DETAILED ACTION
Status of the Claims
In the communication dated April 13, 2026, claims 1, 3-5, 7-10, 12-14 and 16-19 are pending. Claims 1 and 10 are currently amended. Claims 6 and 15 are presently cancelled and Claims 2 and 11 were previously cancelled.
Cancelled claim 6 is incorporated into claim 1 along with the amendment of “wherein the auxiliary power supplies power to the power conversion apparatus before the charging power of the charging apparatus outputs”, which necessitates finality due to amendment.
Response to Arguments
As suggested in the interview summary dated 4/2/2026, the applicant has incorporated claim 6 into the independent claim, thus, overcoming the 101 rejection.
The applicant argues that the self-test of Smith is not a power-on self-test as recited in claim 1 and the self-test in Smith is a fault simulation test performed after the main system is activated (see pages 10-11 of the applicant remarks).
However, it should be noted that a power-on self-test, under the ordinary meaning is a fault test to ensure functionality. Smith discloses a system test to ensure it is operational and determine whether to disconnect or be operational.
The applicant argues that the term “auxiliary power” or ‘auxiliary power source” does not appear anywhere in Smith and all power sources are “main power sources” without the concept of “auxiliary power” (see page 11 of applicant remarks).
Smith teaches that the energy storage device acts as a backup, thus being an auxiliary source (Smith; ¶48).
The applicant argues that the “normal working mode” in Smith refers to a mode in which the energy storage device 215 and the converter 210 together supply power to the loads which is not an auxiliary power.
However, the definition of auxiliary is that it provides supplementary help. The energy storage device 215 acts as a backup when there is a failure of the external power source 250 which is the main charging device for the loads (see Smith ¶52).
The applicant argues that the “priority” in Smith is charge/discharge control based on electric quantity, not for powering the apparatus itself.
However, the power to the load travels through the apparatus. It follows that the priority includes powering the power conversion device. Smith teaches that the converter 210 is controlled to convert the voltage output by the energy storage device (Smith; ¶68) and the converter 210 converts a first voltage provided by the external power source 250 into another voltage (Smith ¶16).
The applicant argues that Smith does not teach the step of converting the charging power and/or the power battery into a working power of the power conversion apparatus.
Smith teaches that the converter 210 is controlled to convert the voltage output by the energy storage device (Smith; ¶68) and the converter 210 converts a first voltage provided by the external power source 250 into another voltage (Smith ¶16). Thus, Smith teaches that the power is converted by the converter 210 to provide a working power as the output.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 3-5, 10, 12-14 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Smith US20210070191A1
Regarding claim 1. Smith discloses a power supply control method for a power conversion apparatus, wherein the power conversion apparatus (210) is connected to two powers (energy storage device 215 and high voltage system 250), wherein the two powers comprising a first power supply (250) and a second power supply (215);
wherein the first power supply is a charging power of a charging apparatus (250) and the second power supply is a power battery (215) (FIG. 2; ¶15);
wherein the power conversion apparatus (210) is configured to conduct a power conversion between the charging apparatus (250) and the power battery (215) so as to convert an output power of the charging apparatus into a power required by the power battery for charging the power battery (¶35 - the converter 210 converts the first voltage into a second voltage and a controller controls switching of a switching element to connect the converter to the energy storage device and charge the energy storage device); the method comprises:
conducting a power-on self-test with an auxiliary power of the charging apparatus by the power conversion apparatus (¶48 - power supply device performs self-test diagnostics using the DC/DC converter; FIG. 5 - 510/515);
wherein the auxiliary power supplies power to the power conversion apparatus (210) before the charging power of the charging apparatus (250) outputs (¶48 – power supply actively disconnects the energy storage device 215 and transfers all of the load to the DC/DC converter then transfer back to the full system, thus before outputting the power);
determining a power supply priority order of the first power supply and the second power supply on the basis of a state parameter of the power battery (FIG. 4 at 415/420/425; ¶29-32; FIG. 6 at 610 - determine the mode of operation; ¶51 - monitor charge level of the energy storage device which is an electric quantity), under the condition that the self-test of the power conversion apparatus succeeds (FIG. 5 - in the event of a failure, the converter and/or the energy storage device is disconnected; ¶52 - modes are determined based on any failures and inputs);
converting the charging power and/or the power battery into a working power of the power conversion apparatus by the power conversion status (¶16 – converter 210 converting voltage provided by the external power source 250 into a second voltage; ¶68 – converter 210 controlled to convert the voltage output by the energy storage device);
determining the one of the charging power of the charging apparatus (FIG. 2) and the power battery (215) with a higher power supply priority as a current working power of the power conversion apparatus by the power conversion apparatus, so as to supply power to the power conversion apparatus (210) (FIG. 2; ¶52 - first mode when the energy storage device 215 is used to supply the power to the load);
wherein determining the power supply priority order of the charging power and the power battery (¶52 - determine which mode to operate) on the basis of the state parameter of the power battery, comprises:
determining the power supply priority order of the charging power and the power battery by the power conversion apparatus on the basis of electric quantity of the power battery (FIG. 6 at 610; ¶51 - monitor charge level of the energy storage device which is an electric quantity).
