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.
Drawings
Figures 1-3 are described in the specification as “previous invention” and therefore should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. 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.
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 1-7 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.
With respect to claim 1, the claim is riddled with clarity and antecedent basis issues that render the claim unclear to the point that the metes and bound of the claim cannot be determined and therefore unable to provide a prior art rejection. See below for a non-exhaustive list of issues with the claims.
line 1, the acronym “TC” is not spelled out and the specification fails to disclose what the term means.
In line 1, “seamless connection” is unclear as it relates to a relative term and further the specification fails to define what exactly is required for a seamless connection.
In line 3, the statement “bases on the patent number US10050544B2” is in narrative form and is unclear as to what/how the claim is intended to be limited, i.e. a claim cannot refer back to the entirety of another publication but must positively claim each and every element required in the claim. The specific structure of the instant claim must be claimed in the instant invention and not merely pointed back to another publication or another figure.
In line 3, “the controllable inductor Lk” lacks antecedent basis.
In line 4, “the rectifier outlet” lacks antecedent basis.
In line 4, “the buffer circuit Cdr” lacks antecedent basis.
In line 5, “the original inductor-capacitor” lacks antecedent basis.
In line 7, “the capacity” lacks antecedent basis.
In line 8, “the fact that the reduction” is unclear and appears to at least lack antecedent basis.
In line 9, “the leakage”, “the transformer”, and “the magnetizing” all lack antecedent basis.
Claims 2-7 depend from claim 1 and are rejected for the same reasons.
With respect to claim 2, the recited Q1-Q8 is unclears and appears to at least lack antecedent basis. Additionally, the claim includes clarity and antecedent basis issues in the same manner as detailed in claim 1.
With respect to claim 3, “the step-down transformer T1” and “step-up transformer T11” lack antecedent basis. Additionally, the claim includes clarity and antecedent basis issues in the same manner as detailed in claim 1.
With respect to claim 4, “the primary coils N1 and N11” lack antecedent basis. Additionally, the claim includes clarity and antecedent basis issues in the same manner as detailed in claim 1.
With respect to claims 5-7, “the TC charger CTC and the TC+TC” charger statement appears to at least lack antecedent basis but also lacks clarity as to what is even attempted to be claimed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 5,946,200 to Kim et al. relates to a DC/DC converter with a soft switch branch for a charger to implement zero current switching and, as best understood by the Examiner given the severity of the clarity issues above, appears to relate to the inventive concept of the instant invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHANIEL R PELTON whose telephone number is (571)270-1761. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am to 5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Julian Huffman can be reached at 571-272-2147. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NATHANIEL R PELTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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