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 .
Status of Claims
This is the First Office Action on the merits.
Claims 1-15 are currently pending and addressed below.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. KR-10-2021-0155986, filed on 11/12/2021.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) filed on 05/13/2024 has been considered. An initialed copy of the IDS is enclosed herewith.
Claim Objections
The claims are objected to because each element or step of the claims should be separated by a line indentation. See 37 CFR 1.75(i).
Claim 13 is objected to because of the following informalities: The claim recites “The transmitting comprises” appears to be a typographical error and should read as “the transmitting comprises”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-15 are 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.
As to claim 1, the claim recites “obtain customized recommended charging station information based on charging station list information obtained by using a charging station evaluation model, and road condition information, by using a charging station recommendation model that takes the generated charging station recommendation query as input”. It is unclear to the Examiner what “and road condition information” is meant to be connected to. For example, is “road condition information” another element that the “charging station information” is based on or is it a piece or arbitrary data? Further, it is unclear what the “by using a charging station… as input” connected to or intended to modify.
As to claim 2, the claim recites “further based on the user information and the vehicle information both obtained by using at least one of user identification information and vehicle identification information included in the charging station recommendation request, and condition information for customized recommendation included in the charging station recommendation request.” It is unclear to the Examiner if the “at least one” corresponds with the 3 listed elements (e.g. user identification information, vehicle identification information, and condition information) ? Or 2 listed elements (e.g. user identification information and vehicle identification information)
As to claim 4, the claim recites “by using the user information in which application weights of group characteristic information of a group to which the user belongs”. It is unclear to the Examiner how the “application weights of group characteristic information” is being used. It is unclear to the Examiner what the metes and bounds of the “application weights” would be.
As to claim 5, the claim recites “replace the customized recommended charging station information with lower-priority customized recommended charging station information”. It is unclear to the Examiner what constitutes a customized recommended charging station information to be “lower-priority”. Further, it is not made explicit what the lower-priority is relative to. In other words, it is not made clear if the “recommended charging station information” of claim 1 is being directly compared in anyway, rendering the claim indefinite.
As to claim 6, the claim recites “the user information corresponding to user identification information included in the charging station recommendation request, and the vehicle information of a vehicle that is matched to the user identification information and then registered”. It is unclear to the Examiner what is being registered. Further, it is unclear to the Examiner what is meant by “registered”.
As to claim 7, the claim recites “wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to generate the charging station recommendation query based on the user information corresponding to user identification information and the vehicle information of a vehicle corresponding to vehicle identification information from among vehicles that are matched to the user identification information and then registered, according to the user identification information and the vehicle identification information included in the charging station recommendation request.”. It is unclear to the Examiner what plural vehicles (e.g. “among vehicles”) “are” being matched. Further, It is unclear to the Examiner what is being registered. Furthermore, it is unclear to the Examiner what is meant by “registered”. Moreover, it is unclear to the Examiner what is meant by “according to the user identification information and the vehicle identification information included in the charging station recommendation request”. The Examiner is unsure what “according to…” clause is meant to be connected to or modify. The Examiner notes that grammatical revision is needed to the entire claim.
As to claim 11, claim 11 is rejected for the same reasons as mentioned in the rejection of claim 1.
As to claim 12, the claim recites “modifying and outputting the user interface based on the received customized recommended charging station information.” It is unclear to the Examiner what is being modified and/or to be modified. In addition, it is unclear to the Examiner what the “user interface” is being outputted to or by?
As to claim 13, claim 13 is rejected for the same reasons as mentioned in the rejection of claim 2.
Dependent claims inherit the defect of the claim from which they depend.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim does not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because claim is directed to a charging station information providing application which is software. Applicant’s specification recites “The memory 210 may store software and/or a computer program. For example, the memory 210 may store programs such as applications or application programming interfaces (APIs), and various types of data. The memory 210 may store instructions”. The Examiner considers the claimed “application stored in a medium” to be “software per se” which is not directed to one of the four statutory categories of invention. See MPEP 2106.03, I.
