DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1-12 are pending.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55 for Application No. CN202110745087.5 filed on 06/30/2021.
Information Disclosure Statement
The references cited in the information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 12/28/2023 and 01/22/2025 have been considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1-2, 5 and 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by ITAKURA et al. (US 2011/0191612 A1) (“Itakura”). Itakura is a reference cited in the information disclosure statement submitted on 12/28/2023.
Regarding independent claim 1, Itakura teaches:
A control method of a power supply device, wherein the power supply device comprises a power supply circuit and an output interface, the power supply circuit is connected to the output interface, the power supply circuit outputs an electric energy parameter through the output interface, and the control method comprises: (Itakura: [0052] “The dividing voltage supply circuit 23 is a voltage-dividing unit that inputs the output voltage from each of the power supply units 10_1 to 10_4 and then outputs a main output voltage as a second output voltage to the main load 21 after voltage division. On the other hand, the dividing voltage supply circuit 23 outputs a stand-by output voltage, which is a third output voltage, to the stand-by load 22.”) (Itakura: [0056] “In the computer system depicted in FIG. 1, the management unit 30, which includes the configuration information management circuit 31, the efficiency control circuit 32, and the redundant-setting register 33, operates as a management control unit. In addition, a combination of the power supply units 10_1 to 10_4, the management unit 30, and the dividing voltage supply circuit 23 constitute and operate as a power supply system. Furthermore, the main load 21 and the stand-by load 22 constitute and operate as a load unit.”) [The power supply system reads on “a power supply device”. The combined circuitries of the power supply system reads on “a power supply circuit”. The combination of the interfaces amongst all of the units, as illustrated in FIG. 1, reads on “an output interface”. The output voltage reads on “an electric energy parameter”.]
acquiring, in response to an access operation to the output interface, a demand electric energy parameter of a load device connected to the output interface; acquiring a current output electric energy parameter of the output interface; (Itakura: [0053] “The management unit 30 is a unit that controls start up and shut off of the power supply units 10_1 to 10_4 and a plurality of load units 20_1 to 20_4. The management unit 30 receives power supply unit information including the information about the output voltage from each of the power supply units 10_1 to 10_4. In addition, the management unit 30 receives the load unit information including electric-current information and a configuration information signal from each of the load units 20_1 to 20_4.”) [Receiving the electric-current information of the loads or the number of load units reads on “acquiring … a demand electric energy parameter of a load device”. Receiving the output voltage information from the power supplies or the number of power supplies reads on “acquiring a current output electric energy parameter …”.]
when the current output electric energy parameter of the output interface meets the demand electric energy parameter, using the current output electric energy parameter as a target output electric energy parameter, and (Itakura: [0096] “The management unit 30 receives both configuration information and current signals from a plurality of the load units 20. Then, the management unit 30 confirms whether each of the load units 20 normally receives the current or confirms how many components are mounted on the load unit. Subsequently, the management unit 30 determines the compatibility between the configuration of the load unit and the current-supplying ability of the power supply unit (S403).”) (Itakura: [0097] “FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the determination of the compatibility between the configuration of the load unit and the current-supplying ability of the power supply unit. The configuration information from the load unit represents the state of the load unit, the numbers of the components, such as CPUs, the MEMs, and IOs, mounted on the load unit. In the example depicted in FIG. 11, a first load unit 1 is in the stand-by state, on which two CPUs, 16 MEMs, and four IOs are mounted. Likewise, a second load unit 2 is in the stand-by state, on which one CPU, eight MEMs, and four IOs are mounted.”) (Itakura: [0101] “On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S404, if there is the compatibility between the configuration of the load unit and the current ("YES" in S404), the management unit 30 determines the number of normal load units, or the number of the workable load units (S405). Then, the stand-by processing of the load units is completed. The load units enter the operating state.”) [In the step S404 determining YES that the configuration of the load unit and current-supplying ability of the power supply unit reads on “when the current output electric energy parameter … meets the demand electric energy parameter”. The load units entering the operating state with the current-supplying ability of the power supply units reads on “using the current output … as a target output …”.]
