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 § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. .
Claim 1, line 8 and claim 11, line 10 “first port” and claim 1, line 9 and claim 11, line 11 “second port” doesn’t have support in the specification.
Claims 2-9 and 12-19 inherit the same deficiency it depends upon.
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.
Claims 1, 9.11 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu et al. (EP 3916980 A1) in view of Mulcahy et al. (11,202,395 B1).
Liu et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the electric filed shield. Mulcahy et al. teach the detail of the electric filed shield for a power converter in Figure 8. Liu et al. disclose a conversion in Figures 1-19.
Regarding claim 1. A power conversion circuit applied to a power supply device (Figures 8-10), comprising: an AC/DC conversion circuit (AC/DC), wherein a DC side of the AC/DC conversion circuit has a first reference potential point; a first common-mode inductor (Lcm); a DC/DC conversion circuit (DC/DC) comprising a primary circuit having a second reference potential point, a secondary circuit and a transformer (see Figure 14) wherein, a first port of the first common-mode inductor (Lcm) is connected to the DC side of the AC/DC conversion circuit (AC/DC), and a second port of the first common-mode inductor is connected to the primary circuit of the DC/DC conversion circuit; the first reference potential point or the second reference potential point is connected to an electric field shield.
Mulcahy et al. discloses a power module operable in a hazardous environment in Figure 8 which shows an electrical shield (820) (see col. 7, line 29 to col. 8, line 8). It is well known in the art for power grid to include a an electrical shield as taught by Mulcahy et al. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to provide an electrical shield as taught by Mulcahy et al. in Liu et al. circuit to provide a stable output and optimizing the duty ratio of the semiconductor devices.
Regarding claim 9. The power conversion circuit according to claim 1, wherein, the electric field shield is a metal shield layer (Mulcahy et al. disclose in Figure 8 which shows an electrical shield (820) (see col. 7, line 29 to col. 8, line 8).
Regarding claim 11. A power supply device (Figures 8-10), comprising: an insulating shell; a metal shielding layer disposed within the insulating shell (Mulcahy et al. disclose in Figure 8 which shows an electrical shield (820) (see col. 7, line 29 to col. 8, line 8); a power conversion circuit (Figures 8-10), comprising: an AC/DC conversion circuit (AC/DC), wherein a DC side of the AC/DC conversion circuit has a first reference potential point; a first common-mode inductor (Lcm); a DC/DC conversion circuit (DC/DC) comprising a primary circuit having a second reference potential point, a secondary circuit and a transformer (see Figure 14); wherein, a first port of the first common-mode inductor is connected to the DC side of the AC/DC conversion circuit, and a second port of the first common-mode inductor (Lcm) is connected to the primary circuit of the DC/DC conversion circuit (DC/DC); the first reference potential point or the second reference potential point is connected to the metal shield layer.
Mulcahy et al. discloses a power module operable in a hazardous environment in Figure 8 which shows an electrical shield (820) (see col. 7, line 29 to col. 8, line 8). It is well known in the art for power grid to include a an electrical shield as taught by Mulcahy et al. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to provide an electrical shield as taught by Mulcahy et al. in Liu et al. circuit to provide a stable output and optimizing the duty ratio of the semiconductor devices.
Regarding claim 12. The power supply device according to claim 11, wherein, the first reference potential point is a first reference ground, and the second reference potential point is a second reference ground (Liu et al. Figures 8-10, reference potential between AC-DC and DC-DC converter).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-8 and 13-19 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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:
Claim 2 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a power conversion circuit including the limitation “further comprising: a first capacitor; a second capacitor connected in parallel to an output terminal of the AC/DC conversion circuit; a third capacitor connected in parallel to an input terminal of the DC/DC conversion circuit; wherein, a first end of the first capacitor is connected to one end of the third capacitor, and a second end of the first capacitor is electrically connected to one end of an output capacitor of the DC/DC conversion circuit“ in addition to other limitations recited therein.
Dependent claims 3-8 are allowable by virtue of their dependency.
Claim 13 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a power supply including the limitation “further comprising: a first capacitor; a second capacitor connected in parallel to an output terminal of the AC/DC conversion circuit; a third capacitor connected in parallel to an input terminal of the DC/DC conversion circuit; wherein, a first end of the first capacitor is connected to one end of the third capacitor, and a second end of the first capacitor is electrically connected to one end of an output capacitor of the DC/DC conversion circuit“ in addition to other limitations recited therein.
Dependent claim 14 is allowable by virtue of their dependency.
Claim 15 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a power supply circuit including the limitation “wherein the AC/DC conversion circuit further comprises: a rectifier circuit; a power factor correction circuit connected to the rectifier circuit; wherein, the power factor correction circuit has the first reference potential point, and the first common-mode inductor is disposed between the power factor correction circuit and the DC/DC conversion circuit“ in addition to other limitations recited therein.
Claim 16 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a power supply including the limitation “wherein an equivalent impedance value between the AC/DC conversion circuit and the DC/DC conversion circuit is greater than 1/2 of an impedance value of the first common-mode inductor, wherein the equivalent impedance value between the AC/DC conversion circuit and the DC/DC conversion circuit and the impedance value of the first common-mode inductor are associated with an operating frequency of the power conversion circuit“ in addition to other limitations recited therein.
Claim 17 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a power supply including the limitation “wherein the power conversion circuit comprises a control module, comprising: a first control circuit for controlling switching devices in the AC/DC conversion circuit; and a second control circuit for controlling switching devices in the DC/DC conversion circuit; wherein the first control circuit is electrically connected to the first reference potential point, and the second control circuit is electrically connected to the second reference potential point“ in addition to other limitations recited therein.
Dependent claims 18-19 are allowable by virtue of their dependency.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 9, 11 and 12 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Examiner has cited particular columns, line numbers and/or paragraphs in thereferences applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Althoughthe specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied tospecific limitations within the individual claim(s), other passages and figures may applyas well.
Additionally, in the event that other prior art is provided and made of record by theExaminer, as being relevant or pertinent to applicant's disclosure but not relied upon.The references are provided for the convenience of the applicant. The Examinerrequest that the references be considered in any subsequent amendments, as they arealso representative of the art and may apply to the specific limitations ofany newly amended claim(s).
It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing amendments or responses, to fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of theclaimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art and/ordisclosed by the Examiner.
In the case of amending the claimed invention, Applicant is respectfully requested to indicate the portion(s) of the specification which dictate(s) the structure relied upon inorder to ensure proper interpretation of the newly added limitations and toverify/ascertain the metes and bounds of the claimed invention.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ADOLF D BERHANE whose telephone number is (571)272-2077. The examiner can normally be reached 7 AM - 10 PM.
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/ADOLF D BERHANE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838