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 .
OFFICE ACTION
This is final office action a response to the papers filed on 3/10/2024.
Claims 1-20 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 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 2-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a) (1) being anticipated by the prior art of record Narla (US 2018/0123348)
Regarding claim 2, the prior art discloses:
An energy system controllable to supply power to loads (fig 11-12), comprising:
a plurality of subsystems (Micro-Battery in fig 6-8, 11-12), each subsystem comprising an energy source (one of Solar/photovoltaic, capacitor, DC source, AC source, Grid, battery, in fig 6-8, 11-12), a first converter (DC/DC in fig 6-8) configured to generate a first output voltage at a first DC port, and a second converter (DC/AC in fig 6-8) configured to convert an input signal of a charge signal (input from DC/DC) into a second voltage (AC output of DC/AC), wherein each subsystem is configured to supply power to one or more of the loads (fig 6-8, 11-12), and wherein each subsystem of the plurality of subsystems is configured as a separate pack
(one or more of the following disclose this limitation:
Par 7: respective power converter pair through a power cable that is plugged into a socket of a housing for the respective power converter pair… each micro-battery including a power converter pair;
Par 9: DC-to-DC buck-boost converter, the DC-to-AC inverter, and the battery pack can be housed within the same enclosure;
Par 19: FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary micro-battery including power converters and a battery pack that are housed in separate enclosures;
Par 58: Fig 7…Micro-inverter 702 (includes DC/DC and DC/AC) can be housed in its own enclosure;
Par 60: FIG. 8 illustrates micro-battery 800 whose converters (including DC/DC and DC/AC) and battery pack are housed within the same enclosure); and
a DC bus connected to the first DC port of each subsystem of the plurality of subsystems (fig 6-8, 11-12), wherein the DC bus is configured to exchange energy between the plurality of subsystems (fig 6-8, 11-12, exchange energy between the plurality of subsystems by one or more of controlling switches/relays, Battery Management System (BMS), Controller, Communication/signal lines, bi-directional converter/inverter, bi-directional DC/DC, bi-directional DC/AC) and to transfer the charge signal from a charge source ( another one of grid, photovoltaic, capacitor, DC source, AC source, converter/inverter battery, in fig 6-8, 11-12)) to each subsystem.
(Claim 3) wherein each subsystem (fig 6-8, 11-12) comprises a second DC port and the DC bus is a first DC bus (fig 6-8, 11-12), the energy system comprising a second DC bus connected to (i) the second DC port of each subsystem and (ii) one or more DC loads of the loads (fig 6-8, 11-12).
(Claim 4) wherein the plurality of subsystems are configured to exchange energy over the first DC bus and the second DC bus. (fig 6-8, 11-12, exchange energy over buses by one or more of controlling switches/relays, Battery Management System (BMS), Controller, Communication/signal lines, bi-directional converter/inverter, bi-directional DC/DC, bi-directional DC/AC)
(Claim 5) wherein one or more subsystems of the plurality of subsystems supply AC power to one or more AC loads of the loads at an AC port of the one or more subsystems (see AC power ports/terminal and AC load in fig 6-8, 11-12).
(Claim 6) wherein at least one of the first converter and the second converter is configured to convert a DC voltage output by the energy source to an AC voltage signal output at an AC port (DC/AC inverter/converter in fig 6-8).
(Claim 7) wherein at least one of the first converter and the second converter comprises a multi-level converter (see cascade converters, array converters, series converters, parallel converters, multi- level/stage converters in fig 6-8, 11-12)
(Claim 8) wherein a subsystem of the plurality of subsystems comprises a battery pack comprising multiple batteries (fig 6-8, 11-12).
(Claim 9) wherein the battery pack is connected to at least one AC load by way of an inverter (see inverter in fig 6-8).
(Claim 10) wherein the battery pack provides supplementary power to at least one of (i) an AC load of the loads, (ii), another subsystem of the plurality of subsystems, or (iii) a DC load (fig 6-8, 11-12).
(Claim 11) wherein each subsystem is configured to charge the energy source using an AC charge signal from an AC charge source (fir 6-8, 11-12).
(Claim 12) wherein at least one of the first converter and the second converter is configured to convert the AC charge signal to a DC charge signal to charge an energy source of the energy source (fig 6-8, 11-12).
(Claim 13) wherein the charge source comprises a DC charge source and the charge signal is a DC charge signal (fig 6-8, 11-12).
(Claim 14) wherein each subsystem comprises a DC-DC converter (fig 6-8) connected between the DC charge source and the energy source (fig 6-8, 11-12), wherein the DC-DC converter (in fig 6-8) is configured to adjust a voltage level of the DC charge signal for the energy source.
(Claim 15) wherein a first subsystem of the plurality of subsystems comprises an auxiliary converter configured to convert a DC signal on the DC bus to an AC signal for powering one or more auxiliary loads (fig 6-8, 11-12,
, one or more auxiliary loads is one or more of: utility meter load, AC loads, AC grid, grid load, customer/home owners utility use/consumption, backup loads, peak-hour load, off-peak hour load, shave demand load, lower demand load, economic energy load, demand-response load, buck voltage load, boost voltage load, power into battery pack(s), single/split phase power level, multi/three phase power level, as disclosed in the prior art) , and wherein each of one or more second subsystems of the plurality of subsystems are configured to supply power to one or more primary loads (fig 6-8, 11-12, one or more primary load is another one of or more of: utility meter load, AC loads, AC grid, grid load, customer/home owners utility use/consumption, backup loads, peak-hour load, off-peak hour load, shave demand load, lower demand load, economic energy load, demand-response load, buck voltage load, boost voltage load, power into battery pack(s), single/split phase power level, multi/three phase power level, as disclosed in the prior art).
(Claim 16) wherein the first subsystem is configured to output a single phase AC signal (par 22, 63-72) at a first AC port of the first subsystem and a multiphase AC signal (par 21, 63-72) at a second AC port of the first subsystem.
(Claim 17) wherein the plurality of subsystems comprises one or more second subsystems each comprising an AC port connected to one or more primary AC loads to supply AC power to the one or more primary AC loads (fig 6-8, 11-12, one or more primary load is another of one or more of: utility meter load, AC loads, AC grid, grid load, customer/home owners utility use/consumption, backup loads, peak-hour load, off-peak hour load, shave demand load, lower demand load, economic energy load, demand-response load, buck voltage load, boost voltage load, power into battery pack(s), single/split phase power level, multi/three phase power level, as disclosed in the prior art); the DC bus is a first DC bus and the plurality of subsystems including the first subsystem and the one or more second subsystems are connected by a second DC bus (fig 6-8, 11-12); and the second DC bus is configured to exchange energy from the first subsystem to each second subsystem to provide auxiliary power (fig 6-8, 11-12, auxiliary power is one or more of: power from one or more of solar/PV, battery, energy/power storage, energy generation system, AC power, DC power, higher/lower DC power, grid power, utility power, power import/export, renewable energy, excess energy, converters, inverters, smaller energy capacities/operating voltage levels, as disclosed in the prior art) to the one or more primary AC loads connected to each second subsystem (fig 6-8, 11-12)
Claims 18-20 recite similar subject matter and are rejected for the same reason.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 1 is allowed.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Correspondence Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL DINH whose telephone number is 571-272-1890. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s Supervisor, Jack Chiang can be reached on 571-272-7483. The fax number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PAUL DINH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2851
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