Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after 2013 March 16, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because following reference elements –
FIG 1: 13, 14, 121, 131, 132,
FIG 2: 2, 22, 23, 24, 231, 232,
FIG 3: 1, 2, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 111, 121, 122, 131, 132
are not accompanied by any label, legend, or descriptive text in the drawings, rendering those elements not immediately evident of their meaning without continuous and onerous consultation of the specifications.
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.
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: "Underwater Wireless Charging System with Magnetically Aligning, Proximity-Triggered Wireless Charging Device for Underwater Moving Devices".
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 non-obviousness.
Claim(s) 1 – 3, 7 – 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over XUE et al. (CN 217240385 U), and further in view of KOCHI (JP 2018161002 A).
In re independent claim 1, XUE discloses a wireless charging system (wireless charging device comprising transmitting component 10 and receiving component 20) adapted to be implemented in an underwater environment (¶[0034]: charging device may be an underwater base station; device to be charged may be an underwater working robot), the wireless charging system comprising:
a wireless charging device including
a waterproof housing (first housing 11) adapted to be mounted on a wall in the underwater environment and including a first contact wall (¶[0009]: first contact end),
a first magnetic component disposed on an inner side of said first contact wall (first magnetic attraction device 13),
a wireless transmitting unit disposed inside said waterproof housing and including a wireless transmitter that is disposed on the inner side of said first contact wall (FIG. 3; ¶[0032]: wireless charging coil 12 disposed inside first housing 11) and that is close to said first magnetic component (FIG. 3; ¶[0041]: wireless charging coil 12 and first magnetic attraction device 13 co-located on inner wall of first contact end), and a first controller that is electrically connected to said wireless transmitter (¶[0036]: first controller controls working current of wireless charging coil 12 via electromagnetic induction);
first controller that is configured to receive electricity from an external power source (first controller is inherently configured to receive electricity from an external power source, as a charging device that supplies wireless power must itself receive that power from a source external to the device, as a controller is not a generator, but a load, and it is noted that the applicant’s claim does not state whether the external power source is external to the controller/load, or to the wireless charging device); and
an underwater moving device (second housing 21, receiving component 20 are discrete structural elements not integral to the transmitting component 10 or charging device; such non-integral components are movable with respect to the base station) including
a waterproof shell (second housing 21) including a second contact wall that corresponds to said first contact wall in shape (FIG. 4; ¶[0010]: second contact end has circular protrusion 24 cooperating with circular groove 14 of first contact end),
a second magnetic component disposed on an inner side of said second contact wall (FIG. 4; ¶[0009]: second magnetic attraction device 23 disposed on inner wall of second contact end), said first magnetic component and said second magnetic component being configured to attract each other (¶[0007]: second magnetic attraction device 23 attracts first magnetic attraction device 13 to connect sending part and receiving part), and
a wireless receiving unit disposed inside said waterproof shell and including a wireless receiver that is disposed on the inner side of said second contact wall (FIG. 5; ¶[0033]: wireless receiving coil 22 disposed in second housing 21 on inner wall of second contact end) and that is close to said second magnetic component (FIG. 5; ¶[0041]: wireless receiving coil 22 and second magnetic attraction device 23 co-located on inner wall of second contact end), a second controller that is electrically connected to said wireless receiver (¶[0036]: second controller controls working current of wireless receiving coil 22);
wherein, when said second contact wall of said underwater moving device is close to said first contact wall of said wireless charging device so that said second magnetic component and said first magnetic component magnetically attract each other and said second contact wall is held and positioned with respect to said first contact wall by magnetic attraction force between said first magnetic component and said second magnetic component, said wireless receiver and said wireless transmitter are aligned with each other (FIG. 1, 2, 4; ¶’s [0009, 0041, 0042]: first and second contact ends in close contact; wireless charging coil 12 and wireless receiving coil 22 aligned at center of circular groove 14), and
said wireless transmitter is configured to wirelessly transmit power to said wireless receiver based on the electricity (FIG. 1; ¶[0039]: wireless charging coil 12 and wireless receiving coil 22 in close proximity generate electromagnetic induction for wireless power transfer),
wherein said wireless receiver is configured to generate electricity based on the power from said wireless transmitter and to output the electricity to said second controller (¶[0036]: second controller controls working current of wireless receiving coil 22 to implement wireless charging).
