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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Applicants use the phrase “a maximum power consumption (power consumption in unit time) at a time” (claim 6 at line 2) but the metes and bounds of this language are unclear. The examiner interprets this to mean "a maximum power consumption at a time”. If this interpretation is incorrect, Applicants should so advise. Nevertheless, correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 6-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hou et al. (US 2022/0410758).
Re claim 1: Hou teaches a charging system (100), comprising a cloud management server (130) serving as a setting section that sets a schedule or a charging plan indicating a charging start time and a charging end time for a plurality of vehicles (EV1, EV2) (S410, paragraph 0034); a control section (200) that controls charging of a battery of each of the plurality of vehicles based on the charging plan (S420, paragraph 0034); and the cloud management server (130) also serving as a notification section that notifies a user of information regarding the charging plan and charging control based on the charging plan (paragraph 0025) (see figs. 1-4; paragraphs 0023-0034).
Re claim 6: Wherein the notification section notifies the user of a maximum power consumption at a time when the charging is performed based on the set charging plan (i.e., the server can adjust charging capacity of the battery according to schedule, paragraph 0042).
Re claim 7: Wherein the notification section notifies the user of the charging start time and the charging end time of each of the plurality of vehicles in the set charging plan (paragraph 0025).
Re claim 8: Hou teaches a server (130) serving a management terminal having the charging system according to Claim 1, the management terminal comprising an energy management scheme (EMP) serving as a function section that presents a scheduled departure time, a target level of charge, or a time for preparation work to the charging system or a function section that obtains, from the charging system, a charge amount of at least one of the plurality of vehicles or a scheduled connection time at which at least one of the plurality of vehicles is scheduled to be connected to the charging system, and a scheduled charging end time in the charging plan (i.e., the energy management scheme (EMP) controlling a charging operation of each electric vehicle charging station, paragraph 0031).
Re claim 9: Hou teaches a vehicle (EV1, EV2) connectable to the charging system (100) according to Claim 1, the vehicle comprising a display section (not particularly disclosed) that displays a percentage of a charge amount with respect to a full charge or a percentage of the charge amount with respect to a target level of charge (i.e., the displaying charging information on the display of the electric vehicle is well-known in the art).
Re claim 10: Hou teaches a charging method comprising setting a charging plan indicating a charging start time and a charging end time for a plurality of vehicles (EV1, EV2) (S410, paragraph 0034); controlling charging of a battery of each of the plurality of vehicles based on the charging plan (S420, paragraph 0034); and notifying a user of information regarding the charging plan and charging control based on the charging plan (paragraph 0025) (see figs. 1-4; paragraphs 0023-0034).
Re claim 11: Hou teaches a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing therein a program causing a computer to perform a process comprising setting a charging plan indicating a charging start time and a charging end time for a plurality of vehicles (EV1, EV2) (S410, paragraph 0034); controlling charging of a battery of each of the plurality of vehicles based on the charging plan (S420, paragraph 0034); and notifying a user of information regarding the charging plan and charging control based on the charging plan (paragraph 0025) (see figs. 1-4; paragraphs 0023-0034).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5 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 a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
None of prior art teaches the plurality of vehicles is connected to a charger and performs the charging, wherein the notification section notifies the user of information indicating a state of connection between each of the plurality of vehicles and the charger, and wherein, while the charging control based on the charging plan is being performed, the notification section performs first notification when at least one of the plurality of vehicles that is to be charged and the charger are not connected to each other, and performs second notification when at least one of the plurality of vehicles that is not to be charged and a charger are not connected to each other, and wherein the notification section notifies the user of information indicating an operation state of a vehicle apparatus provided for each of the plurality of vehicles, and wherein, while the charging control based on the charging plan is being performed, the notification section performs fourth notification when a fixture of at least one of the plurality of vehicles that is to be charged performs a certain operation, and performs fifth notification which is different from the fourth notification, when a fixture of at least one of the plurality of vehicles that is not to be charged performs an operation as set forth in the claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kiessling et al. (US 2021/0086647) and Mannepalli (US 2022/0305942) teach electric vehicle charging systems.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEUNG H LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-2401. The examiner can normally be reached 7-4:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven Paik can be reached at 571-272-2404. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SEUNG H LEE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
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