DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to the application filed on 12/11/2023.
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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in claims 1 and 4. Therefore, the “the control unit” and the operation disclosed in claim 4 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The 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.
Claim Objections
The claims are objected to because they include reference characters which are not enclosed within parentheses.
Reference characters corresponding to elements recited in the detailed description of the drawings and used in conjunction with the recitation of the same element or group of elements in the claims should be enclosed within parentheses so as to avoid confusion with other numbers or characters which may appear in the claims. See MPEP § 608.01(m).
The claims are objected to because the lines are crowded too closely together, making reading difficult. Substitute claims with lines one and one-half or double spaced on good quality paper are required. See 37 CFR 1.52(b).
Claims 1-5 are objected to because of the following informalities. These informalities are cited below and the whole claim list had to be rewritten due to the exceeding number of issues. Appropriate correction is required.
Claims have been rewritten as follows:
1. A DC-DC converter system comprising: [A] a bridge arm consists of a high side switch 1 and a low side switch 2, [the] a positive terminal of said high side switch 1 is connected to [the] a positive terminal of [the] an input voltage, [the] a negative terminal of said high side switch 1 and [the] a positive terminal of said low side switch 2 are connected together to form a switching node SW, and [the] a negative terminal of said low side switch 2 is connected to [the] a negative terminal of the input voltage which is [the] a reference ground of the converter system; [A] a tapped inductor 6 with [its] a first terminal 6_1 towards said switch node [side], [the] a second terminal 6_2 is [the] a center tap, and [the] a third terminal 6_3 is [the] an output node of the converter, [the] a first section between the first terminal 6_1 and the second terminal 6_2 has N1 turns, and [the] a second section between the second terminal 6_2 and the third terminal 6_3 has N2 turns; [A] a capacitor 5 with [its] a first terminal connected to said switching node SW, and [the] a second terminal connected to the first terminal of the inductor 6; [A] a switch 3 with [its] a positive terminal connected to the second terminal 6_2 of the inductor 6, and [the] a negative terminal connected to the reference ground; [A] a capacitor 8 and a load element 9, with both [their] positive terminals of said capacitor 8 and load element 9 connected to the third terminal of the inductor 6, which is the output node of the converter, and [the] negative terminals of [8 and 9] said capacitor 8 and load element 9 are connected to the reference ground; [A] a control unit that provides closed loop regulation of [the] an output voltage of the converter by controlling the switching operation of said high side switch 1, low side switch 2 and switch 3.
2. The DC-DC converter system of claim 1, wherein the output voltage is regulated by controlling the switching actions of [said switches 1, 2 and 3] said high side switch 1, low side switch 2 and switch 3, [the] an on duty cycle of the high side switch 1 controls the output voltage, [the] switching states of the low side switch 2 and switch 3 [is] are complementary to the high side switch 1, when the high side switch 1 is on, the low side switch 2 and switch 3 are off, and when the high side switch 1 is off, the low side switch 2 and switch 3 are on, a dead time, during which [the] gate drive signals of all the switches are at off state, is inserted at the transitions of said switching state change; [During] during on period of the high side switch 1, the inductor 6 works in an inductor mode, during on period of the low side switches 2 and switch 3, the inductor 6 works in a transformer mode, during which [the] a current direction in [its] the first section is reversed while transferring [the] an energy from the capacitor 5 to the output node, and when the low side 2 and switch 3 are turned off, [the] a current in the first section [of 6] flows towards to [the] an input voltage source, creating a zero voltage switching condition for the turn on operation of the high side switch 1.
3. The DC-DC converter system of claim 1, wherein [the] a voltage stress of the switch 3 during [its] an off time is reduced to 1/n of the input voltage, herein n is the turns ratio (N1+N2)/N2 of the tapped inductor 6, allowing the use of devices with a lower voltage rating and associated lower conduction loss to improve the converter efficiency.
4. The DC-DC converter system of claim 1, wherein at a load step down transition, the switch 3 remains off or partially off with adjustable off time when the high side switch 1 is off, preventing or partially preventing the inductor 6 from entering the transformer mode, to reduce [the] an energy delivered to the output node, and in the meanwhile, partially transfer the energy stored in the inductor 6 to the capacitor 5.
