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 .
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-6, 10-11, 14, 15 and 20 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.
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(s) 1, 7, 12, 13 and 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Binder (US 2019/0312436) in view of Park (US 2016/0036228) and further in view of Ryu et al. (US 10,818,474)
Re Claim 1; Binder discloses a power distribution circuit of an uninterruptible power supply, comprising:
a first port (the output from the switch controller 126), coupled to an alternating current power supply (140), and configured to receive an alternating current (Grid provides the AC) (Fig. 1);
a second port (CD), coupled to a load (120), and configured to supply power to the load (Fig. 1); a third port (the output from the inverter 152), coupled to a direct current power supply (128), and configured to input and/or output a direct current; (Fig. 1)
a switch circuit (126), coupled between the first port and the second port, and configured to control the first port to output the alternating current to the second port; (Par 0022)
a compensation circuit (152), coupled between the third port and the switch circuit, and configured to: when a voltage of the alternating current input by the first port is less than a rated voltage of the load of the second port, convert the direct current input by the third port into an alternating current, and provide a compensation voltage for the load of the second port; (Par 0022,3) and
a converting circuit, coupled between the third port and the second port, and configured to: convert the direct current input by the third port into an alternating current with a specified voltage, and provide the alternating current for the load of the second port; and/or convert the alternating current input by the first port into a direct current with a specified voltage, and provide the direct current for the direct current power supply of the third port. (Par 0022,3)
Binder does not necessarily disclose wherein the power distribution circuit is configured to: when the voltage of the alternating current at the input of the first port is less than the rated voltage of the load of the second port, the alternating current from the alternating current power supply and the alternating current from the compensation circuit jointly supply power to the load.
Wherein the converting circuit comprises a transformer and an LC resonant circuit coupled to the transformer and the transformer is coupled to output an alternating current.
However, Park discloses wherein the power distribution circuit is configured to: when the voltage of the alternating current at the input of the first port is less than the rated voltage of the load of the second port, the alternating current from the alternating current power supply and the alternating current from the compensation circuit jointly supply power to the load. (Par 0023-5 and also see Fig. 5)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing of the invention to have used the inverter to compensate for the grids voltage being less than the rated voltage of the load in order to provide constant power to the load when required so that the load operate effectively.
The combination does not disclose wherein the converting circuit comprises a transformer and an LC resonant circuit coupled to the transformer and the transformer is coupled to output an alternating current.
However, Ryu discloses wherein the converting circuit comprises a transformer (211) and an LC resonant circuit (209) coupled to the transformer and the transformer is coupled to output an alternating current. (Fig. 2)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing of the invention to have the transformer (211) and an LC resonant circuit (209) coupled to the transformer and the transformer is coupled to output an alternating current in order to provide significant benefits in power electronics, primarily by enabling soft switching, which leads to higher efficiency and power density
Re Claim 7; Binder discloses wherein the compensation voltage is a difference between the rated voltage of the load of the second port and the voltage of the alternating current input by the first port. (Par 0022,3, the voltage is between offline and online).
