DETAILED ACTION
Drawings
Figures 3B, 4B, and 8-10 are objected to for under 37 CFR 1.84(l) for using grayscale shading. Appropriate action is required.
(l) Character of lines, numbers, and letters. All drawings must be made by a process which will give them satisfactory reproduction characteristics. Every line, number, and letter must be durable, clean, black (except for color drawings), sufficiently dense and dark, and uniformly thick and well-defined. The weight of all lines and letters must be heavy enough to permit adequate reproduction. This requirement applies to all lines however fine, to shading, and to lines representing cut surfaces in sectional views. Lines and strokes of different thicknesses may be used in the same drawing where different thicknesses have a different meaning.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-5, 7, 9, 15, 16 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Rui CN 108995547A.
In regards to Independent Claim 1, Rui teaches a fire extinguishing system (integrated with charger 100 of figure 1) for an electric vehicle (electric vehicle 200), comprising: a charger (100) configured to supply electricity to the electric vehicle and charge a battery mounted on the electric vehicle (charger 100 connected to vehicle 200 through charging gun 111); a charger control unit (103) configured to receive status information of the electric vehicle or the charger from the electric vehicle or the charger and determine whether the electric vehicle is on fire (step 3, paragraph [0053]); and a fire extinguishing device configured to receive a fire extinguishing signal from the charger control unit and extinguish a fire occurring in the electric vehicle (115 extinguishes fire, paragraph [0038]).
Regarding Dependent Claim 2, Rui teaches a connector configured to connect the electric vehicle and the charger so that electricity is supplied from the charger to the electric vehicle (charging gun and cable 111 in figure 1), and configured to enable communication between the electric vehicle and the charger control unit (step 7, paragraph [0053]).
Regarding Dependent Claim 3, Rui teaches the status information includes an error code (fire detection, step 3, or battery issues, step 7), wherein the error code includes a first state in which an error in the battery is detected (step 7, paragraph [0053]) or a second state in which a fire occurs in the electric vehicle (step 3, paragraph [0053]).
Regarding Dependent Claims 4 and 5, Rui teaches the charger control unit is configured to receive the error code and send a different fire extinguishing signal according to the first state (stop charging, step 7, paragraph [0053]) or the second state (extinguish fire, step 3, paragraph [0053]) to the fire extinguishing device.
Regarding Dependent Claim 7, Rui teaches the charger control unit is configured to stop a supply of electricity of the charger when receiving an error code corresponding to the second state and configured to send a fire extinguishing execution signal to the fire extinguishing device (charging stops when smoke is detected indicative of fire, paragraph [0057]).
Regarding Dependent Claim 9, Rui teaches the status information includes at least one of a voltage change of the battery (voltage of battery, step 7, paragraph [0053]), a temperature change of the battery, and a current change of the charger, and the charger control unit is configured to analyze at least one of the voltage change of the battery (step 7, paragraph [0053]), the temperature change of the battery, and the current change of the charger and to determine whether the electric vehicle is on fire (step 3, paragraph [0053]).
In regards to Independent Claim 15, Rui teaches a fire extinguishing method (steps 1-7, paragraph [0053]) for an electric vehicle (200), extinguishing a fire occurring during charging an electric vehicle (step 3, paragraph [0053]) equipped with a battery by a charger (charging gun 111), the method comprising: a communication operation of receiving status information of the electric vehicle or the charger from the electric vehicle or the charger (with detectors 113, 114, and through charging gun 111, paragraph [0053]); a determination operation of analyzing the status information and determining whether the electric vehicle is on fire (step 3, paragraph [0053]); a signal transmission operation of transmitting a fire extinguishing signal to a fire extinguishing device configured to extinguish the fire in the electric vehicle (paragraph [0053], propelling agent through nozzle 115); and a fire extinguishing operation of preparing to spray a fire extinguishing agent or spraying the fire extinguishing agent when the fire extinguishing signal is transmitted to the fire extinguishing device (through 115, paragraph [0038]).
Regarding Dependent Claim 16, Rui teaches the determination operation includes an error code in the status information (fire detection, step 3, or battery issues, step 7, paragraph [0053]), wherein the error code includes a first state in which an error in the battery is detected (step 7, paragraph [0053]) or a second state in which a fire occurs in the electric vehicle (step 3, paragraph [0053]).
Regarding Dependent Claim 19, Rui teaches the determination operation analyzes at least one of a temperature change of the battery, a voltage change of the battery (voltage of battery, step 7, paragraph [0053]), and a current change of the charger included in the status information and determines whether the electric vehicle is on fire (step 3, paragraph [0053]).
Claims 1, 11, 12, 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yu KR 20220086725A.