For examination purpose, while the claimed subject matter is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 as noted above, the Examiner has analyzed the claim under 35 U.S.C. 101 abstract idea analysis based on the Examiner’s reasonable expectation that the claim may be amended to recite one of the four statutory categories of invention.
Claims 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
Regarding claim 1:
Step 1: Statutory Category - Yes
The claim is directed towards an apparatus which falls within one of the four statutory categories. MPEP 2106.3.
Step 2A Prong 1: Judicial Exception – Yes
Independent claim 1 includes limitations that recites an abstract idea. The claim recites “generate, in response to the received charging station recommendation request, a charging station recommendation query based on user information and vehicle information stored in the storage and corresponding to a user of the external device”, which given their broadest reasonable interpretation, the claim covers performance of the limitations in the human mind. For example, “generate…” in the context of this claim encompasses a person thinking through their needs and situation with self-questioning to form a mental plan. As such, the claim recites at least one abstract idea (mental process).
Step 2A Prong 2: Practical Application – No
Claim 1 is evaluated whether as a whole it integrates the recited judicial exception into a practical application. As noted in the 2019 PEG, it must be determined whether any additional elements in the claim beyond the abstract idea integrate the exception into a practical application in a manner that imposes a meaningful limit on the judicial exception. The courts have indicated that additional elements merely using a computer to implement an abstract idea, adding insignificant extra solution activity, or generally linking use of a judicial except ion to a particular technological environment or field of use do not integrate a judicial exception into a “practical application”.
The claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient enough to amount to integrating the judicial exception into a practical application, for example, the claimed elements “receive a charging station recommendation request from an external device through the communication interface unit”, “obtain customized recommended charging station information based on charging station list information obtained by using a charging station evaluation model, and road condition information, by using a charging station recommendation model that takes the generated charging station recommendation query as input”, and “transmit the obtained customized recommended charging station information to the external device through the communication interface unit” are recited at a high-level of generality and directed to insignificant extra-solution activity of data gathering and outputting data. Claim 1 recites the additional elements of “external device”, “a storage”, “a communication interface unit”, “a memory storing instructions”, “a processor”, “a charging station evaluation model”, and “a charging station recommendation model” are recited at a high-level of generality and amount to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer. The components merely automate the aforementioned steps. Accordingly, even in combination, these additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because they do not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea.
Step 2B:
Claim 1 is evaluated as to whether the claim as a whole amounts to significantly more
than the recited exception, i.e., whether any additional element, or combination of additional elements, adds an inventive concept to the claim.
The claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient enough to provide an
inventive concept in Step 2B, for example, the claimed elements “receive a charging station recommendation request from an external device through the communication interface unit”, “obtain customized recommended charging station information based on charging station list information obtained by using a charging station evaluation model, and road condition information, by using a charging station recommendation model that takes the generated charging station recommendation query as input”, and “transmit the obtained customized recommended charging station information to the external device through the communication interface unit” are well-understood, routine and conventional activity in the art. See MPEP 2106.05(d), II, “The courts have recognized the following computer functions as well‐understood, routine, and conventional functions when they are claimed in a merely generic manner (e.g., at a high level of generality) or as insignificant extra-solution activity. Receiving or transmitting data over a network, e.g., using the Internet to gather data, Symantec, 838 F.3d at 1321, 120 USPQ2d at 1362 (utilizing an intermediary computer to forward information);”.
As discussed with respect to step 2A Prong 2, the additional elements of additional elements of “external device”, “a storage”, “a communication interface unit”, “a memory storing instructions”, “a processor”, “a charging station evaluation model”, and “a charging station recommendation model” are recited at a high-level of generality and amount to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer. Accordingly, the claim is not patent eligible.
Regarding claim 11 , the claim recites a method which falls within at least one of the four statutory categories. Claim 11 recites similar limitations as indicated above with respect to claim 1. Hence, the claim is not eligible for the same reasons as discussed above with respect to claim 1. All other limitations not discussed are the same as those discussed above with respect to claim 1. Discussion is omitted for brevity.
