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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The IDS filed 01/08/24 has been considered and placed of record. The initialed copy is attached herewith.
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 (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 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.
Claims 1-4 and 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Khaligh et al. (US 2018/0222333A1).
Re claim 1, the reference discloses a system having, inter alia, a dc bus; a plurality of battery chargers connected to the dc bus (para 83; dc link 2066 and bidirectional dc/dc converter 2200 connected to plural batteries; fig 5A) wherein each of the plurality of battery chargers is configured to: electrically connect to a first battery having a first nominal voltage (fig 5A; charging LV and HV batteries; para 85); supply first dc power from the dc bus to the first battery at the first nominal voltage to charge the first battery electrically connect to a second battery having a second nominal voltage different from the first nominal voltage (para 85; charging both LV and HV batteries); and supply second dc power from the dc bus to the second battery at the second nominal voltage to charge the second battery (para 85 and 230).
Re claim 2, the reference further discloses he DC bus has a third nominal voltage and each of the plurality of battery chargers is further configured to: supply third direct current (DC) power to the DC bus at the third nominal voltage from the first battery (para 223; dc link voltage Vin reaches 600V); and supply fourth direct current (DC) power to the DC bus at the third nominal voltage from the second battery (para 86; providing power to dc link through dc/dc converter from both batteries).
Re claim 3, the reference further discloses the third nominal voltage is different from the first and second nominal voltage (para 81; LV battery 114 has 12/24/42 V; para 230; HV battery 108 varies from 200V to 420V; para 223; dc link voltage Vin reaches 600V).
Re claim 4, the reference further discloses third nominal voltage is same as first or second nominal voltage (para 7; regulated dc voltage is around 390V while at second stage, isolated dc/dc converter regulate around 250V-420V).
Re claim 6, the reference further discloses use of renewable energy source (mid para 83).
Re claim 7, the reference further discloses an inverter configured to receive third direct current (DC) power from the DC bus; convert the third DC power to an alternating current (AC) power; and output the AC power to a power grid or alternating current (AC) main power supply (bidirectional AC/DC converter 2100 may also be in electrical communication with bidirectional DC/DC converter 2200... the output of the energy source may sometimes be directly connected to DC-link 2066, which is the stage between bidirectional AC/DC converter 2100 and bidirectional DC/DC converter 2200; para 83; providing power from the vehicle to grid (V2G) through either HV battery pack 108 or LV battery pack 114 or both, para 0086).
Re claim 8, the reference further discloses a rectifier configured to: receive alternating current (AC) power from a power grid or alternating current (AC) main power supply; convert the AC power to a third direct current (DC) power; and output the third DC power to the DC bus (the AC/DC converter 2060 is supplied 1-phase alternating current electrical power by external power supply interface connection 104. The AC/DC converter 2060 is in electrical communication with isolated DC/DC converter 2100; para 0080; fig. 5A).
Claims 10, 11, 14, 15 and 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Buchanan (US 2004/0130292).
Re claim 10, the reference discloses a method of operating a battery charging system (abstract) having, inter alia, a plurality of battery chargers configured to receive power from a dc bus (one or more dc charging modules 124 that receive power from the ac rectifier over a DC bus 126; para 41), the method having the steps, inter alia, receiving, by a controller in communication with a first battery charger of the plurality of battery chargers, a charge state of a battery connected to the first battery charger; determining, by the controller based on the charge state, that the battery is at less than a full charge level (the power controller also serves as a point-of-allocation for the assignment of the available power to individual dc modules 124 based on the number of vehicles, SOC. The information is then used by each dc module to regulate the output power to one or more vehicles connected to a first and a second associated secondary power ports 128 and 130, respectively; para 43; sensory equipment configured to sense the status of batteries connected to the first and/or second associated secondary power ports 128, 130; para 44); and transmitting, by the controller based on the determination that the battery is at less than the full charge level, a charge signal to the first battery charger configured to cause the first battery charger to charge the battery (the distribution controller controls the output of each dc/dc converter. the distribution controller controls the charging distribution to all of the vehicles connected to the dc module associated secondary power ports. By changing the configuration and regulating the converters, the dc modules provide significant flexibility in charging capability. The power distribution is preferably based on a variety of factors, including each battery type, state of charge; para 50), wherein: the DC bus has a first nominal voltage (the ac rectifier 120 converts a standard three phase alternating current from the utility's circuit breaker 108A via the primary power port 107A to a regulated DC voltage; para 42); the battery has a second nominal voltage different than the first nominal voltage (a 24 volt battery; para 13); and the first battery charger is configured to receive first dc power at the first nominal voltage from the dc bus, convert the first dc power to a second dc power at the second nominal voltage, and output the second dc power to the battery (the power controller also serves as a point-of-allocation for the assignment of the available power to individual DC modules 124 based on the number of vehicles, SOC numbers, amp-hour charging system capacity and/or reserve capacity. The information is then preferably used by each DC module to regulate the output power to one or more vehicles connected to a first and a second associated secondary power ports 128 and 130; para 43; fig 5).
Re claim 11, the reference further discloses transmitting, by the controller, a discharge signal to the first battery charger configured to cause the first battery charger to receive third dc power from the battery at the second nominal voltage, convert the third dc power to a fourth dc power at the first nominal voltage, and output the fourth dc power to the dc bus (the power controller also serves as a point-of-allocation for the assignment of the available power to individual dc modules 124 based on the number of vehicles, SOC numbers, amp-hour charging system capacity and/or reserve capacity The information is then preferably used by each dc module to regulate the output power to one or more vehicles connected to a first and a second associated secondary power ports 128 and 130; para 43; fig 5).
