of a vehicle and a charging station (Fig. 1, vehicle 10, charging station 30, ¶’s [17-19]);
select a first mode from the plurality of modes based on the charging information (Fig. 4, ¶’s [47-53], the lighting control unit 56 determines LED lighting patterns based on the charging information); and
activate the LED strip (Fig. 3, display unit 44, LEDs 441-44n, ¶38, the LED lights are arranged along the extension of the power line 42) in the first mode, wherein the LED strip is configured to visually indicate the charging information (see ¶’’s [47-49], the lighting control unit 56 determines LED lighting patterns based on the charging information) associated with at least one of the vehicle and the charging station in the first mode (Fig. 1, vehicle 10, charging station 30, ¶’s [17-19]).
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Dependent claim 2, Wakita teaches
a housing (Fig. 3, charging cable 20) configured to enclose the charging cord body and the LED strip (¶’s [8, 9]).
Dependent claim 3, Wakita teaches
wherein the LED strip (Fig. 3, display unit 44, LEDs 441-44n, ¶38, the LED lights are arranged along the extension of the power line 42) is disposed along a length of the charging cord body within the housing (Fig. 1, ¶’s [8, 38], the LEDs are disposed along a length of the whole charging cord).
Dependent claim 4, Wakita teaches
wherein the processor (Fig. 3, lighting control unit 56) is further configured to:
obtain a mapping of the plurality of modes with a plurality of light illumination patterns (Fig. 4, ¶’s [47-53], the lighting control unit 56 determines LED lighting patterns based on the charging information), wherein the plurality of light illumination patterns comprises at least one of an LED color, an LED brightness, an LED pulse pattern, an LED pulse pattern speed, and a count of LEDs in the LED strip to be illuminated (Figs. 5-7, see ¶53, the lighting control unit 56 produces the plurality of light illumination patterns based on the charging information);
determine a light illumination pattern associated with the first mode based on the mapping (Fig.3, the lighting control unit 56 coupled with the display unit 44 produces the plurality of light illumination patterns); and
activate the LED strip (Fig. 3, display unit 44, LEDs 441-44n, ¶38, the LED lights are arranged along the extension of the power line 42) in the first mode based on the light illumination pattern (Figs. 5-7, ¶53).
Dependent claim 5, Wakita teaches
wherein the processor (Fig. 3, lighting control unit 56) is further configured to: determine a fault in charging the vehicle based on the charging information; and select the first mode based on a fault determination (¶’s [11, 84-87]).
Dependent claim 6, Wakita teaches
wherein the processor (Fig. 3, lighting control unit 56) is further configured to determine a charging fault type based on the charging information responsive to determining the fault, and wherein the processor selects the first mode based on the charging fault type (¶’s [11, 84-87], the controller receives the charging information about the charging fault).
Dependent claim 12, Wakita teaches
wherein the charging information comprises a charging speed (Figs. 1, 6, ¶57).
Dependent claim 13, Wakita teaches
wherein the charging information comprises a charging rate (Fig. 5, ¶’s [11, 58]).
Dependent claim 14, Wakita teaches
wherein the processor (Fig. 3, lighting control unit 56) is further configured to:
obtain inputs from an external device (Fig. 3, ¶’s [4, 15]); and
control illumination of one or more LEDs from the plurality of LEDs (Fig. 3, display unit 44, LEDs 441-44n, ¶38) based on the inputs (Figs. 3, 4, lighting control unit 56, ¶47).
