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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kan et al, US Pub. 2014/0340022, in view of Soldano et al, US Patent No. 8,134,851.
Regarding claim 1, Kang et al disclose a balancing control circuit for battery cell module using LC series resonant circuit comprising: using switching circuit elements and LC-resonant circuit (par. 0013-0016); a battery cell module 410 including first through fourth battery cells connected in series (Fig. 4; par. 0040+); a capacitor and inductance arranged between the plurality of cells; a series resonant circuit 420 comprising an inductor unit Lv and a capacitor Cv connected in series; a plurality of switching elements that switch connection states between the plurality of cells; a switch unit comprising first through third switch units 431-433; the first switch units includes switches SW!-SW5 connected to battery cells 1-4; the witching arrangement selectively establishes an energy-recovery path for an energy-supply path between the cells and the LC resonant circuit (par. 40+; Figs. 4, 11-14).
Kang et al fail to expressly disclose teach the detection circuits arranged to detect both the voltage-resonance and electric-current resonance conditions through sensing associated with the switching element.
Soldano et al disclose a secondary side synchronous rectifier for resonance converter comprising: a resonant converter employing MOSFET switching elements S1 and S2 and a controller 15; the controller differentially sensing the drain-source voltage of the MOSFET device to determine the level of current through the MOSFET; the resonant converter having first and second sides switches and a controller to control the switches to determine switches transitions near the point at which current through the respective is zero (see Fig. 5; col. 6, line 45+).
It would have been obvious for an ordinary artisan before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Kang et al’s LC resonant battery balancing circuit to employ Soldano et al’s MOFSET voltage/current detection technique in order to minimize losses cause by hard switching using its LC resonant circuit. Such modification provide soft switching, reduce peak current, and electrical stress on power device. Therefore, it would have been an obvious extension as taught by the prior art.
Regarding claim 2, in addition to the rejection of claim 1 above, Soldano et al expressly teach two controller circuits, one on each MOSFET switch S1 and S2 (see Figs. 11A, 11B and 12); high speed comparators receiving from the MOSFET drain and source voltages; dedicated logic turns respective MOSFET devices N1 and N2 ON and OFF near the zero-current transition (see col. 9, liens 49+). Kang et al as modified by Soldano et al render the claim obvious.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Goeke, US Patent No. 11,088,609, discloses a low noise supply MOSFET gate drive scheme. Luo et al, US Patent No. 10,193,451, disclose systems and methods for regulating power conversion.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL ST CYR whose telephone number is (571)272-2407. The examiner can normally be reached M to F 8:00-8:00.
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DANIEL ST CYR
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2876
/DANIEL ST CYR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
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