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 .
Claims 1 and 3-5 are pending.
Claim 2 is cancelled.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1 and 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Loo et al. (US 20110151693), hereinafter Loo, in view of Uchida et al. (US 20140091761), hereinafter Uchida.
Regarding claim 1, Loo discloses a structure of a charging port of a vehicle (Abstract, “A vehicle charging inlet structure”), comprising: a first connector including one of a first female terminal (first socket 33, Fig. 2) and a first male terminal (part of charger connector 36) which is inserted into and removed from the first female terminal in a direction parallel to a first axis (Par. 0019, “vehicle charge inlet structure including a first socket (33) configured to receive a first charge connector (36) provided at a first charge facility”, see Fig. 5A and axis C.sub. 33 in Fig. 6), the first connector to which a first charging gun (first charger connector 36, Fig. 5A) including the other of the first female terminal and the first male terminal is connected (see Fig. 5A); and a second connector including one of a second female terminal (second socket 34, Fig. 5B) and a second male terminal (part of charge connector 38) which is inserted into and removed from the second female terminal in a direction parallel to a second axis (see Fig. 6, axis C.sub.34), the second connector to which a second charging gun (second charge connector 38, Fig. 5B) including the other of the second female terminal and the second male terminal is connected, wherein the first connector is disposed below the second connector, and the first connector and the second connector are aligned in an up-down direction (Par. 0095, “the rapid charge socket and the home charge socket may be arranged in an array in the vertical direction”), the first connector is a fast charging connector for fast charging of the vehicle (Par. 0059, “the rapid charge socket 33 is an electric socket, which detachably receives a rapid charge connector (first charge connector) 36”), and the second connector is a normal charging connector for normal charging of the vehicle (Par. 0061, “home charge socket 34 is an electric socket, which detachably receives a home charge connector (second charge connector) 38”).
However, Loo fails to explicitly disclose wherein an acute angle formed by the first axis and a vertical direction is smaller than an acute angle formed by the second axis and the vertical direction, wherein each of the first axis and the second axis is formed by a straight line in which a vehicle body outer side is positioned upper than a vehicle body inner side.
Uchida teaches wherein an acute angle (inclination angle Ѳ, Fig. 4) formed by the first axis and a vertical direction is smaller than an acute angle formed by the second axis and the vertical direction, wherein each of the first axis and the second axis is formed by a straight line (Par. 0040, “each of the connection port portions 151a and 152a of the charging connectors 151 and 152 mounted on the center panel 85 has an attitude directed slightly upward”) in which a vehicle body outer side (upper portion 150b, Fig. 4) is positioned upper than a vehicle body inner side (lower portion 150a, Fig. 4).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of Uchida to modify the invention of Loo to provide wherein each of the first axis and the second axis of the first and second connector arranged in a vertical manner are tilted upward by Uchida’s port orientation technique. This would yield the predictable result of operable, outer upper-facing connectors. Regarding the acute angle formed by the first axis is smaller than the acute angle formed by the second axis in relation to the vertical axis, a person of ordinary skill in the art would find this to be a mere rearrangement of parts for the predictable result of providing access and visibility of the lower port during operation. One would be motivated to make these modifications for the purpose of enhancing operability at the time when the respective charging guns are attached to and detached from the charging connector. See MPEP 2144.04(VI)(C) In re Japikse, 181 F.2d 1019, 86 USPQ 70.
Regarding claim 3, Loo discloses the structure of the charging port of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first connector has a first connection portion projecting from an opening surface of a first mounting hole into which the first connector is inserted and fitted (first socket 33 projecting and fitted to wall portion 22 in Fig. 3 where socket 33 is pointing towards vehicle outer side), wherein the second connector has a second connection portion projecting from an opening surface of a second mounting hole into which the second connector is inserted and fitted (second socket 34 projection and fitted to wall portion 23 in Fig. 3 where socket 34 is pointing towards vehicle inner side), and wherein the first connection portion and the second connection portion at least partially overlap in plan view (see Fig. 4, Par. 0080, “the space taken up by the rapid charge connector 36 during higher-voltage charge and the space taken up by the home charge connector 38 during lower-voltage charge partially overlap, which can help to achieve efficient utilization of the space within the accommodating box 21. In other words, this ”).
Regarding claim 4, Loo in view of Uchida discloses the structure of the charging port of the vehicle according to claim 1. The combination further renders obvious wherein the first axis and the second axis are parallel to each other in plan view. In the combination, both the first and second axes are tilted outward-upward within the same vertical plane wherein Uchida’s inclined connectors are combined with Loo’s vertically stacked connectors such that the angular difference between the axes lies in the vertical plane. The two axes therefore project as parallel in plan view.
A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would find that the parallel relationship of the axes of the first and second connector would be an obvious design choice of combination of the invention of Loo and Uchida from claim 1. One would be motivated to make this combination so that both charging guns are inserted from a single common direction relative to the vehicle side thereby simplifying access of the two stacked connectors within the shared charging port.
Regarding claim 5, Loo and Uchida discloses the structure of the charging port of the vehicle according to claim 3. The combination further renders obvious wherein the first axis and the second axis are parallel to each other in plan view. In the combination, both the first and second axes are tilted outward-upward within the same vertical plane wherein Uchida’s inclined connectors are combined with Loo’s vertically stacked connectors such that the angular difference between the axes lies in the vertical plane. The two axes therefore project as parallel in plan view.
A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would find that the parallel relationship of the axes of the first and second connector would be an obvious design choice of combination of the invention of Loo and Uchida from claim 1. One would be motivated to make this combination so that both charging guns are inserted from a single common direction relative to the vehicle side thereby simplifying access of the two stacked connectors within the shared charging port.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Neblett et al. (US 6,371,768) discloses a universal charge port connector having a male and female connector with electrical contacts.
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/JEFFREY MOUNTAIN/ Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TULSIDAS C PATEL/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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