Independent claim 17, Wakita teaches
A charging system (Fig. 1, charging system, ¶17) comprising:
a charging cord body (Fig. 1, charging cable 20, ¶17);
a light emitting diode (LED) strip comprising a plurality of LEDs (Fig. 3, display unit 44, LEDs 441-44n, ¶38, the LED lights are arranged along the extension of the power line 42) disposed about the charging cord body, wherein the LED strip is configured to emit light in a plurality of modes (Figs. 3, 4, lighting control unit 56, ¶47); and
a processor (Fig. 3, lighting control unit 56) communicatively coupled to the LED strip (see ¶46), wherein the processor is configured to
obtain charging information (Fig. 3, ¶’s [31, 46], the lighting control unit 56 receives signals including charging information) associated with at least one of a vehicle and a charging station (Fig. 1, vehicle 10, charging station 30, ¶’s [17-19]);
determine a charging fault type associated with a fault in charging the vehicle based on the charging information (Fig. 3, ¶’s [31, 46]; ¶’s [11, 84-87], the controller receives the charging information about the charging fault);
select a first mode from the plurality of modes (Fig. 4, ¶’s [47-53], the lighting control unit 56 determines LED lighting patterns based on the charging information) based on the charging fault type (see ¶’s [84-87], the control unit 56 receives the charging information about the charging fault); and
activate the LED strip in the first mode (Fig. 3, display unit 44, LEDs 441-44n, ¶38, the LED lights are arranged along the extension of the power line 42), wherein the LED strip is configured to visually indicate the charging fault type in the first mode (see ¶’s [84-87], the control unit 56 receives the charging information about the charging fault and activates a certain pattern of LED lighting).
Dependent claim 18, Wakita teaches
wherein the processor (Fig. 3, lighting control unit 56) is further configured to:
obtain a mapping of the plurality of modes with a plurality of light illumination patterns (Fig. 4, ¶’s [47-53], the lighting control unit 56 determines LED lighting patterns based on the charging information), wherein the plurality of light illumination patterns comprises at least one of an LED color, an LED brightness, an LED pulse pattern, an LED pulse pattern speed, and a count of LEDs in the LED strip to be illuminated (Figs. 5-7, see ¶53, the lighting control unit 56 produces the plurality of light illumination patterns based on the charging information);
determine a light illumination pattern associated with the first mode based on the mapping (Fig.3, the lighting control unit 56 coupled with the display unit 44 produces the plurality of light illumination patterns); and
activate the LED strip (Fig. 3, display unit 44, LEDs 441-44n, ¶38, the LED lights are arranged along the extension of the power line 42) in the first mode based on the light illumination pattern (Figs. 5-7, ¶53).
Dependent claim 19, Wakita teaches
a housing (Fig. 3, charging cable 20) configured to enclose the charging cord body and the LED strip (Fig. 3, display unit 44, LEDs 441-44n, ¶38, the LED lights are arranged along the extension of the power line 42), wherein the LED strip is disposed along a length of the charging cord body within the housing (Fig. 1, ¶’s [8, 38], the LEDs are disposed along a length of the whole charging cord).
Independent claim 20, Wakita teaches
A method to indicate charging information (Fig. 3, ¶’s [31, 46], the lighting control unit 56 receives signals including charging information), the method comprising:
obtaining, by a processor (Fig. 3, lighting control unit 56), charging information associated with at least one of a vehicle and a charging station (Fig. 1, vehicle 10, charging station 30, ¶’s [17-19]);
selecting, by the processor (Fig. 3, lighting control unit 56), a first mode from a plurality of modes associated with a light emitting diode (LED) strip (Fig. 3, display unit 44, LEDs 441-44n, ¶38, the LED lights are arranged along the extension of the power line 42) based on the charging information (Fig. 3, ¶’s [31, 46]); and
activating, by the processor (Fig. 3, lighting control unit 56), the LED strip in the first mode, wherein the LED strip comprising a plurality of LEDs disposed at an exterior surface of a charging cord body of a charging system (Fig. 3, display unit 44, LEDs 441-44n, ¶38, the LED lights are arranged along the extension of the power line 42), wherein the LED strip is configured to emit light in the plurality of modes (Fig. 4, ¶’s [47-53], the lighting control unit 56 determines LED lighting patterns based on the charging information), and wherein the LED strip is configured to visually indicate the charging information (see ¶’’s [47-49], the lighting control unit 56 determines LED lighting patterns based on the charging information) associated with at least one of the vehicle and the charging station in the first mode (Fig. 1, vehicle 10, charging station 30, ¶’s [17-19]).
Claims 1-14 and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Badger et al. (US 20230123176 A1).
