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 .
Claims Status
Claims 1-20 are currently pending, claims 1, 8 and 15 are currently pending and claims 2-7, 9-14 and 16-20 are original.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 08/20/2026. These drawings are acceptable. The objection to the drawing is withdrawn.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see remarks and amended claims, filed 08/20/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-20 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Applicant’s amendment overcame the previous prior art rejection; Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of CHAKRABARTI et al. (US 2009/0034303 A1).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over HAO et al. (US 2022/0158574 A1, hereinafter HAO) in view of LEE et al. (US 2021/0061128 A1, hereinafter LEE) and in further view of CHAKRABARTI et al. (US 2009/0034303 A1, hereinafter CHAKRA).
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Regarding claims 1 and 15 (claim 1 is considered representative for limitation matching purposes), HAO discloses a system comprising:
an inverter (See Fig.4, above, and Par.40, disclose an inverter comprising switches S1-S6) coupled to a high voltage battery (See Fig.4, Item#126 and Par.40, disclose a battery) and a motor (See Fig.4, Item#118 and Par.29, disclose a motor); and
a control system coupled to the inverter (See Fig.4, Item#440 and Par.42, disclose control module 440 is coupled to inverter and controls the switches S1-S6), wherein the control system is configured to control the inverter to output a first electrical current to the motor (See Par.38 and Fig.2B, discloses the controller 440 controls the inverter to generate a first current ϕA to the motor 118), a second electrical current to the motor (See Par.38 and Fig.2B, discloses the controller 440 controls the inverter to generate a first current ϕB to the motor 118), and a third electrical current to the motor (See Par.38 and Fig.2B, discloses the controller 440 controls the inverter to generate a first current ϕC to the motor 118), the first and second waveforms being out of phase (See Fig.2B and Pars.25 and 38, discloses that the second and third currents ϕB and ϕC are out of phase with first current ϕA).
However, HAO does not disclose the first electrical current and the second electrical current having a triangular waveform and wherein the triangular waveforms are generated by clamping two legs of the inverter and commutating a third leg of the inverter at a switching frequency.
LEE discloses a system and method for increasing the temperature of a battery using an inverter, comprising controlling the inverter to output a first electrical current having a first triangular waveform to the motor, a second electrical current having a second triangular waveform to the motor (See Fig.2, and Par.52-54 and 58-59, disclose controlling the inverter switches to generate currents Ics and Ias having a triangular waveform).
HAO and LEE are analogous since they both deal with battery heating using inverter circuit.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by HAO with the teachings of LEE by controlling the inverter to generate a first triangular current and a second triangular current for the benefit of providing faster and more efficient heating and lower switching stress as compared to sinusoidal waveforms.
However, HAO and LEE do not disclose wherein the triangular waveforms are generated by clamping two legs of the inverter and commutating a third leg of the inverter at a switching frequency.
CHAKRA discloses a discontinuous pulse width modulation of an inverter wherein waveforms are generated by clamping two legs of the inverter and commutating a third leg of the inverter at a switching frequency (See Par.39).
HAO, LEE and CHAKRA are analogous art since they all deal with inverter circuits.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by HAO and LEE with the teachings of CHAKRA such that the triangular waveforms are generated by clamping two legs of the inverter and commutating a third leg of the inverter at a switching frequency for the benefit of reducing switching losses and increasing efficiency (since two of the legs are clamped and not switching, switching losses are reduced).
Regarding claim 8, HAO discloses a system comprising:
an inverter (See Fig.4, above, and Par.40, disclose an inverter comprising switches S1-S6) coupled to a high voltage battery (See Fig.4, Item#126 and Par.40, disclose a battery) and a motor (See Fig.4, Item#118 and Par.29, disclose a motor), the inverter comprising a first set of switches (See Fig.4, switches S1-S2), a second set of switches (See Fig.4, Switches S3-S4), and a third set of switches (See Fig.4, switches S5-S6) coupled to the high voltage battery (See Fig.4, discloses the switches S1-S6 are coupled to the battery 128); and
a control system coupled to the inverter (See Fig.4, and Par.42, disclose control module 440 is coupled to inverter and controls the switches S1-S6), the control system comprising a memory having computer readable instructions and a processing device for executing the computer readable instructions in the memory (See Par.35, disclose a microprocessor with a memory);
wherein the control system is configured to control the first set of switches of the inverter to output a first electrical current waveform to the motor (See Par.38 and Fig.2B, discloses the controller 440 controls the inverter to generate a first current ϕA to the motor 118), control the second set of switches of the inverter to output a second electrical current to the motor (See Par.38 and Fig.2B, discloses the controller 440 controls the inverter to generate a first current ϕB to the motor 118), and control the third set of switches of the inverter to output a third electrical current to the motor See Par.38 and Fig.2B, discloses the controller 440 controls the inverter to generate a first current ϕC to the motor 118), the first and second waveforms being out of phase.
However, HAO does not disclose the first electrical current and the second electrical current having a triangular waveform and wherein the first triangular waveform and the second triangular waveform are generated by clamping two legs of the inverter and commutating a third leg of the inverter at a switching frequency.
LEE discloses a system and method for increasing the temperature of a battery using an inverter, comprising controlling the inverter to output a first electrical current having a first triangular waveform to the motor, a second electrical current having a second triangular waveform to the motor (See Fig.2, and Par.52-54 and 58-59, disclose controlling the inverter switches to generate currents Ics and Ias having a triangular waveform).
