Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 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.
Claims 1-3, 7, 9-12, 16 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by Christopher Ricci [US20170136880, now Ricci].
Claim 1
Ricci discloses a vehicle comprising: a motor; a screen; a non-transitory computer storage medium configured to store computer- executable instructions [see at least Ricci, ¶ 0091 (“Referring to FIG. 1A, a vehicle 100 is shown in a charging environment in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 10 comprises a vehicle 100, an electrical storage unit 112, an external power source 116 able to provide a charge to the vehicle 100, a charging panel 108 mounted on the vehicle 100 and in electrical communication with the electrical storage unit 112, and a vehicle charging panel controller 112. The charging panel controller 112 may determine if the electrical storage unit requires charging and if conditions allow for deployment of a charging panel. The vehicle charging panel 108 may operate in at least a retracted state and a deployed state (108 and 108′ as shown is FIG. 1A), and is movable by way of an armature 204.”); 0150 (“ a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium”)];
one or more computer hardware processors in communication with the non- transitory computer storage medium, the one or more computer hardware processors configured to execute the computer-executable instructions [see at least Ricci, ¶ 150 (“executed by one or more processors to enable performance of the operations described herein.”)] comprising:
receiving one or more input associated with an energy usage of the vehicle [see at least Ricci, ¶ 150];
determining a power consumption of the vehicle based on the input; displaying a ripple on the screen, wherein an amplitude of the ripple is based on one or more vehicle characteristic and wherein a frequency of the ripple based on the power consumption [see at least Ricci, ¶ (“As can be appreciated, when the electrical vehicle 100 determines that a charge is required, a deployment or charging panel controller 110 controller (e.g., a hardware device comprising a processor configured to control an actuation of the charging panel 108, etc.) may determine whether to deploy the charging panel 108 of the electric vehicle 100. Factors, or conditions, contributing to this determination may include, but is in no way limited to, charge level of the vehicle 100, location of the vehicle 100, location of a charging area 120, a capability of the charging area 120 (e.g., energy transfer rating, compatibility with the charging panel 108 and/or vehicle 100, static charging capability, moving charging capability, etc.), obstacles between the charging panel 108 and the charging area 120, anticipated travel path of the vehicle 100, time required to charge, travel time, stopping time, etc., and/or combinations thereof. Among other things, these factors may be analyzed to determine whether the electric vehicle 100 is capable of receiving a charge (e.g., enough time to receive a charge, etc.). Once these conditions are analyzed by at least one of the deployment controller, another controller of the vehicle, the charging system and/or combinations thereof, a charge may be authorized. The authorization of a charge may include receiving a charge initiation key (e.g., from an authentication server, one or more components associated with the charging area, etc.). In any event, the authorization of the charge causes the charging panel 108 of the vehicle 100 to deploy.”); 0114-0115 (“Generally, the control system 600 is a feedback control system to control the separation distance between the charging panel 108 and the roadway (or more generally, the charging source). Selected separation distance is input (as determined by way of query to database 113 or manually entered by user) and compared with a measured separation distance (as from a separation distance sensor 127) to compute an error signal… the charging area 120A-C and/or power source 116 provides notice to the vehicle 100, controller 110, and/or vehicle user that charging service is available and/or terms and conditions thereof. The notice may comprise targeted communications e.g. by texting to vehicles within a selectable distance. The content of the notice may comprise: the availability of charging, and terms and conditions of charging (cost, payment types, amount available, duration of charging time, etc.). The notice may comprise a physical mounted advertisement that charging is available, not unlike a taxi “off duty” or “on duty” light mounted on a taxi rooftop.”); 0129 (“Obstacle risk 915A may provide a measure of the relative risk or likelihood of obstacles or hazards that may present themselves to a deployed charging panel 108. For example, a roadway undergoing maintenance is more likely to present hazards (e.g. fallen barricade in the roadway, foreign objects such as bolts or other construction hardware in the road, etc.) than one not undergoing such maintenance. Sensor type 915B may comprise any sensor types known to those skilled in the art to provide obstacle warning, comprising lidars, radars, and cameras of various bands such as IR and visible. Such sensors may comprise scanning sensors and fixed direction sensors, and may be controlled automatically, semi-automatically, or manually by an occupant of the vehicle. Additional characteristics of any particular sensor type may be provided in the Other 915E data field, providing characteristics comprising signal/noise ratios which influence valid “hits” or indicators of the presence of an object, sensitivity levels (i.e. “trip thresholds”) for such obstacle detection hits, sensor power or energy or emission levels, scanning and/or dwell times or durations, frequency bandwidths, pulse characteristics (if a pulsed sensor) such as wavelength shapes (e.g. square pulse, etc.), and shape of sensor emission (e.g., fan shape or pencil-beam shape). Environmental conditions 915C may comprise visibility data (e.g. daylight, nighttime), humidity data (e.g. rain or fog). Shield deployment 915D may comprise on/off or yes/no deployment of a protective shield surrounding the charging panel (such a protective shield may produce unwanted aerodynamic drag and therefore not typically be deployed). Further parameters may comprise speed of vehicle (e.g. a higher speed may correlate to a higher obstacle risk level). Data structure 914 may be accessible automatically by controller 110 and/or by a vehicle user. Data structure 914 may comprise elements and characteristics of data structure 114.
