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 .
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/28/2023 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-7 and 11-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a2 as being anticipated by Meghnous et al. (US 20230318468).
Claims 1, 4 and 7; Megnous et al. disclose a power conversion device (figure 1) comprising: a first bridge switch unit (2) connected to a primary coil of a transformer (6) and configured to perform full bridge switching; a first resonance circuit (3) comprising a first capacitor and a first inductor connected between the primary coil of the transformer (6) and the first bridge switch unit (2); a second bridge switch unit (4) connected to a secondary coil of the transformer (6) and configured to perform full bridge switching; a second resonance circuit (LC) comprising a second capacitor and a second inductor connected between the secondary coil of the transformer (6) and the second bridge switch unit; and a controller configured to control the first bridge switch unit (2) and the second bridge switch unit (4) to generate a rectified resonance voltage by changing a voltage direction through the first bridge switch unit (2) or to generate a rectified regenerative voltage by changing a voltage direction through the second bridge switch unit (4), wherein the controller is configured to control the first bridge switch unit (2) or the second bridge switch unit (4) to perform a phase modulation mode for modulating a phase and a frequency modulation mode for modulating a frequency (e.g. para. [0021], [0036], [0037], [0040] and [0041]).
Claim 2; the first bridge switch unit comprises: a first switch (S3) and a second switch (S4) connected in series to each other; and a third switch (S1) and a fourth switch (S2) connected in parallel to the first switch and the second switch, and connected in series to each other, wherein the first resonance circuit comprises: the first inductor (fig. 1: between S3 and S4) connected between the primary coil of the transformer (6) and a first node of between the first switch (S3) and the second switch (S4); and the first capacitor (connected at S1/S2) connected between the primary coil of the transformer (6) and a second node of between the third switch (S1) and the fourth switch (S2), and wherein two or more of the first to fourth switches are configured to be turned on or turned off in synchronization with each other (i.e. S1/S4 and S2/S3).
Claim 3; S1 and S2 are never ON at the same time and S3/S4 are never ON at the same time.
Claim 5; the second bridge switch unit comprises: a fifth switch and a sixth switch (four unmarked mosfets in circuit 4) connected in series to each other; and a seventh switch and an eighth switch (four unmarked mosfets in circuit 4) connected in parallel to the fifth switch and the sixth switch, and connected in series to each other, wherein the second resonance circuit comprises: the second inductor (unmarked) connected between the secondary coil of the transformer (6) and a third node of between the fifth switch and the sixth switch (i.e. the first two switches); and the second capacitor connected between the secondary coil of the transformer (6) and a fourth node of between the seventh switch and the eighth switch, and wherein two or more of the fifth to eighth switches are configured to be turned on or turned off in synchronization with each other (i.e. the diagonals).
Claim 6; the series switches are never ON at the same time.
Claims 11 and 13: figure 6.
Claims 12 and 14: figure 3.
Claims 15-18; diagonal diodes will conduct and the other diagonal with block, alternately.
Claim 19; Megnous et al. disclose a power conversion method for converting input direct current power (7) to be stepped up or stepped down, the power conversion method comprising: performing, by a controller, a phase modulation mode by controlling a first bridge switch unit or a second bridge switch unit (abstract; para. [0015], [0021] and [0041], etc.); and performing, by the controller, a frequency modulation mode (fig. 2, para. [0036], [0040] and [0041]) by controlling the first bridge switch unit or the second bridge switch unit, wherein the performing of the phase modulation mode comprises modulating a phase to a target phase value (45 degrees, fig. 6 [0031]), and wherein the performing of the frequency modulation mode comprises decreasing an input frequency to a target frequency value within a preset range (para. [0040], especially [0041].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-10 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claims 8 and 10; prior art fails to disclose or fairly suggest, inter alia, the controller is configured to control the first bridge switch unit and the second bridge switch unit to perform the phase modulation mode for modulating the phase to a target value, and, when the phase is modulated to the target value, perform the frequency modulation mode.
Claim 9; prior art fails to disclose or fairly suggest, inter alia, the controller is configured to control the first bridge switch unit and the second bridge switch unit to perform the phase modulation mode for modulating the phase to a target value and perform the frequency modulation mode so as to overlap with a part of sections in which the phase is modulated to the target value.
Claim 20; prior art fails to disclose or fairly suggest, inter alia, performing of the phase modulation mode comprises: by the controller, turning on a first switch and a fourth switch and turning off a second switch and a third switch in a first section of a period; by the controller, turning on the first switch and the third switch and turning off the second switch and the fourth switch in a second section of the period; by the controller, turning on the second switch element and the third switch element and turning off the first switch and the fourth switch in a third section of the period; and by the controller, turning on the second switch and the fourth switch and turning off the first switch and the third switch in a fourth section of the period.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Weng et al. (US 20240339933) discloses a control method for a resonant dual active bridge converter circuit using phase control and frequency control.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GARY L LAXTON whose telephone number is (571)272-2079. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8 am-4 pm.
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/GARY L LAXTON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838 1/27/2026