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 .
Claim Status
Claims 1-8 are pending. Claims 9-20 are canceled. Claims 1-8 are original.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species I in the reply filed on 8/6/2026 is acknowledged.
Specification
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.
The following title is suggested: PORTABLE CHARGING STATION INCLUDING WHEELED BASE MODULE WITH MAIN CORE BATTERY AND REMOVABLE PORTABLE CHARGER WITH CHARGER CORE BATTERY AND BATTERY RECEPTACLES
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “set of first connectors” of claim 2; and the “set of second connectors” of claim 5 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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) 1-2 and 5-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over BATSON (Pub. No.: US 2008/0238356) in view of JORE (Pub. No.: US 2017/0117726).
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Regarding claim 1, BATSON discloses a portable power unit (10, Figs. 1 & 3; ¶ 0047: Referring to FIG. 1, a portable charger device 10 configured to recharge external batteries is shown. The portable charging device 10 uses current drawn from charging batteries 20 (also referred to as internal batteries) included with the portable charger device. The portable charger device 10 includes an AC-DC power conversion module 12 connected to DC input DC-DC power conversion module 14, which, in turn, is connected to a power storage and charging module 16) comprising:
a base module (comprising element 30 as shown in Figs. 2A & 2D, and annotated Figure 3, in combination with a car/automobile as shown above in annotated Figure 3; ¶ 0004: storage device can be charged from either AC sources or from a DC source such as a 14V DC sources commonly available in automobiles; ¶ 0047: Referring to FIG. 1, a portable charger device 10 configured to recharge external batteries is shown. The portable charging device 10 uses current drawn from charging batteries 20 (also referred to as internal batteries) included with the portable charger device. The portable charger device 10 includes an AC-DC power conversion module 12 connected to DC input DC-DC power conversion module 14, which, in turn, is connected to a power storage and charging module 16. A battery 18 is coupled to the power storage and charging module 16. The battery 18 is typically a battery used in a portable electronic device. The AC-DC power conversion module 12 includes circuitry to convert current/voltage delivered from an external AC source to a lower level DC current/voltage suitable to charge the batteries. The DC input DC-DC power conversion module 14 includes circuitry to convert current/voltage delivered from an external DC source (e.g., a car's battery) to a lower level DC voltage suitable to charge batteries; ¶ 0050: Referring now to FIG. 2A, the AC-DC power conversion module 12 and DC input DC-DC power conversion module 14 are disposed in a power conversion housing 30 that is attachable and detachable from a separate attachable/detachable power storage and charging housing 40 (see FIG. 2B) from the power storage and charging module 16);
a pair of wheels coupled to the base module (the base module includes a car/automobile as described in paragraphs 0004 & 0047, and shown in annotated Figure 3; although the pair wheels of the car/automobile are not explicitly shown or disclosed, they are inherent);
a main core battery disposed in the base module (battery of the car/automobile as shown in annotated Figure 3 above); and
a portable charger (40, Figs. 2B & 2D, and also shown in annotated Figure 3) removably coupled to the base module (¶ 0050: Referring now to FIG. 2A, the AC-DC power conversion module 12 and DC input DC-DC power conversion module 14 are disposed in a power conversion housing 30 that is attachable and detachable from a separate attachable/detachable power storage and charging housing 40 (see FIG. 2B) from the power storage and charging module 16; ¶ 0058: the storage housing 40 in which the power storage and charging module 16 (including the internal charging batteries) are disposed), the portable charger including
a charger core battery disposed therein (20, Fig. 1, and also shown in annotated Figure 3; ¶ 0052: Referring to FIG. 2C, with the cover 41 of the housing 40 removed, the internal batteries 20a-c are electrically connected to each other through electrical terminals 48a-c (shown in phantom) and 49a-c; ¶ 0053: Also disposed inside the housing 40 is the control circuitry 47 that controls, as will be described in greater detail below, the charging process of the external battery 18 and/or the charging process of the internal batteries 20), [and]
a battery receptacle (although a battery receptacle is not shown in the Figures, it is described in paragraphs 0056-0057 that the portable charger 40 mechanically and electrically couples to the battery pack 18, and the battery pack is received in a compartment, and as such a “battery receptacle” is implied) electrically coupled to the charger core battery and configured to mechanically and electrically couple to a battery pack (18, Fig. 1; ¶ 0056: storage housing 40 includes an interface to enable mechanical and electrical coupling to one or more external rechargeable batteries, such as the external battery 18; ¶ 0057: When the external rechargeable battery 18 is placed inside the charging compartment and thus has its terminals in electrical communication with the charging circuitry of the power storage module 16, the external battery 18 is recharged through the application of a charging current, generally drawn from the internal charging batteries 20 of the power storage and charging module 16; ¶ 0094: the controller 70 periodically receives (e.g., every 0.1 second) a measurement of the current flowing through the batteries 18 as measured, for example, by a current sensor (not shown) that communicates the measured value to controller 80 (for example, using the wire 82 shown in FIG. 3); a battery pack is implied in paragraph 0094),
wherein the main core battery is electrically couplable with the charger core battery or the battery receptacle (¶ 0004, 0047: see above).
