DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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
2. This office action is in response to application number 18/768,738 filed on 07/10/2024,
and the amendments and arguments filed on 01/02/2026.
Claims 1, 11, 13, and 17 have been amended.
No claims have been added.
No claims have been cancelled.
Claims 1-20 are currently pending and have been examined.
Information Disclosure Statement
3. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/10/2024 has been received
and has been considered.
Response to Amendment
4. Applicant' s amendments to the Claims have overcome each and every rejection
previously set forth in the Non-Final Office Action mailed 10/02/2025.
Applicant’s arguments, see page 5-6 filed 01/02/2026, with respect to the rejections(s)
of claim(s) 1-20 under 35 USC 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the
rejection has been withdrawn.
However, upon further consideration, a new grounds for rejection as necessitated by
amendment is made under 35 USC 102(a)(1) over Fredrickson (US 20240388122 A1). More rejections are also made under 35 USC 103 over Brombach (US 20180345887 A1) in view of Fredrickson (US 20240388122 A1) further in view of Okura (US 20240217578 A1) further in view of Salter (DE 102020118904 A1) further in view of Toyoda (JP 2025180657 A) further in view of (US 20100217475 A1) to Menze et al. (hereinafter Menze) further in view of Peel (US 20150367733 A1) and further in view of Han (US 10471847 B1).
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.
5. Claim(s) 11, 13, and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being unpatentable
over (US 20240388122 A1) to Fredrickson et al. (hereinafter Fredrickson).
Regarding claim 11, Fredrickson discloses A method for a vehicle comprising: (Fredrickson Paragraph 0005: “One embodiment of the invention includes a method for dynamically controlling an electrical load of a recreational vehicle that includes a load controller, a battery, a power-generating system and a plurality of electrically-powered devices.”) reducing power supplied by a battery of the vehicle to loads of the vehicle by an amount that depends on expected power consumption values learned under one or more operating conditions associated with operation of a snowplow system (Fredrickson Paragraph 0028: “Although recreational vehicle 100 is depicted as a side-by-side off-road vehicle (ORV), it will be understood that vehicle 100 may comprise any of a variety of recreational vehicles, and includes vehicles such as all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), side-by-side or utility terrain vehicles (UTVs), off-highway motorcycles (OHMs), other motorcycles, snowmobiles, and similar such vehicles.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0075: “and a heavy-load vehicle mode, such as a plow mode, where vehicle 100 may be in a low gear, traveling at a reduced speed.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0077: “As such, the operational mode or state of vehicle 100 may be considered when determining and implementing a load-shed plan.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0084: “An estimated amount of power consumption for each electrically-powered device may vary based on an operating mode of vehicle 100.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0085: “Referring also to FIG. 8, in an embodiment, an amount of measured or expected power for each device or load is determined and saved in a memory of system 260, and may be considered as part of a load-shed plan. Multiple sets of power consumption data for identified devices or loads may be saved, each set corresponding to a particular vehicle operating mode. An amount of power to be reduced or shed for a particular device is based on a device load-shed plan that takes into account overall vehicle load and determined load-shed levels, as described further below with respect to FIGS. 11 and 12.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0086: “In addition to device priority and device load-shed plans, other factors that may be considered by dynamic load-control system 260 in determining which loads 238 to reduce, and by how much, are environmental factors that may be sensed by load-related sensors 242. Such factors may be considered as part of an individual device load-shed plan. Environmental factors may include environmental conditions such as outside ambient light, vehicle-interior light, outside temperature, passenger compartment temperature, engine temperature, humidity, ambient noise, and others.”) and selected such that the battery continues to experience charge as the expected power consumption values change. (Fredrickson Paragraph 0073: “Similarly, dynamic load-control system 260 may consider that factor of a battery 264 state-of-charge when determining whether and how much power consumed by electrical devices should be reduced. If a battery state of charge is relatively high, e.g., mostly charged, power consumption may not need to be reduced because sufficient energy or power is available from the battery to power devices. Conversely, if battery 264 state-of-charge is relatively low, a load-shedding process may be necessary because less power is available from battery 264 to power the electrical devices.”) (Note: Battery still experiences charge but requires load shedding to be implemented in order for the charge to continue).