Claim 2
Ricci further discloses the power consumption is based on at least one of acceleration, speed, environmental control, recharging, and use of one or more vehicle systems [see at least Ricci, ¶ 0096 (“Additionally or alternatively, the synchronization may be based on information associated with a movement of the electric vehicle 100”); 0098; 0129 (“Obstacle risk 915A may provide a measure of the relative risk or likelihood of obstacles or hazards that may present themselves to a deployed charging panel 108. For example, a roadway undergoing maintenance is more likely to present hazards (e.g. fallen barricade in the roadway, foreign objects such as bolts or other construction hardware in the road, etc.) than one not undergoing such maintenance. Sensor type 915B may comprise any sensor types known to those skilled in the art to provide obstacle warning, comprising ladars, radars, and cameras of various bands such as IR and visible. Such sensors may comprise scanning sensors and fixed direction sensors, and may be controlled automatically, semi-automatically, or manually by an occupant of the vehicle. Additional characteristics of any particular sensor type may be provided in the Other 915E data field, providing characteristics comprising signal/noise ratios which influence valid “hits” or indicators of the presence of an object, sensitivity levels (i.e. “trip thresholds”) for such obstacle detection hits, sensor power or energy or emission levels, scanning and/or dwell times or durations, frequency bandwidths, pulse characteristics (if a pulsed sensor) such as wavelength shapes (e.g. square pulse, etc.), and shape of sensor emission (e.g., fan shape or pencil-beam shape). Environmental conditions 915C may comprise visibility data (e.g. daylight, nighttime), humidity data (e.g. rain or fog). Shield deployment 915D may comprise on/off or yes/no deployment of a protective shield surrounding the charging panel (such a protective shield may produce unwanted aerodynamic drag and therefore not typically be deployed). Further parameters may comprise speed of vehicle (e.g. a higher speed may correlate to a higher obstacle risk level). Data structure 914 may be accessible automatically by controller 110 and/or by a vehicle user. Data structure 914 may comprise elements and characteristics of data structure 114.”)].
Claim 3
Ricci further discloses the one or more vehicle characteristic includes vehicle speed, vehicle acceleration, regenerative braking, and an efficiency [see at least Ricci, ¶ 0096; 0124 (“At step 816, the alignment controller receives the sensor measurement data and determines if any alignment required. For example, the sensor may provide that the linear separation distance is 0.5 meter, thereby determining that an alignment adjustment of 0.5 in a particular direction is required for optimal energy transfer between the charging panel 108 and the power source 116. The alignment controller may also determine additional data, such as the power efficiency between the charging panel 108 and the power source 116 (e.g. in FIG. 7B the power transfer efficiency is provided as 43%.) The alignment controller may provide text description as to directionality (e.g. move left or right) as provided by alignment instruction 724. The alignment controller may provide alignment data (e.g., comprising linear separation distance, power transfer level, directionality for improved alignment, etc.) by way of a graphical user interface 700 and/or may automatically adjust the position of the vehicle and/or charging panel 108 for improved alignment. The alignment controller may provide signals to the actuator so as to minimize or eliminate the alignment error or alignment required, or to effect the movement of the charging panel via the actuator and/or armature. The alignment controller may provide signals to adjust the charging plate in more any of three translation positions and/or angular positions (as shown, e.g. in FIG. 2C.) The alignment controller may also perform signal processing to blend multiple measurements from one or more sensors. Furthermore, the alignment controller may also provide feedback control with respect to the linear separation, as described above with respect to FIG. 6. The method ends at step 824.”); 0129].
Claim 7
Ricci further discloses the instructions further comprise displaying a state of a transmission of the vehicle [see at least Ricci, ¶ 0093 (“The power source 116 may include at least one electrical transmission line 124 and at least one power transmitter or charging area 120. During a charge, the charging panel 108 may serve to transfer energy from the power source 116 to at least one energy storage unit 112 (e.g., battery, capacitor, power cell, etc.) of the electric vehicle 100.”); 0098].
