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 .
If Statements
The claims recite that action X is carried out if event Y occurs. It is possible to interpret the claims to mean that if there is no Y event, then X is never carried out. In the reference, there is no Y event. Thus, there is no requirement that the reference disclose the X action to show anticipation.
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) 1, 3-5, 8, 10, 16-18 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gadh et al. (US 2013/0179061)
. Regarding claim 1, 10, Gadh teaches a charging control method, applied to a charging device for charging an electric vehicle. (Gadh teaches smart electric-vehicle charging systems including an electric vehicle, an electric-vehicle battery, computerized control systems, battery-management systems, and charging stations configured to charge the electric vehicle. Gadh also teaches computer software for controlling vehicle charging and determining the state of charge of the vehicle battery. Gadh, Abstract; FIGS. 1–13; paragraphs corresponding to the disclosure that the smart vehicle includes a computer and software for operation of the charging system and that a charging station is provided for charging the electric vehicle. )
“acquiring a charging current of a battery of the electric vehicle during a charging process”
(Gadh teaches a current sensor connected to the computerized control system for measuring battery current and programming for measuring battery current over a period of time. Gadh expressly discloses “a current sensor, connected to the BMS computer, for measuring battery current” and executable programming that performs “measuring a current and a voltage over a period of time from the battery.” Gadh, claims 5 and 16; FIGS. 15–16. )
acquiring an electric quantity data value of the battery on the basis of a charging current of the battery and a correspondence relationship between the charging current and the electric quantity data value of the battery
(Gadh teaches calculating battery SOC using measured battery current and a stored battery-characteristic correspondence. More specifically, Gadh teaches:
mapping reference open-circuit voltage to reference SOC to produce a stored ROCV-RSOC mapping; measuring battery current and voltage over time; calculating OCV under load using the measured current and voltage; and determining the corresponding instantaneous SOC using the stored mapping. Gadh, FIGS. 14–16; claims 5 and 16.
Thus, the claimed electric-quantity data value, namely SOC, is acquired based in part on battery current and a predetermined correspondence used to convert a battery electrical characteristic to SOC.)
controlling the charging process of the battery on the basis of the electric quantity data value.
(Gadh teaches collecting vehicle SOC and sending control signals to connect or disconnect a charger based on inputs including vehicle SOC, grid capacity, user preference, time of use, and demand-response events. The disclosed charging architecture therefore controls charging based on the determined SOC. (Par 0135)
Re Claims 3 and 16; Gadh discloses wherein the method further comprises, before acquiring an electric quantity data value of the battery on the basis of a charging current of the battery and a correspondence relationship between the charging current and the electric quantity data value of the battery:
acquiring data information of the electric vehicle; (0071-72, 0263) and acquiring a correspondence relationship between the charging current of the battery of the electric vehicle during the charging process and the electric quantity data value on the basis of the data information. (FIGS. 14–16; claims 5 and 16.)
Re Claims 4 and 17; Gadh discloses wherein, before controlling the charging process of the battery on the basis of the electric quantity data value, the method further comprises:
acquiring a charging mode of the electric vehicle; and the controlling the charging process of the battery on the basis of the electric quantity data value comprises: controlling the charging process of the battery on the basis of the charging mode and the electric quantity data value. (Par 0096, based on the mode selected the charging process of the battery on the basis of the electric quantity data value is used)
Re Claim 5 and 18; Gadh discloses wherein the electric quantity data value is an SOC value, the SOC value being a ratio of a remaining electric quantity of the battery to a nominal capacity of the battery. (See the rejection of claim 1)
Re Claims 8 and 21; Gadh discloses wherein the charging device comprises a display module (smart phone 320, Par 0093); and after the acquiring the electric quantity data value of the battery, the method further comprises: displaying the electric quantity data value of the battery in real time via the display module. (Fig. 2A)
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) 2, 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gadh in view of Jefferies (US 20160159231).
