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 Office Action is in response to Applicant’s filing on 12/18/2023.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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, 11-13, 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Huang et al. (“Huang”, US Pub 2017/0271873).
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Above annotated Fig. 2-3 & 5-6 are from Applicant’s own invention, provided to compare with following teaching of Huang et al. (“Huang”, US Pub 2017/0271873)
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Above annotated Fig. 1-2, 4-5 and excerpt are from Huang et al. (“Huang”, US Pub 2017/0271873)
Regarding independent claim 1, Huang teaches (Fig. 1-6) a method for identifying an optimal harvest voltage associated with a maximum extracted energy (i.e., 101’s output being Vin is tracked for optimal or maximum harvesting, via 320’s output Vx in 325, as required by the load, such as energy storage 110) for an energy harvesting circuit (305), the method performed by a computing device (i.e., 117) coupled to an energy harvesting circuit (two or plural stage power conversion circuit 305 or 105: buck-boost 320 or 120, switched-capacitor charge-pump 330 or 130) and comprising:
identifying a first time period (i.e., step 401 for count 1) required for the energy harvesting circuit (305) to complete a first number of energy extraction events (step 402, predetermined values N cycles of SC_Clk), the first time (i.e., periodical duty cycle of PWM for respective switches in 305: 320 & 330, to implement step 402) associated with an initial harvest voltage (101’s output Vin);
determining (i.e. combined operation of elements output ‘comparator, FF, INV, counter’, which are is received by 412) a first value of an estimated extracted power (Vlim)
based on
the initial harvest voltage (101’s output Vin’s initial value, received by 305’s 320, which provided Vx, used by 117) and
the first number of energy extraction events (step 402, predetermined values N cycles of SC_Clk); and
iteratively adjusting (i.e., steps 404 thru 410) the harvest voltage (101’s output Vin) and determining the optimal harvest voltage (Vx)
based
at least in part on values of the estimated extracted power value (Vlim)
corresponding to the adjusted harvest voltage (Vx).
Regarding claim 11, Huang teaches prior to determining (i.e. combined operation of elements output ‘comparator, FF, INV, counter’, which are is received by 412) the first value (i.e., prior to step 401 for count 1) of the estimated extracted power (Vlim, using 410’s next step affecting 401), determining (i.e. combined operation of elements output ‘comparator, FF, INV, counter’, which are is received by 412) that the first number of energy extraction events (step 402, predetermined values N cycles of SC_Clk) is less than a lower limit (Vref or reference clk), and in response, placing the energy harvesting circuit (305) in a low power state (305 being in low power state).
Regarding claim 12, Huang teaches wherein the harvest voltage (Vx) is configured so that an energy extraction event (i.e., previous, present and next iteration) is triggered in response to a harvest voltage (i.e., Vx associated with count 1) exceeding the harvest voltage (i.e., Vx associated with count 2), wherein the harvest voltage (Vx of count 1 vs. count 2) is coupled to an energy source (101) associated with the energy harvesting circuit (two or plural stage power conversion circuit 305 or 105: buck-boost 320 or 120, switched-capacitor charge-pump 330 or 130).
Regarding independent claim 13, Huang teaches (Fig. 1-6) a computing device coupled to an energy harvesting circuit, comprising:
one or more processors (processor, SoC processor; Abstract and Para 12, 18, 24, 54, 61-62); and
a memory storing instructions for execution by the one or more processors (memory storing instructions for execution by the one or more processor/SoC processor; Abstract and Para 12, 18, 24, 30, 34, 54, 61-62), wherein execution of the instructions causes the computing device to perform operations comprising:
identifying a first time period (i.e., step 401 for count 1) required for the energy harvesting circuit (305) to complete a first number of energy extraction events (step 402, predetermined values N cycles of SC_Clk), the first time (i.e., periodical duty cycle of PWM for respective switches in 305: 320 & 330, to implement step 402) associated with an initial harvest voltage (101’s output Vin);
determining (i.e. combined operation of elements output ‘comparator, FF, INV, counter’, which are is received by 412) a first value of an estimated extracted power (Vlim)
based on
the initial harvest voltage (101’s output Vin’s initial value, received by 305’s 320, which provided Vx, used by 117) and
the first number of energy extraction events (step 402, predetermined values N cycles of SC_Clk); and
iteratively adjusting (i.e., steps 404 thru 410) the harvest voltage (101’s output Vin) and determining the optimal harvest voltage (Vx)
based
at least in part on values of the estimated extracted power value (Vlim)
corresponding to the adjusted harvest voltage (Vx).
Regarding independent claim 20, Huang teaches (Fig. 1-6) a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for execution by one or more processors of a computing device (memory storing instructions for execution by the one or more processor/SoC processor; Abstract and Para 12, 18, 24, 30, 34, 54, 61-62) coupled to an energy harvesting circuit (two or plural stage power conversion circuit 305 or 105: buck-boost 320 or 120, switched-capacitor charge-pump 330 or 130), wherein execution of the instructions causes the computing device to perform operations comprising:
identifying a first time period (i.e., step 401 for count 1) required for the energy harvesting circuit (305) to complete a first number of energy extraction events (step 402, predetermined values N cycles of SC_Clk), the first time (i.e., periodical duty cycle of PWM for respective switches in 305: 320 & 330, to implement step 402) associated with an initial harvest voltage (101’s output Vin);
determining (i.e. combined operation of elements output ‘comparator, FF, INV, counter’, which are is received by 412) a first value of an estimated extracted power (Vlim)
based on
the initial harvest voltage (101’s output Vin’s initial value, received by 305’s 320, which provided Vx, used by 117) and
the first number of energy extraction events (step 402, predetermined values N cycles of SC_Clk); and
iteratively adjusting (i.e., steps 404 thru 410) the harvest voltage (101’s output Vin) and determining the optimal harvest voltage (Vx)
based
at least in part on values of the estimated extracted power value (Vlim)
corresponding to the adjusted harvest voltage (Vx).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-10 and 14-19 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.
Regarding claim 2, cited art(s) failed to teach, “wherein iteratively adjusting the harvest voltage comprises: incrementing the harvest voltage by a predetermined value; identifying a second number of energy extraction events occurring within the first time period, the second number of energy extraction events based on the incremented harvest voltage; determining a second value of the estimated extracted power based on the incremented harvest voltage; and determining the optimal harvest voltage based at least in part on the second value of the estimated extracted power”.
Claims 3-7 are depending from claim 2.
Regarding claim 8, cited art(s) failed to teach, “determining the optimal harvest voltage further comprises identifying a third number of energy extraction events occurring within the first time period, the third number of energy extraction events based at least in part on the optimal harvest voltage; and the method further comprises periodically determining a fourth number of energy extraction events occurring within the first time period, the fourth number of energy extraction events based at least in part on the optimal harvest voltage”.
Claims 9-10 are depending from claim 8.
Regarding claim 14, cited art(s) failed to teach, wherein execution of the instructions for iteratively adjusting the harvest voltage causes the computing device to perform operations further comprising: “incrementing the harvest voltage by a predetermined value; identifying a second number of energy extraction events occurring within the first time period, the second number of energy extraction events based on the incremented harvest voltage; determining a second value of the estimated extracted power based on the incremented harvest voltage; and determining the optimal harvest voltage based at least in part on the second value of the estimated extracted power”.
Claims 15-19 are depending from claim 14.
Conclusion
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/NUSRAT QUDDUS/Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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