DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to the Request for Continued Examination filed on 2/19/26.
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 allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). 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, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 2/19/26 has been entered.
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 .
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 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.
Specification
The specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant's cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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.
(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, 2, 16 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zafarana (US11349401).
Regarding Claim 1, Zafarana discloses a circuit (fig. 1) comprising: a rectifier (138, 140, 142, 144) having a rectifier output (@137); and a clamp circuit (180, 134) including a capacitor (186) coupled between the rectifier output and a power output (@Vout), an inductor (134) coupled to the power output, and a diode (182) coupled between the inductor and a voltage terminal (between 190 and 186).
Regarding Claim 2, Zafarana discloses (fig. 1) the inductor (134) and the diode (182) are part of a clamping current path circuit (current path of 180 and 134) having a current path input (ground) and a current path output (@Vout), in which the current path input is coupled to the rectifier output (@node between 138, 134 and 134) and the current path output is coupled to the power output (@Vout).
Regarding Claim 16, Zafarana discloses (fig. 1) the rectifier has first (130) and second rectifier inputs (132), and the circuit further comprises: a switching stage (116, 120, 122, 118) having a switching stage input (from Vdc ) and a switching stage output (112/114); a switching controller (146) having a controller output coupled to the switching stage input (@160 and 164); and a transformer (104, 106) having a transformer input (@112) and first (130) and second (132) transformer outputs, in which the transformer input is coupled to the controller output (via 118), and the first and second transformer outputs are coupled to the first and second rectifier inputs.
Regarding Claim 23, Zafarana discloses a circuit (fig. 1) comprising: a switching stage (116, 120, 122, 118) having a switching stage input (from Vdc ) and a switching stage output (112/114); a switching controller (146) having a controller output coupled to the switching stage input (@160 and 164); a transformer having a transformer input (@112) and first and second transformer outputs (130, 132), in which the transformer input is coupled to the controller output (via 118); a rectifier (138, 140, 142, 144) having a first rectifier input (130), a second rectifier input (132), and a rectifier output (@137), in which the first and second rectifier inputs are coupled to the first and second transformer outputs; a capacitor (186) coupled between the rectifier output and a power output (@Vout); an inductor (134) coupled to the power output; and a diode (182) coupled between the inductor and a voltage rail (common to 186).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 17-22 are allowed.
Claims 3-15 and 24-27 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 3, the prior art fails to disclose: “...the inductor and the diode are part of a flyback converter having a converter input and a converter output, in which the converter input is coupled to the rectifier output and the converter output is coupled to the power output.” in combination with the additionally claimed features, as are claimed by the Applicant.
Regarding claim 17, the prior art fails to disclose: “...a clamping diode having a clamping anode and a clamping cathode, the clamping anode coupled to the rectifier output; a clamping capacitor having a first capacitor terminal and a second capacitor terminal, in which the first capacitor terminal coupled to the clamping cathode, in which the second capacitor terminal is coupled to an output of the circuit; a clamping inductor having a first inductor terminal and a second inductor terminal, in which the first inductor terminal is coupled to the output of the circuit and the second inductor terminal is coupled to a clamping switch output; a clamping switch having a control input, a switch input, and a switch output, in which the switch input is coupled to the clamping cathode and the switch output coupled to the second inductor terminal; and a flyback diode having a flyback anode and a flyback cathode, in which the flyback anode is coupled to an input voltage terminal and the flyback cathode is coupled to the clamping switch output.” in combination with the additionally claimed features, as are claimed by the Applicant.
Regarding claim 24, the prior art fails to disclose: “...the inductor and the diode are part of a flyback converter having a converter input and a converter output, in which the converter input is coupled to the rectifier output and the converter output is coupled to the power output.” in combination with the additionally claimed features, as are claimed by the Applicant.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 11881787, Zafarana; Alessandro discloses a method and system of a power converter with secondary side active clamp
US 7606051, Wittenbreder, Jr.; Ernest Henry discloses a Fully clamped coupled inductors in power conversion circuits.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KYLE J MOODY whose telephone number is (571)272-5242. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 10 AM - 4 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Monica Lewis can be reached on 571-272-1838. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KYLE J MOODY/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838