Re Claim 12; Binder discloses wherein the third port is further coupled to the load, and is configured to supply power to the load. (Fig. 1)
Re Claim 13; Binder discloses wherein the power distribution circuit of the uninterruptible power supply further comprises a control unit (126), wherein the control unit is electrically connected to the switch circuit, the compensation circuit, and the converting circuit, and is configured to:
detect a state of the switch circuit; and send a first control signal to the converting circuit when the switch circuit is in a first state, wherein the first state is a state in which the switch circuit enables the first port to be connected to the second port, and the first control signal indicates the converting circuit to convert the alternating current input by the first port into the direct current. (Par 0022,3)
Re Claim 16; Binder discloses wherein the power distribution circuit of the uninterruptible power supply further comprises the control unit, wherein the control unit is further configured to send a second control signal to the compensation circuit when the voltage of the alternating current input by the first port is less than the rated voltage of the load of the second port, wherein the second control signal indicates the compensation circuit to convert the direct current input by the third port into the alternating current. (Par 0022,3)
Re Claim 17; Binder discloses wherein the power distribution circuit of the uninterruptible power supply further comprises the control unit, wherein the control unit is further configured to send a third control signal to the converting circuit when the switch circuit is in a second state, wherein the second state is a state in which the switch circuit enables the first port to be disconnected from the second port, and the third control signal indicates the converting circuit to convert the direct current input by the third port into the alternating current. (Par 0022,3)
Re Claim 18; Binder discloses A power supply system, comprising:
at least one power distribution circuit of an uninterruptible power supply, and the power distribution circuit of the uninterruptible power supply comprises:
a first port (switch controller 126), coupled to an alternating current power supply (140), and configured to receive an alternating current; (Fig. 1a)
a second port (C and D), configured to be coupled to a load (120), and configured to supply power to the load; (Fig. 1a)
a third port (the bus coupled to 152), coupled to a direct current power supply (128), and configured to input and/or output a direct current; (Fig. 1a)
a switch circuit (126), coupled between the first port and the second port, and configured to control the first port to output the alternating current to the second port; (Fig. 1a)
a compensation circuit, (152) coupled between the third port and the switch circuit, and configured to: in response to a voltage of the alternating current at an input of the first port is less than a rated voltage of the load of the second port, convert the direct current at the input of the third port into an alternating current, and provide a compensation voltage for the load of the second port; and (Par 0022,3)
a converting circuit, (152) coupled between the third port and the second port, and configured to:
convert the direct current at the input of the third port into an alternating current with a specified voltage, and provide the alternating current for the load of the second port; and/or convert the alternating current at the input of the first port into a direct current with a specified voltage, and provide the direct current for the direct current power supply of the third port (Par 0022,3)
an alternating current power supply (140), coupled to the first port in the power distribution circuit of the uninterruptible power supply, and configured to provide an alternating current; (Fig. 1) and
a direct current power supply (128), coupled to the third port in the power distribution circuit of the uninterruptible power supply, and configured to provide a direct current or receive a direct current. (Fig. 1)
Binder does not necessarily disclose wherein the power distribution circuit is configured to: when the voltage of the alternating current at the input of the first port is less than the rated voltage of the load of the second port, the alternating current from the alternating current power supply and the alternating current from the compensation circuit jointly supply power to the load and wherein the converting circuit comprises a transformer and an LC resonant circuit coupled to the transformer and the transformer is coupled to output an alternating current.
However, Park discloses wherein the power distribution circuit is configured to: when the voltage of the alternating current at the input of the first port is less than the rated voltage of the load of the second port, the alternating current from the alternating current power supply and the alternating current from the compensation circuit jointly supply power to the load. (Par 0023-5 and also see Fig. 5)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing of the invention to have used the inverter to compensate for the grids voltage being less than the rated voltage of the load in order to provide constant power to the load when required so that the load operate effectively.
The combination does not disclose wherein the converting circuit comprises a transformer and an LC resonant circuit coupled to the transformer and the transformer is coupled to output an alternating current.
However, Ryu discloses wherein the converting circuit comprises a transformer (211) and an LC resonant circuit (209) coupled to the transformer and the transformer is coupled to output an alternating current. (Fig. 2)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing of the invention to have the transformer (211) and an LC resonant circuit (209) coupled to the transformer and the transformer is coupled to output an alternating current in order to provide significant benefits in power electronics, primarily by enabling soft switching, which leads to higher efficiency and power density
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(s) 2, 14 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Binder in view of Park and further in view of Ryu and Tomizawa et al (US 20230253815)
Re Claims 2 and 19; Binder discloses the compensation circuit,
Binder does not disclose the details of the compensation circuit to include a first switch, a second switch, a third switch, a fourth switch, a first inductor, and a first capacitor, wherein the first switch and the second switch are connected in series on a branch, the third switch and the fourth switch are connected in series on a branch, and the branch on which the first switch and the second switch are located and the branch on which the third switch and the fourth switch are located are connected in parallel on two terminals of the third port; and a node between the first switch and the second switch is coupled to one terminal of the switch circuit by using the first inductor, a node between the third switch and the fourth switch is coupled to the other terminal of the switch circuit, and the first capacitor is electrically connected to two terminals of the switch circuit.