Regarding claim 3 and claim 12. Smith discloses determining the power supply priority order of the charging power and the power battery by the power conversion apparatus on the basis of the electric quantity of the power battery (FIG. 4 at 415/420/425; para 29-32; FIG. 6 at 610 - determine the mode of operation; ¶51 - monitor charge level of the energy storage device which is an electric quantity), comprising:
determining that the power supply priority of the power battery is higher than the power supply priority of the charging power by the power conversion apparatus, under the condition that the electric quantity of the power battery is higher than a first threshold (FIG. 4 at 415/425 – when the charge level is at or above the threshold, the switching element disconnects the converter from the energy storage device; ¶32, ¶52 – first mode where the energy storage device is used to supply the power to the load); or
determining that the power supply priority of the power battery is less than the power supply priority of the charging power by the power conversion apparatus, under the condition that the electric quantity of the power battery is less than or equal to the first threshold (FIG. 4 at 415/420 – when the charge level is below the threshold, the switching element connects the converter to the energy storage device; FIG. 6 at 635/640 – second mode is selected and the energy storage device is disconnected from the load; ¶57-58).
Regarding claim 4 and claim 13. Smith discloses acquiring the auxiliary power by the power conversion apparatus when it is determined that the power conversion apparatus is in a normal working mode (FIG. 5 at 515/525/530; FIG. 4 at 410/415/420), the normal working mode is a working mode in which the charging apparatus (250), the power conversion apparatus (220) and the power battery (215) are interconnected (FIG. 4 – when the charge level is below a threshold, the energy storage device is connected to the converter which is connected to the power source).
Regarding claim 5 and claim 14. Smith discloses acquiring the auxiliary power by the power conversion apparatus when determining that the power conversion apparatus is in the normal working mode (FIG. 5 at 515/525/530; FIG. 4 at 410/415/420), the power conversion apparatus accesses to the auxiliary power, comprising:
acquiring the auxiliary power by the power conversion apparatus when receiving a connection success information sent by the charging apparatus (¶46 – switching element is coupled to the converter and the load of the vehicle – thus providing a connection; ¶50 – methods are executed by the controller 230).
Regarding claim 10. Smith discloses a power conversion apparatus (210), comprising:
a processor (com, wherein the processor is configured to conduct a power conversion between a charging apparatus (250) and a power battery (215) so as to convert an output power of the charging apparatus into a power required by the power battery for charging the power battery (¶35 - the converter 210 converts the first voltage into a second voltage and a controller controls switching of a switching element to connect the converter to the energy storage device and charge the energy storage device) by performing operations of:
wherein the processor is connected to two powers, wherein the two powers comprising a first power supply (250) and a second power supply (215);
wherein the first power supply is a charging power of the charging apparatus (250) and the second power supply is a power battery (215) (FIG. 2; ¶15);
conducting a power-on self-test by using an auxiliary power of the charging apparatus (¶48 - power supply device performs self-test diagnostics using the DC/DC converter; FIG. 5 - 510/515);
wherein the auxiliary power supplies power to the power conversion apparatus (210) before the charging power of the charging apparatus (250) outputs (¶48 – power supply actively disconnects the energy storage device 215 and transfers all of the load to the DC/DC converter then transfer back to the full system, thus before outputting the power);
determining a supply priority order of the first power supply and the second power supply on the basis of a state parameter of the power battery (FIG. 4 at 415/420/425; ¶29-32; FIG. 6 at 610 - determine the mode of operation; ¶51 - monitor charge level of the energy storage device which is an electric quantity), under the condition that the self-test of the power conversion apparatus succeeds (FIG. 5 - in the event of a failure, the converter and/or the energy storage device is disconnected; ¶52 - modes are determined based on any failures and inputs);
converting the charging power and/or the power battery into a working power of the power conversion apparatus by the power conversion status (¶16 – converter 210 converting voltage provided by the external power source 250 into a second voltage; ¶68 – converter 210 controlled to convert the voltage output by the energy storage device);
determining the one of the charging power of the charging apparatus (FIG. 2) and the power battery (215) with a higher power supply priority as a current working power of the power conversion apparatus, so as to supply power to the power conversion apparatus (210) (FIG. 2; ¶52 - first mode when the energy storage device 215 is used to supply the power to the load);
wherein determining the power supply priority order of the charging power and the power battery (¶52 - determine which mode to operate) on the basis of the state parameter of the power battery, comprises:
determining the power supply priority order of the charging power and the power battery on the basis of electric quantity of the power battery (FIG. 6 at 610; ¶51 - monitor charge level of the energy storage device which is an electric quantity).
