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 .
This communication is responsive to amendments/remarks filed on 1/29/2026.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-9, 11-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chung et al. (US 2015/0035359).
With respect to claim 1, Chung discloses a portable power supply comprising: an alternating current (“AC”) power input interface (AC INPUT, figure 1); an AC power output interface (AC OUTPUT); a battery core (BATTERY); a charger electrically connected to the AC power input interface (RECTIFIER); an inverter configured to output AC power to the AC power output interface (INVERTER); and a controller (MAIN CONTROL BOARD) configured to: when the charger is active and AC power is requested at the AC power output interface, control the charger to provide direct current (“DC”) power to the inverter, wherein, when the charger is active, the battery core selectively outputs or receives power based on a power consumption of the inverter (figures 3a-3b, 3d disclose that when the charger is active the battery either receives or outputs power).
With respect to claim 2, Chung discloses the portable power supply of claim 1, wherein, when the power consumption of the inverter is less than an amount of DC power output by the charger, the battery core receives DC power output from the charger. Figure 3a discloses that there is enough power provided by the charger, power is provided to the load and the battery.
With respect to claims 3, 14, Chung discloses the portable power supply of one of the claims, wherein an amount of DC power received by the battery core from the charger is equal to a difference between the amount of DC power output by the charger and the power consumption of the inverter. Chung discloses that the main control board 40 shares the commercial power source between the load and the battery.
With respect to claim 5, Chung discloses the portable power supply of claim 1, wherein, when the power consumption of the inverter is greater than an amount of DC power output by the charger, the battery core provides DC power to the inverter. Figure 3d discloses that the battery provides power to the load and thus shares the power provided.
With respect to claims 6, 16, Chung discloses the portable power supply of one of the claims, wherein an amount of DC power provided by the battery core to the inverter is equal to a difference in the power consumption of the inverter and the amount of DC power output by the charger. Paragraph 0101 discloses that a sharing operation mode where the load is shared between the commercial power source and the battery.
With respect to claim 7, Chung discloses the portable power supply of claim 5, wherein, when the battery core provides DC power to the inverter, an amount of power output at the AC power output interface is greater than an amount of power received at the AC power input interface. Paragraphs 0105, 0112 discloses that during load change/peak time the battery provides DC power to the inverter.
With respect to claim 8, Chung discloses the portable power supply of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to activate the charger in response to AC power being present at the AC power input interface. Main control board 40 a power monitoring unit 41 to thus activate the charger based on commercial power availability.
With respect to claims 9, 17, Chung discloses the portable power supply of one of the claims, wherein the controller is further configured to control an amount of power output by the charger. Figure 2 discloses that the main control board controls the charger, paragraph 0066.
With respect to claim 11, Chung discloses the portable power supply of claim 1, wherein the battery core automatically switches between outputting and receiving power based on changes in the power consumption of the inverter. Paragraphs 0108-0112 discloses that based on load changes/power consumption of the inverter the power received/output of the battery changes also.
With respect to claim 12, Chung discloses a method for operating a portable power supply, the method comprising: determining whether AC power is present at an AC power input interface; determining whether AC power is requested at an AC power output interface (figure 2 discloses main control board 40 for monitoring AC input power, and AC output/load changes); in response to AC power being present at the AC power input interface while AC power is requested at the AC power output interface, controlling a charger to provide DC power to an inverter (rectifier provides power to the inverter), the inverter electrically connected to the AC power output interface; and selectively receiving DC power or outputting DC power with a battery core based on a power consumption of the inverter(figures 3a-3b, 3d disclose that when the charger is active the battery either receives or outputs power).
With respect to claim 13, Chung discloses the method of claim 12, wherein selectively receiving DC power or outputting DC power with a battery core based on a power consumption of the inverter includes: determining whether the power consumption of the inverter is less than an amount of DC power output by the charger, and in response to the power consumption of the inverter being less than the amount of DC power output by the charger, receiving, with the battery core, DC power from the charger. Figure 3a discloses that there is enough power provided by the charger, power is provided to the load and the battery.