XUE is silent to a proximity sensor disposed on the inner side of said first contact wall, a first controller that is electrically connected to said proximity sensor; a positioning component disposed on the inner side of said second contact wall and being detectable by said proximity sensor, and a wireless receiver that is close to said positioning component; a rechargeable battery that is electrically connected to said second controller; wherein said proximity sensor and said positioning component are aligned with each other so that said proximity sensor will detect said positioning component; wherein said proximity sensor is configured to send a charging signal to said first controller upon detecting said positioning component, said first controller is configured to continuously send the electricity received from said external power source to said wireless transmitter upon receiving the charging signal from said proximity sensor; and said second controller is configured to charge said rechargeable battery with the electricity from said wireless receiver.
KOCHI teaches a proximity sensor (infrared-type proximity sensor 22) and a first controller that is electrically connected to said proximity sensor (¶[0040]: control unit 23 controls power transmission based on light reception level of infrared-type proximity sensor 22);
a positioning component disposed on the inner side of said second contact wall (FIG. 3; ¶[0047]: marker 32 on underside of receiver housing 30) and being detectable by said proximity sensor (¶[0057]: marker 32 faces infrared-type proximity sensor 22, reflecting infrared light back to sensor, enabling detection), and
a wireless receiver that is close to said positioning component (FIG. 3; ¶[0050]: center of mass of marker 32 and center of secondary coil 31 approximately coincide in placement);
a rechargeable battery that is electrically connected to said second controller (¶[0045]: current generated by secondary side coil 31 stored in rechargeable batteries);
wherein said proximity sensor is configured to send a charging signal to said first controller upon detecting said positioning component, said first controller is configured to continuously send the electricity received from said external power source to said wireless transmitter upon receiving the charging signal from said proximity sensor (¶[0057]: control unit 23 supplies power to primary coil 21 upon marker 32 detection),
and said second controller is configured to charge said rechargeable battery with the electricity from said wireless receiver (¶[0045]: current generated by secondary side coil 31 stored in rechargeable batteries).
It would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) to incorporate KOCHI's infrared-type proximity sensor and sheet-shaped marker into XUE's underwater wireless charging device, to align the power feeder and receiver and detect foreign objects between them, efficiently supplying power while having relatively low manufacturing costs compared to permanent-magnet alignment mechanisms (KOCHI ¶’s [0003 – 0004, 0007 – 0009]).
In re dependent claims 2 and 8, XUE is silent to wherein: when said second contact wall of said underwater moving device is far from said first contact wall of said wireless charging device so that said second magnetic component and said first magnetic component are no longer attracted to each other, said proximity sensor will lose detection of said positioning component; said proximity sensor is configured to send a stop signal to said first controller upon losing detection of said positioning component; and said first controller is configured to stop sending the electricity received from said external power source to said wireless transmitter upon receiving the stop signal.
KOCHI teaches wherein:
when said second contact wall of said underwater moving device is far from said first contact wall of said wireless charging device so that said second magnetic component and said first magnetic component are no longer attracted to each other, said proximity sensor will lose detection of said positioning component (¶[0056]: proximity sensor 22 captures no reflected light from marker 32 when receiver is absent);
said proximity sensor is configured to send a stop signal to said first controller upon losing detection of said positioning component (¶[0056]: control unit 23 does not transmit power when infrared proximity sensor 22 detects no reflected light); and
said first controller is configured to stop sending the electricity received from said external power source to said wireless transmitter upon receiving the stop signal (¶[0056]: control unit 23 does not supply power to primary coil 21).
It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to incorporate KOCHI's infrared-type proximity sensor into XUE's underwater wireless charging device to achieve efficient power delivery at relatively low manufacturing cost compared to permanent-magnet alignment mechanisms (KOCHI ¶’s [0003, 0004]).