Claim 9
Ricci further discloses the ripple is displayed at an angle [see at least Ricci, ¶ 0129 (“Obstacle risk 915A may provide a measure of the relative risk or likelihood of obstacles or hazards that may present themselves to a deployed charging panel 108. For example, a roadway undergoing maintenance is more likely to present hazards (e.g. fallen barricade in the roadway, foreign objects such as bolts or other construction hardware in the road, etc.) than one not undergoing such maintenance. Sensor type 915B may comprise any sensor types known to those skilled in the art to provide obstacle warning, comprising ladars, radars, and cameras of various bands such as IR and visible. Such sensors may comprise scanning sensors and fixed direction sensors, and may be controlled automatically, semi-automatically, or manually by an occupant of the vehicle. Additional characteristics of any particular sensor type may be provided in the Other 915E data field, providing characteristics comprising signal/noise ratios which influence valid “hits” or indicators of the presence of an object, sensitivity levels (i.e. “trip thresholds”) for such obstacle detection hits, sensor power or energy or emission levels, scanning and/or dwell times or durations, frequency bandwidths, pulse characteristics (if a pulsed sensor) such as wavelength shapes (e.g. square pulse, etc.), and shape of sensor emission (e.g., fan shape or pencil-beam shape). Environmental conditions 915C may comprise visibility data (e.g. daylight, nighttime), humidity data (e.g. rain or fog). Shield deployment 915D may comprise on/off or yes/no deployment of a protective shield surrounding the charging panel (such a protective shield may produce unwanted aerodynamic drag and therefore not typically be deployed). Further parameters may comprise speed of vehicle (e.g. a higher speed may correlate to a higher obstacle risk level). Data structure 914 may be accessible automatically by controller 110 and/or by a vehicle user. Data structure 914 may comprise elements and characteristics of data structure 114.”)].
Claim 10
Claim 10 has similar limitations to claim 1, therefore claim 10 is rejected with the same rationale as claim 1.
Claim 11
Claim 11 has similar limitations to claim 2, therefore claim 11 is rejected with the same rationale as claim 2.
Claim 12
Claim 12 has similar limitations to claim 3, therefore claim 12 is rejected with the same rationale as claim 3.
Claim 16
Claim 16 has similar limitations to claim 7, therefore claim 16 is rejected with the same rationale as claim 7.
Claim 18
Claim 18 has similar limitations to claim 9, therefore claim 18 is rejected with the same rationale as claim 9.
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.
Claims 4-6, 13-15, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Christopher Ricci [US20170136880, now Ricci], with Madril et al. [US20170334340, now Madril].
Claim 4
Ricci further discloses a color of the ripple is based on a state of the vehicle [see at least Ricci, ¶ 0098].
Madril teaches this limitation in more detail [see at least Madril, ¶ 0131 (“ Further, PCBA 470 may be configured to operate based on user customized power levels, user customized operational groups, user customized color emissions, user customized light wavelengths, user customized directions, and/or with user customized intermittent power levels.”)].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the “electric vehicle systems, and in particular to electric vehicle charging systems and associated methods of use [0003]” of Ricci, with the more specific techniques of Madril. Thus providing a more effective, efficient and safer operation of a vehicle by using the Graphical user Interfaces provided in the vehicle.
Claim 5
Ricci and Madril disclose/teach the vehicle of Claim 1.
Ricci does disclose a charging panel [see at least Ricci, ¶ 0131] but does not specifically disclose, but Madril teaches the color of a ripple is based on whether the vehicle is recharging [see at least Madril, ¶ 0131 (“ Further, PCBA 470 may be configured to operate based on user customized power levels, user customized operational groups, user customized color emissions, user customized light wavelengths, user customized directions, and/or with user customized intermittent power levels.”)].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the “electric vehicle systems, and in particular to electric vehicle charging systems and associated methods of use [0003]” of Ricci, with the more specific techniques of Madril. Thus providing a more effective, efficient and safer operation of a vehicle by using the Graphical user Interfaces provided in the vehicle.
Claim 6
Ricci and Madril disclose/teach the vehicle of Claim 1.