Regarding claim 12:
Step 1: Statutory Category - Yes
The claim is considered to be directed towards one of the four statutory categories. MPEP 2106.3.
Step 2A Prong 1: Judicial Exception – Yes
Independent claim 12 includes limitations that recites an abstract idea. The claim recites “detecting an input of a charging station recommendation request in a user interface upon execution of the charging station information providing application”, and “modifying… the user interface based on the received customized recommended charging station information” which given their broadest reasonable interpretation, the claim covers performance of the limitations in the human mind. For example, “detecting…” in the context of this claim encompasses a person detecting/recognizing an input/data in an interface. Further, “modifying…” in the context of this claim encompasses a person adjusting the received data/information. As such, the claim recites at least one abstract idea (mental process).
Step 2A Prong 2: Practical Application – No
Claim 12 is evaluated whether as a whole it integrates the recited judicial exception into a practical application. As noted in the 2019 PEG, it must be determined whether any additional elements in the claim beyond the abstract idea integrate the exception into a practical application in a manner that imposes a meaningful limit on the judicial exception. The courts have indicated that additional elements merely using a computer to implement an abstract idea, adding insignificant extra solution activity, or generally linking use of a judicial except ion to a particular technological environment or field of use do not integrate a judicial exception into a “practical application”.
The claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient enough to amount to integrating the judicial exception into a practical application, for example, the claimed elements “transmitting the charging station recommendation request to a charging station information providing server; in response to the transmitting, receiving, from the charging station information providing server, customized recommended charging station information obtained based on charging station list information obtained by using a charging station evaluation model, and road condition information, by using a charging station recommendation model that takes, as input, a charging station recommendation query based on user information and vehicle information corresponding to a user of the terminal device;” and “…outputting the user interface based on the received customized recommended charging station information” are recited at a high-level of generality and directed to insignificant extra-solution activity of outputting data. Claim 12 recites the additional elements of “a processor”, “a charging station evaluation model”, and “a charging station recommendation model” are recited at a high-level of generality and amounts to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer. The component merely automates the aforementioned steps.
Accordingly, even in combination, these additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because they do not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea.
Step 2B:
Claim 12 is evaluated as to whether the claim as a whole amounts to significantly more
than the recited exception, i.e., whether any additional element, or combination of additional elements, adds an inventive concept to the claim.
The claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient enough to provide an
inventive concept in Step 2B, for example, the claimed elements “transmitting the charging station recommendation request to a charging station information providing server;”, and “in response to the transmitting, receiving, from the charging station information providing server, customized recommended charging station information obtained based on charging station list information obtained by using a charging station evaluation model, and road condition information, by using a charging station recommendation model that takes, as input, a charging station recommendation query based on user information and vehicle information corresponding to a user of the terminal device;” and “… outputting the user interface based on the received customized recommended charging station information” are well-understood, routine and conventional activity in the art. See MPEP 2106.05(d), II, “The courts have recognized the following computer functions as well‐understood, routine, and conventional functions when they are claimed in a merely generic manner (e.g., at a high level of generality) or as insignificant extra-solution activity. Receiving or transmitting data over a network, e.g., using the Internet to gather data, Symantec, 838 F.3d at 1321, 120 USPQ2d at 1362 (utilizing an intermediary computer to forward information);”.
As discussed with respect to step 2A Prong 2, the additional elements of “a processor”, “a charging station evaluation model”, and “a charging station recommendation model” are recited at a high-level of generality and amounts to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer. Accordingly, the claim is not patent eligible.
Claims 2-10, and 13-15 are also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 by virtue of their dependency to the independent claims.
Claims 2-10, and 13-15 do not recite additional elements that integrate the judicial
exception into a practical application, because the additional elements are directed toward
additional aspects of judicial exception and/or well-understood, routine and conventional
additional elements that do not integrate the judicial exception into a practical application. For example, the limitation of claims 2-3 further the abstract idea.