Independent claim 1, Badger teaches
A charging system (Claim 1; Fig. 1, electric vehicle supply equipment system 22,
40) comprising:
a charging cord body (Fig. 1, charging cord assembly 26, ¶41); a light emitting diode (LED) strip comprising a plurality of LEDs (Claim 3; Fig. 2, lighting module 36; Fig. 3, light source LED 50, ¶’s [47-49], the lighting module 36 extends along an entire length of the cable 30) disposed about the charging cord body, wherein the LED strip is configured to emit light in a plurality of modes
(Claim1; Fig. 4, lighting module 36); and a processor (Fig. 4, controller 56, processing unit 60) communicatively coupled to the LED strip (see ¶’s [56, 57]), wherein the processor is configured to:
obtain charging information (Fig. 4, vehicle data signals 64; ¶56) associated with at least one of a vehicle and a charging station (Fig. 1, electrified vehicle 10, electric vehicle supply equipment system 22, ¶41); select a first mode from the plurality of modes based on the charging information (Fig. 5, a first exemplary lighting effect 66, ¶62; see ¶56, the lighting module 36 produces the plurality modes of lighting effects); and activate the LED strip (Claim 3; Fig. 2, lighting module 36; Fig. 3, light source LED 50, ¶’s [48, 49]) in the first mode, wherein the LED strip is configured to visually indicate the charging information (see ¶59, the controller 56 selectively activates the LED light sources based on the charging information) associated with at least one of the vehicle and the charging station in the first mode (Fig. 1, electrified vehicle 10, electric vehicle supply equipment system 22, ¶41).
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Dependent claim 2, Badger teaches a housing (Fig. 1, charging cord assembly 26; Fig. 2, cable 30) configured to enclose the charging cord body and the LED strip (Fig. 3, light source LED 50, ¶49).
Dependent claim 3, Badger teaches wherein the LED strip (Fig. 3, light source LED 50, ¶49) is disposed along a length of the charging cord body within the housing (see Figs. 5-9, the LED light sources are disposed along a length of the whole charging cord).
Dependent claim 4, Badger teaches wherein the processor (Fig. 4, controller 56, processing unit 60, ¶’s [56, 57]) is further configured to:
obtain a mapping of the plurality of modes with a plurality of light illumination patterns (see ¶56, the controller 56 provides the plurality of LED light effects through the lighting module 36 to convey various charging information), wherein the plurality of light illumination patterns comprises at least one of an LED color, an LED brightness, an LED pulse pattern, an LED pulse pattern speed, and a count of LEDs in the LED strip to be illuminated (see ¶56, the lighting module 36 produces the plurality of light illumination patterns customizing color, brightness, speed and length of illumination); determine a light illumination pattern associated with the first mode based on the mapping (see ¶56, the controller 56 coupled with the lighting module 36 produces the plurality of light illumination patterns); and activate the LED strip (Fig. 3, light source LED 50, ¶49) in the first mode based on the light illumination pattern (Fig. 4, light sources 50, lighting module 36, ¶59).
Dependent claim 5, Badger teaches wherein the processor (Fig. 4, controller 56, processing unit 60, ¶’s [56, 57]) is further configured to: determine a fault in charging the vehicle based on the charging information; and select the first mode based on a fault determination (Claim 10; Fig. 7, ¶67).
Dependent claim 6, Badger teaches wherein the processor (Fig. 4, controller 56, processing unit 60, ¶’s [56, 57]) is further configured to determine a charging fault type based on the charging information responsive to determining the fault, and wherein the processor selects the first mode based on the charging fault type (Claim 10; Fig. 7, see ¶67, the controller receives the charging information about the charging fault).
Dependent claim 7, Badger teaches wherein the charging cord body (Fig. 1, charging cord assembly 26, ¶41) is configured to transfer charge either from the charging station to the vehicle or from the vehicle to the charging station (see ¶40, the EVSE system 22 provides bidirectional charging functionality).
Dependent claim 8, Badger teaches wherein the charging information (Fig. 4, vehicle data signals 64) comprises a direction of charging, and wherein the direction of charging indicates whether the charge is transferred from the charging station to the vehicle or from the vehicle to the charging station (see ¶56, the controller 56 coupled with the lighting module 36 conveys the various charging information, e.g., charging direction).
Dependent claim 9, Badger teaches wherein the charging information comprises a current State of charge (SoC) level of the vehicle (Fig. 4, vehicle data signals 64; ¶60).