Regarding claim 13, Fredrickson discloses A vehicle comprising: auxiliary loads; a snowplow system; (Fredrickson Paragraph 0055: “Electrical power generator 262 provides electrical power to the various electrical devices and loads of vehicle 100.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0075: “and a heavy-load vehicle mode, such as a plow mode, where vehicle 100 may be in a low gear, traveling at a reduced speed.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0077: “As such, the operational mode or state of vehicle 100 may be considered when determining and implementing a load-shed plan.”) a battery configured to power the auxiliary loads and snowplow system; and one or more controllers programmed to selectively disable some of the auxiliary loads based on expected power consumption values learned under one or more operating conditions associated with operation of the snowplow system. (Fredrickson Paragraph 0057: “Vehicle battery 254 is in electrical connection with electrical power generator 262, as well as electrical devices and loads 238 of vehicle 100.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0084: “An estimated amount of power consumption for each electrically-powered device may vary based on an operating mode of vehicle 100.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0085: “Referring also to FIG. 8, in an embodiment, an amount of measured or expected power for each device or load is determined and saved in a memory of system 260, and may be considered as part of a load-shed plan. Multiple sets of power consumption data for identified devices or loads may be saved, each set corresponding to a particular vehicle operating mode. An amount of power to be reduced or shed for a particular device is based on a device load-shed plan that takes into account overall vehicle load and determined load-shed levels, as described further below with respect to FIGS. 11 and 12.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0086: “In addition to device priority and device load-shed plans, other factors that may be considered by dynamic load-control system 260 in determining which loads 238 to reduce, and by how much, are environmental factors that may be sensed by load-related sensors 242. Such factors may be considered as part of an individual device load-shed plan. Environmental factors may include environmental conditions such as outside ambient light, vehicle-interior light, outside temperature, passenger compartment temperature, engine temperature, humidity, ambient noise, and others.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0101: “In an example embodiment, an accessory light bar will include a load-shed response plan that includes: a first set of action instructions corresponding to a first load-shed level, the first set of instructions causing the accessory light bar to reduce power consumption by 25% (or other power-reducing action, such as lower a light/lux output); a second set of action instructions corresponding to a second load-shed level, the second set of instructions causing the accessory light bar to reduce power consumption by 50%; a third set of action instructions corresponding to a third load-shed level, the third set of instructions causing the accessory light bar to turn off, i.e., a 100% power reduction.”)
Regarding claim 14, Fredrickson discloses The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the one or more controllers are further programmed to selectively disable some of the auxiliary loads such that the battery is charged. (Fredrickson Paragraph 0073: “Conversely, if battery 264 state-of-charge is relatively low, a load-shedding process may be necessary because less power is available from battery 264 to power the electrical devices.”) (Note: Load shedding is needed in order to have charge in the battery therefore it may disable a load to maintain said charge.) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0084: “An estimated amount of power consumption for each electrically-powered device may vary based on an operating mode of vehicle 100.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0085: “Referring also to FIG. 8, in an embodiment, an amount of measured or expected power for each device or load is determined and saved in a memory of system 260, and may be considered as part of a load-shed plan. Multiple sets of power consumption data for identified devices or loads may be saved, each set corresponding to a particular vehicle operating mode. An amount of power to be reduced or shed for a particular device is based on a device load-shed plan that takes into account overall vehicle load and determined load-shed levels, as described further below with respect to FIGS. 11 and 12.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0101: “In an example embodiment, an accessory light bar will include a load-shed response plan that includes: a first set of action instructions corresponding to a first load-shed level, the first set of instructions causing the accessory light bar to reduce power consumption by 25% (or other power-reducing action, such as lower a light/lux output); a second set of action instructions corresponding to a second load-shed level, the second set of instructions causing the accessory light bar to reduce power consumption by 50%; a third set of action instructions corresponding to a third load-shed level, the third set of instructions causing the accessory light bar to turn off, i.e., a 100% power reduction.”)
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
6. Claim(s) 1-4 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (US 20180345887 A1) to Brombach et al. (hereinafter Brombach) and in view of (US 20240388122 A1) to Fredrickson et al. (hereinafter Fredrickson).