With respect to claim 15, Chung discloses the method of claim 12, wherein selectively receiving DC power or outputting DC power with a battery core based on a power consumption of the inverter includes: determining whether the power consumption of the inverter is less than an amount of DC power output by the charger, and in response to the power consumption of the inverter being greater than the amount of DC power output by the charger, providing, with the battery core, DC power to the inverter. Figure 3d discloses that the battery provides power to the load/inverter and thus shares the power provided.
With respect to claim 18, Chung discloses a portable power supply comprising: an internal power source (BATTERY); a first power converter configured to receive alternating current (“AC”) power from an AC power input interface and output direct current (“DC”) power (RECTIFIER); a second power converter configured to receive DC power and output AC power to a power output interface (INVERTER); and a controller configured to operate the portable power supply in a passthrough mode in response to determining that AC power is requested at the power output interface while AC power is present at the AC power input interface (MAIN CONTROL BOARD controls the BYPASS), wherein, in the passthrough mode: DC power is provided from the first power converter to the second power converter, AC power is provided from the second power converter to the AC power output interface, and the internal power source selectively outputs or receives DC power based on a difference between an amount of power present at the AC power input interface and an amount of power requested at the power output interface (figures 3a-3b, 3d disclose that when the charger is active the battery either receives or outputs power).
With respect to claim 19, Chung discloses the portable power supply of claim 18, wherein, when in the passthrough mode and the amount of power requested at the power output interface exceeds the amount of power present at the AC power input interface, internal power source outputs DC power to the second power converter. Figure 3d discloses that the battery provides power to the load/inverter and thus shares the power provided.
With respect to claim 20, Chung discloses the portable power supply of claim 18, wherein, when in the passthrough mode and the amount of power present at the AC power input interface exceeds the amount of power requested at the power output interface, internal power source receives DC power from the first power converter. Figure 3a discloses that there is enough power provided by the charger, power is provided to the load and the battery.
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) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chung et al. (US 2015/0035359).
With respect to claim 10, Chung discloses the portable power supply of claim 9; except for, wherein the amount of power output by the charger ranges from 0 kilowatts to 1 kilowatt.
Chung discloses a system where power is received from a commercial power source via the charger/RECTIFIER to thus provide power to the battery and the load/INVERTER.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention, to have modify Chung and provide a charger that outputs power that meets the specific needs of the system, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 was previously 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.
Claims 21, 22, 23 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 21 is allowable over the prior art of record, because the prior art of record does not disclose wherein the controller is configured to determine the power consumption of the inverter based on voltage and/or current detected at a DC input of the inverter.
Claim 22 is allowable over the prior art of record, because the prior art of record does not disclose wherein the controller is configured to determine the power consumption of the inverter based on an AC load current requested at the AC power output interface.
Claim 23 is allowable over the prior art of record, because the prior art of record does not disclose wherein the controller is configured to determine a root mean square (RMS) load current based on a sensed AC load current and determine the power consumption based on the RMS load current.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 1/29/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
With respect to the argument that in Chung the selective input or output of the battery of Chung is not based on power consumption of the inverter and that in FIG. 6 Chung does not seem to imply that changes to rectifier behavior cause the battery to selectively output or receive power. It is respectfully submitted that the abstract, figures 1, 6 and 8 disclose that the controller 40 calculates a current load current to thus control the operation of the battery accordingly, paragraphs 00108-011, 0016-0124, 0145-0148; figures 3A-3D discloses that when the charger is active the battery either receives or outputs power based on a current load status/when the load is change. Note that figure 6 discloses that the load change is based on the power consumption/output of the inverter.
With respect to the argument that Chung does not disclose "the internal power source selectively outputs or receives DC power based on a difference between an amount of power present at the AC power input interface and an amount of power requested at the power output interface." And the Chung, at best, teaches operations modes. It is respectfully submitted that Chung discloses that based on a power failure and a current load current the battery either receives or outputs power based on a current load and commercial power source status, abstract, Figures 3A-3D, 6 and paragraphs 00108-011, 0116-0124, 0145-0148.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/CARLOS AMAYA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836