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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This is a Non-final Office Action for application number 19/046,618 CANTILEVER DEVICE FOR A CHARGING STATION, HOUSING ARRANGEMENT WITH SUCH A CANTILEVER DEVICE AND CHARGING STATION ARRANGEMENT SUCH A CANTILEVER DEVICE filed on 2/6/2025. Claims 1-20 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement submitted on 7/28/2025 and 2/6/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement has been considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of the restriction/election in the reply filed on 7/15/2026 is acknowledged.
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 10, 16 and 17 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.
With regards to claims 10, 16 and 17, the term “preferably” makes the claim indefinite because it does not show what is exactly included in the claim.
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 1-4, 6, 10, 15 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by United States Patent Publication No. 2024/0416777 to Volkl et al.
With regards to claim 1, the publication to Volkl et al. discloses a cantilever device (100) for a charging station (103) with at least one beam (118, 304), wherein the at least one beam has a rigid main body with a first end and a second end opposite the first end along a longitudinal extension of the at least one beam (See Figure 1),
[AltContent: arrow]wherein the cantilever device has a first fastening device
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for rigidly fastening the first end of the at least one beam to the charging station (103), wherein the cantilever device has at least one further fastening device (201, 302) for movably fastening at least one charging cable (101) and/or at least one roof element.
With regards to claim 2, Volkl et al. teaches wherein the cantilever device has at least one charging cable accommodation (102), and wherein the at least one further fastening device (201, 302) is a second fastening device for movably fastening the at least one charging cable accommodation.
With regards to claim 3, Volkl et al. teaches, wherein the at least one beam (118, 304) has as the at least one further fastening device (305), a third fastening device at the second end for rigidly fastening a cross strut (202).
With regards to claim 4, Volkl et al. teaches, wherein the at least one beam (118, 304) is formed at least in some regions as an elongate structural profile (See Figures 1 and 3), or as a U-profile, or as an L-profile, or as a T-beam or as a double T-beam.
With regards to claim 6, Volkl et al. teaches, wherein the at least one further fastening device (305) is arranged on the at least one beam and/or on the at least one cross strut.
With regards to claim 10, Volkl et al. teaches with a main frame (103) which is configured to be fastened preferably circumferentially in a head region of a charging station, wherein the main frame has the first fastening device, as well as at least one base strut which is configured to be fastened at one end to a first fastening device for fastening the first beam and at the other end to a second first fastening device for fastening the second beam.
With regards to claim 15, Volkl et al. teaches a housing arrangement (103) for a charging station with a housing and a cantilever device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one beam is rigidly fastened to a cladding element (105) of the housing via the first fastening device. (See Figure 1)
With regards to claim 18, Volkl et al. teaches a charging station arrangement (100) with a charging station according to claim 1.
With regards to claim 19, Volkl et al. with at least one charging cable (101), wherein the at least one charging cable is guided via the at least one charging cable accommodation (102).
With regards to claim 20, Volkl et al. teaches a charging station arrangement with a charging station and a cantilever device or a housing arrangement according to claim 15.
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 of this title, 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 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over United States Patent Publication No. 2024/0416777 to Volkl et al.
With regards to claim 13, Volk et al. teaches a beam with a length. The specific length is not disclosed, but reasonable dimensions have been held to be obvious. Therefore, it would be obvious to have wherein the at least one beam has a beam length from 80 cm to 150 cm, in particular from 100 cm to 130 cm, because these are reasonable dimensions for the beam.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 7-9, 11, 12, 14, 16 and 17 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
With regards to claim 5, the prior art does not teach, wherein the cantilever device has, as the at least one beam, a first beam and a second beam, and also at least one cross strut which is configured to be fastened at one end to the third fastening device of the first beam and at the other end to the third fastening device of the second beam.
With regards to claim 11, the prior art does not teach wherein a surface of the at least one charging cable accommodation pointing geodetically upwards in the fastened state is formed at least in some regions as a saddle surface.
With regards to claim 12, the prior art does not teach, wherein the at least one charging cable accommodation forms a charging cable channel, wherein the at least one charging cable accommodation does not completely enclose the charging cable channel along a cable perimeter direction encompassing an extension direction of the charging cable.
With regards to claim 14, the prior art does not teach with at least one lighting device, in particular an LED light strip, wherein the lighting device is arranged on a surface of the at least one beam and/or the at least one cross strut pointing downwards in the intended mounted state.
With regards to claim 16, the prior art does not teach wherein the at least one beam encloses an angle preferably with an imaginary horizontal plane.
With regards to claim 17, the prior art does not teach wherein a beam perpendicular direction plane and a side cladding element plane enclose an angle of 0 degrees to 180 degrees, preferably 135 degrees.
Cited References
PN 2026/00104885 to Mauderlie et al. shows a arm with cable
PN 9,585,468 to Udagawa et al. shows a cord management device
PN 6,124,932 to Tax et al. dhows a cable management device
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication should be directed to Amy J. Sterling at telephone number 571-272-6823 or to Supervisor Jonathan Liu at 571-272-8227 if the examiner cannot be reached. The examiner can normally be reached (Mon-Fri 8am-5:00pm). The fax machine number for the Technology center is 571-273-8300 (formal amendments), informal amendments or communications 571-273-6823. Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application should be directed to the Technology Center receptionist at 571-272-3600.
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/AMY J. STERLING/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3631 8/26/26
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