when the current output electric energy parameter of the output interface does not meet the demand electric energy parameter, determining an output electric energy parameter greater than the demand electric energy parameter as the target output electric energy parameter; (Itakura: [0114] “FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating the procedure for adding a load unit (S802). …”) (Itakura: [0116] “As a result of step S1002, if the number of the power supply unit to be activated is increased ("YES" in S1003), then the management unit 30 determines whether the number of the power supply units 10 which are normally working is not less than the number thereof for satisfying the power supply to the configuration of the load unit (S1004). If the number of the power supply unit 10 is insufficient ("NO" in S1004), then the management unit 30 retains the operating state of the computer apparatus 1 at the time (S1007) and waits for the replacement of the power supply unit (S1007). Subsequently, if the power supply unit is replaced with a new power supply ("YES" in S1008), then the management unit 30 performs the procedure for changing the configuration of the power supply unit (S1009). After that, the process returns to step S1001.”) [Examiner submits that there is a typographical error on FIG. 18, where the process as illustrated in FIG. 18 is for adding a load unit, and not for removal of a load unit.] [Determining that by adding a load unit the current-supplying power supply units are insufficient reads on “when the current output … does not meet the demand electric energy parameter”. Accordingly, the increasing of an additional power supply unit, as illustrated in FIG. 18, step S1003, reads on “determining an output … greater than the demand … as the target output …”.]
controlling the power supply circuit to output the target output electric energy parameter to the load device through the output interface, to enable the load device to start to run with the target output electric energy parameter; and (Itakura: [0101] as discussed above) (Itakura: [0117] “On the other hand, if the number of the power supply units is sufficient ("YES" in S1004) or there is no increase in number of the power supply units ("NO" in S1003), then the management unit 30 activates a required number of the power supply units to output electric power (S1005). Subsequently, the management unit 30 activates the additional load unit by instructing the power supply unit to start up main output to the additional load unit 20 (S1006) to complete the hot-plugging of the load unit. Here, the number of the power supply units 10 to be activated is in the range of 2 to n+1 in the redundant operation and 1 to n in the non-redundant operation.”) [The activating of the power supply for the load to enter the operation state reads on “controlling the power supply circuit to output … to enable the load device to start to run …”.]
after it is determined that the load device is running, adjusting the target output electric energy parameter outputted by the power supply circuit to the output interface to be consistent with the demand electric energy parameter. (Itakura: [0102] “FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating processing performed in the computer apparatus in the operating state (S103). If the computer apparatus 1 in the operating state receives instructions from the user (S501), then the management unit 30 determines the number of power supply units to be operated based on the state of current output, the number of workable load units, and operation instructions (S502).”) [The ongoing adjustment during the operating state, as illustrated in FIG. 12, reads on “after … running, adjusting the target output … to be consistent with the demand …”.]
Regarding claim 2, Itakura teaches all the claimed features of claim 1. Itakura further teaches:
etermining, if the current output electric energy parameter is less than the demand electric energy parameter, that the current output electric energy parameter does not meet the demand electric energy parameter; or determining, if the current output electric energy parameter is greater than or equal to the demand electric energy parameter, that the current output electric energy parameter meets the demand electric energy parameter. (Itakura: FIG. 12) [NO at step S504 reads on “if the current output … is less than the demand”. YES at step S504 reads on “if the current output … is greater than or equal to the demand …”.]
Regarding claim 5, Itakura teaches all the claimed features of claim 1. Itakura further teaches:
wherein the acquiring a current output electric energy parameter of the output interface comprises: acquiring a rated output electric energy parameter of the output interface, and using the rated output electric energy parameter as the current output electric energy parameter of the output interface. (Itakura: [0053] as discussed in claim 1) [The power supply unit information, such as the output voltage from each of the power supply units reads on “a rated output electric energy parameter”.]
Regarding claim 10, Itakura teaches all the claimed features of claim 1. Itakura further teaches:
wherein the acquiring a current output electric energy parameter of the output interface comprises: acquiring an electric energy parameter outputted by the output interface a previous time, and using the electric energy parameter outputted by the output interface the previous time as the current output electric energy parameter. (Itakura: [0118] “The above processing can change the configuration of the load unit 20 by hot-removal and hot-plugging of the load unit 20, while allowing the computer apparatus 1 to be kept working. For example, if failure has occurred in the load unit 20 by short circuit, then the management unit 30 shuts off the main output from the dividing voltage supply circuit 23 of the short-circuit load unit. The load circuit failed by the short circuit is deactivated and detached from the computer apparatus. Therefore, it becomes possible to prevent the power supply from decreasing and continue the normal operation of other load units. Furthermore, in response to a change in configuration of the load unit 20, the management unit 30 shuts off the power supply unit depending on the power required after the configuration change. If the required power can be already supplied using the power supply units currently present, the previous state is maintained and the number of the power supply units to be activated is not changed. The dividing voltage supply circuit 23 may include an over-current protection mechanism which detects the over-current at the time of short circuit failure of the load unit 20 and shut off the main output by itself. In this case, shut off instructions from the management unit 30 allows the load unit 20 failed by short circuit from being protected from restarting.”)
