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 Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen et al (US 2019/0214161 A1).
Regarding claim 17, Chen et al teaches (see Figs. 2, 6A, 6B, 8) a cable (charging cable 600) for providing energy to a provided electric vehicle (200) to charge a provided battery (204) of the provided electric vehicle (cable 600 may be used with the vehicle 200, see paras. 0032-0034), the cable comprising: a housing (metal sheath 604) having a first length (see Fig. 6A) and a channel (volume 606) along the first length (see Fig. 6A), the channel having a first diameter and an inner surface (as shown in Figs. 6A & 6B); a conductor (cable 602) having a second length (see Fig. 6A), a second diameter and an outer surface (as shown in Figs. 6A & 6B), the second diameter less than the first diameter (cable 602 has a smaller diameter than metal sheath 604), the conductor positioned inside the channel (volume 606) along the first length (as shown in Fig. 6A), the second length greater than or equal to the first length (Fig. 6A show the cable 602 being longer than the metal sheath 604); and a plurality of spacers (spacers 612), the plurality of spacers positioned around the conductor along the first length of the channel (see Figs. 6A & 6B), each spacer of the plurality of spacers contacts the inner surface (at liner 605) of the channel (volume 606) and the outer surface of the conductor (cable 602) to establish a distance between the inner surface (at liner 605) of the channel (volume 606) and the outer surface of the conductor (as shown in Figs. 6A & 6B), the plurality of spacers (spacers 612) maintain the channel (volume 606) open around the conductor (cable 602) for a flow of a provided coolant (gas 610), whereby the flow of the provided coolant contacts the outer surface of the conductor (as shown in Figs. 6A & 6B) whereby heat is transferred from the conductor to the provided coolant at a first rate to reduce a temperature of the conductor (see paras. 0008, 0021, 0032-0034, 0050-0052 and 0056).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-16 are allowed.
Claims 18 and 19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance and the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 1, the prior art of record does not teach a charger for providing energy to a provided electric vehicle, where the pump is configured to circulate the coolant through the first channel and the second channel to bring the coolant into contact with the first conductor and the second conductor to remove heat from the first conductor and the second conductor; and responsive to the first conductor and the second conductor reaching the desired temperature, the pump is configured to evacuate the coolant from the first channel and the second channel thereby reducing a weight of the electrical cable; in combination with the other claimed limitations as recited in claim 1.
Claims 2-10 depend, either directly or indirectly, from claim 1 and are allowable for at least the same reasons.
Regarding claim 11, the prior art of record does not teach a method for providing energy to an electric vehicle to charge a battery of the electric vehicle, the method comprising removing heat from the first conductor and the second conductor by pumping a coolant through the first channel and the second channel whereby the coolant comes into contact with the first conductor and the second conductor thereby extracting heat from the first conductor and the second conductor; and removing the coolant from the first channel and the second channel thereby making it easier for a user to move or lift the electrical cable.
Claims 12-16 depend from claim 11 and are allowable for at least the same reasons.
Regarding claim 18, the prior art of record does not teach wherein the plurality of spacers are formed of a thermally conductive material; contact between the outer surface of the conductor and the plurality of spacers transfers heat from the conductor to the plurality of spacers; and the flow of the provided coolant contacts the plurality of spacers and the outer surface of the conductor whereby heat is transferred from the plurality of spacers and the conductor at a second rate, the second rate is greater than the first rate.
Claim 19 depends from claim 18 and would be allowable for at least the same reason.
Gohring et al (DE 10 2018 113 450 A1) teaches a charger for an electric vehicle, the charger includes a charging cable (40) having an outer cover (42), charging lines (46) and cooling line (50) within filling material (44). Gohring et al teaches that a liquid-cooled charging cable can become stiff and heavy, which makes handling of the charging cable difficult (see the third and fourth full paragraphs on page 2 of the attached translation). To make the charging cable easier to handle, Gohring et al teaches emptying the cooling liquid from the charging cable by gravity-driven drainage, pumping of the cooling liquid, or by pushing the cooling liquid out of the cable using a pressurized gas (see the fifth through seventh full paragraphs on page 2 of the attached translation). The cooling liquid is contained within the cooling line (50) and, also due to the presence of filling material (44), the coolant does not come into contact with the first and second conductors (the charging lines 46), as is recited in claims 1 and 11.
Chen et al teaches (see Figs. 2, 6A, 6B, 8) a cable (charging cable 600) for providing energy to a provided electric vehicle (200) to charge a provided battery (204) of the provided electric vehicle (cable 600 may be used with the vehicle 200, see paras. 0032-0034), the cable comprising: a housing (metal sheath 604) having a first length (see Fig. 6A) and a channel (volume 606) along the first length (see Fig. 6A), the channel having a first diameter and an inner surface (as shown in Figs. 6A & 6B); a first and second conductors (cables 602a & 602b), the conductor positioned inside the channel (volume 606); and a plurality of spacers (spacers 612), the plurality of spacers positioned around the conductor along the first length of the channel (see Figs. 6A & 6B), each spacer of the plurality of spacers contacts the inner surface (at liner 605) of the channel (volume 606) and the outer surface of the conductor (cable 602) to establish a distance between the inner surface (at liner 605) of the channel (volume 606) and the outer surface of the conductor (as shown in Figs. 6A & 6B), the plurality of spacers (spacers 612) maintain the channel (volume 606) open around the conductor (cable 602) for a flow of a provided coolant (gas 610), whereby the flow of the provided coolant contacts the outer surface of the conductor (as shown in Figs. 6A & 6B) whereby heat is transferred from the conductor to the provided coolant at a first rate to reduce a temperature of the conductor (see paras. 0008, 0021, 0032-0034, 0050-0052 and 0056). Chen et al teaches that the embodiments of the charging cable shown in Figs. 6-8 are gas-cooled embodiments, as opposed to the liquid-cooled embodiment shown in Figs. 1A, 1B & 3. The liquid-cooled embodiment does not use the spacers (612) to create the volume (606) around the conductors, but instead uses cooling tubes (108 & 110) through which the liquid-coolant flows.
Without the knowledge of applicant’s teachings, one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date would not have been motivated to combine the spacers from the gas-cooled embodiment of Chen et al with the teachings of Gohring et al, to result in the coolant coming into contact with the first and second conductors, as is recited in claims 1 and 11.
Further, Chen et al does not teach what material the spacers are made from, and thus, does not clearly teach heat being transferred at the second rate, where the second rate is greater than the first rate, as recited in claim 18.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Please see the additional references cited on the attached PTO-892, which are directed to electric vehicle charging systems with cooling for the charging cables and/or charging cable structures.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jared Fureman whose telephone number is (571)272-2391. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 am - 5:00 pm.
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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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/JARED FUREMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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