However, Tomizawa discloses a first switch, a second switch, a third switch, a fourth switch, a first inductor, and a first capacitor, wherein the first switch and the second switch are connected in series on a branch, the third switch and the fourth switch are connected in series on a branch, and the branch on which the first switch and the second switch are located and the branch on which the third switch and the fourth switch are located are connected in parallel on two terminals of the third port; and a node between the first switch and the second switch is coupled to one terminal of the switch circuit by using the first inductor, a node between the third switch and the fourth switch is coupled to the other terminal of the switch circuit, and the first capacitor is electrically connected to two terminals of the switch circuit. (Fig. 2)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art to have added used the structure shown by Tomizawa in the device of Binder in order to adequately convert the DC power transferred or received by the compensation circuit so that required about of power is transferred to the load when requested.
Re Claim 14; Binder discloses wherein the power distribution circuit of the uninterruptible power supply further comprises a control unit, wherein the control unit is electrically connected to the switch circuit, the compensation circuit, and the converting circuit, and is configured to: detect a state of the switch circuit; and send a first control signal to the converting circuit when the switch circuit is in a first state, wherein the first state is a state in which the switch circuit enables the first port to be connected to the second port, and the first control signal indicates the converting circuit to convert the alternating current input by the first port into the direct current. (Par 0022,3)
Claim(s) 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Binder in view of Park and further in view of Ryu and Ohnishi et al. (US 20180262045)
Re Claim 8; Binder discloses wherein the power distribution circuit of the uninterruptible power supply
Binder does not disclose further comprises a plurality of electromagnetic compatibility circuits, and the plurality of electromagnetic compatibility circuits are respectively coupled to the first port, the second port, and the third port, and are configured to isolate an electromagnetic signal between the power distribution circuit of the uninterruptible power supply and another circuit or device.
However, discloses further comprises a plurality of electromagnetic compatibility circuits (11-13, 21-23 and the filter between the battery and the switches), and the plurality of electromagnetic compatibility circuits are respectively coupled to the first port, the second port, and the third port, and are configured to isolate an electromagnetic signal between the power distribution circuit of the uninterruptible power supply and another circuit or device. (Fig. 1)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing of the invention to have coupled the filter to the terminal of the power supplies and load in order to filter out the unnecessary harmonics so that clean power is supplied to the load.
Claim(s) 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Binder in view of Park and further in view of Ruy, Tomizawa et al (US 20230253815) and Ohnishi et al. (US 20180262045)
Re Claim 9; Binder disclose has been discussed above.
Binder does not disclose wherein the power distribution circuit of the uninterruptible power supply further comprises a plurality of electromagnetic compatibility circuits, and the plurality of electromagnetic compatibility circuits are respectively coupled to the first port, the second port, and the third port, and are configured to isolate an electromagnetic signal between the power distribution circuit of the uninterruptible power supply and another circuit or device.
However, discloses further comprises a plurality of electromagnetic compatibility circuits (11-13, 21-23 and the filter between the battery and the switches), and the plurality of electromagnetic compatibility circuits are respectively coupled to the first port, the second port, and the third port, and are configured to isolate an electromagnetic signal between the power distribution circuit of the uninterruptible power supply and another circuit or device. (Fig. 1)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing of the invention to have coupled the filter to the terminal of the power supplies and load in order to filter out the unnecessary harmonics so that clean power is supplied to the load.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Page 1-5, filed 08/04/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1, 7, 12, 13 and 16-18 under 102 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Ryu
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL KESSIE whose telephone number is (571)272-4449. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pmEst.
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/DANIEL KESSIE/
10/17/2025
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836