Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/917,942

Method and Apparatus for Plug and Charge Ecosystems with Multiple Service Providers

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Oct 16, 2024
Examiner
TABOR, AMARE F
Art Unit
2434
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Irdeto B.V.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 2m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allowance Rate
692 granted / 834 resolved
+25.0% vs TC avg
Strong +23% interview lift
Without
With
+22.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
14 currently pending
Career history
843
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
10.8%
-29.2% vs TC avg
§103
60.9%
+20.9% vs TC avg
§102
11.3%
-28.7% vs TC avg
§112
6.2%
-33.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 834 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 . Claim 1-16, filed on 10/16/2024, are presented for examination. Claim Objections Claims 5 and 13 are objected to because of the following informalities: please spell out “EMAID” in these claims. Appropriate correction is required. 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. Claim(s) 1-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over “Allamsetty” et al. (US 11962579 B2 ) in view of “Aabye” et al. (US 2026/0121422 A1). Regarding Claim 1/9. Allamsetty discloses A method/A system for leveraging a single contract certificate stored in a vehicle for accommodating multiple charging contacts in a Plug and Charge ecosystem (see Abstract and FIG.1), the method/system comprising: at least one computer processor; and at least one memory device having instructions thereon which, when executed by the at least one computer processor, cause the at least one computer processor to carry out the method of: a charge station authenticating a vehicle in response to a charging request from the vehicle [see FIG.1, where Allamsetty discloses vehicle 130 charging on Charger 110 authenticated by Charger Data Processing System 180]; in response to the authenticating, validating a contract certificate of the vehicle and authorizing the charging request [see FIG.1, where Allamsetty discloses charger data processing system 180 including digital certificate 185; see also Retrieve Certificate 405, FIG.4]; mapping the contract certificate of the vehicle to the contract certificate of the vehicle [Allamsetty discloses “The cloud data processing system can perform further authentication or verification, for example, based on a mapping between identifiers of charging systems (e.g., serial numbers) and certificates for the charging systems “ (col.1, lines 33-37); see also Charger To Certificate Map 255, FIG.2]; Allamsetty does not; buy, Aabye, analogues art, discloses multiple charging contracts [Aabye discloses “The electric vehicle and an energy supply terminal can communicate with each other using a protocol such ISO-15118 and can automatically negotiate multiple charge session parameters… The standard provides multiple use cases like secure communication, smart charging and plug and charge features used by some electric vehicle networks” (par.0002-0003), see also FIG.7, where Aabye discloses offering different charging option (par.0094-0111)]. Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the system of Allamsetty by incorporating the multiple charging of Aabye for enhancing the efficiency and flexibility of electric vehicle charging systems. Allamsetty in view of Aabye further discloses, and authorizing the charge station to provide charging services to the vehicle in accordance with the one of multiple charging contracts [Allamsetty discloses Establish Communication 4530/520, FIGS.4/5; see also PERFORM PLUG & CHARGE TRANSACTION S734, FIG.7 of Aabye]. Allamsetty in view of Aabye further disclose claim 2/10. The method/system of claim 1/9, wherein the mapping is performed by a service provider computing system [Allamsetty discloses Cloud Processing System 190 performing mapping (see FIG.2)]. Allamsetty in view of Aabye further disclose claim 3-4/11-12. The method/system of claim 2/10, wherein the service provider computing system is a centralized computing system; and wherein the service provider computing system is a decentralized computing system [see FIGS.1-2 can be implemented as in a centralized/decentralized system]. Allamsetty in view of Aabye further disclose claim 5/13. The method/system of claim 1/9, wherein the authenticating is based on an EMAID associated with the vehicle [Aabye discloses, “In some embodiments, the service provider account may be identified by a service provider account number such as eMobility account ID (eMAID)” (par.0050)]. The motivation to combine is the same as that of claim 1 above. Allamsetty in view of Aabye further disclose claim 6-7/14-15. The method/system of claim 1/9, wherein the contract certificate is stored in a memory device of the vehicle; wherein the contract certificate is stored in a removable memory device that can be selectively coupled with the vehicle [storing certificate in device memory and removable memory is well known in the art (see FIGS.1-2 of Allamsetty)]. Allamsetty in view of Aabye further disclose claim 8/16. The method/system of claim 1/9, wherein the mapping is based on at least one of a charge point operator or a mobility operator [see FIG.1, where Allamsetty discloses vehicle 130 charging on Charger 110 authenticated by Charger Data Processing System 180; and see also Charger To Certificate Map 255, FIG.2]. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. (See PTO—892). For example, US 11321482 B2 is directed to Method And Apparatus For Protecting Confidential Information In Electric Vehicle Power Transfer System. Contact Information Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AMARE F TABOR whose telephone number is (571) 270-3155. The examiner can normally be reached Mon.—Fri.: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. 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 http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ALI SHAYANFAR can be reached at (571) 270-1050. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /AMARE F TABOR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2434
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 16, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 15, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
83%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+22.9%)
3y 0m (~1y 2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 834 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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