DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . 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.
Information Disclosure Statement
2. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/30/23 has been considered by the examiner.
Specification
3. The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: on line 3 of paragraph [0004], "a" should be deleted, and on the penultimate line of this paragraph, the word "being" should be deleted. On the second line of paragraph [0026], "comprised of" should be changed to --comprising-- (and note that the same correction should be made throughout the specification wherever "comprised of" occurs). On line 5 of paragraph [0040], the second occurrence of the word "that" should be deleted. On line 4 of paragraph [0041], the word "for" should be changed to --of--. On line 7 of paragraph [0042], "46" should be changed to --44--. On the penultimate line of paragraph [0050], it appears that the word "normal" should be changed to --abnormal--, i.e., it appears to be incorrect to recite that movement is typically normal even when hooks or other means are provided to impede floor mat movement. On line 5 of paragraph [0051], the word "being" should be deleted, and on line 7 of this paragraph, "a" should be deleted. On line 3 of paragraph [0054], the word "intersect" should be changed to --overlap--. On line 6 of paragraph [0069], a comma should be inserted at the end of the line after "10". On the first line of paragraph [0070], a comma should be inserted after the word "summary". On the first line of page 24, the word "is" should be changed to --are--. On the penultimate line of paragraph [0075], the word "and" should be deleted.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
4. Claims 1-9 and 14-18 are objected to because of the following informalities:
On line 3 of claim 1, "comprised of" should be changed to --comprising-- (and note that the same correction should also be made throughout the claims wherever "comprised of" occurs).
On line 5 of claim 1, the word "groves" should be changed to --grooves-- (and note that the same correction should be made on line 5 of claim 8).
On line 8 of claim 1, the comma at the end of the line should be changed to a semicolon.
On line 19 of claim 1, the word "is" should be changed to --are-- (and note that the same correction should also be made on line 15 of claim 8, on line 12 of claim 9, and on line 15 of claim 14).
On lines 3-4 of claim 4, it appears that one or more words of text are missing, i.e., it appears that "transmission coils are magnetically coupled" should be changed to
--transmission coils, and the transmission coils are magnetically coupled to the receiving coil--.
On line 24 of claim 9, the word "and" at the end of the line should be deleted (and note that the same deletion should also be made on line 26 of claim 14).
On the first line of claim 15, "illumination in a vehicle" should be changed to --a vehicle illumination system--, i.e., in order to be consistent with the preamble of base claim 14 (and note that the same correction should also be made on the first two lines of each of claims 16-18).
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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 1-11 and 14-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Salter et al (USPAP 2014/0239710) in view of either Alshalabi (USPAP 2016/0144774) or Cheatham, II (USP 9,775,768), and further in view of any one of Bhargava et al (USPAP 2015/0318730), Jain et al (USPAP 2018/0198318) and Graham et al (USPAP 2019/0081517).
As to claims 1 and 4, Salter et al discloses, in figures 1-4,
a vehicle illumination system comprising:
a floor mat lighting system, said floor mat lighting system comprising:
a floor mat (2) having a peripheral edge (inherently Salter et al's floor mat 2 has a plurality of peripheral edges) and a plurality of grooves and ridges therein (although Salter et al does not disclose that floor mat 2 has a plurality of grooves and ridges, such would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, the reason being that it was old and well-known in the art before the effective filing date of applicant's invention that floor mats typically have such grooves and ridges for the well-known purpose of collecting any moisture or debris on the top surface of the mat, of which fact official notice is taken by the examiner);
at least one floor mat light (12) that is disposed on a top side or within the floor mat but visible on a top side (note that Salter et al's light 12 is disposed on a top side or within the floor mat 2 but visible on the top side thereof),
a receiving coil (20) disposed on a bottom side or within the floor mat (note that Salter et al's receiving coil 20 is disposed on a bottom side or within the floor mat 2);
a floor mat switch in the floor mat that enables power received by the receiving coil to be terminated or directed to at least one floor mat light (although Salter et al does not disclose the claimed floor mat switch, the inclusion of such a switch would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, the reason being that it was old and well-known in the art before the effective filing date of applicant's invention to include such a switch in a floor mat that enables power received by a receiving coil to be terminated or directed to the floor mat light, two examples of this well-known concept disclosed by Alshalabi and Cheatham, II, note floor mat switch 95 shown in figure 1 of the former, and floor mats switches 512, 530, 552 and 572 shown in figure 6 of the latter);
a vehicle power transfer system (the inherent vehicle power transfer system of Salter et al), said vehicle power transfer system comprising:
a vehicle power source (36); and