Dependent claim 10, Badger teaches wherein the processor (Fig. 4, controller 56, processing unit 60, ¶’s [56, 57]) is configured to:
illuminate a first set of LEDs, from the plurality of LEDs (Claim 3; Fig. 2, lighting module 36; Fig. 3, light source LED 50, ¶’s [48, 49]), in the first mode when the charge is transferred from the charging station to the vehicle, wherein illumination of the first set of LEDs is based on the current SoC level (Claim 6; Figs. 5, 6, see ¶’s [62-64]); and illuminate a second set of LEDs, from the plurality of LEDs (Claim 3; Fig. 2, lighting module 36; Fig. 3, light source LED 50, ¶’s 48,49), in the first mode when the charge is transferred from the vehicle to the charging station, wherein illumination of the second set of LEDs is based on the current SoC level (Claim 6; Figs. 5, 6, see ¶’s [62-64]).
Dependent claim 11, Badger teaches wherein the first set of LEDs in proximity to the charging station and the second set of LEDs is in proximity to the vehicle (Claim 6; Figs. 5, 6, see ¶’s [62-64]).
Dependent claim 12, Badger teaches wherein the charging information comprises a charging speed (Fig. 6, the speed of pulsing pattern 70, ¶’s [56, 65]).
Dependent claim 13, Badger teaches wherein the charging information comprises a charging rate (Claim 9; ¶65).
Dependent claim 14, Badger teaches wherein the processor (Fig. 4, controller 56, processing unit 60, ¶’s [56, 57]) is further configured to:
obtain inputs from an external device (Fig. 10, controllers 56, 80); and control illumination of one or more LEDs from the plurality of LEDs based on the inputs (Fig. 10, lighting module 36, ¶’s [78,79]).
Dependent claim 16, Badger teaches wherein the external device comprises a user device (Fig. 10, controllers [56, 80]).
Independent claim 17, Badger teaches
A charging system (Claim 1; Fig. 1, electric vehicle supply equipment system 22,
¶40) comprising:
a charging cord body (Fig. 1, charging cord assembly 26, ¶41); a light emitting diode (LED) strip comprising a plurality of LEDs (Claim 3; Fig. 2, lighting module 36; Fig. 3, light source LED 50, ¶’s [47- 49], the lighting module 36 extends along an entire length of the cable 30) disposed about the charging cord body, wherein the LED strip is configured to emit light in a plurality of modes
(Claim1; Fig. 4, lighting module 36); and a processor (Fig. 4, controller 56, processing unit 60) communicatively coupled to the LED strip (see ¶’s [56, 57]), wherein the processor is configured to obtain charging information (Fig. 4, vehicle data signals 64; ¶56) associated with at least one of a vehicle and a charging station (Fig. 1, electrified vehicle 10, electric vehicle supply equipment system 22, ¶41); determine a charging fault type associated with a fault in charging the vehicle based on the charging information (Claim 10; Fig. 7, see ¶67, the controller receives the charging information about the charging fault);
select a first mode from the plurality of modes (Fig. 5, a first exemplary lighting effect 66, ¶62) based on the charging fault type (see ¶56, the lighting module 36 produces the plurality modes of lighting effects based on the various charging information, e.g., charging fault); and activate the LED strip in the first mode (Claim 3; Fig. 2, lighting module 36; Fig. 3, light source LED 50, ¶’s [48, 49]), wherein the LED strip is configured to visually indicate the charging fault type in the first mode (see ¶56, the lighting module 36 produces the plurality modes of lighting effects based on the various charging information, e.g., charging fault).
Dependent claim 18, Badger teaches wherein the processor (Fig. 4, controller 56, processing unit 60, ¶’s [56, 57]) is
further configured to:
obtain a mapping of the plurality of modes with a plurality of light illumination patterns (see ¶56, the controller 56 provides the plurality of LED light effects through the lighting module 36 to convey various charging information), wherein the plurality of light illumination patterns comprises at least one of an LED color, an LED brightness, an LED pulse pattern, an LED pulse pattern speed, and a count of LEDs in the LED strip to be illuminated (see ¶56, the lighting module 36 produces the plurality of light illumination patterns customizing color, brightness, speed and length of illumination); determine a light illumination pattern associated with the first mode based on the mapping (see ¶56, the controller 56 coupled with the lighting module 36 produces the plurality of light illumination patterns); and
activate the LED strip (Fig. 3, light source LED 50, ¶49) in the first mode based on the light illumination pattern (Fig. 4, light sources 50, lighting module 36, ¶59).