Re Claim 2 and 15; Gadh discloses a charging device and performing the step of acquiring a charging current of a battery of the electric vehicle during a charging process as discussed above.
Gadh does not disclose “wherein the charging device comprises a CP detection module” and detecting whether a charging gun is inserted into a charging interface of the electric vehicle by the CP detection module” and “if the CP detection module detects that a charging gun is inserted into a charging interface of the electric vehicle, performing the step of acquiring a charging current of a battery of the electric vehicle during a charging process.
Jefferies disclose “wherein the charging device comprises a CP detection module” and detecting whether a charging gun is inserted into a charging interface of the electric vehicle by the CP detection module (Par 0029 Jefferies teaches an EVSE having a control-pilot input terminal configured to receive a control-pilot signal from EVSE control electronics. The control-pilot signal indicates whether an EV connector is plugged into a receptacle of an electric vehicle. Jefferies therefore expressly teaches using CP circuitry to detect whether the charging connector or charging gun is inserted into the vehicle charging interface. Jefferies, FIG. 1 and the associated control-pilot disclosure.
) and
if the CP detection module detects that a charging gun is inserted into a charging interface of the electric vehicle, performing the step of acquiring a charging current of a battery of the electric vehicle during a charging process.
The purpose of Jefferies’ control-pilot signal is to indicate that the EV connector is connected to the electric vehicle. Once the connector is detected and charging is enabled, Gadh’s battery-current sensor measures the battery current during the resulting charging process.
It would have been obvious to incorporate Jefferies’ CP-based connector-detection circuitry into Gadh’s charging system because Gadh must determine whether the vehicle is electrically connected before enabling, monitoring, or controlling battery charging. Jefferies provides an expressly disclosed and standardized electrical technique for making that determination. The modification would improve charging safety and prevent current acquisition or charging control from being initiated when no vehicle is connected.
11. A charging device comprising: a CP detection module for detecting whether a charging gun is inserted into a charging interface of an electric vehicle; a control module connected to the CP detection module for controlling a charging process of a battery of the electric vehicle when the CP detection module detects that the charging gun is inserted into the charging interface of the electric vehicle, the control module comprising: at least one processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor, the instructions being executable by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the method comprising steps of: acquiring a charging current of a battery of the electric vehicle during a charging process; acquiring an electric quantity data value of the battery on the basis of a charging current of the battery and a correspondence relationship between the charging current and the electric quantity data value of the battery; and controlling the charging process of the battery on the basis of the electric quantity data value. (this claim is analogous to claims 1 and 2)
Re Claim 12; Gadh discloses wherein the charging device further comprises: a sampling module (current sensor par 0359) for collecting a charging current of the battery of the electric vehicle during the charging process; and a display module (110) for displaying an electric quantity data value of the battery in real time. (Fig. 2a)
Re Claim 13; Gadh discloses wherein the charging device is a charging pile. (Fig. 2a)
Claim(s) 6, 7, 9, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gadh
Re Claims 6, 7, 19 and 20; Gadh discloses wherein the controlling the charging process of the battery on the basis of the charging mode and the electric quantity data value comprises:
Gadh does not disclose if the charging mode is a healthy mode, ending the charging process of the battery when the SOC value is greater than or equal to a first preset threshold, the first preset threshold being less than 1.
if the charging mode is a normal mode, ending the charging process of the battery when the SOC value is greater than or equal to 1.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to , the first preset threshold being less than 1 or when the SOC value is greater than or equal to 1, since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980).
Re Claim 9; Gadh discloses wherein the data information of the electric vehicle.
Gadh does not disclose includes a train system and a year of production of the electric vehicle.
However, that information includes a train system and a year of production of the electric vehicle was known and it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing of the invention to have used information includes a train system and a year of production of the electric vehicle in order to adequately provide charging.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL KESSIE whose telephone number is (571)272-4449. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pmEst.
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/DANIEL KESSIE/
07/14/2026Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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