In regards to Independent Claim 1, Yu teaches a fire extinguishing system (figure 1) for an electric vehicle (electric vehicle shown in figure 1), comprising: a charger configured to supply electricity to the electric vehicle and charge a battery mounted on the electric vehicle (charger 201 shown below flame detector 103 in figure 2); a charger control unit (400) configured to receive status information of the electric vehicle or the charger from the electric vehicle or the charger and determine whether the electric vehicle is on fire (receives fire detection signal from heat, smoke 102 and flame 103 detectors with receiver 402, which is indicative of fire at vehicle or battery within vehicle, paragraph [0032]); and a fire extinguishing device configured to receive a fire extinguishing signal from the charger control unit and extinguish a fire occurring in the electric vehicle (300 and 301, shown spraying fluid above vehicle in figures 1 and 2, paragraph [0032]).
Regarding Dependent Claim 11, Yu teaches a storage tank (502) storing a fire extinguishing agent (paragraph [0028]), a pressurizing pump (506) pressurizing the fire extinguishing agent contained in the storage tank (paragraph [0029]), a valve (505) configured to open and close a pipe configured to discharge the fire extinguishing agent stored in the storage tank from the storage tank (purpose of valve is to allow and prevent flow through the valve), and a spraying member (301) connected to the pipe and spraying the fire extinguishing agent contained in the storage tank onto the electric vehicle (paragraph [0030]).
Regarding Dependent Claim 12, Yu teaches the spraying member is configured to spray the fire extinguishing agent into an area including a lower part of the electric vehicle (301 sprays over top vehicle as shown in figures, such that it will flow over the lower part of the vehicle).
In regards to Independent Claim 15, Yu teaches a fire extinguishing method for an electric vehicle (abstract), extinguishing a fire occurring during charging an electric vehicle (vehicle and charger shown in figures 1 and 2) equipped with a battery (200) by a charger (201), the method comprising: a communication operation of receiving status information of the electric vehicle or the charger from the electric vehicle or the charger (receives fire detection signal from heat, smoke 102 and flame 103 detectors with receiver 402, which is indicative of fire at vehicle or battery within vehicle, paragraph [0032]); a determination operation of analyzing the status information and determining whether the electric vehicle is on fire (determined by 402, paragraph [0034]); a signal transmission operation of transmitting a fire extinguishing signal to a fire extinguishing device configured to extinguish the fire in the electric vehicle (paragraph [0034]); and a fire extinguishing operation of preparing to spray a fire extinguishing agent or spraying the fire extinguishing agent when the fire extinguishing signal is transmitted to the fire extinguishing device (opening valve 506 to spray extinguishing agent on fire, paragraph [0034]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 6, 8, 17 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rui as applied to claims 5, 7 and 16 above, and further in view of Ma CN 111873832A.
Regarding Dependent Claims 6, 8, 17 and 18, Rui teaches the inventions as claimed and discussed above, and Rui further teaches that when operated fire extinguishing agent is sent from a reservoir to a nozzle (paragraph [0042]) and is controlled by a valve opening and closing the pipe (paragraph [0042], where valve is controlled by controller 103 to open when fire is detected, where step 7 detects battery issues, not a fire, such that valve is not opened, paragraph [0053], and step 3 detects a fire, such that the valve is opened, paragraph [0053]). However, Rui does not teach a pump downstream of the reservoir. Ma teaches using a pump (73) between a reservoir (74) and nozzle (78, where valve 76 is immediately upstream 78) of a fire extinguisher (figure 6). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the invention to use the pump of Ma in the pipe of Rui, in order to boost the pressure of the extinguishing agent prior to the agent exiting through the nozzle (paragraph [0022]).
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rui as applied to claim 9 above, and further in view of Krieg 2014/0152445.
Regarding Dependent Claim 10, Rui teaches the invention as claimed and discussed above. However, Rui does not teach detecting a fire in the battery based upon temperature or voltage of the battery. Krieg teaches detecting a fire in a battery based upon voltage or temperature (paragraph [0005]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the invention to use the fire detection method of Krieg in the system of Rui, in order to assist in detection of a fire using variables already monitored in the battery by the battery management system (paragraph [0005]).
Claim(s) 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Wang CN 114191745A.
Regarding Dependent Claims 12-14, Yu teaches the invention as claimed and discussed above. However, Yu does not teach that there is a spraying member on the ground and a second spraying member for the upper part of the vehicle. Wang teaches a fire extinguishing system for an electric vehicle (figure 1) with a first spraying member (11) on the ground (as shown in figure 1), and a second spraying member (22) for an upper part of the vehicle (22 sprays on upper portion of vehicle relative to ground spraying member in figure 1). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the invention to replace the spraying member of Yu with the two spraying members of Wang, in order to increase the probability that the fire is extinguished (abstract).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN M SUTHERLAND whose telephone number is (571)270-1902. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5.
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/STEVEN M SUTHERLAND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752
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