In re dependent claims 3 and 9, XUE discloses wherein:
said first magnetic component includes two first permanent magnets that are evenly distributed around said wireless transmitter (¶[0041]: plurality of magnetic attraction members in annular array along circumference; wireless charging coil 12 at center);
said second magnetic component includes two second permanent magnets that are evenly distributed around said wireless receiver (¶[0041]: second magnetic attraction device 23 in annular array corresponding to first; wireless receiving coil 22 at center); and
said second permanent magnets are configured to be magnetically attracted by said first permanent magnets when said second contact wall is close to said first contact wall, thus driving said second contact wall to gradually approach said first contact wall until said second permanent magnets are respectively held by said first permanent magnets (FIG. 1; ¶[0042]: circular recess 14 and protrusion 24 cooperate; magnetic attraction holds contact ends together).
In re independent claim 7, XUE discloses a wireless charging device (transmitting component 10) adapted to be implemented in an underwater environment and configured to wirelessly charge an underwater moving device that is in the underwater environment (¶[0034]: charging device may be an underwater base station; device to be charged may be an underwater working robot), said wireless charging device comprising:
a waterproof housing adapted to be mounted on a wall in the underwater environment and including a contact wall (FIG. 2; ¶[0035]: first housing 11 with airtight cavity, first contact end);
a magnetic component disposed on an inner side of said contact wall (FIG. 2; ¶[0032]: first magnetic attraction device 13 on inner wall of first contact end); and
a wireless transmitting unit disposed inside said waterproof housing (wireless charging coil 12 inside first housing 11) and including a wireless transmitter that is disposed on the inner side of said contact wall (FIG. 2, 3; ¶[0032]: wireless charging coil 12 on inner wall of first contact end);
controller that is configured to receive electricity from an external power source (first controller is inherently configured to receive electricity from an external power source, as a charging device that supplies wireless power must itself receive that power from a source external to the device, as a controller is not a generator, but a load, and it is noted that the applicant’s claim does not state whether the external power source is external to the controller/load, or to the wireless charging device); and
wherein, when the underwater moving device is close to said contact wall of said waterproof housing so that the underwater moving device is magnetically attracted to and held by said magnetic component (FIG. 1; ¶[0009]: second magnetic attraction device 23 attracts first magnetic attraction device 13; contact ends held together), and
said wireless transmitter is configured to wirelessly transmit power to the underwater moving device based on the electricity received from said external power source so as to charge the underwater moving device (FIG. 1; ¶[0039]: wireless charging coil 12 and wireless receiving coil 22 in close proximity generate electromagnetic induction for wireless power transfer).
XUE is silent to a proximity sensor disposed on the inner side of said contact wall; and that is electrically connected to said wireless transmitter and said proximity sensor; said proximity sensor will detect the underwater moving device; wherein said proximity sensor is configured to send a charging signal to said controller upon detecting the underwater moving device, said controller is configured to continuously send the electricity received from said external power source to said wireless transmitter upon receiving the charging signal from said proximity sensor.
KOCHI teaches a proximity sensor disposed on the inner side of said contact wall (FIG. 2; ¶[0036]: infrared-type proximity sensor 22); and
a controller that is configured to receive electricity from an external power source, and that is electrically connected to said wireless transmitter and said proximity sensor (¶[0040]: control unit 23 controls power transmission based on light reception level of infrared-type proximity sensor 22);
said proximity sensor will detect the underwater moving device (FIG. 1, 3; ¶[0057]: marker 32 faces infrared-type proximity sensor 22 when receiver is mounted);
wherein said proximity sensor is configured to send a charging signal to said controller upon detecting the underwater moving device, said controller is configured to continuously send the electricity received from said external power source to said wireless transmitter upon receiving the charging signal from said proximity sensor (¶[0057]: control unit 23 supplies power to primary coil 21 upon marker 32 detection).
It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to incorporate KOCHI's infrared-type proximity sensor into XUE's underwater wireless charging device to achieve efficient power delivery at relatively low manufacturing cost compared to permanent-magnet alignment mechanisms (KOCHI ¶’s [0003, 0004]).
Claim(s) 4 – 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over XUE et al. (CN 217240385 U), KOCHI (JP 2018-161002 A), and further in view of LI et al. (CN 107600373 B).
