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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 01/15/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5, 7-8, 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being unpatentable by Chon et al. (US 2020/0361323), herein after Chon.
Regarding claim 1, Chon discloses a vehicle high-voltage charging system using a motor driving system, the charging system (fig. 1) comprising:
a power distribution unit including: a first relay (R3, fig. 1) having one end connected to a charging power input terminal and an opposite end (one end of the R3 is connected to the negative terminal of the power supply and the opposite end, fig. 1); and
an integrated drive module separate from and external to the power distribution unit (see the annotated fig. 1),
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Annotated fig. I
the integrated drive module including:
an inverter (12, fig. 1) connected to a rechargeable battery (12 is connected to the battery 11, fig. 1);
a motor (13, fig. 1) connectable to the inverter (13 is connected to 12, fig. 1) and configured to supply power, which is provided to a neutral point of the motor(paragraph [0039]-[0040]), to the inverter;
a neutral point capacitor (Cnp, fig. 1) arranged on a by-pass path, wherein a first end of the by-pass path is connected to the neutral point and the charging power input terminal to which DC charging power is adaptable to input, and a second end of the by- pass path is connectable directly to the rechargeable battery and the opposite end of the first relay (see the annotated fig. II); and
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Annotated fig. II
a second relay (R2, fig. 1) arranged in the by-pass path and in series with the neutral point capacitor (R2 is connected in series with Cnp, fig. 1).
Regarding claim 2, Chon further discloses wherein the second relay is positioned between the neutral point capacitor and the neutral point of the motor (R2 is connected between N point and Cnp, fig. 1).
Regarding claim 3, Chon discloses wherein the neutral point capacitor (Cn, fig. 1) is positioned between the second relay and the neutral point of the motor (that Cnp below is positioned at the top end by the relay R2 and (through the switch S6) back to the neutral point at the bottom end, fig. 1).
Regarding claim 5, Chon further discloses wherein the second relay is a semiconductor switch without contactors (R2 is a relay, paragraph [0038]; Note: a simple relay is a semiconductor switch without contactors).
Regarding claim 7, Chon further discloses wherein the power distribution unit further includes a third relay having one end connected to the rechargeable battery and an opposite end connected to the charging power input terminal (R1 is connected to the battery and charging power input terminal, fig. 1).
Regarding claim 8, Chon further discloses wherein the power distribution unit further includes a fourth relay having one end connected to the neutral point of the motor and the first end of the by-pass path and an opposite end connected to the charging power input terminal (R2 is connected to N point and the first end of the bypass path and charging input terminal, fig. 1).
Regarding claim 10, Chon further discloses wherein the charging system is adapted to be used for 400V to 800V boost charging (paragraph [0004]).
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) 4, 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chon (US 2020/0361323) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Nishikawa et al. (US 2019/0351769), herein after Nishikawa.
Regarding claim 4, Chon discloses the vehicle high-voltage charging system using a motor driving system according to claim 1. However, Chon is silent about the relay is a relay with solenoid and contactors.
Nishikawa discloses the relay is a relay with solenoid and contactors (paragraph [0026] shows that the relay have the coils and contactors).
It would have been obvious to the one of ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of claimed invention to modify Chon’s second relay with solenoid and contactors at taught by Nishikawa, in order to provides electrical isolation, allowing low-power, safe, and efficient control signals in high power charging system.
Regarding claim 6, Chon discloses the vehicle high-voltage charging system using a motor driving system according to claim 1. However, Chon is silent about the semiconductor switch is a MOSFET switch.
Nishikawa discloses the semiconductor switch is a MOSFET switch (paragraph [0026]).
It would have been obvious to the one of ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of claimed invention to modify Chon’s relay as the semiconductor MOSFET switch as taught by Nishikawa, in order to have superior efficiency, high-speed switching (nanoseconds), and compact, lightweight, and reliable operation in the charging system.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SADIA KOUSAR whose telephone number is (571)272-3386. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 7:30am-5:30pm.
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SADIA . KOUSAR
Examiner
Art Unit 2859
/JULIAN D HUFFMAN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859