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 .
OFFICE ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under
section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-9 and 11-19 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(2) as
being as being anticipated by the prior art of record Plasterer (US 2022/0410752)
Regarding claim 1, the prior art discloses:
A charging connector adaptor for connecting a charging connector associated with a charging station to a charge port on a vehicle (title, abstract and/or par 15-20), the charging connector adaptor comprising:
a housing (abstract, summary) including a plug configured to engage with the charge port (male connector to plug into EV (abstract)) and a receptacle (female connector at a second side of the housing which is structured to plug into a charging system/EVSE (abstract)) configured to be engaged by the charging connector;
a communication system arranged in the housing (par 32: computing device/communication interface/device (fig 5) resident in housing 102 of adapter 100 and implemented in a network infrastructure such as within a cloud environment as shown in FIG. 6), the communication system including a signal receiver and a signal transmitter (fig 5-7); and
a control system operatively connected to the communication system (see one or more of the followings:
par 5: communication device that communicates information between the controller and at least one remote device.
Par 15, 24: controller (can include communication module) that provides management services such as, e.g., communications, metering, and monitoring of the charging system.
Par 26: adapter can be remotely controlled through a communication module.
Fig 6 Server within or outside of a cloud environment)), the control system being configured to communicate, through the signal transmitter, operational parameters of the charging connector adaptor to the charging station (fig 5-7).
(Claims 2-6) wherein the control system is configured to:
receive, through the signal receiver, charging parameters from the charging station (see one or more of par 20, 28-29 or fig 5-6 and related text);
communicate, through the signal transmitter, the charging parameters received from the charging station to the vehicle (fig 5-7 and related text).
communicate, through the signal transmitter, the charging parameters to a portable electronic device (fig 6) operatively connected to the vehicle;
communicate, through the signal transmitter, an adaptor capability protocol to the charging station.
communicate, through the signal transmitter and the portable electronic device, the adaptor capability protocol (par 20, 35, 39, 62) to the charging station.
(claim 7) wherein the adaptor capability protocol includes current limitations (par 20, 28-29, 41) of the charging connector adaptor.
(Claim 8) wherein the portable electronic device is operatively connected to the vehicle and the charging station through a wireless cloud (fig 6).
(Claim 9) wherein the signal receiver and the signal transmitter are configured to receive and transmit wireless signals (fig 5-7).
Claims 11-19 recite similar subject matter and are rejected for the same reason.
Claims 1-9 and 11-19 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(1) as being as being anticipated by the prior art of record Goei (US 2022/0111747)
Regarding claim 1, the prior art discloses:
A charging connector adaptor (see adaptor/adapter in one or more of fig 17-33) for connecting a charging connector associated with a charging station to a charge port on a vehicle (see one or more of fig 17-33), the charging connector adaptor comprising:
a housing including a plug configured to engage with the charge port (see one or more of fig 18, 20, 22, 26, 28, 31 that show housing including a plug/male connector mating/engaging a charge port on EV) and a receptacle configured to be engaged by the charging connector (see one or more of fig 18, 20, 22, 26, 28, 31 that show housing including a socket/ receptacle/ female connector mating/engaging a charge connector at the charge station/EVSE);
a communication system arranged in the housing, the communication system including a signal receiver and a signal transmitter (see one or more of fig 17-18, 20, 22, 26, 28, 31 that show housing holding CONTROL ELECTRONICS for interface / remote communication/ wireless communication to/from/between adapter and charge station/ EVSE, EV, internet/server/central command, etc.9); and
a control system (see one or more of control circuitry / central control network/ central control server/ central command/ charge control server/ central management control system/ charge controller / central control module in one or more of abstract, fig 1-2, 9-10, 13, 17-18, 20, 22, 26, 28, 31) operatively connected to the communication system, the control system being configured to communicate, through the signal transmitter, operational parameters of the charging connector adaptor to the charging station.
(Claims 2-6) wherein the control system is configured to:
receive, through the signal receiver, charging parameters from the charging station (see one or more of abstract, summary and/or , fig 1-2, 9-10, 13, 17-18, 20, 22, 26, 28, 31 and related text);
communicate, through the signal transmitter, the charging parameters received from the charging station to the vehicle (see one or more of fig 1-2, 20, 22, 26, 28, 31 and related text);
communicate, through the signal transmitter, the charging parameters to a portable electronic device (see one or more of par 4, fig 1-2, 10-12, 14 and related text) operatively connected to the vehicle;
communicate, through the signal transmitter, an adaptor capability protocol to the charging station (see one or more of fig 17-18, 20, 22, 26, 28, 31 and related text)
communicate, through the signal transmitter and the portable electronic device, the adaptor capability protocol to the charging station device (see one or more of par 4, fig 1-2, 10-12, 14, 20 and related text)
(claim 7) wherein the adaptor capability protocol includes current limitations of the charging connector adaptor (par 107, 117, 158).
(Claim 8) wherein the portable electronic device (see one or more of par 4, fig 1-2, 10-12, 14, 20, 26 and related text) is operatively connected to the vehicle and the charging station through a wireless cloud (see one or more par 100, 105, 110, 116, 124, 133, 136, 138, 142, 152, 162).
(Claim 9) wherein the signal receiver and the signal transmitter are configured to receive and transmit wireless signals (see one or more of 1-2, fig 1-2, 10-12, 14, 20, 26 and related text)
Claims 11-19 recite similar subject matter and are rejected for the same reason
Claims 1 and 11 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(2) as being as being anticipated by the prior art of record Kemal (US 2026/0008631.
Regarding claim 1, the prior art discloses:
A charging connector adaptor for connecting a charging connector associated with a charging station to a charge port on a vehicle (fig 1a), the charging connector adaptor comprising:
a housing including a plug configured to engage with the charge port (fig 1A shows housing 108 of EV charger adapter 100A include a plug to plug in an EV port) and a receptacle configured to be engaged by the charging connector (fig 1A show a receptacle socket engaged by EV charger connector) ;
a communication system (wireless communication interface 112 in fig 1A) arranged in the housing, the communication system including a signal receiver and a signal transmitter; and
a control system (remote device/server, user device (par 39, 49, 102, 185)) operatively connected to the communication system (wireless communication interface in par 39, 49, 102, 185), the control system being configured to communicate, through the signal transmitter, operational parameters of the charging connector adaptor to the charging station (par 39, 49, 102, 185).
Claim 11 recites similar subject matter and are rejected for the same reason.
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.
Claims 10, 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over one or more of above mentioned main references in the 35 USC 102 rejections in view secondary references Horfurter (US 2024/017411) or Romano (US 2026/0196763)
The main references disclose substantially all the elements in the claims except RFID in claims 10 and 20; however, RFID is disclosed Horfurter in par 39 or Romano in par 171.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (in the instant application) to utilize RFID simply because:
Horfurter (par 39): user of the charging station is identified on the basis of the RFID chip. An identification number of the RFID chip is thereby used as the unique user identification; or
Romano (par 171): RFID device is recognized by RFID reader to authorize a user to proceed with the charging station.
Correspondence Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL DINH whose telephone number is 571-272-1890. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s Supervisor, Jack Chiang can be reached on 571-272-7483. The fax number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PAUL DINH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2851
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