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 .
Response to Amendment
Receipt is acknowledged of the Preliminary Amendment filed on May 5, 2023. Accordingly, claim 12 is cancelled; claims 1-11 and newly added claims 13-21 are currently pending in the application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on May 5, 2023; July 18, 2024; November 14, 2024; May 5, 2025; August 27, 2025;December 17, 2025; and March 2, 2026 are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Interpretation
According to MPEP 2112.02: Process Claims, it is noted that “Under the principles of inherency, if a prior art device, in its normal and usual operation, would necessarily perform the method claimed, then the method claimed will be considered to be anticipated by the prior art device” (emphasis added). It is also noted in that same MPEP section that “The Federal Circuit upheld the Board’s finding that "Donley inherently performs the function disclosed in the method claims on appeal when that device is used in ‘normal and usual operation’" and found that a prima facie case of anticipation was made out” (emphasis added). Id. at 138, 801 F.2d at 1326. It was up to applicant to prove that Donley's structure would not perform the claimed method when placed in ambient light.).”
With regard to claim 21, this claim presents a current leakage detection method according to the current detection circuit of claim 1. Therefore, the argument made against claim 1 also applies, mutatis mutandis, to claim 21. In addition, it is clearly seen that claim 21 is a process claim which presents a process of using the current detection circuit as claimed in claim 1.
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 1-11 and 13-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Wang et al. (CN 112269148 A).
Wang et al. teaches a current detecting circuit comprising:
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With regard to claims 1 and 21, a current detection circuit (FIG. 1, current detection circuit 20) comprising an excitation module (FIG. 1, excitation module 21) and a comparison module (FIG. 1, comparison module 22), wherein the excitation module (FIG. 1, excitation module 21) is connected to a first winding (FIG. 1, first winding u1) wound in a magnetic induction coil (FIG. 1, induction coil 10), a lead (FIG. 1, lead L0) passes through the magnetic induction coil (FIG. 1, induction coil 10), and the comparison module (FIG. 1, comparison module 22) is connected to the excitation module (FIG. 1, excitation module 21); the excitation module (FIG. 1, excitation module 21) is configured to output an excitation signal to the first winding (FIG. 1, first winding u1) and receive a feedback signal (FIG. 1, feedback signal Sk) induced by the first winding (FIG. 1, first winding u1); the comparison module (FIG. 1, comparison module 22) is configured to determine whether there is leakage current in the lead (FIG. 1, lead L0) based on the feedback signal (FIG. 1, feedback signal Sk) induced by the first winding (FIG. 1, first winding u1) and a preset reference signal (For more details, please read: Abstract, and paragraphs: [0063]-[0065]).
With regard to claim 10, a charging system (FIG. 10) comprising a charging device (FIG. 10, charging device 101), a magnetic induction coil (FIG. 10, induction coil 10), a control circuit (FIG. 10, control circuit 103), and the current detection circuit (FIG. 10, current detection circuit 20) according to claim 1; the current detection circuit (FIG. 10, current detection circuit 20) is connected to the magnetic induction coil (FIG. 10, induction coil 10) and the control circuit (FIG. 10, control circuit 103), respectively, and the control circuit (FIG. 10, control circuit 103) is connected to the charging device (FIG. 10, charging device 101) through a first lead (FIG. 10, first wire 104) which passes through the magnetic induction coil (FIG. 10, induction coil 10); the current detection circuit (FIG. 10, current detection circuit 20) is configured to output an indication signal (FIG. 10, indication signal K0) when it is determined that there is leakage current in the first lead (FIG. 10, first wire 104); the control circuit (FIG. 10, control circuit 103) is configured to control the charging device (FIG. 10, charging device 101) to stop supplying electric energy to the outside upon receipt of the indication signal (FIG. 10, indication signal K0), and control the charging device (FIG. 10, charging device 101) to supply electric energy to the outside upon no receipt of the indication signal (FIG. 10, indication signal K0) (Paragraphs: [0035]-[0040], [0063]-[0065] and [0154]-[0160]).
