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 following guidelines illustrate the preferred layout for the specification of a utility application. These guidelines are suggested for the applicant’s use.
Arrangement of the Specification
As provided in 37 CFR 1.77(b), the specification of a utility application should include the following sections in order. Each of the lettered items should appear in upper case, without underlining or bold type, as a section heading. If no text follows the section heading, the phrase “Not Applicable” should follow the section heading:
(a) TITLE OF THE INVENTION.
(b) CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS.
(c) STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT.
(d) THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT.
(e) INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A READ-ONLY OPTICAL DISC, AS A TEXT FILE OR AN XML FILE VIA THE PATENT ELECTRONIC SYSTEM.
(f) STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR.
(g) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION.
(1) Field of the Invention.
(2) Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98.
(h) BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION.
(i) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S).
(j) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION.
(k) CLAIM OR CLAIMS (commencing on a separate sheet).
(l) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE (commencing on a separate sheet).
(m) SEQUENCE LISTING. (See MPEP § 2422.03 and 37 CFR 1.821 - 1.825). A “Sequence Listing” is required on paper if the application discloses a nucleotide or amino acid sequence as defined in 37 CFR 1.821(a) and if the required “Sequence Listing” is not submitted as an electronic document either on read-only optical disc or as a text file via the patent electronic system.
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 2, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 22 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.
The terms “within the scope of”, “can have”, “can be”, “are preferably”, “can also be”, “simple”, “in particular” “preferably”, “or other store types”, “for example”, “with regard to the characteristics thereof”, “particularly”, “can be”, “can also be” in claims 2, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 22 are relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The terms are not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
Claims 3, 4, 5, 6 recite the limitations "the battery modules"; however, there is no battery modules recited in claim 1.
Claims 6, 9, 14, 15, 18, recites the limitation “the DC/DC converter”, “the respective converter”, “the converter modules”, “the DC converter” "; however, there is no DC/DC converter module recited in claim 1.
Claims 16, 17, 19, recite the limitation “the DC circuit”, “the circuits”; however, there is no circuit recited in claim 1.
Claim 19, recites the limitation “the rectifier systems”; however, there is no rectifier system recited in claim 1.
There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim.
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)(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) 1-11, 13-18, 21-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by JU et al. (US 2022/0285950).
With respect to claim 1, JU discloses an energy system with at least one energy store for storage of electrical energy (battery packs 10) and at least one inverter (power conversion/inverter 60, figure 3), wherein the energy system is of modular construction with respect to energy stores and/or inverters (figures 2-4 discloses that the system is of modular construction).
With respect to claim 2, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1, wherein at least one battery store with at least one battery module is provided, wherein the individual battery modules are designed within the scope of protective low voltage. Figures 2-4 disclose that the individual battery packs are provided with low voltage, as compared to combining all the batteries together.
With respect to claim 3, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1, wherein the battery modules of a battery store are connected in series and/or in parallel with one another. Figures 2-4 disclose that the battery packs 10 are connected in series to one another.
With respect to claim 4, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1, wherein charge equalization of the individual battery modules of a battery store is provided. Paragraph 0004 discloses a battery management to equalize battery parameters of the battery packs.
With respect to claim 5, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1, wherein a DC/DC converter is provided for each battery store or each battery module and can be executed to be electrically isolated. Figures 2-4 disclose a DC/DC converter 20 connected to each battery pack 10.
With respect to claim 6, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1, wherein a DC/DC converter is provided, which generates a first system voltage which can be higher or lower than or the same as the voltage of individual or multiple battery modules, wherein the DC/DC converter can have electrical isolation and be executed to be bidirectional. Paragraphs 0005, 0034 discloses that the DC/DC converters are controlled to discharge the battery packs and to charge the battery packs 10.
With respect to claim 7, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1, wherein a DC/AC converter is provided, which can be executed to be bidirectional. Paragraphs 0005, 0034, figure 3 disclose that the DC/AC converter is bidirectional, providing power to the grid from DC bus 30 or providing power from the grid to the DC bus 30.
With respect to claim 8, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of DC/AC and/or DC/DC converters is provided. Figures 2-4 disclose a plurality of DC/AC converter and a plurality of DC/DC converters.
With respect to claim 9, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1, wherein the respective converter or the respective converter combination is selected according to the operating state of the energy system, wherein that converter or converter combination having the lowest losses can be selected. Paragraphs 0016, 0044-0045 disclose selecting the power conversion modules and battery packs based on the required power and on battery converter parameters.
With respect to claim 10, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1, wherein a power limitation is provided according to the respective operating state of the energy system. Abstract discloses that the system operates based on target current values that need to be provided.