Regarding claim 19. Smith discloses power conversion apparatus (FIG. 2-3), comprising a memory and a processor (¶19 – controller includes a processor and memory), wherein the memory store instructions which, when executed by the processor (¶19 – “he memory may include instructions that are executable by the processor to control the power supply device 205”), cause the power conversion apparatus to implement the method according to claim 1.
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 7 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Smith US20210070191A1 in view of Garbossa et al. US20200195127A1.
Regarding claim 7 and claim 16. Smith does not explicitly teach that in an off-line debugging mode of the power conversion apparatus, determining a standard grid or an external direct current power as the current working power of the power conversion apparatus by the power conversion apparatus.
Garbossa discloses in an off-line debugging mode of the power conversion apparatus (¶25 cut-off switch 101 is opened when a fault is detected), determining a standard grid or an external direct current power as the current working power of the power conversion apparatus (¶41 – voltage of 12V, 40V or higher) by the power conversion apparatus (¶38 – Output of the current monitoring circuit 209 of the power converter 200 is sent to the controller 105 which allows for the detection of various fault conditions according to the detected power parameters).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to perform a self-test before the charging of Smith in order to reduce or prevent damage related to overvoltage conditions (Garbossa; ¶25).
Claims 8 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Smith US20210070191A1 in view of Garbossa et al. US20200195127A1 and in further view of Yan US20180152115A1.
Regarding claim 8. Smith discloses converting the external power into the working power of the power conversion apparatus by the power conversion apparatus (¶16 – “the converter 210 is coupled to the external power source 250 and converts a first voltage (e.g., 400V) provided by the external power source 250 into a second voltage (e.g., 12V)”).
Smith does not explicitly disclose that the external power is a grid power source.
Yan discloses a power conversion device 100 including an alternating current to direct current (AC-DC) module (110), configured to convert the standard grid into the working power of the power conversion apparatus (¶30 – power conversion device adapted to a wide range of grid voltage).
Regarding claim 17. Smith discloses the converter receiving external power before the conversion apparatus determines the external power source 250 as the working power of the power conversion apparatus ((¶68 – “the converter 210 may be controlled to convert the voltage output by the energy storage device 215 to a voltage that matches the operating voltage of the high voltage system 250 in order to pre-charge a bus of the high voltage system 250 before closing contacts to other components of the high voltage system 250”).
Smith does not explicitly disclose an alternating current to direct current (AC-DC) module, configured to convert the standard grid into the working power of the power conversion apparatus.
Yan discloses a power conversion device 100 including an alternating current to direct current (AC-DC) module (110), configured to convert the standard grid into the working power of the power conversion apparatus (¶30 – power conversion device adapted to a wide range of grid voltage).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to provide an AC-DC converter to provide a wider range of configurations to receive power (¶30).
Claims 9 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Smith US20210070191A1 in view of Kimbara US5164892A.
Regarding claim 9 and claim 18. Smith does not explicitly teach the power conversion apparatus is configured to convert the charging power into a pulse current and charge the power battery.
Kimbara discloses the power conversion apparatus is configured to convert the charging power into a pulse current and charge the power battery (column 1, lines 13-16 describes that a DC to pulse current power converter is known in the art).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to apply a well-known conversion, as taught by Kimbara, to the power converter of Smith in order to supply a load with the necessary power type.
Relevant Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Guo et al. CN106877450A discloses in step S1 – after energy storage system is turned on, a self-test is performed by a battery management system, thus being an auxiliary power and in step S2 – battery management system communicates with the energy storage inverter and then starts the system pre-charging function – the energy storage battery is connected to the energy storage inverter through the battery management system.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAMELA JEPPSON whose telephone number is (571)272-4094. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30 AM - 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, Drew Dunn can be reached on 571-272-2312. 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.
/PAMELA J JEPPSON/Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/DREW A DUNN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
Prosecution Insights