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 .
Applicant’s response filed on 06/26/2025 has been entered and considered. Upon entering claims 32-40 and 48-51 were pending; claims 32, 33, 35, 38, and 40 have been amended; and claims 41-47 and 52 have been cancelled.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed on 06/26/2025 have been fully considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection as further noted.
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 32-33, 35, 38-40, 48-49, and 51 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being participated by Covic et al. (WO2018026288).
Regarding claim 32, Covic teaches An IPT system (see figure 4) comprising: an intermediate circuit (fig. 4@ Vp2, Iin2, Cp2, Ip2, Lp2, Rp2) of a first source type (Vp2, Iin2) adapted to be coupled to a primary circuit (fig. 4@ Vp1, Iin1, Cp1, Ip1, Lp1, Rp1) of a second source type (Vp1, Iin1); and a secondary circuit (fig. 4@ Vs1, Is1, Ls1, Rs1, Cs1, RL) of either source type coupled to the intermediate circuit (Vp2, Iin2, Cp2, Ip2, Lp2, Rp2) and adapted to be coupled to the primary circuit (Vp1, Iin1, Cp1, Ip1, Lp1, Rp1); wherein the first and second source types are respectively voltage-sourced and current- sourced (Vp2, Iin2; Vp1, Iin1).
Regarding claim 33, Covic teaches wherein the secondary circuit (Vs1, Is1, Ls1, Rs1, Cs1, RL) comprises: a secondary coupler providing a coupler voltage, and a secondary parallel tuning network connected to the secondary coupler and providing from the coupler voltage a voltage source (see figure 4).
Regarding claim 35, Covic teaches wherein the secondary circuit (Vs1, Is1, Ls1, Rs1, Cs1, RL) comprises: a secondary coupler providing a coupler voltage, and a secondary series tuning network connected to the secondary coupler and providing from the coupler voltage a current source, (see figure 4).
Regarding claim 38, Covic teaches wherein the intermediate circuit (Vp2, Iin2, Cp2, Ip2, Lp2, Rp2) has a position controllable relative to the secondary circuit (Vs1, Is1, Ls1, Rs1, Cs1, RL), (see figure 4).
Regarding claim 39, Covic teaches wherein the intermediate circuit (Vp2, Iin2, Cp2, Ip2, Lp2, Rp2) is adapted to be arranged proximate to the secondary circuit (Vs1, Is1, Ls1, Rs1, Cs1, RL) relative to the primary circuit (Vp1, Iin1, Cp1, Ip1, Lp1, Rp1), (see figure 4).
Regarding claim 40, Covic teaches wherein the secondary circuit (Vs1, Is1, Ls1, Rs1, Cs1, RL) comprises: a secondary coupler providing a coupler voltage, and a secondary tuning network connected to the secondary coupler and providing from the coupler voltage a voltage source, the secondary tuning network comprising at least three components including at least one inductor (Rs1) and at least one capacitor (Cs1), (see figure 4).
Regarding claim 48, Covic teaches wherein the intermediate circuit (Vp2, Iin2, Cp2, Ip2, Lp2, Rp2) is adapted to be coupled directly to the primary circuit (Vp1, Iin1, Cp1, Ip1, Lp1, Rp1) and is coupled directly to the secondary circuit (Vs1, Is1, Ls1, Rs1, Cs1, RL), (see figure 4).
Regarding claim 49, Covic teaches further comprising: the primary circuit (Vp1, Iin1, Cp1, Ip1, Lp1, Rp1), (see figure 4).
Regarding claim 51, Covic teaches wherein the intermediate circuit (Vp2, Iin2, Cp2, Ip2, Lp2, Rp2) has a position controllable relative to the secondary circuit (Vs1, Is1, Ls1, Rs1, Cs1, RL), (see figure 4).
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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
Claims 34, 36 and 37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Covic et al. (WO2018026288) in view of Lin et al. (US 2018/0159382).
Regarding claim 34, Covic teaches the IPT system above, but Covic does not explicitly teach wherein the secondary circuit further comprises: a regulator connected directly to the parallel tuning network and producing an open circuit thereacross.
Lin teaches the secondary circuit further comprises: a regulator (fig. 6@ 50, 52) connected directly to the parallel tuning network and producing an open circuit thereacross (see figure 6 and par. [0036-0037).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Covic with the teachings of Lin by having a regulator connected directly to the parallel tuning network and producing an open circuit thereacross in order to provide a output power is applied to a load.
Regarding claim 36, Covic teaches the IPT system above, but does not explicitly teach wherein the secondary circuit further comprises: a regulator connected directly to the secondary series tuning network and producing a short circuit thereacross.
Lin teaches the secondary circuit further comprises: a regulator (fig. 6@ 50, 52) connected directly to the secondary series tuning network and producing a short circuit thereacross (see figure 6 and par. [0036-0037).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Covic with the teachings of Lin by having a regulator connected directly to the secondary series tuning network and producing a short circuit thereacross in order to provide a output power is applied to a load.
Regarding claim 37, the combination teaches the regulator includes at least one of: an active rectifier (50, 52), (see par. [0036] “The ac voltage from coil B is converted into dc voltage in converter 50, the dc from converter 50 is converted into a different dc voltage in converter 52, whose output is applied to the load”; Lin).
Claim 50 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Covic et al. (WO2018026288) in view of Li et al. (Analysis and Design of Load-Independent Output Current or Output Voltage of a Three-Coil Wireless Power Transfer System, IDS).
Regarding claim 50, Covic teaches the IPT system above, but does not explicitly teach wherein the primary circuit comprises an inverter, a compensation network and a primary coupler.
Li teaches the primary circuit (primary circuit with primary coil LP) comprises an inverter (fig. 2@ S1-S4), a compensation network (CP, RP, LP) and a primary coupler (see figure 2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Covic with the teachings of Li by having the primary circuit comprises an inverter, a compensation network and a primary coupler in order to transmit energy with high efficiency, safety, and operational flexibility.
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 XUAN LY whose telephone number is (571)272-9885. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm.
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/XUAN LY/Examiner, Art Unit 2836
/REXFORD N BARNIE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2836