Regarding independent claim 11, Itakura teaches:
A control method of a power supply device, wherein the power supply device comprises a power supply circuit and an output interface, the power supply circuit is connected to the output interface, the power supply circuit outputs an electric energy parameter through the output interface, and the control method comprises: (Itakura: [0052] “The dividing voltage supply circuit 23 is a voltage-dividing unit that inputs the output voltage from each of the power supply units 10_1 to 10_4 and then outputs a main output voltage as a second output voltage to the main load 21 after voltage division. On the other hand, the dividing voltage supply circuit 23 outputs a stand-by output voltage, which is a third output voltage, to the stand-by load 22.”) (Itakura: [0056] “In the computer system depicted in FIG. 1, the management unit 30, which includes the configuration information management circuit 31, the efficiency control circuit 32, and the redundant-setting register 33, operates as a management control unit. In addition, a combination of the power supply units 10_1 to 10_4, the management unit 30, and the dividing voltage supply circuit 23 constitute and operate as a power supply system. Furthermore, the main load 21 and the stand-by load 22 constitute and operate as a load unit.”) [The power supply system reads on “a power supply device”. The combined circuitries of the power supply system reads on “a power supply circuit”. The combination of the interfaces amongst all of the units, as illustrated in FIG. 1, reads on “an output interface”. The output voltage reads on “an electric energy parameter”.]
acquiring, in response to an access operation to the output interface, a demand electric energy parameter of a load device connected to the output interface; acquiring a current output electric energy parameter of the output interface, (Itakura: [0053] “The management unit 30 is a unit that controls start up and shut off of the power supply units 10_1 to 10_4 and a plurality of load units 20_1 to 20_4. The management unit 30 receives power supply unit information including the information about the output voltage from each of the power supply units 10_1 to 10_4. In addition, the management unit 30 receives the load unit information including electric-current information and a configuration information signal from each of the load units 20_1 to 20_4.”) [Receiving the electric-current information of the loads or the number of load units reads on “acquiring … a demand electric energy parameter of a load device”. Receiving the output voltage information from the power supplies or the number of power supplies reads on “acquiring a current output electric energy parameter …”.]
wherein the current output electric energy parameter is a rated output electric energy parameter of the output interface or an electric energy parameter outputted by the output interface a previous time; (Itakura: [0118] “The above processing can change the configuration of the load unit 20 by hot-removal and hot-plugging of the load unit 20, while allowing the computer apparatus 1 to be kept working. For example, if failure has occurred in the load unit 20 by short circuit, then the management unit 30 shuts off the main output from the dividing voltage supply circuit 23 of the short-circuit load unit. The load circuit failed by the short circuit is deactivated and detached from the computer apparatus. Therefore, it becomes possible to prevent the power supply from decreasing and continue the normal operation of other load units. Furthermore, in response to a change in configuration of the load unit 20, the management unit 30 shuts off the power supply unit depending on the power required after the configuration change. If the required power can be already supplied using the power supply units currently present, the previous state is maintained and the number of the power supply units to be activated is not changed. The dividing voltage supply circuit 23 may include an over-current protection mechanism which detects the over-current at the time of short circuit failure of the load unit 20 and shut off the main output by itself. In this case, shut off instructions from the management unit 30 allows the load unit 20 failed by short circuit from being protected from restarting.”)
