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 § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception (i.e., a law of nature, a natural phenomenon, or an abstract idea) without significantly more.
Specifically, representative Claim 1 recites:
A remaining life estimation device for a power converter including a life part accommodated in a case, the remaining life estimation device comprising a processor for calculating remaining life information of the life part, wherein the processor calculates a cumulative exposure time that is a cumulative value of a time for which the life part is exposed to the same temperature during an operation of the power converter for each life part temperature of the life part, converts each cumulative exposure time into a converted cumulative exposure time that is a cumulative exposure time under a reference value of the life part temperature by reflecting a life conversion coefficient to each cumulative exposure time calculated for each life part temperature, and calculates the remaining life information based on a life reduction time that is a sum of the converted cumulative exposure time for each life part temperature and a reference life time that is a life time of the life part under the reference value.
The claim limitations in the abstract idea have been highlighted in bold above; the remaining limitations are “additional elements”.
Under the Step 1 of the eligibility analysis, we determine whether the claims are to a statutory category by considering whether the claimed subject matter falls within the four statutory categories of patentable subject matter identified by 35 U.S.C. 101: Process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter. The above claim is considered to be in a statutory category (process).
Under the Step 2A, Prong One, we consider whether the claim recites a judicial exception (abstract idea). In the above claim, the highlighted portion constitutes an abstract idea because, under a broadest reasonable interpretation, it recites limitations that fall into/recite an abstract idea exceptions. Specifically, under the 2019 Revised Patent Subject matter Eligibility Guidance, it falls into the grouping of subject matter when recited as such in a claim limitation, that covers mathematical concepts (mathematical relationships, mathematical formulas or equations, mathematical calculations) and mental processes – concepts performed in the human mind including an observation, evaluation, judgement, and/or opinion.
For example, steps of “calculating remaining life information of the life part, wherein the processor calculates a cumulative exposure time that is a cumulative value of a time for which the life part is exposed to the same temperature during an operation of the power converter for each life part temperature of the life part, converts each cumulative exposure time into a converted cumulative exposure time that is a cumulative exposure time under a reference value of the life part temperature by reflecting a life conversion coefficient to each cumulative exposure time calculated for each life part temperature, and calculates the remaining life information based on a life reduction time that is a sum of the converted cumulative exposure time for each life part temperature and a reference life time that is a life time of the life part under the reference value” are treated by the Examiner as belonging to mathematical concept grouping.
Next, under the Step 2A, Prong Two, we consider whether the claim that recites a judicial exception is integrated into a practical application.
In this step, we evaluate whether the claim recites additional elements that integrate the exception into a practical application of that exception.
The above claims comprise the following additional elements:
In Claim 1: a power converter, life part, remaining life estimation, a processor
The additional element in the preamble of “a power converter, life part, remaining life estimation, a processor” (generic processor) are generally recited and are not qualified as particular machines.
In conclusion, the above additional elements, considered individually and in combination with the other claim elements do not reflect an improvement to other technology or technical field, and, therefore, do not integrate the judicial exception into a practical application. Therefore, the claims are directed to a judicial exception and require further analysis under the Step 2B.
However, the above claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception (Step 2B analysis).
The claims, therefore, are not patent eligible.
With regards to the dependent claims, claims 2-4 provide additional features/steps which are part of an expanded algorithm, so these limitations should be considered part of an expanded abstract idea of the independent claims.
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 through 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Schierling Hubert (DE102004035723A1, 2006-02-16).
Regarding Claim 1, Hubert teaches a remaining life estimation device for a power converter including a life part accommodated in a case (Abstract; Description; Examiner’s Note: electrolytic capacitor in a frequency converter in interpreted as life part in a case in a power converter and apparatus is interpreted as remaining life estimation device), the remaining life estimation device comprising a processor for calculating remaining life information of the life part (26; last claim), wherein the processor calculates a cumulative exposure time that is a cumulative value of a time for which the life part is exposed to the same temperature during an operation of the power converter for each life part temperature of the life part (pg. 2, last paragraph), converts each cumulative exposure time into a converted cumulative exposure time that is a cumulative exposure time under a reference value of the life part temperature by reflecting a life conversion coefficient to each cumulative exposure time calculated for each life part temperature (pg. 5, first paragraph), and calculates the remaining life information based on a life reduction time that is a sum of the converted cumulative exposure time for each life part temperature and a reference life time that is a life time of the life part under the reference value (pg. 5, first through third paragraph).
Regarding Claim 2, Hubert further teaches the remaining life estimation device according to claim 1, further comprising: an ambient temperature sensor for detecting an ambient temperature in the case (pg. 2, last paragraph; Examiner’s Note: the ambient temperature sensor is mentioned from prior art; It is also measured by way of resistance. The examiner interprets the heat transfer resistor as a sensor); and a refrigerant temperature sensor for detecting a refrigerant temperature of a refrigerant flowing through a flow path in the case (pg. 5, second to last paragraph), wherein the processor calculates the life part temperature based on the ambient temperature, the refrigerant temperature, and a temperature calculation coefficient corresponding to a sensitivity of the life part to the ambient temperature and the refrigerant temperature during the operation of the power converter (pg. 5, second to last paragraph; Examiner’s Note: examiner interprets the core temperature as life part temperature).
Regarding Claim 3, Hubert further teaches the remaining life estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the reference life time is a value measured in advance as a life time of the life part under a maximum usage temperature as the reference value (pg. 5, first paragraph).
Regarding Claim 4, Hubert further teaches the remaining life estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the life part is at least one of a capacitor, a reactor, a control board, a direct current-direct current converter, and a current sensor (Capacitor; Abstract; pg. 5, last paragraph)
Conclusion
The prior art made record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
Toru (REMAINING LIFE ESTIMATION METHOD, AND REMAINING LIFE ESTIMATION SYSTEM, 2011-06-16) teaches a remaining life estimation method, which estimates the life of the capacitor by performing the life estimation operation based on Arrhenius' law and estimates the remaining life of the capacitor from current time to the life end using the estimated life, is carried out by using: as the ambient temperature estimation value of the capacitor as the target of the life estimation operation, a value obtained by adding an intake air temperature equivalent value of the electric or electronic equipment incorporating the capacitor and an ambient temperature raise estimation value of the capacitor according to a load factor of the electric or electronic equipment; an estimated life correction value obtained by correcting the estimated value obtained by the life estimation operation using an operation factor of the electric or electronic equipment; the starting time of the operation of the electric or electronic equipment; and the current time;
Hisakazu (LIFETIME ALARM FOR ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITOR, 1995-05-25) teaches a lifetime operating circuit 32 sections the working time of an electronic capacitor 1 into continuous time bands of appropriate duration, operates the average of temperatures detected by a temperature detection circuit 31 for each time band, estimates an equivalent elapsed lifetime corresponding to the average temperature according to a predetermined relation between the lifetime and the ambient temperature, and accumulates the equivalent elapsed lifetime for each time band. When the accumulated value of equivalent elapsed lifetime exceeds a predetermined lifetime, an alarm output circuit 33 delivers a lifetime alarm signal. Consequently, the replacing time of capacitor 1 can be grasped accurately and the capacitor can be prevented from being replaced too early.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL J SINGLETARY whose telephone number is (571)272-4593. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm.
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/MICHAEL J SINGLETARY/Examiner, Art Unit 2857