The dependent claims are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 under similar rationale as their independent claims.
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.
Claims 1-2, 4, and 6-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Teske (US 20190383637 A1) in view of Oh et al. (US 20170276503 A1).
Regarding claim 1, and similarly with respect to claim 11, Teske discloses A charging
station information providing server comprising: a storage; a communication interface unit; a memory storing instructions; and a processor configured to execute the instructions to receive a charging station recommendation request from an external device through the communication interface unit, (Figure 1, and [0034] “an end user device, such as a device to which a user directly provides input (e.g., requesting charging station queries, setting user preferences, inputting user/vehicle information, etc.) and which includes or is directly connected to an output device that presents information (e.g., a result of a charging station query, a user interface for an application that interfaces with the server 102, etc.) to the user.”, and [0033] “, the server 102 may transmit an output of the query servicing unit 120 to the client device 104. The output of the query servicing unit 120 may be processed by the charging station application of the client device in order to generate a map (e.g., in the case where the output corresponds to a list of geolocations of charging stations)”)
generate, in response to the received charging station recommendation request, a
charging station recommendation query based on user information and vehicle information stored in the storage and corresponding to a user of the external device, ([0005] “accessing a charging station database, the charging station database storing connector codes identifying a connector type and a connector power level for charging connectors provided at a plurality of charging stations, and comparing parameters of the charging station query to the connector codes of the charging station database to identify charging stations that fit the parameters of the charging station query. The results of the charging station query may be output by transmitting mapping data for the charging stations to a requesting device (e.g., a client device).” and [0032] “The charging station application may coordinate the sending of data from the user/vehicle profiles database 126 to the server and/or to an intermediary location (e.g., automatically, such as to supplement a charging station query and/or responsive to a request from the server 102”)
obtain customized recommended charging station information based on charging station
list information obtained by using a charging station evaluation model, ([0053] “the user may adjust the parameters of the charging station query by inputting an indication of additional or alternative connector codes that are to be included in the search and/or a further constraint on targeted power levels for the search (e.g., upon receiving a result showing a large number of nearby charging stations, the user may narrow down the results to target fastest charging options). At 624, the client device transmits the adjusted parameter(s) to the server.”, and [0054] “the server identifies a second group of charging stations in a vicinity of the location that meet the adjusted parameters. The second group of charging stations may include all, some, or none of the charging stations from the first group, depending on overlap between the original parameters, the adjusted parameters, and features of the charging stations. At 628, the server generates mapping data for the second group of charging stations. The server transmits the mapping data for the second group of charging stations to the client device, as indicated at 630. In response, at 632, the client device displays, based on the new mapping data, a map populated with indicators of the second group of charging stations”) transmit the obtained customized recommended charging station information to the external device through the communication interface unit. (510 – 514, Figure 5, and [0054] “the server identifies a second group of charging stations in a vicinity of the location that meet the adjusted parameters. The second group of charging stations may include all, some, or none of the charging stations from the first group, depending on overlap between the original parameters, the adjusted parameters, and features of the charging stations. At 628, the server generates mapping data for the second group of charging stations. The server transmits the mapping data for the second group of charging stations to the client device, as indicated at 630. In response, at 632, the client device displays, based on the new mapping data, a map populated with indicators of the second group of charging stations”)
However, Teske fails to explicitly obtain customized recommended charging station
information based on
Oh et al. teaches obtain customized recommended charging station information based
([0030] “The electric vehicle 100 is a vehicle that operates by electricity stored in a battery, and generally includes an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system that can collect and transmit vehicle driving information… transmits the information of the estimated discharge time to an EV charging station recommendation system 200, together with other information about the vehicle's current position, battery capacity, vehicle model, etc. The infotainment system may include a 3G modem or an LTE module, which allows for communication with the EV charging station recommendation system 200 at a remote location.”, [0032] “such information be transmitted together when the infotainment system transmits a charging station search request to the EV charging station recommendation system 200 in response to the driver's search request. By making a charging station search request through the infotainment system, the driver can request the EV charging station recommendation system 200 for information on charging stations at close locations”, [0051] “determining the optimal charging station is as follows. The optimal charging station providing unit 240 selects the nearby charging stations from the current position of the electric vehicle 100 that can be reached within the expected discharge time. The nearby distance may be the shortest travel distance on the map, the shortest travel time that considers traffic conditions”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention with reasonable expectations of success to modify the invention of Teske to incorporate traffic conditions as taught by Oh et al. for the purpose of providing an optimal charging station recommendation to the user that considers traffic conditions.