Dependent claim 19, Badger teaches a housing (Fig. 1, charging cord assembly 26; Fig. 2, cable 30) configured to enclose the charging cord body and the LED strip (Fig. 3, light source LED 50, ¶49), wherein the LED strip is disposed along a length of the charging cord body within the housing (see Figs. 5-9, the LED light sources are disposed along a length of the whole charging cord).
Independent claim 20, Badger teaches
A method to indicate charging information (Claim 13; Fig. 4, vehicle data signals
64), the method comprising:
obtaining, by a processor (Fig. 4, controller 56, processing unit 60, ¶’s [56, 57]), charging information associated with at least one of a vehicle and a charging station
(Fig. 1, electrified vehicle 10, electric vehicle supply equipment system 22, ¶41); selecting, by the processor (Fig. 4, controller 56, processing unit 60, ¶’s [56, 57]), a first mode from a plurality of modes associated with a light emitting diode (LED) strip
(Claim 3; Fig. 2, lighting module 36; Fig. 3, light source LED 50, ¶’s [47-49], the lighting module 36 extends along an entire length of the cable 30) based on
the charging information (Fig. 4, vehicle data signals 64); and activating, by the processor (Fig. 4, controller 56, processing unit 60, ¶’s [56, 57]), the LED strip in the first mode, wherein the LED strip comprising a plurality of LEDs disposed at an exterior surface of a charging cord body of a charging system (Claim 3; Fig. 2, lighting module 36; Fig. 3, light source LED 50, ¶’s [48, 49]), wherein the LED strip is configured to emit light in the plurality of modes (Claim1; Fig. 4, lighting module 36), and wherein the LED strip is configured to visually indicate the charging information (see ¶59, the controller 56 selectively activates the LED light sources based on the charging information) associated with at least one of the vehicle and the charging station in the first mode (Fig. 1, electrified vehicle 10, electric vehicle supply equipment system 22, ¶41).
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.
Claims 7-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakita in view of Hornstein et al. (US 20230322103 A1).
Dependent claim 7, Wakita fails to explicitly teach
wherein the charging cord body is configured to transfer charge either from the charging station to the vehicle or from the vehicle to the charging station.
However, Hornstein teaches
wherein the charging cord body (Fig. 3, charging cable assembly 42) is configured to transfer charge either from the charging station to the vehicle or from the vehicle to the charging station (see ¶32, the charging cable assembly 42 provides bidirectional charging functionality).
Wakita and Hornstein are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same field of the charging system of electric vehicles. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wakita to incorporate the teachings of Hornstein and provide that the LED lighting charging cable would be used for bidirectional charging system. The claimed invention supplements the charging system by connecting a bidirectional charging function which could be used for charging from the electric vehicle to an electric power source or charging station, which is a predictable result (see ¶’s [49, 50] of Wakita, where the bidirectional charging cable of Hornstein would be included in the charging system, which results in a predictable outcome that an electric vehicle would be functioned as a power source of a charging station).
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Dependent claim 8, Wakita teaches
wherein the charging information (Fig. 3, ¶’s [31, 46], the lighting control unit 56 receives signals including charging information) comprises
Wakita fails to explicitly teach
a direction of charging, and wherein the direction of charging indicates whether the charge is transferred from the charging station to the vehicle or from the vehicle to the charging station.
However, Hornstein teaches
a direction of charging, and wherein the direction of charging indicates whether the charge is transferred from the charging station to the vehicle or from the vehicle to the charging station (see ¶32, the charging station emulator 46 transmits bidirectional charging information between the electric vehicle and the charging station).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wakita to incorporate the teachings of Hornstein and provide that the charging information includes the direction of charging between the vehicle and the charging station. The claimed invention supplements the charging system by connecting the charging information including a direction of charging which could be used to control the LED lighting pattern to indicate the charging direction, which is a predictable result (see ¶46 of Wakita, where the bidirectional charging information of Hornstein would be received in the lighting control unit 56, which results in a predictable outcome that the lighting pattern of the charging cable would be changed based on the charging direction information).