Regarding claim 1, Brombach discloses A power system for a vehicle, comprising: (Brombach Paragraph 0005: “An example disclosed vehicle includes an engine configured to operate in a start-stop mode, and a power management system.”) a battery; (Brombach Paragraph 0017: “vehicle battery”) and one or more controllers programmed to, responsive to indication that a snowplow system attached to the vehicle is consuming power and the battery is discharging, (Brombach Paragraph 0017: “For instance, a vehicle may be operating in a start-stop mode, may have the heated seats and air heating units running, may have all the vehicle lights on, and the driver may wish to operate an attached snow plow. All these devices and systems may require power, and the combination of all of them may draw more power than the vehicle battery and alternator can provide.”) (Brombach Paragraph 0019: “With these concerns in mind, example vehicles, systems, devices, and methods disclosed herein may provide the ability to manage power consumption of the vehicle and any accessories.”) (Brombach Paragraph 0021: “In the accessory mode (e.g., the snow plow mode), additional features may be available, such as for control of the accessory (e.g., raise, slower, or change the angle). These additional features may require increased power from the battery and/or alternator of the vehicle”) (Brombach Paragraph 0050: “The ECUs 250 may monitor and control subsystems of vehicle 100. ECUs 250 may be the electrical load 106 discussed with reference to FIG. 1. As such, one or more ECUs may be enabled, disabled, or otherwise modified to reduce a power draw of the ECU. ECUs 250 may communicate and exchange information via vehicle data bus 260. Additionally, ECUs 250 may communicate properties (such as, status of the ECU 250, sensor readings, control state, error and diagnostic codes, etc.) to and/or receive requests from other ECUs 250. Some vehicles 100 may have seventy or more ECUs 250 located in various locations around the vehicle 100 communicatively coupled by vehicle data bus 260. ECUs 250 may be discrete sets of electronics that include their own circuit(s) (such as integrated circuits, microprocessors, memory, storage, etc.) and firmware, sensors, actuators, and/or mounting hardware. In the illustrated example, ECUs 250 may include the telematics control unit 252, the body control unit 254, and the speed control unit 256.”)
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Brombach does not disclose […] reduce power supplied by the battery to loads of the vehicle by an amount that depends on expected power consumption values learned under one or more operation conditions of the snowplow system and selected such that the battery is prevented from further discharging, wherein the amount changes as the expected power consumption changes.
However, Fredrickson does teach […] reduce power supplied by the battery to loads of the vehicle by an amount that depends on expected power consumption values learned under one or more operation conditions of the snowplow system (Fredrickson Paragraph 0075: “and a heavy-load vehicle mode, such as a plow mode, where vehicle 100 may be in a low gear, traveling at a reduced speed.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0077: “As such, the operational mode or state of vehicle 100 may be considered when determining and implementing a load-shed plan.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0084: “An estimated amount of power consumption for each electrically-powered device may vary based on an operating mode of vehicle 100.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0085: “Referring also to FIG. 8, in an embodiment, an amount of measured or expected power for each device or load is determined and saved in a memory of system 260, and may be considered as part of a load-shed plan. Multiple sets of power consumption data for identified devices or loads may be saved, each set corresponding to a particular vehicle operating mode. An amount of power to be reduced or shed for a particular device is based on a device load-shed plan that takes into account overall vehicle load and determined load-shed levels, as described further below with respect to FIGS. 11 and 12.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0086: “In addition to device priority and device load-shed plans, other factors that may be considered by dynamic load-control system 260 in determining which loads 238 to reduce, and by how much, are environmental factors that may be sensed by load-related sensors 242. Such factors may be considered as part of an individual device load-shed plan. Environmental factors may include environmental conditions such as outside ambient light, vehicle-interior light, outside temperature, passenger compartment temperature, engine temperature, humidity, ambient noise, and others.”) and selected such that the battery is prevented from further discharging, wherein the amount changes as the expected power consumption changes. (Fredrickson Paragraph 0106: “Step 306 comprises determining a load-shed level based on a vehicle 100 electrical load state. As described also above, the electrical load state is an indication of the overall electrical load on, or power consumption of, vehicle 100.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0117: “When a particular load-shed level is received at a control node or controller of a device or load 238, the controller determines the load-shed action, such as a power-consumption reduction, that corresponds to the received load-shed level, based on the load-shed response plan for that device. The control node or controller then implements, or causes implementation of, the load-shed action, which may include reducing power consumed by the load. Consequently, power is selectively reduced to multiple loads 238 via communication of, and according to, the determined load-shed level.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Brombach to include […] reduce power supplied by the battery to loads of the vehicle by an amount that depends on expected power consumption values learned under one or more operation conditions of the snowplow system and selected such that the battery is prevented from further discharging, wherein the amount changes as the expected power consumption changes taught by Fredrickson. This would have been for the benefit to provide a more efficient method for dynamically controlling an electrical load of a recreational vehicle that includes a load controller, a battery, a power-generating system and a plurality of electrically-powered devices. [Fredrickson Paragraph 0005]
Regarding claim 2, Brombach in view of Fredrickson teaches claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim1 is incorporated above.
