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 .
Status of Claims
This Office Action is in response to the application filed on 01/29/2024. Claims 1-11 are presently pending and are presented for examination.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/29/2024 and 2/29/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1-4 and 10-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sims (US 20110068819) in view of Takeshita (US 20060209578).
As to claim 1, Sims discloses a power supply circuit adaptable for an electronic device (Fig.1), wherein the power supply circuit comprises:
a drive circuit (Fig. 3 Switching circuitry 150), which receives a charger boost indication signal and generates a drive signal accordingly ([0063] Switching circuitry 150 may be used to selectively route signals from inputs IN1, IN2, and IN3 to voltage detector 148. This allows a single voltage detector circuit to be used to measure the voltages across different pairs of nodes in circuit 146);
a feedback resistor circuit (Fig. 3 load detection circuit 146), which is coupled to the drive circuit (Fig. 3), has a feedback resistance value that changes in response to the drive signal ([0065] and Fig. 3 Transistors SC and SM can be controlled by control circuit 54 using control signals applied to gates GC and GM….switch SC can be closed by taking GC high and switch SM can be opened by taking GM low), and receives a DC power supply to supply a power to a system component (Fig. 3 “In” and “out”);
a battery module ([0081] energy storage element 50 (e.g., by recharging a capacitor or battery in storage element 50 via path 66).
a controller (Fig. 1 control circuit 54), which is coupled to the drive circuit, the feedback resistor circuit and the battery module (Fig. 1 control circuit 54 coupled to energy storage element 50, load detection circuit 146, and Switching circuitry 150) and controls the battery power supply supplied by the battery module according to the feedback resistance value ([0065] and Fig. 3 Transistors SC and SM can be controlled by control circuit 54 using control signals applied to gates GC and GM. When it is desired to make a high-range load current measurement, switch SC can be closed by taking GC high and switch SM can be opened by taking GM low.), wherein when the system component is operating in a heavy load state, the controller sends the corresponding charger boost indication signal to the drive circuit, so as to reduce the feedback resistance value through the drive signal (Fig. 3 [0064] Each resistor may be used to make a current measurement for a different load current range. When resistor R1 is smaller than resistor R2 and resistor R2 is smaller than resistor R3, resistor R1 may be used to measure the largest load currents, resistor R2 may be used to measure intermediate load currents, and resistor R3 may be used to measure load currents that are smaller than those measured using resistor R2).
Sims does not disclose/teach battery module provides a battery power .supply to the system component
Takeshita teaches which provides a battery power supply to the system component ([0031] the battery 132 is connected to the main body 123 via the terminal T21 to supply driving power to the main body 123).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the battery module of Sims to provides a battery power supply to the system component in order to power the system in a case when a DC source is disconnected or unavailable, thereby preventing disruption of use.
As to claim 2, Sims in view Takeshita teaches the power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein feedback resistor circuit comprises: an input terminal which receives the DC power supply (Fig. 1”IN”); an output terminal which is coupled to the system component (Fig. 1”Vbus”. [0060] FIG. 3, a power supply signal such as the output voltage on line 64 of converter 12 may be received at input line IN and a corresponding output voltage may be provided for a load at output line OUT); a first feedback resistor (R3), which is coupled to a first circuit path between the input terminal and the output terminal (R3); a second feedback resistor, which is coupled to a second circuit path between the input terminal and the output terminal (R1); and a charger boost switch, which is connected in series with the second feedback resistor on the second circuit path (SC), and is turned on or off according to the drive signal ([0061] Switching circuitry such as transistors SC and SM may be used to selectively route load current through R1, R2, or R3), wherein the feedback resistance value is a resistance value between the input terminal and the output terminal (Fig. 3).
As to claim 3, Sims in view Takeshita teaches the power supply circuit according to claim 2, wherein when the system component is operating in the heavy load state, the controller sends the charger boost indication signal indicating that a charger boost function is turned on to the drive circuit, so that the drive circuit turns on the charger boost switch through the drive signal (Fig. 3 [0064] Each resistor may be used to make a current measurement for a different load current range. When resistor R1 is smaller than resistor R2 and resistor R2 is smaller than resistor R3, resistor R1 may be used to measure the largest load currents), when the system component is not operating in the heavy load state, the controller sends the charger boost indication signal indicating that the charger boost function is turned off to the drive circuit, so that the drive circuit turns off the charger boost switch through the drive signal ([0065] When it is desired to make load current measurements in the intermediate range, switch SC can be opened by taking the control signal for gate GC low).