Regarding claim 2, Teske in view of Oh et al. discloses The charging station information
providing server of claim 1,
Teske discloses wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to
generate the charging station recommendation query further based on the user information and the vehicle information ([0005] “accessing a charging station database, the charging station database storing connector codes identifying a connector type and a connector power level for charging connectors provided at a plurality of charging stations, and comparing parameters of the charging station query to the connector codes of the charging station database to identify charging stations that fit the parameters of the charging station query. The results of the charging station query may be output by transmitting mapping data for the charging stations to a requesting device (e.g., a client device).” and [0032] “The charging station application may coordinate the sending of data from the user/vehicle profiles database 126 to the server and/or to an intermediary location (e.g., automatically, such as to supplement a charging station query and/or responsive to a request from the server 102”) both obtained by using at least one of user identification information and vehicle identification information included in the charging station recommendation request, and condition information for customized recommendation included in the charging station recommendation request. ([0030] “the query servicing unit 120 may be configured to access the user/vehicle profiles database 118 to determine a selected vehicle that is most likely associated with a user providing the query and an associated connector code for the selected vehicle (e.g., based on further information stored in the user/vehicle profiles database 118 and/or information stored in the vehicle connector database 116 that matches the selected vehicle and/or a make/model of the selected vehicle).”, and [0032] “[0032] “The charging station application may also generate and manage a user/vehicle profiles database 126 using information received from the user input interface (e.g., user entry of preferences/user information), the server 102 (e.g., output from prior charging station queries)”, and see at least Figure 7)
Regarding claim 4, Teske in view of Oh et al. discloses The charging station information
providing server of claim 1,
Teske discloses wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to obtain the customized recommended charging station information by using the user information in which application weights of group characteristic information of a group to which the user belongs and personal characteristic information of the user are adjusted according to the user's cumulative use of a charging station information providing service. ([0052] “the server 604 uses the identified connector code(s) to identify a first group of charging stations in a vicinity of the location that are compatible with the connector(s) of the vehicle. A charging stations may be considered to be in a vicinity of the location when the charging station is within a threshold distance of the location, where the threshold is set based on user preferences, user input, and/or a preset default. The server 604 then generates mapping data for the first group of charging stations, as indicated at 616. At 618, the server 604 transmits the mapping data to the client device.”, [0053] “the user may adjust the parameters of the charging station query by inputting an indication of additional or alternative connector codes that are to be included in the search and/or a further constraint on targeted power levels for the search (e.g., upon receiving a result showing a large number of nearby charging stations, the user may narrow down the results to target fastest charging options). At 624, the client device transmits the adjusted parameter(s) to the server.”, and [0054] “the server identifies a second group of charging stations in a vicinity of the location that meet the adjusted parameters. The second group of charging stations may include all, some, or none of the charging stations from the first group, depending on overlap between the original parameters, the adjusted parameters, and features of the charging stations. At 628, the server generates mapping data for the second group of charging stations. The server transmits the mapping data for the second group of charging stations to the client device.”)
Regarding claim 6, Teske in view of Oh et al. discloses The charging station information
providing server of claim 1,
Teske discloses wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to generate the charging station recommendation query based on the user information corresponding to user identification information included in the charging station recommendation request, and the vehicle information of a vehicle that is matched to the user identification information and then registered. ([0030] “the query servicing unit 120 may be configured to identify one or more connector codes of interest based on other information from the query. For example, the query servicing unit 120 may be configured to access the user/vehicle profiles database 118 to determine a selected vehicle that is most likely associated with a user providing the query and an associated connector code for the selected vehicle (e.g., based on further information stored in the user/vehicle profiles database 118 and/or information stored in the vehicle connector database 116 that matches the selected vehicle and/or a make/model of the selected vehicle).”)