when the current output electric energy parameter of the output interface meets the demand electric energy parameter, using the current output electric energy parameter as a target output electric energy parameter, and (Itakura: [0096] “The management unit 30 receives both configuration information and current signals from a plurality of the load units 20. Then, the management unit 30 confirms whether each of the load units 20 normally receives the current or confirms how many components are mounted on the load unit. Subsequently, the management unit 30 determines the compatibility between the configuration of the load unit and the current-supplying ability of the power supply unit (S403).”) (Itakura: [0097] “FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the determination of the compatibility between the configuration of the load unit and the current-supplying ability of the power supply unit. The configuration information from the load unit represents the state of the load unit, the numbers of the components, such as CPUs, the MEMs, and IOs, mounted on the load unit. In the example depicted in FIG. 11, a first load unit 1 is in the stand-by state, on which two CPUs, 16 MEMs, and four IOs are mounted. Likewise, a second load unit 2 is in the stand-by state, on which one CPU, eight MEMs, and four IOs are mounted.”) (Itakura: [0101] “On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S404, if there is the compatibility between the configuration of the load unit and the current ("YES" in S404), the management unit 30 determines the number of normal load units, or the number of the workable load units (S405). Then, the stand-by processing of the load units is completed. The load units enter the operating state.”) [In the step S404 determining YES that the configuration of the load unit and current-supplying ability of the power supply unit reads on “when the current output electric energy parameter … meets the demand electric energy parameter”. The load units entering the operating state with the current-supplying ability of the power supply units reads on “using the current output … as a target output …”.]
when the current output electric energy parameter of the output interface does not meet the demand electric energy parameter, determining an output electric energy parameter greater than the demand electric energy parameter as the target output electric energy parameter; (Itakura: [0114] “FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating the procedure for adding a load unit (S802). …”) (Itakura: [0116] “As a result of step S1002, if the number of the power supply unit to be activated is increased ("YES" in S1003), then the management unit 30 determines whether the number of the power supply units 10 which are normally working is not less than the number thereof for satisfying the power supply to the configuration of the load unit (S1004). If the number of the power supply unit 10 is insufficient ("NO" in S1004), then the management unit 30 retains the operating state of the computer apparatus 1 at the time (S1007) and waits for the replacement of the power supply unit (S1007). Subsequently, if the power supply unit is replaced with a new power supply ("YES" in S1008), then the management unit 30 performs the procedure for changing the configuration of the power supply unit (S1009). After that, the process returns to step S1001.”) [Examiner submits that there is a typographical error on FIG. 18, where the process as illustrated in FIG. 18 is for adding a load unit, and not for removal of a load unit.] [Determining that by adding a load unit the current-supplying power supply units are insufficient reads on “when the current output … does not meet the demand electric energy parameter”. Accordingly, the increasing of an additional power supply unit, as illustrated in FIG. 18, step S1003, reads on “determining an output … greater than the demand … as the target output …”.]
controlling the power supply circuit to output the target output electric energy parameter to the load device through the output interface, to enable the load device to start to run with the target output electric energy parameter; and (Itakura: [0101] as discussed above) (Itakura: [0117] “On the other hand, if the number of the power supply units is sufficient ("YES" in S1004) or there is no increase in number of the power supply units ("NO" in S1003), then the management unit 30 activates a required number of the power supply units to output electric power (S1005). Subsequently, the management unit 30 activates the additional load unit by instructing the power supply unit to start up main output to the additional load unit 20 (S1006) to complete the hot-plugging of the load unit. Here, the number of the power supply units 10 to be activated is in the range of 2 to n+1 in the redundant operation and 1 to n in the non-redundant operation.”) [The activating of the power supply for the load to enter the operation state reads on “controlling the power supply circuit to output … to enable the load device to start to run …”.]
after it is determined that the load device is running, adjusting the target output electric energy parameter outputted by the power supply circuit to the output interface to be consistent with the demand electric energy parameter. (Itakura: [0102] “FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating processing performed in the computer apparatus in the operating state (S103). If the computer apparatus 1 in the operating state receives instructions from the user (S501), then the management unit 30 determines the number of power supply units to be operated based on the state of current output, the number of workable load units, and operation instructions (S502).”) [The ongoing adjustment during the operating state, as illustrated in FIG. 12, reads on “after … running, adjusting the target output … to be consistent with the demand …”.]
Regarding independent claim 12:
The claim recites similar limitations as corresponding claim 1 and is rejected using the same teachings and rationale.
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.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Itakura, in view of YAMAUCHI et al. (US 2019/0109458 A1) (“Yamauchi”). Yamauchi is a reference cited in the information disclosure statement submitted on 01/22/2025.
