DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Drawings
Figures 1-2 are objected to because the drawings lack legends which are deemed to be necessary, or the provided legends in the drawings are illegible. According to 37 CFR 1.84(o), suitable legends may be required by the examiner where necessary for understanding of the drawing.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 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 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Vaughan et al. US PGPUB 2019/0375308.
Regarding claims 1 and 5, Vaughn discloses electric vehicle (EV) supply equipment configured to electrically connect with a plurality of EVs [figs. 2 & 4] comprising:
one or more active cables configured to electrically connect with EVs [fig. 2; 152];
one or more queue cables configured to electrically connect with EVs [pars. 58 & 60-61; a dispenser with no power modules allocated to it (waiting dispensers)];
wherein the EV supply equipment detects a plurality of EVs are electrically connected to EV supply equipment via the active cable(s) and the queue cable(s) that communicate electrical current from a grid to vehicle batteries on the EVs [par. 53-54];
assign a queue value to each EV based on the order in which the EV electrically connected to the EV supply equipment [pars. 39-41; prioritizing charging sessions and dispensers, which can be on first come first serve basis (par. 30];
determines that the quantity of EVs electrically connected to the EV supply equipment exceeds a maximum number of EVs the EV supply equipment can charge at once [fig. 4, step 425; pars. 55 & 59-60; if no power is available for a new dispenser at step 425 the determination is made of “NO” and alternative action can take place].
Regarding claims 2 and 6, Vaughan discloses determining that an EV has been disconnected from the EV supply equipment and updating the queue value associated with each EV [fig. 4, 460; par. 58].
Regarding claims 3 and 7, Vaughan discloses the step of reducing an amount of electrical current delivered to the active cables and also providing electrical current to the queue cables [pars. 58 & 60-61; a dispenser with no power modules allocated to it can have power modules reallocated to it by deallocating modules from other dispensers].
Regarding claims 4 and 8, Vaughan discloses the step of receiving payment and changing the queue value of an EV in response [par. 40].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bennett to further include the steps of receiving payment and changing the queue value of an EV in response for the purpose of allowing customers to pay a premium for priority, as taught by Vaughan (par. 40).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Atluri US PGPUB 2022/0097540 discloses a system for charging a plurality of vehicles connected to dispensers and scheduling the charging.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID V HENZE whose telephone number is (571)272-3317. The examiner can normally be reached M to F, 9am to 7pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Julian Huffman can be reached at 571-272-2147. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DAVID V HENZE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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