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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 6, 8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamato (JP 2018102084), with publication date: 2018-06-28, and Kusumi (US 2013/0035813).
Regarding claim 1, Yamato discloses a charging control device (paragraph [0001]) comprising a controller that controls charging a battery that is mounted on a vehicle using an external power (The charging control device of this disclosure is a charging control device that controls the execution of external charging, which charges an energy storage device mounted on a vehicle using an external power source, and comprises a control unit and a temperature acquisition unit, paragraph [0006]), wherein the controller is able to set a first charging mode in which charging is completed when a state of charge becomes a first target of charge close to full charging (when the scheduled time for external charging arrives, the ECU 150 controls the charger 120 to start external charging. The ECU 150 then monitors the State of Charge (SOC) of the energy storage device 130, and when the SOC reaches a target charge value (for example, a fully charged SOC), it stops the charger 120, indicating that external charging is complete, paragraph [0024]), and the controller is configured to: in a case of the first charging mode, control a timing when charging is completed based on a traveling due time (paragraph [0028]), and in a case of the second charging mode, execute control such that the timing when charging is completed before the timing when charging is completed in the first charging mode (external charging can be started when the start time entered by the user arrives, and the external charging can be completed early, thereby avoiding a situation where external charging is not completed when the departure time is changed and the vehicle departs earlier, paragraph [0029], [0050]).
However, Yamato does not explicitly disclose that the controller is able to set a second charging mode in which charging is completed when a state of charge becomes a second target state of charge that is lower than the first target state of charge.
Kusumi discloses the controller to control the charging of the vehicle battery in various modes. Kusumi further discloses two modes of charging (normal mode and long-life mode, fig. 4). In long life mode charging is completed when a state of charge becomes a second target state of charge that is lower than the first target state of charge (paragraph [0089]-[0090]).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of claimed invention to modify Yamato’s charging control method to include to charge the vehicle battery at the lower SOC in the second mode as taught by Kusumi, in order to avoid the extreme high voltages that accelerate chemical degradation and electrode stress.
Regarding claim 2, Yamato further discloses wherein the controller is further configured to: in a case of the first charging mode, execute control such that charging is completed at a timing that is earlier than the traveling due time by a first time (external charging will start at time t12 (after time t11) so that it is completed by the scheduled departure time t15 (a small margin can be set), paragraph [0049]).
Regarding claim 3, Yamato further discloses wherein the controller is further configured to: adjust the first time based on an environmental temperature at the traveling due time (paragraph [0049]).
Regarding claim 4, Yamato further discloses wherein the controller is further configured to: in a case of the first charging mode, delay a charging start time until a timing at which charging up to the first target state of charge at the traveling due time is possible (paragraph [0049] the charging is delayed up to t12 time and charging started after t12 to t15, fig. 6).
Regarding claim 6, Yamato further discloses wherein the controller is further configured to: in a case of the second charging mode, start charging in a case where a preparation for charging is completed (in the case of low temperatures, which have little effect on the degradation of the energy storage device 130, external charging can be started when the start time entered by the user arrives, and the external charging can be completed early, paragraph [0039] and the charging started after the detection of the temperature (preparation), paragraph [0038]).
Regarding claim 8, Yamato discloses a charging control method(paragraph [0013]) of a battery that is mounted on a vehicle by using an external power (paragraph [0006]), the method being executed by a controller and comprising: being able to set a first charging mode in which charging is completed when a state of charge becomes a first target of charge close to full charging(when the scheduled time for external charging arrives, the ECU 150 controls the charger 120 to start external charging. The ECU 150 then monitors the State of Charge (SOC) of the energy storage device 130, and when the SOC reaches a target charge value (for example, a fully charged SOC), it stops the charger 120, indicating that external charging is complete, paragraph [0024]), in a case of the first charging mode, controlling a timing when charging is completed based on a traveling due time(paragraph [0028]); and in a case of the second charging mode, executing control such that the timing when charging is completed before the timing when charging is completed in the first charging mode(external charging can be started when the start time entered by the user arrives, and the external charging can be completed early, thereby avoiding a situation where external charging is not completed when the departure time is changed and the vehicle departs earlier, paragraph [0029], [0050]). However, Saito does not explicitly disclose that the controller is able to set a second charging mode in which charging is completed when a state of charge becomes a second target state of charge that is lower than the first target state of charge.