Brombach does not teach The power system of claim 1, wherein the one or more controllers are further programmed to reduce the power supplied such that the battery is charged.
However, Fredrickson teaches The power system of claim 1, wherein the one or more controllers are further programmed to reduce the power supplied such that the battery is charged. (Fredrickson Paragraph 0055: “Electrical power generator 262 provides electrical power to the various electrical devices and loads of vehicle 100. Electrical power generator 262 provides electrical power to vehicle battery 254, electrically charging vehicle battery 254 as needed.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0073: “Conversely, if battery 264 state-of-charge is relatively low, a load-shedding process may be necessary because less power is available from battery 264 to power the electrical devices.”) (Note: When the battery can supply less power to loads then the battery can still have charge)
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Brombach to include The power system of claim 1, wherein the one or more controllers are further programmed to reduce the power supplied such that the battery is charged taught by Fredrickson. This would have been for the benefit to provide a more efficient method for dynamically controlling an electrical load of a recreational vehicle that includes a load controller, a battery, a power-generating system and a plurality of electrically-powered devices. [Fredrickson Paragraph 0005]
Regarding claim 3, Brombach discloses The power system of claim 1, wherein the indication is based on image data (Brombach Paragraph 0035: “For example. power management system 104 may be configured to receive input via user interface, such as user interface 224 described below with respect to FIG. 2.”) (Brombach Paragraph 0036: “In some examples, power management system 104 may also be configured to receive requests to operate, enable, or disable the use of one or more electrical loads 106 or other systems or devices of vehicle 100.”) (Brombach Paragraph 0047: “The infotainment head unit 220 may include one or more input and/or output devices, such as display 222, and user interface 224, to receive input from and display information for the user(s). The input devices may include, for example, a control knob, an instrument panel, a digital camera for image capture and/or visual command recognition, a touch screen, an audio input device (e.g., cabin microphone), buttons, or a touchpad.”) and current data for the snowplow system. (Brombach Paragraph 0014: “Further, some vehicles may include electronic power assisted steering (EPAS) which may require, in some examples, seventy-five amps of current to operate effectively during certain operating conditions.”) (Brombach Paragraph 0040: “The power requirement may be a maximum power requirement, an average power requirement, or some other metric. The electrical load may be reduced based on this power requirement, such as by reducing the electrical load until there is enough power output capacity for the accessory, EPAS, and/or other system(s) to function.”) (Brombach Paragraph 0057: “The power requirement may be in the form of a required voltage, current, or other electrical metric.”)
Regarding claim 4, Brombach in view of Fredrickosn teaches claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated above.
Brombach does not disclose The power system of claim 1, wherein the indication is based on speed data and current data for the snowplow system.
However, Fredrickson does teach The power system of claim 1, wherein the indication is based on speed data and current data for the snowplow system. (Fredrickson Paragraph 0075: “heavy-load vehicle mode, such as a plow mode, where vehicle 100 may be in a low gear, traveling at a reduced speed”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0084: “Referring to FIG. 10, a graph illustrating current draw for each of a plurality of electrically-powered devices or loads 238 of vehicle 100 is depicted.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0084: “At one extreme, radiator cooling fans may draw the most current, such as a 34A-rated radiator cooling fan that draws nearly 19A. At another extreme, an all-wheel drive coil draws less than 1A. An estimated amount of power consumption for each electrically-powered device may vary based on an operating mode of vehicle 100. For example, when traveling at a high speed, a radiator cooling fan may consume less power since an engine of vehicle 100 may operate at a lower temperature due to a higher volume of cooling air flowing through the radiator due to a relatively high speed.”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0085: “Multiple sets of power consumption data for identified devices or loads may be saved, each set corresponding to a particular vehicle operating mode.”) (Note: Speed data is saved in each vehicle operating mode)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Brombach to include The power system of claim 1, wherein the indication is based on speed data and current data for the snowplow system. taught by Fredrickson. This would have been for the benefit to provide a more efficient method for dynamically controlling an electrical load of a recreational vehicle that includes a load controller, a battery, a power-generating system and a plurality of electrically-powered devices. [Fredrickson Paragraph 0005]
Regarding claim 8, Brombach discloses The power system of claim 1, wherein one of the loads is an electronic power assist steering system. (Brombach Paragraph 0026: “In some examples, reducing the electrical load may include determining a power requirement of the EPAS (e.g., a maximum, average, or other power requirement).”)
7. Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brombach (US 20180345887 A1) in view of Fredrickson (US 20240388122 A1) and further in view of (US 20240217578 A1) to Okura et al. (hereinafter Okura).
Regarding claim 5, Brombach in view of Fredrickson teaches claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated above.
Brombach in view of Fredrickson does not teach The power system of claim 1, wherein the indication is based on steering wheel angle data and pedal position data.
However, Okura does teach The power system of claim 1, wherein the indication is based on steering wheel angle data and pedal position data. (Okura Paragraph 0032: “are applicable to not only a tractor but also any work vehicle that is capable of traveling by automatic steering. The work vehicle may be a rice transplanter, a combine, a mower, a harvester, a snowplow vehicle, or a construction vehicle, for example.”) (Okura Paragraph 0048: “The front wheels 104F are the wheels responsible for steering, such that changing their angle of turn (also referred to as “steering angle”) can cause a change in the traveling direction of the work vehicle 100. The steering angle of the front wheels 104F can be changed by manipulating the steering wheel.”) (Okura Paragraph 0049: “a clutch pedal”) (Okura Paragraph 0099: “The work vehicle 100 according to the present example embodiment includes the prime mover 102, the transmission 103, and a clutch to switch between transmitting and not transmitting motive power from the prime mover 102 to the transmission 103. The clutch is operated by the clutch pedal 212. In this case, the resuming condition may further include a condition that “the clutch is engaged” (third condition). The controller 180 may determine that the clutch is engaged when the clutch pedal 212 is not being stepped on, i.e., in the absence of the user's manipulation of disengaging the clutch, for example.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Brombach in view of Fredrickson to include The power system of claim 1, wherein the indication is based on steering wheel angle data and pedal position data taught by Okura. This would have been for the benefit to provide A work vehicle traveling by automatic steering needs to accurately detect the traveling direction (i.e., forward travel or backward travel). The traveling direction can be determined based on signals from a sensor to detect the rotation direction of a gear included in the transmission, or position data in chronological order that is acquired by a positioning system such as GNSS, for example. [Okura Paragraph 0005]
8. Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brombach (US 20180345887 A1) in view of Fredrickson (US 20240388122 A1) and further in view of Salter (DE 102020118904 A1).
Regarding claim 6, Brombach in view of Fredrickson teaches claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated above.
Brombach in view of Fredrickson does not teach The power system of claim 1, wherein the one or more controllers are further programmed to, responsive to the battery being charged during the consuming, increase the power supplied to the loads.
However, Salter does teach The power system of claim 1, wherein the one or more controllers are further programmed to, responsive to the battery being charged during the consuming, increase the power supplied to the loads. (Salter Paragraph 0008: “and consumers with high power consumption, including an EPAS system 17th and a snow plow actuator 18th.”) (Salter Paragraph 0020: “As the alternators 61 and 62 in 4th the batteries 52 and 54 (connected in series) and the consumers 56 only via the charging current of the battery 54 Simultaneously supplying power, consumption imbalances between that of the AC inverter 57 and from consumers 56 related power leads to unequal states of charge between the batteries 52 and 54 to lead.”) (Salter Paragraph 0025: “In addition, specific consumers that are selected to be used in equalizing consumers 80 to be included, preferably include consumers that can be operated with a variable input power. This enables real-time adjustment of the voltage drop across the loads 80 away, reducing the voltage on the first bus segment 70 can be regulated. Consumers that are assigned to the heating of a part of the vehicle (again the glow plugs, diesel exhaust gas liquid heaters, windshield heaters and windshield wiper auxiliary heaters) are preferred because it is possible to limit the power supplied to these consumers using pulse width modulation (PWM). A PWM duty cycle can be adjusted up or down to either increase or decrease the mean voltage.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Brombach in view of Fredrickson to include The power system of claim 1, wherein the one or more controllers are further programmed to, responsive to the battery being charged during the consuming, increase the power supplied to the loads taught by Salter. This would have been for the benefit to provide an improved power supply capability that can be achieved, as it is particularly useful in a work truck with a large number of DC loads. Direct current consumers include conventional consumers 16 with low power consumption (such as electronic controls, air conditioning components, audio components, lighting, and other ancillary consumers) common to all types of vehicles, and consumers with high power consumption, including an EPAS system 17th and a snow plow actuator 18th. [Salter Paragraph 0008]
9. Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brombach (US 20180345887 A1) in view of Fredrickson (US 20240388122 A1) and further in view of Toyoda (JP 2025180657 A).