Regarding claim 7, Teske in view of Oh et al. discloses The charging station information
providing server of claim 1,
Teske discloses wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to generate the charging station recommendation query based on the user information corresponding to user identification information and the vehicle information of a vehicle corresponding to vehicle identification information from among vehicles that are matched to the user identification information and then registered, according to the user identification information and the vehicle identification information included in the charging station recommendation request.([0030] “the query servicing unit 120 may be configured to identify one or more connector codes of interest based on other information from the query. For example, the query servicing unit 120 may be configured to access the user/vehicle profiles database 118 to determine a selected vehicle that is most likely associated with a user providing the query and an associated connector code for the selected vehicle (e.g., based on further information stored in the user/vehicle profiles database 118 and/or information stored in the vehicle connector database 116 that matches the selected vehicle and/or a make/model of the selected vehicle).”, [0032] “The charging station application may also generate and manage a user/vehicle profiles database 126 using information received from the user input interface (e.g., user entry of preferences/user information), the server 102 (e.g., output from prior charging station queries)”, and see at least Figure 7)
Regarding claim 8, and similarly with respect to claim 14, Teske in view of Oh et al. discloses
The charging station information providing server of claim 1,
Teske discloses wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to
classify the customized recommended charging station information into categories corresponding to charging station type information, and transmit the classified customized recommended charging station information to the external device through the communication interface unit. (Figure 1, [0052] “the server 604 uses the identified connector code(s) to identify a first group of charging stations in a vicinity of the location that are compatible with the connector(s) of the vehicle. A charging stations may be considered to be in a vicinity of the location when the charging station is within a threshold distance of the location, where the threshold is set based on user preferences, user input, and/or a preset default. The server 604 then generates mapping data for the first group of charging stations, as indicated at 616. At 618, the server 604 transmits the mapping data to the client device.”, [0053] “the client device 602 displays, based on the mapping data from the server, a map populated with indicators of the first group of charging station”, [0054] “he server identifies a second group of charging stations in a vicinity of the location that meet the adjusted parameters. The second group of charging stations may include all, some, or none of the charging stations from the first group, depending on overlap between the original parameters, the adjusted parameters, and features of the charging stations. At 628, the server generates mapping data for the second group of charging stations. The server transmits the mapping data for the second group of charging stations to the client device”, and [0087] “The communication connection(s) 1470 enable communication over a communication medium to another computing entity.”)
Regarding claim 9, and similarly with respect to claim 15, Teske in view of Oh et al. discloses
The charging station information providing server of claim 1,
Teske discloses wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to
receive, from the external device, a request for route guidance to a customized recommended charging station based on the customized recommended charging station information, and in response to the received request for route guidance, provide the external device with a travel route to the customized recommended charging station based on the road condition information. ([0055] “with respect to a user-initiated adjustment of query parameters, it is to be understood that the operations at 624 through 632 may be iteratively performed on an automatic basis for instances where a map output is controlled to be periodically or dynamically updated based on one or more triggers. For example, in a scenario in which a user is moving while the communications of FIG. 6 are being performed, the user location may change over time. Accordingly, the changed parameters referenced at 624 may relate to a changed location of the vehicle, and the identification of additional groups of charging stations (as performed at 626) may be performed continuously as updates of the changing location are provided to the server. Correspondingly, the generation and transmission of mapping data at 628 and 630 may be iteratively performed for each charging station group identification, and the map displayed at 632 may be continuously updated to reflect the changing location and identified charging stations. Accordingly, as the vehicle travels along a route, the server may iteratively service additional charging station queries automatically, where servicing the additional charging station queries includes, for each additional charging station query, identifying a new subset of charging stations that includes charging stations within a threshold distance of the vehicle and that fit the parameters of the additional charging station query (e.g., match the connector code(s) of the query), and transmitting updated mapping data corresponding to the new subset of the charging stations to the client device. Similar iterative processing may be performed in the course of determining a route for a user, in which the adjusted parameters may include different locations along different candidate routes to identify charging stations along the different candidate routes. ”)
