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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, and 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Akiyoshi (WO 2013094463).
Re claim 1, Akiyoshi teaches:
A wireless power transfer system (paragraph [0016]-[0045] and FIG. 2-5 comprising:
a power transmission device (power supply device 1) including a power transmission circuit (11 and paragraph [0018]+) and a power transmission coil (L1), the power transmission circuit being configured to generate, from a direct-current voltage, both alternating-current power for power transmission and a power transmission signal (paragraph [0019]-[0021]+ and FIG. 4), the power transmission coil being configured to wirelessly transmit the alternating-current power and wirelessly transmit the power transmission signal (as discussed above); and
a power reception device (device 2) including a power reception coil (L2) and a power reception circuit (receiving device 21), the power reception coil being configured to electromagnetically couple with the power transmission coil, the power reception circuit being configured to convert alternating-current power received with the power reception coil into a direct-current voltage by rectifying the alternating-current power (paragraph [0023]+, wherein
the power transmission circuit includes
a power transmission side control circuit (control unit 112/216) configured to
generate an interrupt signal for power transmission authentication (paragraph [0021], [0033], and [0044] and wherein a control signal for power transmission authentication corresponds to the interrupt signal), and
a power transmission side switching circuit (AC signal generation circuit 111
paragraph [0033]) configured to adjust output of the power transmission signal to the power transmission coil by using the interrupt signal,
the power reception circuit includes
a power reception side control (control unit 112 paragraph [0029] and [0039])
circuit configured to determine, from the power transmission signal, the interrupt signal for power transmission authentication corresponding to the power transmission device, authenticate power transmission of the power transmission device by using the interrupt signal for power transmission authentication (paragraph [0024] and [0044]), and after performing the power transmission authentication, start power supply to a load circuit or charging of a rechargeable battery (load 22 corresponds to load circuit or charging battery 214), and
the power transmission side control circuit (216) and the power reception side control circuit each being configured to set a power exclusive-use period (supply period Tp paragraph [0044] and FIG. 5 where the control signal for power transmission authentication is not used during power transmission/ reception) and a signal insertion period, the power exclusive-use period being set as a main part of a power transmission-and-reception period during which the interrupt signal for power transmission authentication is not used, and the signal insertion period being set as a localized part of the power transmission-and-reception period (Tc corresponds to the signal insertion period, paragraph [0035]) during which the interrupt signal for power transmission authentication is inserted (FIG. 2-3).
Re claim 2, Akiyoshi teaches a period of 90% or more of the power transmission-and-reception period is assigned to the power exclusive-use period, and a remaining period of the power transmission-and-reception period other than the power exclusive-use period is assigned to the signal insertion period (paragraph [0044] teaches the ratio between power supply period Tp and the communication period Td is 9:1).
Re claim 17-20, the limitations have been discussed above re claim 1, and 3 where it is understood that outputting occurs after power reception authentication.
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) 3, 6-10, and 14-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Akiyoshi, as discussed above.
Re claim 3, Akiyoshi teaches (paragraph [0044]) describes that the control unit 112 and the control unit 216 perform control so that the power supply period Tp and the communication period Tc are periodically set in a time-division manner, and that the communication period Tc is a period during which mutual communication operations (communication operations for mutual authentication between devices, power supply efficiency control, etc.) using the power transmission coil L1 and the power reception coil L2 are performed between the primary side device (power supply device 1) and the secondary side device (electronic devices 2A and 2B), and while not explicitly recited, it is obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date, that the communication period Tc is preset in the control unit 112 and the control unit 216 in order to have a communication period for use. In addition, it is also obvious that the control unit 216 detects the start of the communication period Tc and uses the amplitude information (paragraphs [0044] - [0045]) of the power reception signal at a predetermined time interval based on the start time at the time of power transmission authentication.
Re claims 6-7, Akiyoshi teaches at (paragraph [0044]) that a communication operation for power supply efficiency control or the like is performed in the communication period Tc, and the communication from the power transmitting side to the power receiving side for power supply efficiency control corresponds to the operation command signal for operation transition on the power receiving side. Therefore, prior to the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to transition the operation of the electric device 2 every time the operation command signal is detected as a time-based means to transition operation of the device.
Reclaim 8, Akiyoshi teaches (paragraph [0042]) that the electric device 2 includes a voltage stabilization circuit 212 and a charging circuit 213. Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to, prior to the effective filing date, to only output the enabled signal or a control as recited, only when authentication is performed, for proper secure operation (interrupt signal used for authentication per claim 1).
Re claim 9, Akiyoshi teaches load 22 which corresponds to the load circuit, which is part of electronic devise such as a receiver or portable phone/ camera batteries (FIG. 4), and thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date, that the load include a wireless communication/ sensing circuit as part of the device usage.
Re claim 10, the limitations have been discussed above, re claim 3.
Re claim 14, the limitations have been discussed above, re claim 6.
Re claim 15, the limitations have been discussed above, re claim 8.
Re claim 16, the limitations have been discussed above, re claim 9.
Claim(s) 4-5, 11-13, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Akiyoshi, as discussed above, in view of Mitsuo (JP 2019193533).
Re claims 4-5, Akiyoshi teaches at paragraph [0021] and [0033] that the switching is changed for power transmission authentication but is silent to both power transmission side and reception side.
Mitsuo teaches "in addition, in the above, in the Authentication phase, an example is shown in which the TX100 authenticates the validity of the RX200 first, and then the RX200 authenticates the validity of the TX100, but the opposite order may be used" (see whole document).
Prior to the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the teachings to perform authentication of device for both reception and transmission in the power transfer system using the same, for such expected results.
Re claims 11-12, the limitations have been discussed above, re claim 4.
Re claim 13, the limitations have been discussed above re claim 5.
Additional Remarks
For clarity of the record, the Examiner suggests making amendments (claim 1 for example) that groups similar items together. For example, in claim 1, a power transmission device is in the first clause, then a power reception device, but then the claim then recites limitations of the power transmission device, and then after that the power reception device, before going back to limitations of the power transmission device, instead of for clarity, reciting all of the power transmission device elements first, then the reception device, which could possibly expedite prosecution by clarifying the record for examination ease.
The Examiner also suggests reviewing the international reports and opinions for possible amendments for expediting prosecution.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL I WALSH whose telephone number is (571)272-2409. The examiner can normally be reached 8am - 5pm.
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/DANIEL I. WALSH/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2876
Prosecution Insights