Regarding claim 7, Brombach in view of Fredrickson teaches claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated above.
Brombach in view of Fredrickson does not teach The power system of claim 1, wherein the one or more controllers are further programmed to generate output for display indicating a remaining duration before which the vehicle shuts down.
However, Toyoda teaches The power system of claim 1, wherein the one or more controllers are further programmed to generate output for display indicating a remaining duration before which the vehicle shuts down. (Toyoda Paragraph 0032: “The timer counting unit 15 manages the timer count based on the acquired current time and the set shutdown time. The timer counting unit 15 counts the remaining time from the current time to the shutdown time. Note that the count may be configured to be displayed as the number of remaining seconds on the display unit of the vehicle Ve or on the touch panel 9 of the diagnostic tool T.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Brombach in view of Fredrickson to include The power system of claim 1, wherein the one or more controllers are further programmed to generate output for display indicating a remaining duration before which the vehicle shuts down taught by Toyoda. This would have been for the benefit to provide an effective power supply management system in this embodiment of the present invention that controls the power supply of the vehicle Ve to be turned off. For example, it is configured to perform power supply control such that the power supply of the ignition switch of the vehicle Ve is automatically turned off when predetermined conditions are met. [Toyoda Paragraph 0005]
10. Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brombach (US 20180345887 A1) in view of Fredrickson (US 20240388122 A1) and further in view of (US 20100217475 A1) to Menze et al. (hereinafter Menze).
Regarding claim 9, Brombach in view of Fredrickson teaches claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated above.
Brombach in view of Fredrickson does not teach The power system of claim 1 further comprising a supercapacitor configured to provide some of the power to the snowplow system.
However, Menze does teach The power system of claim 1 further comprising a supercapacitor configured to provide some of the power to the snowplow system. (Menze Paragraph 0012: “In the description below, one example of an applicable accessory is a snow plow”) (Menze Paragraph 0015: “Capacitor module 30 has a number of connections on plow side 14 to provide electrical power/signals to various components.”) (Menze Paragraph 0021: “In this particular embodiment, it is contemplated that the capacitors used will be ultra capacitors or super capacitors,”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Brombach in view of Fredrickson to include The power system of claim 1 further comprising a supercapacitor configured to provide some of the power to the snowplow system taught by Menze. This would have been for the benefit to provide method of meeting the electrical needs of snow plows (or other accessories that use short bursts of high electrical current) is to incorporate a system that utilizes a relatively small continuous current signal to charge a storage device, instead of short bursts of a very high current. [Menze Paragraph 0005]
11. Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brombach (US 20180345887 A1) in view of Fredrickson (US 20240388122 A1) and further in view of (US 20150367733 A1) to Peel et al. (hereinafter Peel).
Regarding claim 10, Brombach in view of Fredrickson teaches claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated above.
Brombach in view of Fredrickson does not teach The power system of claim 1 further comprising a shunt electrically connected between the battery and snowplow system.
However, Peel does teach The power system of claim 1 further comprising a shunt electrically connected between the battery and snowplow system. (Peel Paragraph 0003: “Examples of vehicle systems or hardwired systems that may cause such power drain include a stereo amplifier, a spot light, a snow plow, or a winch.”) (Peel Paragraph 0027: “Of course, the power port 10 can be utilized in connection with any type of recreational or other vehicle, such as a snowmobile 100A,”) (Peel Paragraph 0063: “a battery clamp 230 mounted directly to the negative terminal of the vehicle battery 102”) (Peel Paragraph 0063: “It should be understood, however, that the present application is not limited to use of a manufactured component for the shunt resistor. The shunt resistor can be any type of resistive component, including, for example, a discrete element (e.g., a current sense resistor) mounted to the battery clamp 230.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Brombach in view of Fredrickson to include The power system of claim 1 further comprising a shunt electrically connected between the battery and snowplow system taught by Peel. This would have been for the benefit to provide The method can include: plugging a connector of the device into a socket on a mobile vehicle, the socket in electrical communication with a battery on the vehicle, the socket including a state of charge gauge; charging and/or operating the device with the battery on the vehicle; and outputting the status of the battery via the state of charge gauge while the device is charging and/or operating under voltage from the battery. [Peel Paragraph 0012]
12. Claim(s) 12 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fredrickson (US 20240388122 A1) and further in view of (US 10471847 B1) to Han et al. (hereinafter Han).