Kusumi discloses the controller to control the charging of the vehicle battery in various modes. Kusumi further discloses two modes of charging (normal mode and long-life mode, fig. 4). In long life mode charging is completed when a state of charge becomes a second target state of charge that is lower than the first target state of charge (paragraph [0089]-[0090]).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of claimed invention to modify Yamato’s charging control method to include to charge the vehicle battery at the lower SOC in the second mode as taught by Kusumi, in order to avoid the extreme high voltages that accelerate chemical degradation and electrode stress.
Regarding claim 9, Yamato discloses A charging control device (paragraph [0001]) comprising a controller that controls charging a battery that is mounted on a vehicle using an external power(The charging control device of this disclosure is a charging control device that controls the execution of external charging, which charges an energy storage device mounted on a vehicle using an external power source, and comprises a control unit and a temperature acquisition unit, paragraph [0006]), wherein the controller is able to set a first charging mode in which charging is completed when a state of charge becomes a first target of charge close to full charging(when the scheduled time for external charging arrives, the ECU 150 controls the charger 120 to start external charging. The ECU 150 then monitors the State of Charge (SOC) of the energy storage device 130, and when the SOC reaches a target charge value (for example, a fully charged SOC), it stops the charger 120, indicating that external charging is complete, paragraph [0024]), and the controller is configured to: in a case of the first charging mode, control a timing of start of charging based on a traveling due time (paragraph [0028]); and in a case of the second charging mode, start charging when a preparation for charging is completed(external charging can be started when the start time entered by the user arrives, and the external charging can be completed early, thereby avoiding a situation where external charging is not completed when the departure time is changed and the vehicle departs earlier, paragraph [0029], [0050]).
However, Yamato does not explicitly disclose that the controller is able to set a second charging mode in which charging is completed when a state of charge becomes a second target state of charge that is lower than the first target state of charge.
Kusumi discloses the controller to control the charging of the vehicle battery in various modes. Kusumi further discloses two modes of charging (normal mode and long-life mode, fig. 4). In long life mode charging is completed when a state of charge becomes a second target state of charge that is lower than the first target state of charge (paragraph [0089]-[0090]).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of claimed invention to modify Yamato’s charging control method to include to charge the vehicle battery at the lower SOC in the second mode as taught by Kusumi, in order to avoid the extreme high voltages that accelerate chemical degradation and electrode stress.
Claim(s) 4, 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamato (JP 2018102084), with publication date: 2018-06-28, Kusumi (US 2013/0035813) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Maya et al. (US 9,333,872), herein after Maya.
Regarding claim 4, Yamato in view of Kusumi discloses the charging control device of claim 1. However, Yamato and Kusumi do not disclose wherein the controller is further configured to: notify a user of the charging start time.
Maya discloses a system to get charging notification and inquiry of an electric vehicle. Maya further discloses the controller is further configured to: notify a user of the charging start time (Col. 5, lines 51-58).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of claimed invention to modify Yamato’s controller in view of Kusumi’s system to include the instruction about notifying the charging of the vehicle to user as taught by Maya, in order to keep the user informed of the charging status and schedule, thereby allowing the user to confirm that sufficient battery charge will be available at the desired vehicle-use or departure time and to take corrective action if the revised charging schedule does not satisfy the user’s needs.
Regarding claim 7, Yamato in view of Kusumi discloses the charging control device of claim 1. Yamato further discloses wherein the controller is further configured to: in a case of the second charging mode and further where charging is not immediately started after completion of a preparation for charging(paragraph [0038]-[0039] the temperature is determined before starting the charging of the battery is actually the delay time in charging). However, Yamato and Kusumi do not disclose notify a user of a delay of start of charging.
Maya discloses a system to get charging notification and inquiry of an electric vehicle. Maya further discloses the controller is further configured to: notify a user of the charging of the vehicle (Col. 5, lines 51-58; Note, the communication let the user know about all the charging details).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of claimed invention to modify Yamato’s controller in view of Kusumi’s system to include the instruction about notifying the charging of the vehicle to user as taught by Maya, in order to keep the user informed of the charging status and schedule, thereby allowing the user to confirm that sufficient battery charge will be available at the desired vehicle-use or departure time and to take corrective action if the revised charging schedule does not satisfy the user’s needs.
Conclusion
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SADIA . KOUSAR
Examiner
Art Unit 2859
/JULIAN D HUFFMAN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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