HAO and LEE are analogous since they both deal with battery heating using inverter circuit.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by HAO with the teachings of LEE by controlling the inverter to generate a first triangular current and a second triangular current for the benefit of providing faster and more efficient heating and lower switching stress as compared to sinusoidal waveforms.
However, HAO and LEE do not disclose wherein the first triangular waveform and the second triangular waveform are generated by clamping two legs of the inverter and commutating a third leg of the inverter at a switching frequency.
CHAKRA discloses a discontinuous pulse width modulation of an inverter wherein waveforms are generated by clamping two legs of the inverter and commutating a third leg of the inverter at a switching frequency (See Par.39).
HAO, LEE and CHAKRA are analogous art since they all deal with inverter circuits.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by HAO and LEE with the teachings of CHAKRA such that the triangular waveforms are generated by clamping two legs of the inverter and commutating a third leg of the inverter at a switching frequency for the benefit of reducing switching losses and increasing efficiency (since two of the legs are clamped and not switching, switching losses are reduced).
Regarding claims 2, 9 and 16 (claim 2 is considered representative for limitation matching purposes), HAO, LEE and CHAKRA disclose the system of claim 1 as discussed above, wherein the control system is configured to cause switching at every half-cycle for the first triangular waveform and the second triangular waveform (See HAO, Fig.2B and LEE Fig.2 and Par.57, disclose controlling switching to take place every half cycle “half period”).
Regarding claims 3, 10 and 17 (claim 3 is considered representative for limitation matching purposes), HAO and LEE disclose the system of claim 1, wherein increasing a pulsation duty cycle of the first triangular waveform, the second triangular waveform, and a third waveform of the third electrical current increases heating of the high voltage battery (The examiner explains that the limitation is not positively recited as in controlling the pulsation duty cycle to increase heating of the high voltage battery, the claim merely recites that increasing the pulsation of the duty cycle increases the heating of the high voltage battery. The examiner explains that it is inherent that increasing pulsations in the duty cycle increases the generated heat since increasing the duty cycle means that the amount of time the currents are applied increases).
Regarding claims 4, 11 and 18 (claim 4 is considered representative for limitation matching purposes), HAO, LEE and CHAKRA disclose the system of claim 1 as discussed above, wherein:
the inverter comprises a first set of switches (See HAO, Fig.4, switches S1-S2), a second set of switches (See HAO, Fig.4, Switches S3-S4), and a third set of switches (See HAO, Fig.4, switches S5-S6); and
the control system is configured to input at least a first modulated signal to the first set of switches (See HAO, Fig.4, discloses the controller 440 outputs control signals S1 and S2 to switches S1 and S2), a second modulated signal to the second set of switches (See HAO, Fig.4, discloses the controller 440 outputs control signals S3 and S4 to switches S3 and S4), and a third modulated signal to the third set of switches (See HAO, Fig.4, discloses the controller 440 outputs control signals S5 and S6 to switches S5 and S6) to cause the inverter to output the first triangular waveform (See HAO, Fig.2B, discloses the first signal ϕA. HAO as modified by LEE as applied to claim 1 discloses the first waveform being triangular), the second triangular waveform (See HAO, Fig.2B, discloses the first signal ϕB. HAO as modified by LEE as applied to claim 1 discloses the second waveform being triangular), and a third waveform (See HAO, Fig.2B, discloses the third signal ϕC), respectively, the first modulated signal and the second modulated signal causing an opposite logic signal in the first set of switches and the second set of switches (See HAO, Fig.2B, discloses the switches are controlled in opposite logic such that when signal ϕA is generated, signal ϕB is not generated and vice versa).
Regarding claims 5, 12 and 19 (claim 5 is considered representative for limitation matching purposes), HAO, LEE and CHAKRA disclose the system of claim 1 as discussed above, wherein:
unbalanced phase relationships among the first triangular waveform, the second triangular waveform, and the third triangular waveform cause a heating of the high voltage battery (See HAO, Fig.2B, discloses phase currents ϕA, ϕB and ϕC are out of phase and Par.38 discloses that the currents generate heat in the battery).
However, HAO and LEE do not disclose the third electrical current has a third triangular waveform.
However as disclosed in the rejection of claim 1 above, LEE discloses using a triangular waveform in the phases selected to heat the battery and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed HAO and LEE as applied to claim 1 with the teachings of LEE by using a triangular current waveform for the third electrical current for the benefit of providing faster and more efficient heating and lower switching stress (also since the first and second currents are triangular, the third is also triangular such that control is simplified to make sure that the total of the three signals provides a zero torque signal).
Regarding claims 6, 13 and 20 (claim 6 is considered representative for limitation matching purposes), HAO, LEE and CHAKRA disclose the system of claim 5 as discussed above, wherein the unbalanced phase relationships draw alternating current from the high voltage battery in order to generate the heating in the high voltage battery (See HAO, Fig.4, discloses the inverter receives DC from the battery 126 and generates the disclosed AC current signals).
Regarding claims 7 and 14 (claim 7 is considered representative for limitation matching purposes), HAO, LEE and CHAKRA disclose the system of claim 1 as discussed above, wherein a combination of the first, second, and third electrical currents does not create any q-axis motor current such that no electromagnetic torque is generated in the motor of a vehicle (See HAO, Par.36, discloses that the AC currents do not generate torque in the motor, This implicitly indicates that the combination of the first, second and third currents do not generate any q-axis motor currents as evidenced by LEE which discloses in Par.62-63 that when the q-axis current is zero there is no torque generated in the motor).
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 AHMED H OMAR whose telephone number is (571)270-7165. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00 am -7:00 PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Drew Dunn can be reached at 571-272-2312. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AHMED H OMAR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
