CTNF 18/466,295 CTNF 86550 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Priority 02-25 AIA Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in JAPAN on 11/11/2022 . It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the 2022-180813 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55. Specification 06-11 AIA The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. 06-11-01 AIA The following title is suggested: CHARGING SYSTEM INCLUDING A CHARGING DEVICE THAT USES POWER FROM AUXILIARY VEHICLE BATTERY TO REMOVE CONNECTOR FROM VEHICLE INLET DURING POWER OUTAGE . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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. 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-23-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over FUNAKOSHI (JP2010239850; cited on IDS with date 7/31/2025; English machine translation is included with office action) in view of YU (US Pub. No. 2022/0072972; cited on IDS with date 7/31/2025) and HAMMEL (US Patent 4,044,268) . Regarding claim 1 , FUNAKOSHI discloses a charging system (¶ 0016: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a charging system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the charging system according to this embodiment includes a charger 100 and an electric vehicle 200 ) that charges a traveling battery (203, Fig. 1; ¶ 0019: on-board battery 203 is a battery that supplies power for driving the drive system, such as the motor and inverter ) of a vehicle (200, Fig. 1) by supplying power to the traveling battery from a charging device (100, Fig. 1; ¶ 0036 : charging control unit 109 then controls the AC/DC converter 103 according to the determined charging conditions to supply power for charging to the on-board battery 203 ; ¶ 0043 : the charger 100 converts the AC power supplied from the AC power source 300 into DC power to generate charging power, and communicates with the electric vehicle 200 to perform the above-described charging control procedure, thereby controlling the charging power supplied to the electric vehicle 200 via the charger-side connector 101 ), the charging system comprising: a [switch] (108, Fig. 1) that electrically connects and disconnects an auxiliary battery of the vehicle (204, Fig. 1) and the charging device in a state in which the inlet and the connector are connected ( ¶ 0034 : Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating the charging operation of the charging system shown in Figure 1. This process is initiated when the vehicle-side connector 201 and the charger-side connector 101 attached thereto are locked by a latch mechanism ; ¶ 0040 : the switching unit 108 switches the power source for control to the communication and control systems, such as the communication unit 106 and the charging control unit 109, from the control power supply 105 to the control power lines 102C and 102D (S104). As a result, control power is supplied from the auxiliary battery 204 of the electric vehicle 200 to the communication and control systems of the charger 10, such as the charge control unit 109, via the control power lines 102C and 102D ), wherein in a case where a power to be supplied to the charging device is lost, the charging system is configured in a manner that the [switch] is turned on so that the auxiliary battery and the charging device are electrically connected, power is supplied from the auxiliary battery to the charging device ( ¶ 0039 : Now, if the charge control unit 107 detects a power outage in the AC power supply 300 while the charge control unit 109 and battery control unit 206 are executing the charge control procedure (NO in S102 and S202), the power outage detection unit 107 in the charger 100 will notify the switching unit 108 and the charge control unit 109 of this fact ; ¶ 0040 : see above). FUNAKOSHI fails to disclose the charging device inserts and removes a connector into and from an inlet of the vehicle; and the charging device automatically removes the connector from the inlet. YU discloses the charging device inserts and removes a connector (52, Figs. 2, 3, & 4) into and from an inlet of the vehicle (‘Charge Port’, Figs. 1 & 4); and the charging device automatically removes the connector from the inlet ( ¶ 0024 : the charging unit 40 includes a robotic coupler 50 configured to autonomously plug a connector 52 into the vehicle charge port ; ¶ 0038 : robotic coupler 50 is then disconnect from the vehicle at operation 210 ). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include automatically removing the connector as recited in order to enable autonomous charging device operation for increased user convenience. FUNAKOSHI fails to disclose the switch is a relay. HAMMEL discloses the switch is a relay ( col 2, ll. 19-24 : It will be appreciated that there are various applications for the circuits shown in the Figures, among which would be circuitry for supplying power to an exit light (the load), which would be kept illuminated by a battery (secondary power source) if the AC power failed ; col 4, ll. 41-53 : A form C contact relay is utilized of the single pole, double throw type. This circuitry may employ either AC or DC primary or secondary power sources, so that any combination of AC or DC sources may be used in this system. Under normal operation, with the primary source supplying power to the load, the coil 26 of relay K 1 is de-energized and contact arm 30 makes contact with contact 33. As in the circuitry of FIG. 1, when the potential at point 34 has dropped sufficiently so that transistor Q 1 is biased on, relay coil 26 is energized thereby throwing the switch so that contact arm 30 makes contact with contact 32 thereby enabling the secondary power source ). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the relay in order to utilize the known switching characteristics of relays, e.g., electrical isolation and/or low voltage drop. Regarding claim 2 , FUNAKOSHI as modified by YU and HAMMEL teaches the charging device includes an arm device that automatically performs insertion and removal of the connector into and from the inlet (YU, ¶ 0024, 0038). Conclusion 07-96 The prior art made of record on form PTO-892 and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MANUEL HERNANDEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-7916. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9a-5p ET. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Drew Dunn can be reached at (571) 272-2312. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /Manuel Hernandez/Examiner, Art Unit 2859 5/31/2026 /DREW A DUNN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859 Application/Control Number: 18/466,295 Page 2 Art Unit: 2859 Application/Control Number: 18/466,295 Page 3 Art Unit: 2859 Application/Control Number: 18/466,295 Page 4 Art Unit: 2859 Application/Control Number: 18/466,295 Page 5 Art Unit: 2859 Application/Control Number: 18/466,295 Page 6 Art Unit: 2859 Application/Control Number: 18/466,295 Page 7 Art Unit: 2859
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