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 Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The claims are generally narrative and indefinite, failing to conform with current U.S. practice. They appear to be a literal translation into English from a foreign document and are replete with grammatical and idiomatic errors.
Claim 1 is rejected as being indefinite because it is unclear what is required by the phrases “a housing side having a battery of a transport device including an electric vehicle and Urban Air Mobility”, and “clearly guides a firefighting water inlet”. Further, it is unclear what element “is disposed adjacent to the firefighting water inlet”.
Claim 1 also recites the limitation "the battery side" in line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 2-8 are rejected for depending from indefinite claim 1.
Claim 2 recites the limitation "the attention signal" in line 9. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 5 is rejected as being indefinite because the terms “quick" in lines 2 and 3 and “easy” in line 4 are subjective and does not particularly and distinctly limit the metes and bounds of the claim. The terms "quick" and “easy” are not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. In this claim, the term "quick" describes the “plug camp” and the “plug hose part” and the term “easy” describes the connection; however, what one of ordinary skill in the art might consider to be “quick” and “easy”, another having ordinary skill in the art might not. Claim scope cannot depend solely on the unrestrained, subjective opinion of a particular individual purported to be practicing the invention. See 2173.05(b)IV.
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 1-2 and 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bader et al. (US 20230181950).
Regarding claim 1 as best understood, Bader teaches a firefighting connector assembly (20) with a guide function, comprising:
a guide light unit (20) which is provided on a housing side having a battery of a transport device including an electric vehicle (1, see fig. 1) and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) accommodated therein (par. 45), clearly guides a firefighting water inlet (23) through which firefighting water is able to be injected toward the battery side to prevent a fire of the battery or a fire, is disposed adjacent to the firefighting water inlet (23a, see par. 52), and includes light sources (fig. 1 – headlights/taillights/etc. of vehicle); and
a controller (31a) which generates a control signal so that a location of the firefighting water inlet and a state of the battery are able to be guided and the light sources each are able to emit light on the basis of the control signal (par. 49, 50, 61 – “the fire department can, for example, view vehicle data”, which inherently requires light to be emitted).
Regarding claim 2 as best understood, Bader teaches the firefighting connector assembly described regarding claim 1, and further comprising: a sensor (31b) which detects a temperature of the battery (par. 49) and then transmits a detection signal to the controller (par. 49), wherein the guide light unit receives, when the controller determines that the temperature of the battery is outside of a preset reference temperature range on the basis of the detection signal, a control signal regarding a caution signal from the controller and emits light corresponding to the attention signal on the basis of the control signal (par. 61 – “the fire department can, for example, view vehicle data”, which inherently requires light to be emitted).
Regarding claim 4 as best understood, Bader teaches the firefighting connector assembly described regarding claim 1, and further wherein the guide light unit has a structure in which it surrounds the firefighting water inlet and is formed in a shape of a circular ring or a polygonal ring (see fig. 3 – the structure of the guide light unit forms a generally circular ring around the inlet 23a).
Regarding claim 5 as best understood, Bader teaches the firefighting connector assembly described regarding claim 1, and further wherein the firefighting water inlet includes a quick plug clamp which is inserted into an insertion groove part formed along a circumference on an outside of the quick plug hose part so that easy connection with the quick plug hose part is possible (par. 58; fig. 3).
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 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bader in view of Wlodarczyk (US 2020/0016443).
Regarding claim 3 as best understood, Bader discloses the firefighting connector assembly described regarding claim 1, but not further wherein the guide light unit receives, when the controller receive an airbag activation signal of the transport device, a control signal regarding an alarm signal from the controller and emits light corresponding to the alarm signal on the basis of the control signal.
Wlodarczyk teaches a firefighting system for a transport device (par. 1) comprising a controller (5), and wherein when the controller receives an airbag activation signal of the transport device (par. 12), a control signal regarding an alarm signal from the controller and a fire extinguishing system is activated (par. 26).
It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the firefighting connector assembly of Bader such that the guide light unit receives, when the controller receive an airbag activation signal of the transport device, a control signal regarding an alarm signal from the controller and emits light corresponding to the alarm signal on the basis of the control signal, in light of the teaching of Wlodarczyk, since an airbag activation signal was a known indicator that the transport device has been in a crash and this may cause a fire of the battery.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bader in view of Slocum (US 5,836,638).
Regarding claim 6 as best understood, Bader discloses the firefighting connector assembly described regarding claim 1, but not further wherein a push-to-open button which includes a push rod provided inside the housing and opens an opening port by pushing a cover member in response to a pressure applied to the cover member is installed in the housing.
Slocum teaches a door assembly (fig. 1) for covering an external fluid inlet to a vehicle (col. 1, ln. 6-7) comprising a push-to-open button (24) which includes a push rod (28) provided inside the housing (fig. 1) and opens an opening port (14) by pushing a cover member (12) in response to a pressure applied to the cover member is installed in the housing (col. 1, ln. 51-58).
It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the firefighting connector assembly of Bader such that a push-to-open button which includes a push rod provided inside the housing and opens an opening port by pushing a cover member in response to a pressure applied to the cover member is installed in the housing, in light of the teaching of Slocum, since this would provide a convenient door for covering and protecting the connector assembly when it is not being used.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bader in view of Neuhausen et al. (US 2023/0181949).
Regarding claim 7 as best understood, Bader discloses the firefighting connector assembly described regarding claim 1, but not further wherein the firefighting water inlet includes an inlet screw connection part which has the same specifications as a fire hose and a fire standard screw and is able to be directly connected to a fire hose connection part.
Neuhausen teaches a firefighting connector assembly (20) with a firefighting water inlet that includes an inlet screw connection part which has the same specifications as a fire hose and a fire standard screw and is able to be directly connected to a fire hose connection part (par. 33).
It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the firefighting connector assembly of Bader such that the firefighting water inlet includes an inlet screw connection part which has the same specifications as a fire hose and a fire standard screw and is able to be directly connected to a fire hose connection part, in light of the teaching of Neuhausen, since this would provide a connection that could be connected to a fire hose from a fire truck.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bader in view of Stadler (US 2020/0086152).
Regarding claim 8 as best understood, Bader discloses the firefighting connector assembly described regarding claim 1, but not further wherein the guide light unit provides guidance regarding a location of the firefighting water inlet by emitting light through at least one light source among charging light, turn signal light, brake light, and fog light adjacent to the firefighting water inlet, thereby guiding the location of the firefighting water inlet and a level of danger.
Stadler teaches a firefighting system for a transport device (par. 1; fig. 1) that provides an alert regarding a fire by emitting light through at least one light source among charging light, turn signal light, brake light, and fog light adjacent to the firefighting water inlet, thereby guiding the location of the firefighting water inlet and a level of danger (par. 49).
It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the firefighting connector assembly of Bader such that the guide light unit provides guidance regarding a location of the firefighting water inlet by emitting light through at least one light source among charging light, turn signal light, brake light, and fog light adjacent to the firefighting water inlet, thereby guiding the location of the firefighting water inlet and a level of danger, in light of the teaching of Stadler, since this would provide a warning that is well understood and would alert anyone nearby as to the presence of a dangerous situation.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Choi (US 2025/0222293), Kim et al. (US 2018/0289996), and Baeder et al. (US 2022/0355138) all disclose firefighting connectors for electric vehicles having elements of the claimed invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CODY J LIEUWEN whose telephone number is (571)272-4477. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8-5, Friday varies.
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, Arthur Hall can be reached at (571) 270-1814. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CODY J LIEUWEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752
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