BATSON fails to disclose the portable charger including a cover movable to selectively allow access to the battery receptacle.
JORE discloses the portable charger including a cover (32, Fig. 1) movable to selectively allow access to the battery receptacle (¶ 0023: housing 12 further includes a lid 32 positioned on the top surface thereof, as shown in FIGS. 1-2. The lid 32 is either removable or rotatable relative to the top surface of the housing 12. The lid 32 can be formed as a transparent material that allows a user to see through the lid 32. In other embodiments, the lid 32 can be formed as an opaque material. The lid 32 provides protection for a plurality of charging ports 18 positioned thereunder).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the portable charger including a cover in order to provide protection for the battery receptacle (JORE, ¶ 0023).
Regarding claim 2, BATSON discloses the portable charger is removably coupled to the base module by a set of first connectors (¶ 0054-0055).
Regarding claim 5, BATSON discloses the set of first connectors are disposed on the portable charger and are engageable with a set of second connectors disposed on the base module, the set of second connectors have a complementary configuration to the set of first connectors, and each of the set of first connectors and the set of second connectors includes at least one male fastener or female fastener (¶ 0054-0055).
Regarding claim 6, BATSON as modified by JORE teaches the cover includes a set of third connectors (JORE, connectors are implied to allow rotation as disclosed in ¶ 0023), and the set of third connectors have a complementary configuration (it is noted that the “complementary configuration” is not defined or described, allowing for a broad interpretation; this could be interpreted as, e.g., cooperating together to form a complete, harmonious whole) to the set of first connectors (including the cover of JORE for the portable charger of BATSON would provide said configuration).
Regarding claim 7, BATSON discloses the portable charger includes a body defining a cavity (¶ 0057: a compartment), the battery receptacle is one of a plurality of battery receptacles, and the plurality of battery receptacles are positioned within the cavity (¶ 0049).
Regarding claim 8, BATSON discloses the main core battery is electrically couplable with the charger core battery and the battery receptacle simultaneously (¶ 0057).
Claim(s) 3-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over BATSON in view of JORE as applied to claims 1-2 and 5-8 above, and further in view of WEBER (Pub. No.: US 2016/0143171).
Regarding claim 3, BATSON as modified JORE teaches the portable power unit as applied to claim 2, but BATSON fails to disclose the portable charger further includes a lock securable to the base module.
WEBER discloses [a structure] (12, Figs. 3, 5, and 6) includes a lock (20, 21) securable to the base module (1, Figs. 1 & 2; ¶ 0023-0024). It would be obvious to apply the lock of WEBER in the portable charger of BATSON.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the lock in order to allow for easy and quick fastening/detachment (WEBER, ¶ 0010) of the portable charger.
Regarding claim 4, BATSON as modified by JORE and WEBER teaches the lock includes a release actuator, and the release actuator is accessible from inside the portable charger (WEBER, ¶ 0023-0024; including the release actuator of WEBER, which is accessible from inside, in the portable charger of BATSON, would provide the “release actuator accessible from inside the portable charger”).
Conclusion
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.
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/Manuel Hernandez/Examiner, Art Unit 2859 9/9/2026
/DREW A DUNN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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