provide the external device with a travel route to the customized recommended charging
station based on the road condition information. ([0071] “performing a trip planning operation using standardized connector codes (e.g., for identifying charging stations along candidate routes), which allows for a reduction in processing resources and an increase in user friendliness of the trip planning operation compared to other approaches that do not utilize the standardized connector codes of the disclosure. Method 1100 may be performed at a server, such as server 102 of FIG. 1 and/or server 604 of FIG. 6). At 1102, the method includes receiving at least one connector code, a starting location, and a destination for a vehicle.”, [0072] “the method includes calculating the travel time for each of the candidate routes and selecting a targeted route from the plurality of candidate routes to minimize a travel time. As indicated, the travel time may include, in addition to the time spent traveling along the route (e.g., based on a total distance of the route, speed limits along the route, and a traffic estimation along the route)”, and [0073] “transmitting (e.g., to a client device) mapping data corresponding to the targeted route and the one or more charging stations along the route (e.g., the charging stations identified as being usable to recharge the vehicle along the route and minimize a travel time at 1108)”)
Regarding claim 10, Teske in view of Oh et al. discloses The charging station information
providing server of claim 1,
Teske discloses wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to
receive, from the external device through the communication interface unit, the user information comprising at least one of driving information of the user, charging-related condition information, and payment method information, (606-612, Figure 6, [0050] “the client device receives user input including vehicle information. The vehicle information may include a particular vehicle identifier (e.g., a Vehicle Identification Number [VIN]) and/or other information including a vehicle make, model, year, trim, etc. The vehicle information may also include charging system information for the vehicle, including an indication of a charging connector (e.g., a connector type and/or power level, or a standardized connector code) and/or any adapters for expanding compatibility of the charging connector of the vehicle… The client device 602 then transmits the input vehicle information and the location information to the server 604 as a charging station query, as indicated at 610.”, and [0051] “the server 604 processes the vehicle information to identify one or more connector codes for a charging connector of the vehicle. For example, if the vehicle information includes one or more compatible connector codes for the vehicle, the processing at 612 may include identifying and extracting the connector code information from the vehicle information.”)
store the user information in the storage, ([0029] “The server 102 may optionally also
include a database of user/vehicle profiles 118. For example, user profiles may include user information such as user preferences, user device information (e.g., type of device(s) used by the user), and/or historical user data (e.g., historical location information for the user, prior queries made by the user, user habits/behaviors, etc.), as well as vehicle information for vehicles associated with a user (e.g., vehicle make/model/connector code, etc.).”, and [0030] “the query servicing unit 120 may be configured to access the user/vehicle profiles database 118 to determine a selected vehicle that is most likely associated with a user providing the query and an associated connector code for the selected vehicle (e.g., based on further information stored in the user/vehicle profiles database 118 and/or information stored in the vehicle connector database 116 that matches the selected vehicle and/or a make/model of the selected vehicle). The instructions of the query servicing unit 120”)
receive the vehicle information through a vehicle information providing application
programming interface (API) by using a vehicle account registered by the user, and (700, Figure 7, and [0056] “user interface 700 for an application that presents a result for a charging station query. The user interface 700 may be presented at a client device, such as client device 104”, and [0031] “The client device 104 includes application data 122, which may include instructions stored at the client device that are executable by a processor of the client device to perform operations associated with one or more applications. The one or more applications includes a charging station application for providing information regarding charging stations (e.g., an application for interacting with the server 102 to service charging station queries). For example, the client device may receive, at a user input interface 124, user input corresponding to a charging station query.”, [0032] “The charging station application may also generate and manage a user/vehicle profiles database 126 using information received from the user input interface (e.g., user entry of preferences/user information)… information used to generate and manage the user/vehicle profiles database 126 may be aggregated and stored in association with a respective user and/or vehicle identifier. The charging station application may coordinate the sending of data from the user/vehicle profiles database 126 to the server and/or to an intermediary location (e.g., automatically, such as to supplement a charging station query and/or responsive to a request from the server 102”) store the vehicle information in the storage. ([0030] “the query servicing unit 120 may be configured to access the user/vehicle profiles database 118 to determine a selected vehicle that is most likely associated with a user providing the query and an associated connector code for the selected vehicle (e.g., based on further information stored in the user/vehicle profiles database 118 and/or information stored in the vehicle connector database 116 that matches the selected vehicle and/or a make/model of the selected vehicle). The instructions of the query servicing unit 120”)