a plurality of transmission coils (although Salter et al only shows a single transmission coil 22, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include a plurality of transmission coils positioned under Salter et al's floor mat, the reason being that it was old and well-known in the art before the effective filing date of applicant's invention to use an array of transmission coils for covering a wide area under a reception coil, three examples of this well-known concept being disclosed by Bhargava et al, see transmission coils 8 through 19 shown in figure 2; Jain et al, see transmission coils 204 shown in figure 2A; and Graham et al, see transmission coils 200 shown in figure 2, the motivation for including an array of transmission coils under Salter et al's reception coil instead of a single transmission coil would provide the obvious benefit of eliminating the need for precise positioning between the floor mat including the reception coil and the transmission coil under it, i.e., in Salter et al, if floor mat 2 were to move by the driver's feet inadvertently moving it, the transmission coil and reception coil would not be precisely overlapped with each other, potentially causing a problem with the wireless power transfer from the transmission coil to the reception coil, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have easily recognized that including an array of transmission coils on the vehicle floor of Salter et al would overcome such a problem in Salter et al), wherein the plurality of transmission coils are electrically coupled via a wire to the vehicle power source (when Salter et al is modified as noted above so as to include a plurality of transmission coils in the vehicle floor, there will inherently or obviously be a wire connection between the transmission coils and Salter et al's power source 36);
wherein the receiving coil is disposed so as to at least partially overlap at least one of the plurality of transmission coils (inherently in the Salter et al vehicle illumination system, modified as noted above, receiving coil 20 will at least partially overlap at least one of the plurality of transmission coils).
As to claims 2 and 3, note paragraph [0018] of Salter et al where it is disclosed that the floor mat 2 may be manufactured from any conventional material such as rubber and fibrous textile, and that the light source 12 may include conventional lighting such as LEDs and light pipes.
As to claim 5, official notice is taken by the examiner that floor mat switches are typically formed as either pressure switches or mechanical toggle switches, and the motivation for using such pressure switches or mechanical toggle switches is simply to use any well-known on/off type of switch including, inter alia, the floor mat switches disclosed by Alshalabi and Cheatham, II.
As to claim 6, note that the claimed vehicle power source recited in claim 1 can be read on power source 36 shown in figures 3 and 4 of Salter et al, as noted above, or alternatively can be read on the (inherent, as noted above) vehicle electrical system in Salter et al.
As to claim 7, the claimed transmission coil controller can be read on controller 34 shown in figures 3 and 4 of Salter et al.
As to claims 8-11 and 14-16, the limitations of these claims are rejected using the same analysis as set forth above with regard to claims 1-7.
6. Claims 12, 13, 17 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Salter et al, supra, in view of either Alshalabi or Cheatham, II, supra, and further in view of any one of Bhargava et al, Jain et al, and Graham et al, supra, as applied to claims 1-11 and 14-16 above, and further in view of Bae et al (USP 10,033,224).
The further method steps recited in claims 12, 13, 17 and 18, although not included in the method for providing a vehicle illumination system of Salter et al when modified by either Alshalabi, Cheatham, II, and when further modified by any one of Bhargava et al, Jain et al or Graham et al, would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, the reason being that it was old and well-known in the art before the effective filing of applicant's invention to determine which of a plurality of transmission coils is providing power to a receiving coil and then removing power from those transmission coils that are not providing power to the receiving coil, by using a transmission coil controller (as per claims 12 and 17), and also to selectively provide power to each of a plurality of transmission coils one at a time for a period of time, determine which of the plurality of transmission coils are providing power to the receiving coil, and then to remove power from the transmission coils that are not providing power to the receiving coil, by using the transmission coil controller (as per claims 13 and 18), one example of this well-known concept being disclosed by Bae et al, see figures 5 and 6 of this reference, and also see the paragraph bridging columns 5-6, column 6, lines 7-12, column 7, lines 1-31, and column 8, lines 41-56. The motivation for using this teaching by Bae et al in the modified Salter et al vehicle illumination system is to conserve power, i.e., only providing power those transmission coils which are overlapped with the Salter et al receiving coil obviously eliminates unnecessary powering of transmission coils which are not overlapped with the receiver coil and therefore are not performing any wireless powering function.
Prior Art Not Relied Upon
7. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Note also the disclosure in Freeman et al (USPAP 2020/0305805), in paragraphs [0018], [0031] and [0044], i.e., that a wireless power transmission element in a wireless power transfer device can be formed using a single large transmission coil or, alternatively, a plurality of smaller transmission coils.
Conclusion
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KENNETH B WELLS whose telephone number is (571)272-1757. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5pm.
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, LINCOLN DONOVAN can be reached at (571)272-1988. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KENNETH B WELLS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2842 July 25, 2025