Regarding claim 12, Fredrickson discloses […] the snowplow system (Fredrickson Paragraph 0028: “snowmobiles,”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0075: “a heavy-load vehicle mode, such as a plow mode,”)
Fredrickson does not disclose The method of claim 11 further comprising generating output for display indicating a remaining duration before which […] is disabled.
However, Han does teach The method of claim 11 further comprising generating output for display indicating a remaining duration before which […] is disabled. (Han Column 21, line number 61 - Column 22, line number 3 : “The battery controller component 112 can generate the command with an indication of remaining battery power to display via a display device 128 of the vehicle 122. The battery controller component 1120 can terminate, responsive to the temperature being greater than a threshold, current output from one or more cells of the battery 130. The battery controller component 112 can terminate, responsive to the value of the temperature being greater than a threshold, charging of one or more cells of the battery 130.”) (Han Column 25, line number 37-42: “For example, the BMS can generate the command with an instruction to reduce the value of the current output by the battery, an indication of remaining battery power to display via a display device of the vehicle, or terminate or disable current output from one or more cells of the battery.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Fredrickson to include The method of claim 11 further comprising generating output for display indicating a remaining duration before which […] is disabled taught by Han. This would have been for the benefit to provide an efficient method that can include the battery management system generating, based on the value of the voltage of the battery or the temperature of the battery, a command to manage a performance of the battery. [Han Column 1, line number 67 - Column 2, line number 3]
Regarding claim 15, Fredrickson discloses […] the snowplow system (Fredrickson Paragraph 0028: “snowmobiles,”) (Fredrickson Paragraph 0075: “a heavy-load vehicle mode, such as a plow mode,”)
Fredrickson does not disclose The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the one or more controllers are further programmed to generate output for display indicating a remaining duration before which […] is disabled.
However, Han does teach The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the one or more controllers are further programmed to generate output for display indicating a remaining duration before which […] is disabled. (Han Column 21, line number 61 - Column 22, line number 3 : “The battery controller component 112 can generate the command with an indication of remaining battery power to display via a display device 128 of the vehicle 122. The battery controller component 1120 can terminate, responsive to the temperature being greater than a threshold, current output from one or more cells of the battery 130. The battery controller component 112 can terminate, responsive to the value of the temperature being greater than a threshold, charging of one or more cells of the battery 130.”) (Han Column 25, line number 37-42: “For example, the BMS can generate the command with an instruction to reduce the value of the current output by the battery, an indication of remaining battery power to display via a display device of the vehicle, or terminate or disable current output from one or more cells of the battery.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Fredrickson to include The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the one or more controllers are further programmed to generate output for display indicating a remaining duration before which […] is disabled taught by Han. This would have been for the benefit to provide an efficient method that can include the battery management system generating, based on the value of the voltage of the battery or the temperature of the battery, a command to manage a performance of the battery. [Han Column 1, line number 67 - Column 2, line number 3]
13. Claim(s) 17 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fredrickson (US 20240388122 A1) in view of Brombach (US 20180345887 A1).
Regarding claim 17, Fredrickson discloses claim 13, accordingly, the rejection of claim 13 is incorporated above.
Fredrickson does not disclose The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the one or more controllers are further programmed to learn the expected power consumption value based on image data and current data for the snowplow system.
However, Brombach does teach The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the one or more controllers are further programmed to learn the expected power consumption value based on image data (Brombach Paragraph 0035: “For example. power management system 104 may be configured to receive input via user interface, such as user interface 224 described below with respect to FIG. 2.”) (Brombach Paragraph 0036: “In some examples, power management system 104 may also be configured to receive requests to operate, enable, or disable the use of one or more electrical loads 106 or other systems or devices of vehicle 100.”) (Brombach Paragraph 0047: “The infotainment head unit 220 may include one or more input and/or output devices, such as display 222, and user interface 224, to receive input from and display information for the user(s). The input devices may include, for example, a control knob, an instrument panel, a digital camera for image capture and/or visual command recognition, a touch screen, an audio input device (e.g., cabin microphone), buttons, or a touchpad.”) and current data for the snowplow system. (Brombach Paragraph 0014: “Further, some vehicles may include electronic power assisted steering (EPAS) which may require, in some examples, seventy-five amps of current to operate effectively during certain operating conditions.”) (Brombach Paragraph 0040: “The power requirement may be a maximum power requirement, an average power requirement, or some other metric. The electrical load may be reduced based on this power requirement, such as by reducing the electrical load until there is enough power output capacity for the accessory, EPAS, and/or other system(s) to function.”) (Brombach Paragraph 0057: “The power requirement may be in the form of a required voltage, current, or other electrical metric.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Fredrickson to include The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the one or more controllers are further programmed to learn the expected power consumption value based on image data and current data for the snowplow system taught by Brombach. This would have been for the benefit to provide an efficient power management system for a vehicle, an input requesting use of a vehicle accessory in an accessory mode. The third example may also include means for, responsive to the input, reducing an electrical load, disabling a start-stop mode of an engine of the vehicle, and enabling use of the accessory mode. [Brombach Paragraph 0007]
Regarding claim 18, Fredrickson discloses claim 13, accordingly, the rejection of claim 13 is incorporated above.