Dependent claim 9, Wakita teaches
wherein the charging information comprises a current State of charge (SoC) level of the vehicle (Fig. 4, ¶53).
Dependent claim 10, Wakita teaches
wherein the processor (Fig. 3, lighting control unit 56) is configured to:
illuminate a first and a second set of LEDs, from the plurality of LEDs (Fig. 3, display unit 44, LEDs 441-44n, ¶38), in the first mode when the charge is transferred from the charging station to the vehicle, wherein illumination of the first and the second set of LEDs is based on the current SoC level (Figs. 3, 4, see ¶’s 53, [84-85]); and
Wakita fails to explicitly teach
when the charge is transferred from the vehicle to the charging station.
However, Hornstein teaches
when the charge is transferred from the vehicle to the charging station (see ¶32, the charging cable assembly 42 provides a charging from the vehicle to the charging station).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wakita to incorporate the teachings of Hornstein and provide the bidirectional transfer of the charge between the vehicle and the charging station. The claimed invention supplements the charging system by connecting the bidirectional charging function which could be used to transfer the charge from the vehicle to the charging station, which is a predictable result (see ¶’s [49, 50] of Wakita, where the bidirectional charging cable of Hornstein would be included in the charging system, which results in a predictable outcome that an electric vehicle would be functioned as a power source of a charging station).
Dependent claim 11, Wakita teaches
wherein the first set of LEDs in proximity to the charging station and the second set of LEDs is in proximity to the vehicle (Figs. 1, 6; see ¶’s [59-61]).
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakita in view of Richter et al. (US 20220024341 A1).
Dependent claim 15, Wakita fails to explicitly teach
wherein the external device comprises a motion sensor.
However, Richter teaches
wherein the external device comprises a motion sensor (Fig. 2, sensor 20, ¶59).
Wakita and Richter are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same field of the charging system of electric vehicles. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wakita to incorporate the teachings of Richter and provide that the processor would be coupled with an external device, i.e., a motion sensor. The claimed invention supplements the charging system by connecting a motion sensor which could be used to enable the user see the charging cord and so prevent adverse conditions due to tripping, which is a predictable result (see ¶46 of Wakita, where the motion sensor of Richter would be included in the lighting control unit 56, which results in a predictable outcome that provides more information to the control unit to activate a certain LED color and pattern to prevent tripping accidents).
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Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakita in view of Choi (US 9769741 B2).
Dependent claim 16, Wakita fails to explicitly teach
wherein the external device comprises a user device.
However, Choi teaches
wherein the external device comprises a user device (Fig. 1, a terminal device 300).
Wakita and Choi are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same field of the charging system of electric vehicles. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wakita to incorporate the teachings of Choi and consider a user device as an external device in the charging system. The claimed invention supplements the charging system by connecting a user device which could be used to monitor and control the charging status between the vehicle and the charging station, which is a predictable result (see ¶46 of Wakita, where the user device of Choi would be included in the charging system, which results in a predictable outcome that provides more information and controls on the charging status to improve the LED lighting charging system.)
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Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Badger in view of Richter et al. (US 20220024341 A1).
Dependent claim 15, Badger fails to explicitly teach wherein the external device comprises a motion sensor. However, Richter teaches wherein the external device comprises a motion sensor (Fig. 2, sensor 20, ¶59).
Badger and Richter are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same field of the charging system of electric vehicles. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Badger to incorporate the teachings of Richter and provide that the processor would be coupled with an external device, i.e., a motion sensor. The claimed invention supplements the charging system by connecting a motion sensor which could be used to enable the user see the charging cord and so prevent adverse conditions due to tripping, which is a predictable result (see Badger ¶’s [56, 59], where the motion sensor of Richter would be included in the vehicle data signals 64, which results in a predictable outcome that provides more information to the controller 56 to activate a certain LED color and pattern to prevent tripping accidents).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Samuel S. Park whose telephone number is 571-270-3327. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday, 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM ET.
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/SAMUEL S. PARK/
Examiner, Art Unit 2859
07/23/2026
/JOHN T TRISCHLER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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