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 .
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.
Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Miyazaki et al. (hereinafter Miyazaki, US 2020/0220479 A1) in view of Aoyagi et al. (hereinafter Aoyagi, US 2006/0222909 A1).
For claim 1, Miyazaki discloses a wiper controller configured to control a wiper including a motor for driving a wiper blade (Miyazaki discloses a controller 20 configured to control a motor 80 – see Miyazaki, Fig. 2, paragraph [0037]. Miyazaki is silent for disclosing a wiper. However, Fig. 1 of Miyazaki discloses a system for controlling accessories 60 (see Miyazaki, Fig. 1, paragraph [0051] which can be air conditioner 61 or any others including wiper blade. For supporting, Fig. 1 of Aoyagi discloses a control system for controlling accessories (76, 78) including an air conditioner motor 80, wiper motors 82, power window motors 84, power window motors – see Aoyagi, Fig. 1, paragraphs [0007] and [0063]-[0064]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify system of Miyazaki to include controlling a wiper as teaching of Aoyagi for purpose of controlling wipers to enhance driving safety by reducing distractions in varying weather conditions. Furthermore, the recitation “wiper controller configured to control a wiper” has not been given patentable weight because it has been held that a preamble is denied the effect of a limitation where the claim is drawn to a structure and the portion of the claim following the preamble is a self-contained description of the structure not depending for completeness upon the introductory clause. Kropa v. Robie, 88 USPQ 478 (CCPA 1951)), the wiper controller comprising:
a driver including a three-phase bridge circuit having a plurality of switching elements connecting a positive electrode and a negative electrode of a direct current power supply to a plurality of terminals of the motor, the driver configured to supply a three-phase alternating current to the motor through the three-phase bridge circuit (Fig. 2 of Miyazaki discloses a driver 10 including a three-phase bridge circuit having a plurality of switching elements 31, 32 connecting a positive electrode and a negative electrode of a direct current power supply 11 to a plurality of terminals of the motor 80, the driver 10 configured to supply a three-phase alternating current to the motor 80 through the three-phase bridge circuit – see Miyazaki, Fig. 2, paragraphs [0034]-[0035]);
a controller configured to control the motor by switching the plurality of switching elements in the driver between an on-state and an off-state (Fig. 2 of Miyazaki discloses a controller20 configured to control the motor 80 by switching the plurality of switching elements 31, 32 in the driver 10 between an on-state and an off-state – see Miyazaki, Fig. 2, paragraphs [0037] and [0045]);
a voltage detector configured to detect a voltage value of the direct current power supply as a detection voltage value (Fig. 2 of Miyazaki discloses a voltage detector 14 configured to detect a voltage value of the direct current power supply as a detection voltage value Vdc – see Miyazaki, Fig. 2, paragraph [0027]),
wherein the controller includes a q-axis current conductor configured to control electrical conduction of the motor through vector control by switching the plurality of switching elements between the on-state and the off-state to limit a value of a q-axis current of the motor to zero, in response to that the detection voltage value exceeds a preset overvoltage determination value (Figs. 3-5 of Miyazaki discloses the controller 20 which includes a q-axis current conductor configured to control electrical conduction of the motor 80 through vector control by switching the plurality of switching elements between the on-state and the off-state to limit a value of a q-axis current of the motor to zero, in response to that the detection voltage value Vdc exceeds a preset overvoltage determination value – see Miyazaki, Figs. 3-5, paragraphs [0037], [0043], [0054], [0056], [0059]-[0061] and [0064]).
For claim 2, Miyazaki in view of Aoyagi disclose the wiper controller according to Claim 1, wherein the q-axis current conductor configured to stop the electrical conduction of the motor in a case where a preset duration has elapsed from beginning of the electrical conduction of the motor (see Miyazagi, Figs. 6-7, paragraphs [0064]-[0065]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
For claim 3, the prior art of record fails to disclose, reasonably suggest, or render obvious, in combination with all the given limitations, a wiper controller comprising a driver, a motor, a controller and a voltage detector,
wherein the controller includes a fixing electrical conductor configured to:
set one of the plurality of high-side switching elements as a target high-side switching element being connected to one of the plurality of terminals of the motor;
set two of the plurality of low-side switching element as a first target low-side switching element and a second target low-side switching element, both of which are connected to other two of the plurality of terminals of the motor, respectively; and
control electrical conduction of the motor by
fixing the target high-side switching element to the on-state in response to the detection voltage value exceeding a preset overvoltage determination value, and then
switching the first target low-side switching element and the second target low-side switching element between the on-state and the off-state to alternatively turn either one of the first target low-side switching element and the second target low-side switching element to the on-state.
Claim 4 is allowed because it depend on claim 3.
The prior art made of record in form 892 and 1449, discloses motor control system. One of the closest prior art US 11,901,849 B2 to Natsume discloses a wiper device including a power supplying circuit including plural switching elements, the power supplying circuit supplying, to a wiper motor, voltage that has been converted in accordance with switching control of the plural switching elements; a current detecting section detecting current flowing to any of the switching elements among the plural switching elements; and a control section that, in a case in which the current detected by the current detecting section exceeds a limit current, carries out switching control of the switching elements such that the voltage supplied to the wiper motor decreases. In the examiner’s opinion the claims are deemed to be directed to a non-obvious improvement over the prior art.
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 THAI T DINH whose telephone number is (571)270-3852. The examiner can normally be reached (571)270-3852.
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/THAI T DINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2846
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