Regarding claim 4, Itakura teaches all the claimed features of claim 1. Itakura does not expressly teach the recitations of claim 4.
Yamauchi teaches:
wherein the determining an output electric energy parameter greater than the demand electric energy parameter as the target output electric energy parameter comprises: acquiring a maximum output electric energy parameter of the output interface, and using the maximum output electric energy parameter as the target output electric energy parameter. (Yamauchi: [0044] “Through the aforementioned PWM control or the like, the inverter output current value is controlled to come close to a target current value based on a demand from a load as a supply destination. Here, in order to prevent damage to components inside the power conditioner due to overcurrent, the control part 114 is operable to generate the target current value of the inverter output current such that the inverter output current does not exceed a rated output current value of the power conditioner 110. The rated output current value of the power conditioner means an upper-limit (maximum) output current value of the power conditioner in a range capable of, in a steady state in which the power conditioner continues to output a constant current, ensuring to prevent components inside the power conditioner from being damaged by heat due to the current. Thus, the control part 114 is operable, in the steady state, to set an upper limit of the inverter output current to a given value (first value) based on the rated output current value of the power conditioner 110. As long as the inverter output current value is equal to or less than the first value, an output current value of the power conditioner 110 becomes equal to or less than the rated output current value. It is noted here that the first value is the same as the rated output current value in some cases.”)
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the teachings of Itakura and Yamauchi before them, to modify setting of the power supplied to the load when the supplied power is insufficient to satisfy the load, to incorporate using the rated or maximum output current value of the power supply to be the target current value.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to do this modification because it would allow for avoiding heat damage to the power supply if the output current value exceeds the rated output current value. (Yamauchi: [0044])
Claims 6-7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Itakura, in view of Saha (US 2016/0013654 A1) (“Saha”).
Regarding claim 6, Itakura teaches all the claimed features of claim 1. Itakura does not expressly teach the recitations of claim 6.
Saha teaches:
wherein the power supply device comprises multiple power supply circuits, and at least two power supply circuits have different electric energy parameter output ranges; and the control method further comprises: determining a target power supply circuit corresponding to the output interface according to the electric energy parameter output ranges of the power supply circuits and the demand electric energy parameter; and controlling the target power supply circuit to connect with the output interface. (Saha: [0022] “In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4, the first table 410 of static capabilities of the loads defines capabilities of the loads such that the rows of the table 410 define the loads and the columns of the table 410 define characteristics/capabilities of the loads including, but not limited to, the voltage range, the set switching frequency, the range of current required by the load (I.sub.max), the leakage current, and the thermal slope. The second table 420 of static capabilities of the power supplies defines what power the supplies can supply such that the rows of the table 420 define the power supplies and the columns of the table 420 define different capabilities of the supplies including the maximum/minimum voltage and maximum/minimum current that the power supply can supply under various operating and system conditions (e.g., switching frequencies, temperature, external regulator component configurations, etc.). The third table 430 of the dynamic connectivity of the loads defines which load(s) are connected to which power suppl(ies) such that the rows or columns of the table 430 identify power supplies while the columns or rows of the table 430 identify loads. The data for this table 430 is dynamically changing so that it needs to be constantly updated. The fourth table 440 of the dynamic status of the power supplies with respect to the load requirements defines the current status of the power supplies as a result of connecting the loads. The rows of the table 440 define the power supplies while the columns of the table 440 define the changing state of the supplies including, but not limited to, the supply voltage, a list of acceptable switching frequencies, the current consumed by the loads connected to the power supply, and the available (remaining) current that can be consumed from the power supply. The fifth table 450 of a history of combinations of power supplies used to meet load requirements defines a past history of successful combinations of power supplies used to meet the load requirements. Additional lookup tables defining the requirements and capabilities of the power supplies and loads under various conditions and use cases can be configured and used.”) [The maximum/minimum voltages and currents of the power supplies in the second table to select from reads on “determining a target power supply circuit … according to the electric energy parameter output ranges …”. Operating the power supplies to meet the load requirements reads on “controlling …”.]