With respect to claim 11, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 9, wherein the system is designed so that provided protective devices are preferably selectively triggered. Paragraphs 0040 discloses protecting the system by switching the system to be within system control parameters.
With respect to claim 13, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1, wherein the energy system combines different energy sources on AC and/or DC side and/or different energy stores, in particular battery stores with modules of lithium batteries, preferably LiFePO4 batteries, lead batteries, oxidation-reduction flow batteries or other store types. Paragraph 0032 discloses different types of generation devices including lithium-ion batteries, lead-acid batteries.
With respect to claim 14, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 13, wherein the converter modules for each energy source or each energy store are designed, with regard to the characteristics thereof, with respect to, for example, power. Figures 2-4 disclose the power converters are designed based on the energy source/battery.
With respect to claim 15, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1, wherein the energy sources are electrically isolated by way of the DC/DC converter. Figures 2-4 disclose that the DC/DC converter modules 20 provide isolation to the respective battery packs.
With respect to claim 16, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1, wherein an energy distribution between the individual energy sources or energy stores is provided by way of the DC circuit. Figures 3A-3B discloses a DC circuit/DC bus 30.
With respect to claim 17, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1, wherein the DC circuit is so designed with respect to its voltage that the DC/AC converter has only a small transformation ratio with respect to the voltage or does not undertake any voltage transformation and only has to form the alternating voltage. Figures 3A-3B disclose a DC/AC power conversion system 60 to convert the DC power from bus 30 to alternating-current electric energy.
With respect to claim 18, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1, wherein the DC converter has only a small transformation ratio with respect to the voltage. Figures 2-4 disclose a plurality of DC/DC converters that have a small transformation ratio with respect to the voltage of Direct Current bus 30.
With respect to claim 21, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1, wherein storage systems with different characteristics, particularly long-term storage systems and short-term storage systems, are combined with one another, wherein it can be provided that only the AC terminals and the DC terminals, which are electrically isolated by the DC/DC converter, can be tapped without making available direct access to the storage modules. Figures 2-4, paragraph 0033 discloses an energy storage system that is connected to the DC/DC converter terminals and DC/AC terminals.
With respect to claim 22, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1, wherein several autonomous energy systems are combined at least temporarily to form an overall system, wherein the energy systems can also be arranged to be physically separate. Figures 3 and 4, paragraph 0033 discloses that the system comprises a plurality of battery clusters/energy system that are combined.
With respect to claim 23, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1, wherein a control unit for each energy system or also in superordinate form for a plurality of energy systems is provided. JU discloses a battery control system 50.
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) 12, 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JU et al. (US 2022/0285950) in view of ZHANG et al. (US 2018/0034379).
With respect to claim 12, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1; except for, wherein an efficient electronic charging system for charging the battery store is provided, wherein this can also be designed as a simple rectifier circuit with appropriate adjustment of the voltage of the battery store.
ZHANG discloses a rectifier 1 for providing charge to a battery 2, figure 1.
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 JU and include the simple and efficient rectifier of ZHANG, for the purpose of providing a rectifier that prolongs the service life of a battery, for example (paragraph 0036).
With respect to claim 19, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1; except for, wherein the circuits of the converters are so constructed that the negative poles of the rectifier systems correspond with the neutral conductor of the alternating voltage systems and thus a common reference potential is present.
ZHANG discloses a rectifier 1 for providing charge to a battery 2. Figure 1 discloses that the negative pole of the rectifier corresponds to the neutral of the AC voltage system.
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 JU and include the connections of ZHANG, for the purpose of establishing a stable and safe charging of the battery, for example (paragraph 0055, 0059).
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JU et al. (US 2022/0285950) in view of Graovac et al. (US 2013/0127251).
With respect to claim 20, JU discloses the energy system according to claim 1; except for, wherein two or more storage systems are arranged antisymmetrically and each of the two storage systems has an associated DC/AC converter which respectively generates a half wave of the alternating voltage and that the neutral conductor of the alternating voltage system has a common reference potential with the center of the storage modules.
Graovac discloses storage units B1-Bn connected to an associated inverter H1 to produce wave of an alternating voltage, the system is connected to the neutral conductor of the alternating voltage system, figures 6 10.
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 JU and include the multi-level converters of Graovac, for the purpose of providing an AC output, to an AC load, for example.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. RAGHUCHANDRA et al. (US 2023/0246446) discloses a battery storage system connected to an AC grid via DC/DC and AC/DC converters.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CARLOS AMAYA whose telephone number is (571)272-8941. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:00AM-4:00PM.
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/CARLOS AMAYA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836