In re dependent claim 4, XUE is silent to wherein: said underwater moving device further includes a movement unit that is configured to be controlled by said second controller; said second controller is further configured to when determining that said rechargeable battery requires charging based on a current power level of said rechargeable battery, control said movement unit to drive said underwater moving device to approach said first contact wall of said wireless charging device, and upon receiving the electricity from said wireless receiver, control said movement unit to stop operating so as to stop said underwater moving device from moving during charging of said rechargeable battery.
LI teaches wherein:
said underwater moving device further includes a movement unit that is configured to be controlled by said second controller (FIG. 1, 2; ¶[0053]: pectoral fin 105 and tail fin 106 controlled by microprocessor 102);
said second controller is further configured to
when determining that said rechargeable battery requires charging, control said movement unit to drive said underwater moving device to approach said first contact wall of said wireless charging device (FIG. 4; ¶[0051]: microprocessor 102 controls robot to navigate to base station), and
upon receiving the electricity from said wireless receiver, stop said underwater moving device from moving during charging of said rechargeable battery (¶[0061]: fish body fixed during charging).
It would have been further obvious for a PHOSITA to incorporate LI's autonomous navigation return charging architecture into the XUE’s underwater wireless charging system to enable continuous operation in water using a wireless charging mode without manual detection or salvage charging (LI ¶’s [0027 – 0030, 0063]).
In re dependent claim 5, XUE is silent to wherein said second controller is further configured to, when determining that said rechargeable battery is fully charged based on the current power level of said rechargeable battery, control said movement unit to operate rapidly so as to drive said underwater moving device to move away from said wireless charging device, causing said second magnetic component to be detached from said first magnetic component.
LI teaches wherein said second controller is further configured to, when determining that said rechargeable battery is fully charged based on the current power level of said rechargeable battery, control said movement unit to operate rapidly so as to drive said underwater moving device to move away from said wireless charging device, causing said second magnetic component to be detached from said first magnetic component (¶[0063]: autonomous charging enables robot to continuously operate; departure after charging inherent).
It would have been further obvious for a PHOSITA to incorporate LI's autonomous navigation return charging architecture into the XUE’s underwater wireless charging system to enable continuous operation in water using a wireless charging mode without manual detection or salvage charging. Such a combination of LI's microprocessor-controlled propulsion with standard autonomous robot post-charge departure programming would result in the second controller being configured to detect full charge and command the movement unit to operate at sufficient speed to overcome the disclosed magnetic holding force, driving the underwater moving device away from the wireless charging device and causing the second magnetic component to detach from the first magnetic component.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over XUE et al. (CN 217240385 U), KOCHI (JP 2018-161002 A), and further in view of YAN et al. (“Underwater wireless power transfer system with a curly coil structure for AUVs.”, IET Power Electron., 2019, Vol. 12 Iss. 10, pp. 2559–2565).
In re dependent claim 6, XUE discloses wherein when said second magnetic component and said first magnetic component magnetically attract each other so that said underwater moving device is attached to said waterproof housing, said waterproof housing and waterproof shell are in contact (¶[0008]; ¶[0035]: bottom of the first housing 11 and the outer surface of the bottom of the second housing 21 are in direct surface contact, placing the wireless charging coil 12 and wireless receiving coil 22 in close proximity).
XUE does not expressly disclose a distance between said wireless receiver and said wireless transmitter is 5 to 10 millimeters.
YAN teaches a distance between said wireless receiver and said wireless transmitter is 5 to 10 millimeters (Table 3; Sec 2, pg. 2559: "… the gap between the transmitter and the receiver is fixed at 10 mm.").
It would have been obvious for a PHOSITA to set the transmitter-receiver coil gap of XUE's underwater wireless charging device to 10 millimeters, as taught by YAN, as this is a known, functional transmitter-receiver spacing for underwater inductive coupling, and applying this known value would have been a matter of routine design choice yielding a predictable, operative coil gap.
Prior Art Disclaimer
The prior art applied in this Office Action includes foreign patent documents that were originally published in languages other than English. Machine-generated translations of these documents were utilized to assess their relevance and content.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to D. JOHANN DJANAL-MANN whose telephone number is (571)272-4697. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8:00 - 17:00.
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.
/D. JOHANN DJANAL-MANN/Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/JOHN T TRISCHLER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
Prosecution Insights