Fredrickson does not disclose The power system of claim 1, wherein one of the loads is an electronic power assist steering system.
However, Brombach does teach The power system of claim 1, wherein one of the loads is an electronic power assist steering system. (Brombach Paragraph 0026: “In some examples, reducing the electrical load may include determining a power requirement of the EPAS (e.g., a maximum, average, or other power requirement).”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Fredrickson to include The power system of claim 1, wherein one of the loads is an electronic power assist steering system taught by Brombach. This would have been for the benefit to provide an efficient power management system for a vehicle, an input requesting use of a vehicle accessory in an accessory mode. The third example may also include means for, responsive to the input, reducing an electrical load, disabling a start-stop mode of an engine of the vehicle, and enabling use of the accessory mode. [Brombach Paragraph 0007]
14. Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fredrickson (US 20240388122 A1) and in view of Menze (US 20100217475 A1).
Regarding claim 19, Fredrickson discloses claim 13, accordingly, the rejection of claim 13 is incorporated above.
Fredrickson does not disclose The vehicle of claim 13 further comprising a supercapacitor configured to power the snowplow system.
However, Menze does teach The vehicle of claim 13 further comprising a supercapacitor configured to power the snowplow system. (Menze Paragraph 0012: “In the description below, one example of an applicable accessory is a snow plow”) (Menze Paragraph 0015: “Capacitor module 30 has a number of connections on plow side 14 to provide electrical power/signals to various components.”) (Menze Paragraph 0021: “In this particular embodiment, it is contemplated that the capacitors used will be ultra capacitors or super capacitors,”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Fredrickson to include The vehicle of claim 13 further comprising a supercapacitor configured to power the snowplow system taught by Menze. This would have been for the benefit to provide method of meeting the electrical needs of snow plows (or other accessories that use short bursts of high electrical current) is to incorporate a system that utilizes a relatively small continuous current signal to charge a storage device, instead of short bursts of a very high current. [Menze Paragraph 0005]
15. Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fredrickson (US 20240388122 A1) and in view of Peel (US 20150367733 A1).
Regarding claim 20, Fredrickson discloses claim 13, accordingly, the rejection of claim 13 is incorporated above.
Fredrickson does not disclose The vehicle of claim 13 further comprising a shunt electrically connected between the battery and snowplow system.
However, Peel does teach The vehicle of claim 13 further comprising a shunt electrically connected between the battery and snowplow system. (Peel Paragraph 0003: “Examples of vehicle systems or hardwired systems that may cause such power drain include a stereo amplifier, a spot light, a snow plow, or a winch.”) (Peel Paragraph 0027: “Of course, the power port 10 can be utilized in connection with any type of recreational or other vehicle, such as a snowmobile 100A,”) (Peel Paragraph 0063: “a battery clamp 230 mounted directly to the negative terminal of the vehicle battery 102”) (Peel Paragraph 0063: “It should be understood, however, that the present application is not limited to use of a manufactured component for the shunt resistor. The shunt resistor can be any type of resistive component, including, for example, a discrete element (e.g., a current sense resistor) mounted to the battery clamp 230.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Fredrickson to include The vehicle of claim 13 further comprising a shunt electrically connected between the battery and snowplow system taught by Peel. This would have been for the benefit to provide The method can include: plugging a connector of the device into a socket on a mobile vehicle, the socket in electrical communication with a battery on the vehicle, the socket including a state of charge gauge; charging and/or operating the device with the battery on the vehicle; and outputting the status of the battery via the state of charge gauge while the device is charging and/or operating under voltage from the battery. [Peel Paragraph 0012]
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 KEVIN J HARVEY whose telephone number is 571-272-5327. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00AM-5:00PM M-Th, 8:00AM-4:00PM F.
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/K.J.H./Junior Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3664
/KITO R ROBINSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3664