Ricci does disclose a display device [see at least Ricci, ¶ 0065; 0080-0081; 0118] but does not specifically disclose this limitation, but Madril does teach displaying directions associated with a navigation system [see at least Madril, ¶ 0204-0205 (“displayed”); 0271; 0302 (“In another example, the first route navigation menu screen 2620 may display the route name of the selected route, the first route time, and the second route time (e.g., at a bottom of the screen). In another example, the first route navigation menu screen 2620 may include a route following feature 2621 (e.g., “Follow”) which may open a first submenu of first route navigation menu screen 2620 (e.g., to open the second route navigation menu screen 2630 of FIG. 26D).”)].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the “electric vehicle systems, and in particular to electric vehicle charging systems and associated methods of use [0003]” of Ricci, with the more specific techniques of Madril. Thus providing a more effective, efficient and safer operation of a vehicle by using the Graphical user Interfaces provided in the vehicle..
Claim 8
Ricci and Madril disclose/teach the vehicle of Claim 1.
Ricci does not specifically disclose but Mandril does teach the instructions further comprise playing one or more sounds on the speaker based on the one or more vehicle characteristics [see at least Madril, ¶ 0305 (“The alert selection features 2701-2704 may be selected by sliding corresponding selector bubbles 2708 between “ON” and “OFF” positions of each alert selection feature. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other button methods may be employed to enable the same functionality. Further, one or more of the alert selection features 2701-2704 may have a corresponding alert program feature (e.g., features 2705-2707). For example, a first alert program feature 2705 (e.g., “PROG”) corresponding to a first alert selection feature 2701 (e.g., “DEFAULT ALERT”) may open a first submenu of the alert settings menu screen 2700 (e.g., default alert settings menu screen 2710 of FIG. 27B). In another example, a second alert program feature 2706 (e.g., “PROG”) corresponding to a second alert selection feature 2702 (e.g., “ROLE ALERT”) may open a second submenu of the alert settings menu screen 2700 (e.g., roll alert settings menu screen 2720 of FIG. 27C). In another example, a third alert program feature 2707 (e.g., “PROG”) corresponding to a third alert selection feature 2703 (e.g., “DISCONNECT ALERT”) may open a third submenu of alert settings menu screen 2700 (e.g., disconnect alert settings menu screen 2730 of FIG. 27D). In another example, a fourth alert selection feature 2704 may have no corresponding alert program feature. The fourth alert selection feature may be configured to cause an audible alarm (e.g., via speaker 1856 of FIG. 18 and/or by integration with an alarm of the vehicle) in response to a disconnect condition of the lighting system from a control system (e.g., control system 1800 of FIG. 18). While four alert selection features and three alert program features have been exemplified in FIG. 27A, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that greater or fewer alert selection features and/or alert program features may be utilized. First, second, and third alert program features may enable a user to select and/or program who is to be notified in the event that any alert conditions are satisfied (e.g., when the lighting system is disconnected from the control system, an alarm may sound, and a notification may be send to a desired party).”)].
Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the “electric vehicle systems, and in particular to electric vehicle charging systems and associated methods of use [0003]” of Ricci, with the more specific techniques of Madril. Thus providing a more effective, efficient and safer operation of a vehicle by using the Graphical user Interfaces provided in the vehicle.
Claim 13
Claim 13has similar limitations to claim 4, therefore claim 13 is rejected with the same rationale as claim 4.
Claim 14
Claim 14 has similar limitations to claim 5, therefore claim 14 is rejected with the same rationale as claim 5.
Claim 15
Claim 15 has similar limitations to claim 6, therefore claim 15 is rejected with the same rationale as claim 6.
Claim 17
Claim 17 has similar limitations to claim 8, therefore claim 17 is rejected with the same rationale as claim 8.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
D. Benedetti, J. Agnelli, A. Gagliardi, P. Dini and S. Saponara, "Design of a Digital Dashboard on Low-Cost Embedded Plat… 2020 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2020 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe), Madrid, Spain, 2020, pp. 1-5.
S. Hamidifar and N. C. Kar, "Energy based graphical user interface modeling for PHEV energy management system," 2009 IEEE Electrical Power & Energy Conference (EPEC), Montreal, QC, Canada, 2009, pp. 1-6.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOAN T GOODBODY whose telephone number is (571) 270-7952. The examiner can normally be reached on M-TH 7-3 (US Eastern time).
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at https://www.uspto.gov/patents/uspto-automated-interview-request-air-form.html.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, VIVEK KOPPIKAR, can be reached at (571) 272-5109. The Fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see https://ppair-my.uspot.gov/pair/PrivatePair. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at (866) 217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from the USPTO Customer Serie Representative or access to the automated information system, call (800) 786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or (571) 272-1000.
/JOAN T GOODBODY/
Examiner, Art Unit 3667
(571) 270-7952