Re claim 14, the reference further discloses determining, by the controller, a time window of a day during which the battery should be charged, wherein the controller controls transmission of the charge signal such that the first battery charger charges the battery only during the determined time window of the day (this device, which shall be referred to herein as a dedicated battery, is dedicated in that it is configured and received not for other use, but rather only to provide energy storage so that power available from a given source (e.g., a utility or a vehicle) at a given time can be distributed to a given load at another time (such as a peak usage period). The control system is configured such that power from the dedicated battery can be distributed to vehicles through one or more secondary power port; para 56).
Re claim 15, the reference further discloses determining, by the controller, whether to transmit the charge signal, a discharge signal, or no signal to the first battery charger based on at least one of first power available from a grid; second power available from a renewable power source; third power available from a plurality of other batteries connected to the dc bus via the plurality of battery chargers: a first current price for exported power to the grid; or a second current price imported power from the grid (the designated power limit can be a function of time, such as a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly cycle to maintain power expenses within a budget. Alternatively, this designated power limit can be made to vary based on an external signal. The external signal can reflect a variety of different concerns, such as varying power cost, varying power availability, anticipated future needs, safety concerns, and emergency situations; para 64).
Re claim 17, the reference discloses a method of operating a battery charging system (abstract) comprising a plurality of battery chargers configured to output power to a dc bus (one or more dc charging modules 124 that receive power from the ac rectifier over a dc bus 126; para 41; the secondary power ports of the present invention are designed to be capable of both charging or discharging the electric powered vehicles, (i.e., they are bidirectional operating secondary power ports). The control system, and the distribution controller can then use the switches and/or the power converters to distribute power discharged from one vehicle, and thereby supplement the available utility power to the other secondary power port(s) and/or to the dc bus. Thus, the dc module and/or dc converters, when attached to a vehicle battery, can both source and sink power; para 55), the method having steps, inter alia, receiving, by a controller in communication with a first battery charger of the plurality of battery chargers, a charge state of a battery connected to the first battery charger; determining, by the controller based on the charge state, that the battery at a charge level sufficient to output power to the dc bus (the power controller also serves as a point-of-allocation for the assignment of the available power to individual dc modules 124 based on the number of vehicles, SOC numbers. The information is then preferably used by each dc module to regulate the output power to one or more vehicles connected to a first and a second associated secondary power ports 128 and 130; para 43; sensory equipment configured to sense the status of batteries connected to the first and/or second associated secondary power ports 128, 130; para 44; The system controller can further be configured such that, when secondary power port demand exceeds the power-source maximum power limit, the dedicated battery is automatically discharged to meet the power deficit between the demand and the power-source maximum power limit; para 58); and transmitting. by the controller based on the determination that the battery is at the charge level, a discharge signal to the first battery charger configured to cause the first battery charger to discharge the battery (the system controller can further be configured such that, when secondary power port demand exceeds the power-source maximum power limit, the dedicated battery is automatically discharged to meet the power deficit between the demand and the power-source maximum power limit; para 58), wherein: the first battery has a first nominal voltage (a 24 volt battery; para 13); and the dc bus has a second nominal voltage different than the first nominal voltage (the ac rectifier 120 preferably converts a standard three phase alternating current from the utility's circuit breaker 108A via the primary power port 107A to a regulated dc voltage; para 42); the first battery charger is configured to receive first dc power at the first nominal voltage from the battery, convert the first DC power to a second dc power at the second nominal voltage, and output the second dc power to the dc bus (preferably one or more (and preferably all) of the primary power ports are bidirectional. In combination with bidirectional secondary power ports and/or a dedicated battery, and under the control of the control system, the bidirectional power ports can deliver power from the vehicles and/or dedicated batteries to either the utilities; para 60; fig 5).
Re claim 18, the reference further discloses determining, by the controller, whether to transmit a charge signal, the discharge signal, or no signal to the first battery charger based on at least one of: first power available from a grid; second power available from a renewable power source; third power available from a plurality of other batteries connected to the dc bus via the plurality of battery chargers; a first current price for exported power to the grid; or a second current price imported power from the grid (the designated power limit can be a function of time, such as a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly cycle to maintain power expenses within a budget. Alternatively, this designated power limit can be made to vary based on an external signal. The external signal can reflect a variety of different concerns, such as varying power cost, varying power availability, anticipated future needs, safety concerns, and emergency situations; para 64).
Re claim 19, the reference further discloses determining, by the controller, a time window of a day during which the battery should be discharged, wherein the controller controls transmission of the discharge signal such that the first battery charger discharges the battery only during the determined time window of the day (this device, which shall be referred to herein as a dedicated battery, is dedicated in that it is configured and received not for other use, but rather only to provide energy storage so that power available from a given source (e.g., a utility or a vehicle) at a given time can be distributed to a given load at another time (such as a peak usage period). The control system is configured such that power from the dedicated battery can be distributed to vehicles through one or more secondary power port; para 56).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 9, 12, 13, 16 and 20 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication should be directed to the Examiner at the below-listed number. The Examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Thu from 7:00am-5:00pm.
The Examiner’s SPE is Drew Dunn and he can be reached at 571.272.2312. The fax number for the organization where this application is assigned is 571.273.8300.
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/EDWARD TSO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859 571.272.2087
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