As to claim 4, Sims in view Takeshita teaches the power supply circuit according to claim 2, wherein when the system component operates in the heavy load state, the feedback resistance value is controlled by adjusting a resistance value of the second feedback resistor ([0065] When it is desired to make a high-range load current measurement, switch SC can be closed by taking GC high and switch SM can be opened by taking GM low).
As to claim 10, Sims in view Takeshita teaches the power supply circuit according to claim 1.
Sims in view Takeshita does not disclose/teach wherein when the system component is not operating in the heavy load state, a maximum power value of the DC power supply is locked to a power limit value.
However it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to ensure limit that when the system component is not operating in the heavy load state, a maximum power value of the DC power supply is locked to a power limit value in order to not overload the DC source and protect from overheating.
As to claim 11, Sims in view Takeshita teaches the power supply circuit according to claim 10.
Sims in view Takeshita does not disclose/teach wherein when the system component is operating in the heavy load state, a power of the DC power supply is increased to exceed a power limit value in response to a reduction in a power of the battery power supply.
However it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to wherein when the system component is operating in the heavy load state, a power of the DC power supply is increased to exceed a power limit value in response to a reduction in a power of the battery power supply in order to prevent disruption of use in the load.
Claim 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sims (US 20110068819) in view of Takeshita (US 20060209578) in view of Wei (US 20140032953).
As to claim 6, Sims in view Takeshita teaches the power supply circuit according to claim 1.
Sims in view Takeshita does not disclose/teach wherein when the system component operates in the heavy load state, the DC power supply and the battery power supply are combined into a system power supply received by the system component according to an energy distribution ratio
Wei teaches wherein when the system component operates in the heavy load state, the DC power supply and the battery power supply are combined into a system power supply received by the system component according to an energy distribution ratio ([0027]… in which case the AC/DC adapter 203 and the battery 219 operate together to provide power to the system when the load is heavy).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the power supply circuit of Sims to wherein when the system component operates in the heavy load state, the DC power supply and the battery power supply are combined into a system power supply received by the system component according to an energy distribution ratio in order to prevent a system crash due to insufficient power ([0027]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5 and 7-9 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 dependent claim 5, Although the prior art discloses a power supply circuit adaptable for an electronic device, wherein the power supply circuit comprises: a drive circuit, which receives a charger boost indication signal and generates a drive signal accordingly; a feedback resistor circuit, which is coupled to the drive circuit, has a feedback resistance value that changes in response to the drive signal, and receives a DC power supply to supply a power to a system component; a battery module, which provides a battery power supply to the system component; and a controller, which is coupled to the drive circuit, the feedback resistor circuit and the battery module, and controls the battery power supply supplied by the battery module according to the feedback resistance value, wherein when the system component is operating in a heavy load state, the controller sends the corresponding charger boost indication signal to the drive circuit, so as to reduce the feedback resistance value through the drive signal, wherein feedback resistor circuit comprises: an input terminal, which receives the DC power supply; an output terminal, which is coupled to the system component; a first feedback resistor, which is coupled to a first circuit path between the input terminal and the output terminal; a second feedback resistor, which is coupled to a second circuit path between the input terminal and the output terminal; and a charger boost switch, which is connected in series with the second feedback resistor on the second circuit path, and is turned on or off according to the drive signal, wherein the feedback resistance value is a resistance value between the input terminal and the output terminal, the prior art of record does not disclose or teach the combination of:
“wherein a resistance value of the second feedback resistor is greater than a resistance value of the first feedback resistor.”
Regarding dependent claim 7, Although the prior art discloses a power supply circuit adaptable for an electronic device, wherein the power supply circuit comprises: a drive circuit, which receives a charger boost indication signal and generates a drive signal accordingly; a feedback resistor circuit, which is coupled to the drive circuit, has a feedback resistance value that changes in response to the drive signal, and receives a DC power supply to supply a power to a system component; a battery module, which provides a battery power supply to the system component; and a controller, which is coupled to the drive circuit, the feedback resistor circuit and the battery module, and controls the battery power supply supplied by the battery module according to the feedback resistance value, wherein when the system component is operating in a heavy load state, the controller sends the corresponding charger boost indication signal to the drive circuit, so as to reduce the feedback resistance value through the drive signal wherein when the system component operates in the heavy load state, the DC power supply and the battery power supply are combined into a system power supply received by the system component according to an energy distribution ratio, the prior art of record does not disclose or teach the combination of:
“wherein the controller adjusts the energy distribution ratio according to the feedback resistance value.”
Dependent claims 8-9 are allowable for the reasons set forth supra with respect to the independent claims from which they depend.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TYNESE V MCDANIEL whose telephone number is (313)446-6579. The examiner can normally be reached on M to F, 9am to 530pm.
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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/TYNESE V MCDANIEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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