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the teachings of Itakura and Saha before them, to modify the power supply and load control system, to incorporate using multiple power supplies with different voltage and current ranges.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to do this modification because it would allow for selecting power supplies to reduce power waste by matching the different power supplies with the load requirement. (Saha: [0004] “Multiple loads are often powered by the same regulator or power supply. This can lead to unnecessary power being consumed by a system, as rails that could function at a lower voltage are forced to operate at the maximum requested voltage of all rails sharing the same power supply. In other cases, different load or power supply requirements arise that necessitate changes in system requirements. For example, FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a conventional power rail system showing a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 110 and a system-on-chip (SoC) 170. In FIG. 1, the PMIC 110 includes a plurality of power supplies (PS1, PS2, . . . , PSn) 120, 122, 126 configured to supply power to the SoC 170 including loads 140, 142, 144, 146, 148, 150 which are connected to a plurality of power rails 130, 132, 134. However, the loads 140-150 are hard-wired to the power rails 130, 132, 134, which are hard-wired to the power supplies 120, 122, 126. Thus, in this configuration, a load is forced to use the maximum of the power requirements of loads sharing a power rail. For example, since load 1 (140) is connected to the same rail as load 2 (142) and load 3 (144), load 1 is forced to share the maximum voltage required by any one of the other loads 2 and 3, which may be higher than the voltage required to run load 1 (140). This means that power is wasted since load 1 is operating at a higher voltage than is needed.”)
Regarding claim 7, Itakura and Saha teach all the claimed features of claims 1 and 6. Saha further teaches:
wherein the determining a target power supply circuit corresponding to the output interface according to the electric energy parameter output ranges of the power supply circuits and the demand electric energy parameter comprises: using, if an electric energy parameter output range upper limit of a power supply circuit is greater than the demand electric energy parameter, the power supply circuit as the target power supply circuit corresponding to the output interface. (Saha: [0022] as discussed in claim 6) [Selecting the power supply that meets the load requirement reads on “using, if an electric energy parameter output range upper limit of a power supply circuit is greater than the demand …”.]
The motivation to combine Itakura and Saha as described in claim 6 is incorporated herein.
Regarding claim 9, Itakura and Saha teach all the claimed features of claims 1 and 6. Saha further teaches:
wherein the determining a target power supply circuit corresponding to the output interface according to the electric energy parameter output ranges of the power supply circuits and the demand electric energy parameter comprises: using, if the electric energy parameter output range upper limit of the power supply circuit is greater than the demand electric energy parameter and an electric energy parameter output range lower limit of the power supply circuit is less than or equal to the demand electric energy parameter, the power supply circuit as the target power supply circuit corresponding to the output interface. (Saha: [0022] as discussed in claim 6) (Saha: [0024] “Once the new load/power supply requirements are determined, at step 512, power supply or supplies is/are selected for loads, at step 514, using a plurality of lookup tables identified above, for example. In one embodiment, lookup tables LUT A 410, LUT B 420, and LUT D 440 are used to select power supply or power supplies for load(s). A check is then made, at step 516, to determine if a match between power supply/supplies and load(s) is found. If no match is found, at step 516, all power supply-to-load connections are rearranged to satisfy the new load requirements, at step 518. In one embodiment, lookup table LUT E 450, which defines a plurality of combinations of the power supply-to-load connections tried in the past, can be used to select all power supply-to-load connections in the SoC 270. In another embodiment, all combinations of the power supply-to-load connections are tried to determine if a good match can be found. If a match between the power supply/supplies and load(s) is found , at step 516, a transition to a new power supply/supplies-to-load configuration is made, at step 520, and appropriate lookup table or tables are updated, at step 522. In one embodiment, dynamic lookup tables LUT C 430, which defines connectivity of the power supplies-to-load, and LUT E 450, which defines the history of combinations of power supplies used to meet load requirements, are updated to reflect the new power supply/supplies-to-load configuration.”) [Matching the load with the power supply with the maximum/minimum voltage and current reads on “… output range upper limit of the power supply circuit is greater than the demand … and … output range lower limit of the power supply circuit is less than or equal to the demand …”.]
The motivation to combine Itakura and Saha as described in claim 6 is incorporated herein.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 8 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.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
It is noted that any citations to specific, pages, columns, lines, or figures in the prior art references and any interpretation of the reference should not be considered to be limiting in any way. A reference is relevant for all it contains and may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill in the art. See MPEP 2123.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL W CHOI whose telephone number is (571)270-5069. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kenneth Lo can be reached at (571) 272-9774. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/MICHAEL W CHOI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2116