DETAILED ACTION
The Information Disclosure Statements filed on September 11, 2023 and July 24, 2025 have both been reviewed and considered by the Examiner.
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 § 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.
Claim(s) 18-32 and 34 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fihlon (DE 102011085776 A1) in view of Dietrich (DE 102017215352 A1).
Fihlon discloses a system for electrically feeding electrically powered vehicles, and method of operating, the system is comprised of an electric conductor 12 adapted to be electrically energized and extending along a road section on which the at least one vehicle is adapted to travel, as shown at the top of figure 1. A plurality of electrically powered vehicles 20, each comprising at least one current collector adapted to connect the vehicle electrically to said at least one electric conductor, as shown in figure 1 with a pantograph extending upward from the vehicle to the conductor 12. A vehicle electronic control unit 21 (VECU) being electrically connected to said current collector, said VECU being directly or indirectly connected to an onboard energy storage device 22 of the vehicle and a central electronic control unit (CECU) 60, as described in paragraphs 0024-0025.
Further described in paragraph 0045 the VECU and CECU are configured for communication with each other, wherein each VECU is configured to determine a current energy storage status of said energy storage device, and to send at least one signal to the CECU indicating the energy storage status. The CECU is further configured to determine a maximum power available, and to, based on said at least one signal from each VECU, determine a power to be received for each vehicle such that a maximum power is not exceeded, and send at least one power control signal to each VECU indicating said power to be received, The VECU is further configured to control received power via the current collector in response to said at least one power control signal, as described in paragraphs 0026 and 0039. The power to be received is determined such that each vehicle is able to propel along the full length of the conductor segment to which said vehicle is connected. Communication between the two control units is done through wireless data transmissions.
Fihlon discloses system as described above. However, Fihlon does not specifically show the step of determining a current required power for propulsion of the vehicle. Dietrich discloses an electrically powered road vehicle wherein the system determines the traction power for meeting the dynamic driving power requirement. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied a determining step, like that of Dietrich, to a power system, like that of Fihlon, with the expected result of optimizing the power delivery to the vehicle and to efficiently deliver power to the vehicle.
Claim(s) 33 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fihlon in view of Dietrich and further in view of Ruth (DE 112013002146 T5).
The combination of Fihlon and Dietrich disclose the electrical feeding system as described above. However, the combination does not specifically show an autonomous vehicle powered by way of a catenary delivery system. Ruth discloses an off-highway vehicle that may be operated autonomously in communication with ground devices. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied an autonomous vehicle, like that of Ruth, as a teaching to show that a vehicle like that of Fihlon and Dietrich can have the expected result of the vehicle being fully autonomous and electrically powered.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Robert J McCarry Jr. whose telephone number is (571)272-6683. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:00-3:00.
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, S. Joseph Morano can be reached at 571-272-6684. 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.
/Robert J McCarry Jr/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3615
RJM
March 9, 2026