With regard to claims 2 and 13, the comparison module (FIG. 1, comparison module 22) is specifically configured to: determine whether an absolute value of the feedback signal (FIG. 1, feedback signal Sk) is greater than the reference signal; determine that there is leakage current in the lead (FIG. 1, lead L0), if the absolute value of the feedback signal (FIG. 1, feedback signal Sk) is greater than the reference signal; determine that there is no leakage current in the lead (FIG. 1, lead L0), if the absolute value of the feedback signal (FIG. 1, feedback signal Sk) is not greater than the reference signal (Paragraphs: [0010]-[0012]).
With regard to claims 3 and 14, the excitation module (FIG. 1, excitation module 21) comprises a signal generator (FIG. 3, signal generator 21a) configured to generating the excitation signal (Paragraphs: [0014]-[0015]).
With regard to claims 4 and 15, the excitation module (FIG. 1, excitation module 21) further comprises a voltage dividing unit (FIG. 3, voltage dividing unit 21b) connected between the signal generator (FIG. 3, signal generator 21a) and the first winding (FIG. 1, first winding u1); the voltage dividing unit (FIG. 3, voltage dividing unit 21b) is configured to perform voltage division processing on the excitation signal before the excitation signal is output to the first winding (FIG. 1, first winding u1) (Paragraphs: [0017]-[0019]).
With regard to claims 5 and 16, the comparison module (FIG. 1, comparison module 22) comprises a comparison unit (FIG. 3, comparison unit 22a); the comparison unit (FIG. 3, comparison unit 22a) is configured to: determine an effective signal and an interference signal in the feedback signal (FIG. 1, feedback signal Sk), and amplify the effective signal to obtain a first signal; determine whether there is leakage current in the lead (FIG. 1, lead L0) based on the first signal and the reference signal; and output a second signal if it is determined that there is leakage current in the lead (FIG. 1, lead L0) (Paragraphs: [0020]-[0022]).
With regard to claims 6 and 17, the comparison module (FIG. 1, comparison module 22) further comprises a first operational amplifier unit (FIG. 3, first operational amplifier unit 22b) connected between the comparison unit (FIG. 3, comparison unit 22a) and the excitation module (FIG. 1, excitation module 21); the first operational amplifier unit (FIG. 3, first operational amplifier unit 22b) is configured to perform signal amplification processing on the feedback signal (FIG. 1, feedback signal Sk) before the effective signal and the interference signal in the feedback signal (FIG. 1, feedback signal Sk) are determined (Paragraphs: [0023]-[0025]).
With regard to claims 7 and 18, the comparison module (FIG. 1, comparison module 22) further comprises a second operational amplifier unit (FIG. 3, second operational amplifier unit 22c) connected to the comparison unit (FIG. 3, comparison unit 22a); the second operational amplifier unit (FIG. 3, second operational amplifier unit 22c) is configured to perform power amplification processing on the second signal (Paragraphs: [0026]-[0028]).
With regard to claims 8 and 19, the current detection circuit (FIG. 1, current detection circuit 20) further comprises an auxiliary module (FIG. 8, auxiliary module 24); the auxiliary module (FIG. 8, auxiliary module 24) is connected to a second winding (FIG. 1, second winding u2) wound in the magnetic induction coil (FIG. 1, induction coil 10); the auxiliary module (FIG. 8, auxiliary module 24) is configured to output a preset current signal to the second winding (FIG. 1, second winding u2) at an initialization stage where no current passes through the lead (FIG. 1, lead L0), so as to determine whether the excitation module (FIG. 1, excitation module 21) and the comparison module (FIG. 1, comparison module 22) can work normally (Paragraphs: [0029]-[0032]).
With regard to claims 9 and 20, the auxiliary module (FIG. 8, auxiliary module 24) comprises a current generator (Paragraph: [0033]).
With regard to claim 11, the first lead (FIG. 10, first wire 104) comprises a neutral line and a live line (Paragraph: [0161]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Applicant’s attention is invited to the followings whose inventions disclose similar devices.
Zhang et al. (CN 105932490 A) teaches a USB power leakage protective chip.
Du (CN 113406531 A) teaches a leakage detection device.
Kwon et al. (KR 200383107 Y1) teaches a hybrid power supply system.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOAI-AN D. NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571) 272-2170. The examiner can normally be reached MON-THURS (7:00 AM - 5:00 PM).
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HOAI-AN D. NGUYEN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2858
/HOAI-AN D. NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858