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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 1 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.
Re Claim 1; claim recites “…wherein when power consumption of the drive battery is to be suppressed and power generated by the solar panel can be supplied to the auxiliary unit, the relay is turned ON…” and later “wherein when power consumption of the drive battery is to be suppressed and power generated by the solar panel can be supplied to the auxiliary unit, the relay is turned OFF…”.
A person of ordinary skilled in the art cannot determine which relay state is required under these clauses; hence scope of claim is indeterminate.
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) 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wanleng Ang (EP 2752329 A1) in view of Go (US 2020/0231036 A1).
Re Claim 1: (Currently Amended) A vehicle power supply system for supplying electric power generated by a solar panel to an auxiliary unit, supplying electric power from a drive battery to the auxiliary unit (see 9, 5, MB, fig.1 para 0047-0049) and switching between ON and OFF of connection between the drive battery and the auxiliary unit by a relay (see 32 , 34 RLY1p/RLY1N, RLY2P/RLY2N fig.2 para 0052-0053), wherein when power consumption of the drive battery is to be suppressed and power generated by the solar panel can be supplied to the auxiliary unit, the relay is turned ON to secure a charging opportunity by power generation of the solar panel (see 9, 5, S1, S2, S5, S6, R2 fig.3/4 para 0056-0061);, wherein when power consumption of the drive battery is to be suppressed and power generated by the solar panel can be supplied to the auxiliary unit, the relay is turned OFF (see S5/S6, para 0056-0061 also see 112 issue).
Wanleng doesn’t expressly teach and wherein when the number of times the relay has been switched is greater than or equal to a predetermined number of times, the relay is kept ON even after completion of charging from the drive battery to the auxiliary unit is complete, and wherein the relay is kept ON specifically to suppress a decrease in the life of the relay by reducing switching operations, regardless of solar radiation conditions.
In an analogous art Go teaches and wherein when the number of times the relay has been switched is greater than or equal to a predetermined number of times, the relay is kept ON even after completion of charging from the drive battery to the auxiliary unit is complete (see power saving mode, stand by time T1, S202/S203, para 0007, 0014, 0031-0034) , and wherein the relay is kept ON specifically to suppress a decrease in the life of the relay by reducing switching operations, regardless of solar radiation conditions (see T1-T3, para 0006, 0060-0063).
Therefore; it would have bene obvious for one of the ordinary skilled in the art at the time invention was claimed to use the counter-based switch suppression of Go in the invention of Wanleng to reduce the cycling and improve contactor reliability.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Aqeel H Bukhari whose telephone number is (571)272-4382. The examiner can normally be reached M-F (9am to 5pm).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Rexford Barnie can be reached at 571-2727492. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AQEEL H BUKHARI/Examiner, Art Unit 2836
/REXFORD N BARNIE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2836