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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 1/11/2024 seems to be 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 § 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.
[AltContent: textbox (C1)]Claims 1-3 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et. al., KR Publication 20180017458 (Park).
[AltContent: textbox (C1)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (SN)][AltContent: textbox (FN)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Fig. 12)][AltContent: rect][AltContent: textbox (Fig. 14)][AltContent: textbox (Fig. 13C)][AltContent: textbox (CP)][AltContent: textbox (4P)][AltContent: textbox (3P)][AltContent: textbox (2P)][AltContent: textbox (1P)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: rect][AltContent: rect][AltContent: rect][AltContent: rect][AltContent: rect]
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Regarding claim 1, Park discloses power converter for transforming electrical power between direct current (DC) power and alternating current (AC) power (for example see Fig. 12), comprising:
Park discloses the converter composed of the combination of a full-bridge (H-bridge) module (for example see fig. 13C) and a extended quartz bridge module (for example see Fig. 14) connected in series. Therefore, it will be obvious to one skill in the art to provide:
a first stage comprising a first branch (i.e., see added reference character 1P for purpose of explanation) (Fig. 13C) having a first pair of series-connected switches (i.e., 1P) (Fig. 13C), a second branch (i.e., see added reference character 2P for purpose of explanation) (Fig. 13C) having a second pair of series-connected switches (i.e., 2P ) (Fig. 13C), and a capacitor (i.e., see added reference character C1 for purpose of explanation) (Fig. 13C) connected between the first and second branches;
a second stage comprising a third branch (i.e., see added reference character 3P for purpose of explanation) (Fig. 14) having a first plurality of series-connected switches (i.e., 3P) (Fig. 14), a fourth branch (i.e., see added reference character 4P for purpose of explanation) (Fig. 14) having a second plurality of series-connected switches (i.e., 4P) (Fig. 14), and a plurality of capacitors (i.e., see added reference character CP for purpose of explanation) (Fig. 14) connected between the third and fourth branches at respective connection points located between intermediate switches of the first and second pluralities of series-connected switches (for example see Fig. 14);
and a connection branch coupling the first stage and the second stage (inherently if to moules are connected in series, as disclosed by Park, a connection branch is coupling the first stage and second stage) (For example see Fig. 11 and Fig. 13a ,wherein modules are coupled in series having a branch between stages).
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Regarding claim 2, Park discloses wherein the first plurality of series-connected switches of the third branch (i.e., 3P) (Fig. 6) comprises a first group of three switches, wherein the second plurality of series-connected switches of the fourth branch (i.e., 4P) (Fig. 6) comprises a second group of three switches, and wherein the plurality of capacitors (i.e., CP) (Fig. 6) comprises first (i.e., CP1) (Fig. 6) and second (i.e., CP2) (Fig. 6) capacitors, wherein the first capacitor (i.e., CP1) (Fig. 6) is connected between a first switch and a second switch of the first group of three switches (i.e., see 3P) (Fig. 6) and between a first switch and a second switch of the second group of three switches (i.e., see 4P) (Fig. 6), and wherein the second capacitor (i.e., CP2) (Fig. 6) is connected between the second switch and a third switch of the first group of three switches (i.e., see 3P) (Fig. 6) and between the second switch and a third switch of the second group of three switches (i.e., see 4P) (Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 3, Park, as applied in linking claims, discloses the claimed invention including wherein the first plurality of series-connected switches comprises a first group of N switches, wherein the second plurality of series-connected switches comprises a second group of N switches, and wherein the plurality of capacitors comprises N-1 capacitors (for example see fig. 6, and Fig. 14).
Regarding claim 9, Park, as applied in linking claims, discloses the claimed invention including, wherein the first pair of series-connected switches (i.e., 1P) (Fig. 13c) is configured to operate complementarily with the second pair (i.e., 2P) (Fig. 13c) of series-connected switches, and the first plurality of series-connected switches is configured to operate complementarily with the second plurality of series-connected switches for defining a plurality of distinct switching states producing different voltage levels at an output of the power converter (for example see Fig. 18).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-8 and 10-20 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.
Regarding claim 4, Park, as applied in linking claims, discloses the claimed invention including wherein each of the first pair (i.e., 1P) (Fig. 13C) and the second pair (i.e., 2P) (Fig. 13C) of series- connected switches comprises a first switch and a second switch,
and further wherein a DC source (i.e., Vdc) (Fig. 12) is connectable to a first node (i.e., FN) (Fig. 13c) connected to the second switch of the first pair of series-connected switches and to a second node connected to the second switch of the second pair of series-connected switches. However, park, alone or in combination fail to disclose all the elements recited in the claims, more particularly including the second node being a neutral point of the power converter in combination with all the recited elements.
Claims 5-6 are dependent of claim 4.
Regarding claim 7, Park, as applied in linking claims, discloses the claimed invention including wherein each of the first pair (i.e., 1P) (Fig. 13C) and the second pair (i.e., 2P) (Fig. 13C) of series- connected switches comprises a first switch and a second switch,
and further wherein a DC load (i.e., Vdc) (Fig. 12) is connectable to a first node (i.e., FN) (Fig. 13c) connected to the second switch of the first pair of series-connected switches and to a second node connected to the second switch of the second pair of series-connected switches. However, park, alone or in combination fail to disclose all the elements recited in the claims, more particularly including the second node being a neutral point of the power converter in combination with all the recited elements.
Claim 8 is dependent of claim 7.
Regarding claim 10, Park, as applied in linking claims, discloses the claimed invention but fail to disclose, alone or in combination the first and the second pair of series-connected, and the first and the second plurality of series-connected switches are configured to operate for defining twenty-six switching states producing nine voltage levels at the output of the power converter
Regarding claim 11, Park, as applied in linking claims, discloses the claimed invention but fail to disclose, alone or in combination a three-phase power converter for transforming electrical power between direct current (DC) power and alternating current (AC) power, comprising first, second, and third power converters, wherein the first, second, and third power converters are connected to a first common node connectable to a DC system, to a second common node as a neutral point of the three-phase converter, and to a third common node connectable to an AC system.
Claims 12-20 are dependent of claim 11.
Conclusion
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/YAHVEH COMAS TORRES/Examiner, Art Unit 2838
/THIENVU V TRAN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2838