Regarding claim 12, Teske discloses A charging station information providing application
stored in a medium to cause at least one processor of a terminal device to perform a charging station information providing method comprising: detecting an input of a charging station recommendation request in a user interface upon execution of the charging station information providing application; transmitting the charging station recommendation request to a charging station information providing server; (Figures 7-8, [0031] “The client device may receive, at a user input interface 124, user input corresponding to a charging station query. The charging station query may be provided to the user input interface 124 in any suitable form (e.g., as voice input, gesture input, keyboard entry, actuation of a user interface control via input provided to a touch sensor, mouse, controller, and/or button, etc.). The charging station application may coordinate the transmission of the charging station query to the server 102 for processing.”)
in response to the transmitting, receiving, from the charging station information providing server, customized recommended charging station information obtained based on charging station list information obtained by using a charging station evaluation model, ([0053] “the user may adjust the parameters of the charging station query by inputting an indication of additional or alternative connector codes that are to be included in the search and/or a further constraint on targeted power levels for the search (e.g., upon receiving a result showing a large number of nearby charging stations, the user may narrow down the results to target fastest charging options). At 624, the client device transmits the adjusted parameter(s) to the server.”, and [0054] “the server identifies a second group of charging stations in a vicinity of the location that meet the adjusted parameters. The second group of charging stations may include all, some, or none of the charging stations from the first group, depending on overlap between the original parameters, the adjusted parameters, and features of the charging stations. At 628, the server generates mapping data for the second group of charging stations. The server transmits the mapping data for the second group of charging stations to the client device, as indicated at 630. In response, at 632, the client device displays, based on the new mapping data, a map populated with indicators of the second group of charging stations”)
modifying and outputting the user interface based on the received customized recommended charging station information. (510 – 514, Figure 5, and [0054] “the server identifies a second group of charging stations in a vicinity of the location that meet the adjusted parameters. The second group of charging stations may include all, some, or none of the charging stations from the first group, depending on overlap between the original parameters, the adjusted parameters, and features of the charging stations. At 628, the server generates mapping data for the second group of charging stations. The server transmits the mapping data for the second group of charging stations to the client device, as indicated at 630. In response, at 632, the client device displays, based on the new mapping data, a map populated with indicators of the second group of charging stations”)
However, Teske fails to explicitly in response to the transmitting, receiving, from the
charging station information providing server, customized recommended charging station information obtained based
Oh et al. teaches in response to the transmitting, receiving, from the charging station
information providing server, customized recommended charging station information obtained based ([0030] “The electric vehicle 100 is a vehicle that operates by electricity stored in a battery, and generally includes an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system that can collect and transmit vehicle driving information… transmits the information of the estimated discharge time to an EV charging station recommendation system 200, together with other information about the vehicle's current position, battery capacity, vehicle model, etc. The infotainment system may include a 3G modem or an LTE module, which allows for communication with the EV charging station recommendation system 200 at a remote location.”, [0032] “such information be transmitted together when the infotainment system transmits a charging station search request to the EV charging station recommendation system 200 in response to the driver's search request. By making a charging station search request through the infotainment system, the driver can request the EV charging station recommendation system 200 for information on charging stations at close locations”, [0051] “determining the optimal charging station is as follows. The optimal charging station prov