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
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 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 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.
Claims 1-6, 8-13, 15-17, 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sultenfuss et al (US 20200144867).
Re 1, Sultenfuss discloses a charging system (400), comprising: an input port (408, par 68); a wireless charging unit (400, par 67-69), comprising: a magnetic charging interface (280, par 42-43); and a wireless charging controller (250, 450, par 42-43, 67-70) configured to generate a magnetic charging signal at the magnetic charging interface based on a first connection state of the magnetic charging interface (par 42-43, 83-86); and a universal serial bus power delivery (USB-PD) power adaptor, comprising: an output port (404, par 67-68); and a USB-PD controller (450) configured to deliver power to the output port (par 68-70, 83-86), wherein: a first portion of available power at the input port is allocated to the wireless charging unit for generating the magnetic charging signal responsive to the first connection state indicating a connected device (par 47-53, 83-86); and a second portion of the available power at the input port is allocated to the USB-PD adaptor based on the first portion allocated to the wireless charging unit (par 47-53, 83-86).
Re 2, 10, comprising: a communication bus connecting the wireless charging controller and the USB-PD controller (406); wherein: the wireless charging controller is configured to: determine the second portion of the available power based on the available power at the input port and the first portion (par 47-53, 83-86); and communicate the second portion of the available power to the USB-PD controller using the communication bus (par 70, 83-86).
RE 3, 11, wherein: the wireless charging controller is configured to communicate a power delivery profile generated based on the second portion of the available power to the USB-PD controller (450/460/432 par 70-71, 83-86).
RE 4, wherein: the USB-PD controller (450) is configured to generate a power delivery profile based on the second portion of the available power (par 35-37, 70-71, 83-86).
RE 5, 12, wherein: the USB-PD controller is configured to establish a contract for delivering the power to the output port responsive to a second connection state indicating a connected device based on a power delivery profile generated based on the second portion of the available power (par 35-37, 83-86).
RE 6, 13, 17, wherein: the USB-PD controller is configured to communicate a requested voltage associated with the contract to the wireless charging controller (par 35-37, 70-71).
RE 8, 15, 20, wherein: the wireless charging unit comprises: a voltage regulator circuit (406); a coil circuit (208) configured to generate the magnetic charging signal at the magnetic charging interface (par 42-43); and an inverter circuit (260) connected between the voltage regulator circuit and the coil circuit to power the coil circuit, wherein: the wireless charging controller is configured to control the voltage regulator circuit to step down a voltage at the input port to power the inverter circuit (par 42-43, 68-70).
RE 9, Sultenfuss discloses a method for operating a charging system comprising: receiving a power supply signal at an input port (par 68, 83); generating a magnetic charging signal at a magnetic charging interface based on a first connection state of the magnetic charging interface (42-43, 83-86); delivering power to a universal serial bus (USB) output port (par 68, 85-86); allocating a first portion of available power at the input port for generating the magnetic charging signal responsive to the first connection state indicating a connected device, wherein the available power at the input port is a function of the power supply signal (par 47-53, 83-86); and allocating a second portion of the available power at the input port for delivering the power to the USB output port based on the first portion allocated for generating the magnetic charging signal (par 83-86).
Re 16, Sultenfuss discloses a charging system, comprising: an input port (408, par 68); a wireless charging unit, comprising: a magnetic charging interface (280, par 42-43); and a wireless charging controller (250/450) configured to generate a magnetic charging signal at the magnetic charging interface based on a first contract (par 35-37, 42-43); and a universal serial bus power delivery (USB-PD) power adaptor, comprising: an output port (404); and a USB-PD controller (450) configured to deliver power to the output port based on a second contract (par 35-37, 68-71), wherein: one of the wireless charging controller or USB-PD controller is designated as a primary controller and the other of the wireless charging controller or USB-PD controller is designated as a secondary controller (450 as both, par 83-86); the primary controller is configured to generate a power delivery profile for the USB-PD controller based on available power at the input port and power used by the wireless charging unit to generate the magnetic charging signal according to the first contract; and the secondary controller is configured send an interrupt signal to the primary controller responsive to a change in a connection state associated with the secondary controller (par 47-53, 83-86).
Re 19, wherein: the wireless charging controller is configured to communicate the requested voltage to a power source powering the input port (par 70-72).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7, 14, 18 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: none of the cited prior art disclose, teach, suggest at least a bypass circuit connecting the input port to the USB output port responsive to the requested voltage matching a voltage at the input port; and enabling a voltage regulator circuit connected to the input port to generate the requested voltage for delivering the power to the USB output port responsive to the requested voltage being less than the voltage at the input port.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Christle I. Marshall whose telephone number is (571) 270-3086. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday – Friday 7:30AM - 4:00PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven Paik can be reached on (571) 272-2404. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Christle I Marshall/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
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