5. The DC-DC converter system of claim 1, use GaN device as said low side [switches] switch 2, wherein at a load step down transition, adjust [the] a voltage drop of the low side switch 2 by controlling [the] a voltage level of [its] the gate drive signal when the high side switch 1 is off, to provide adjustable dissipation of [the] an energy stored in the inductor 6 during [its] an inductive current circulation, thus reducing the energy delivered to the output node in a controlled manner.
Examiner’s Note:
It appears the inventor(s) filed the current application pro se (i.e., without the benefit of representation by a registered patent practitioner). While inventors named as applicants in a patent application may prosecute the application pro se, lack of familiarity with patent examination practice and procedure may result in missed opportunities in obtaining optimal protection for the invention disclosed. The inventor(s) may wish to secure the services of a registered patent practitioner to prosecute the application, because the value of a patent is largely dependent upon skilled preparation and prosecution. The Office cannot aid in selecting a patent practitioner.
A listing of registered patent practitioners is available at https://oedci.uspto.gov/OEDCI/. Applicants may also obtain a list of registered patent practitioners located in their area by writing to Mail Stop OED, Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites N1 turns and N2 turns, however the value or range of values that the turns can be has not been define. The value can be any number including 0 or 1. For purposes of examination the limitation are going to be interpreted as any value.
Claim 4 last line recites “and in the meanwhile”. It is not clear what the applicant meant by in the meanwhile, what is the system’s function or operating by the statement and in the meanwhile. For purposes of examination the limitations are going to be interpreted as any operation e.g. normal operation, standby operation, transient operation, etc.
Claims 2-3 and 5 are also rejected to under 35 U.S.C. 112(b), for being dependent on a rejected claim under 35 U.S.C. 112(b).
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claim(s) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Babazadeh US 2018/0152104.
Regarding Claim 1, Babazadeh teaches (Figures 1-5) a DC-DC converter system (at 100) comprising: a bridge arm (hs1 and ls1) consists of a high side switch 1 and a low side switch 2, a positive terminal of said high side switch 1 is connected to a positive terminal of an input voltage (Vin), a negative terminal of said high side switch 1 and a positive terminal of said low side switch 2 are connected together to form a switching node SW (Vsw), and a negative terminal of said low side switch 2 is connected to a negative terminal of the input voltage which is a reference ground of the converter system (gnd); a tapped inductor 6 (114) with a first terminal 6_1 towards said switch node [Vsw], a second terminal 6_2 is a center tap, and a third terminal 6_3 is an output node (at Iout) of the converter, a first section between the first terminal 6_1 and the second terminal 6_2 has N1 turns (n1), and a second section between the second terminal 6_2 and the third terminal 6_3 has N2 turns (n2); a capacitor 5 (Cr) with a first terminal connected to said switching node SW (Vsw), and a second terminal connected to the first terminal of the inductor 6 (114); a switch 3 (sr1) with a positive terminal connected to the second terminal 6_2 of the inductor 6 (at 114), and a negative terminal connected to the reference ground (gnd); a capacitor 8 (Co) and a load element 9 (102), with both positive terminals of said capacitor 8 and load element 9 connected to the third terminal of the inductor 6 (at 104), which is the output node of the converter, and negative terminals of said capacitor 8 and load element 9 are connected to the reference ground (gnd); a control unit (112) that provides closed loop regulation of an output voltage of the converter by controlling the switching operation of said high side switch 1, low side switch 2 and switch 3 (See fig. 3). (For Example: Par. 19-26)
Regarding Claim 2, Babazadeh teaches (Figures 1-5) wherein the output voltage (Vout) is regulated by controlling the switching actions of said high side switch 1, low side switch 2 and switch 3 (hs1, ls1 and sr1), an on duty cycle of the high side switch 1 controls the output voltage (on state of hs1), switching states of the low side switch 2 and switch 3 are complementary to the high side switch 1 (par. 26), when the high side switch 1 is on, the low side switch 2 and switch 3 are off, and when the high side switch 1 is off, the low side switch 2 and switch 3 are on, a dead time (par. 26), during which gate drive signals of all the switches are at off state, is inserted at the transitions of said switching state change (par. 26 and 29); during on period of the high side switch 1, the inductor 6 works in an inductor mode (Fig. 2, Ton), during on period of the low side switches 2 and switch 3, the inductor 6 works in a transformer mode (toff), during which a current direction in the first section is reversed while transferring an energy from the capacitor 5 (Cr) to the output node (pars. 24-27), and when the low side 2 and switch 3 are turned off, a current in the first section flows towards to an input voltage source, creating a zero voltage switching condition for the turn on operation of the high side switch 1 (par. 21, 27 and 29). (For Example: Par. 19-29)
Regarding Claim 3, Babazadeh teaches (Figures 1-5) wherein a voltage stress of the switch 3 (sr1) during an off time is reduced to 1/n of the input voltage (off time of the sr1), herein n is the turns ratio (N1+N2)/N2 of the tapped inductor 6 (with the use of equations 1-2, par. 27 and 32, which is the same as equation 6 of the application for operation of regulating Vin to generate Vout, see par. 27 of applicant’s specification), allowing the use of devices with a lower voltage rating and associated lower conduction loss to improve the converter efficiency (par. 17 and 27). (For Example: Par. 19-27)
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Babazadeh in view of Johnson US 7602163.
Regarding Claim 4, Babazadeh teaches (Figures 1-5) the converter.
Babazadeh does not teach wherein at a load step down transition, the switch 3 remains off or partially off with adjustable off time when the high side switch 1 is off, preventing or partially preventing the inductor 6 from entering the transformer mode, to reduce an energy delivered to the output node, and in the meanwhile, partially transfer the energy stored in the inductor 6 to the capacitor 5.
Johnson teaches (Figures 4-5) wherein at a load step down transition (Fig. 4), the switch 3 remains off (Vg3 off) or partially off with adjustable off time when the high side switch 1 is off, preventing or partially preventing the inductor 6 from entering the transformer mode (the transformer mode has both switches in the on state clearly Vg3 switch is off so no transformer mode), to reduce an energy delivered to the output node (Iout in figure 4 gradually is sent due to the increase of icl), and in the meanwhile, partially transfer the energy stored in the inductor 6 to the capacitor 5 (transferred to capacitor CL with the rise of icl). (For Example: Col. 4)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the circuit of Babazadeh to include wherein at a load step down transition, the switch 3 remains off or partially off with adjustable off time when the high side switch 1 is off, preventing or partially preventing the inductor 6 from entering the transformer mode, to reduce an energy delivered to the output node, and in the meanwhile, partially transfer the energy stored in the inductor 6 to the capacitor, as taught by Johnson to improve transient response of the system.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Babazadeh in view of Babazadeh US 20180034367 (Herein Baba).
Regarding Claim 5, Babazadeh teaches (Figures 1-5) the converter.
Babazadeh does not teach use GaN device as said low side [switches] switch 2, wherein at a load step down transition, adjust a voltage drop of the low side switch 2 by controlling a voltage level of the gate drive signal when the high side switch 1 is off, to provide adjustable dissipation of an energy stored in the inductor 6 during an inductive current circulation, thus reducing the energy delivered to the output node in a controlled manner.
Baba teaches (Figures 1-5) use GaN device (par. 17) as said low side switch 2 (ls1), wherein at a load step down transition (par .33), adjust a voltage drop of the low side switch 2 by controlling a voltage level of the gate drive signal when the high side switch 1 is off (at step OFF in figure 5 and moves to step SR_on), to provide adjustable dissipation of an energy stored in the inductor 6 during an inductive current circulation (changing the ls1 switch from on to off), thus reducing the energy delivered to the output node in a controlled manner (par. 33-38). (For Example: Par. 31-38)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the circuit of Babazadeh to include use GaN device as said low side [switches] switch 2, wherein at a load step down transition, adjust a voltage drop of the low side switch 2 by controlling a voltage level of the gate drive signal when the high side switch 1 is off, to provide adjustable dissipation of an energy stored in the inductor 6 during an inductive current circulation, thus reducing the energy delivered to the output node in a controlled manner, as taught by Baba to achieve optimal performance and provide soft switching for variable frequency operations.
Conclusion
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/GUSTAVO A ROSARIO-BENITEZ/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838