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 .
Response to Amendment
The previous made 112 rejections have been WITHDRAWN in view of the claim amendments.
Applicant’s arguments regarding the art rejections have been fully considered but are not persuasive. Applicant argues “Claim 1, as amended, recites: ‘an energy storage buffer circuit comprising an energy storage element and a pair of transistors’ (emphasis added)… West lack an energy storage element. West also does not suggest or teach the recited pair of transistors.” (12/12/2025 Remarks, page 10).
First, the limitations recited in the arguments above do not appear in the amended claim.
Second, even if present, West clearly teaches both an “energy storage element” as read on by the energy storage battery 11, labeled as such in FIGURE 1 and “a pair of transistors” as any pair shown as transistors 21-24, FIGURE 1.
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.
Claim 9 is 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.
Regarding Claim 9
Antecedent basis for the claim elements of claim 9 appear in claim 8, however claim 9 is dependent on claim 4 and not claim 8.
The claim will be examined as best understood as dependent on Claim 8.
Regarding Claim 21
It is unclear what structure is intended by the claim term “and then” which reads as a method step and not as structure to be added to an apparatus claim.
The term “and then” will be read as best understood as “and further”.
Regarding Claims 24-29
There is a lack of antecedent basis for the claim term “the pair of transistors” since “a pair of transistors” is not previously disclosed making it unclear whether said “pair” is intended as already claimed elements or new and additional claimed switches.
Because of the great deal of confusion and uncertainty as to the proper interpretation of the limitations of the claim(s), it is not proper to reject the present claim(s) on the basis of prior art. (See MPEP 2173.06 and In re Steele, 305 F.2d 859, 134 USPQ 292 (CCPA 1962).
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) 1, 5-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over West US RE43,572 E in view of Wang CN 206743122U; and Divan et al. US 2013/0201733.
West teaches:
1. An inverter connected between a photovoltaic module and a load or a power grid, the inverter comprising:
a transformer (30, FIG1) comprising a primary-side winding, a first secondary-side winding, and a second secondary-side winding (see FIG1);
a first power conversion circuit (converter of 90, FIG1), wherein an input of the first power conversion circuit is configured to connect to the photovoltaic module, an output of the first power conversion circuit is connected to the primary-side winding, and the first power conversion circuit is configured to convert a direct current to a high-frequency alternating current
a second power conversion circuit (converter of 40, FIG1), wherein an input of the second power conversion circuit is connected to the first secondary-side winding, an output of the second power conversion circuit is configured to connect to the load or the power grid, and the second power conversion circuit is configured to convert a high-frequency alternating current boosted by the transformer to an alternating current adapted to the power grid or the load;
an energy storage buffer circuit (circuit battery 11, FIG1), wherein the energy storage buffer circuit is connected to the second secondary-side winding;
and functional operations configured to adjust a working voltage of the photovoltaic module connected to the micro inverter (see functional operations of converter 90, FIG1), and perform maximum power point tracking on the photovoltaic module (see Specification @ col. 4, lines 3-6); and further configured to: control the energy storage buffer circuit to perform charging in a first time period (FIG4), so that energy from the first power conversion circuit is absorbed by using the transformer to perform energy buffering; and control the energy storage buffer circuit to perform discharging in a second time period (FIG3), so that energy is transferred to the second power conversion circuit by using the transformer, wherein the second time period is after the first time period (noting that the battery is continuously charged and discharged as needed so said time period read on by said a point in time when charged (FIG4) followed by said point in time when discharged, FIG3);
wherein input power of the micro inverter is greater than output power in the first time period (ie see FIG4B wherein input power from AC source through transformer to charge battery and no output power to AC source), and the input power of the microinverter is less than the output power in the second time period (See FIG3 read on by input power from AC port into the transformer is 0 as power is supplied at the output of AC port side from the battery, FIG3).
West fails to teach:
Said inverter being a “micro” inverter.
Wang teaches use of a micro inverter, see Background:
photovoltaic inverter system can be substantially centralized inverters, string inverter and a micro inverter, in recent years, a micro inverter the wide attention of the expert and factory mainly because it has the following advantages: it improves the energy utilization rate and overall system efficiency and reduces the mounting cost, enhances the flexibility and play operation.
It would have been obvious to provide said inverter of West realized as a micro inverter as taught by Wang with the motivations and benefits taught by Wang including “it improves the energy utilization rate and overall system efficiency and reduces the mounting cost, enhances the flexibility and play operation.”
Wherein a controller is used to perform the functional operations.
Divan et al. US 2013/0201733 teaches use of a controller (153, FIG1A) used to perform functional operations (See FIG1A and spec. @ [0051]).
It would have been obvious to incorporate the controller as taught by Divan into the system of West to use a known and available means in a single package to perform the control operations.
West further teaches:
3. The microinverter according to claim 1, wherein the energy storage buffer circuit further comprises:
A switch unit (switch unit of switches 21-24, FIG1) configured by the controller (See combination with Divan above) to be in either a forward conduction state (charging state, FIG4) or a reverse conduction state (discharging state, FIG3); and
an energy storage element (battery 11, FIG1), and the second secondary-side winding (31) is connected to the energy storage element by using the switch unit (see FIG1); and
when the switch unit is in the forward conduction state, the energy storage element is configured to absorb the energy from the first power conversion circuit by using the transformer (see charging state, FIG4).
4. The micro inverter according to claim 3, wherein the switch unit further comprises a first switch and a second switch (first and second of switches 21-24, FIG1) and
The energy storage element is configured to absorb (charge, FIG4) the energy from the first power conversion circuit by using he transformer; and transfer energy to the second power conversion circuit (discharge, FIG3) by using the transformer.
West further teaches:
5. The micro inverter according to claim 1, further comprising a first impedance element (read on by any of the conductor connecting 91 to transformer or 56; FIG1 noting that a conductor is an “impedance element” given the non-ideal nature of inductors and fact they comprise inductance), wherein the output of the first power conversion circuit is connected in series to the first impedance element and connected to the primary-side winding (FIG1).
6. The micro inverter according to claim 5, further comprising a second impedance element one of inductor at 61 or 51, FIG1 noting that because conductors are not ideal conductor lines all comprise an inductance), wherein the first secondary-side winding is connected in series to the second impedance element (via 41) and further connected to the input of the second power conversion circuit.
7. The micro inverter according to claim 1, wherein the micro inverter is a direct current alternating current converter, the first power conversion circuit is a DC/AC conversion circuit, and the second power conversion circuit is an AC/AC conversion circuit (see FIG1).
21. The micro inverter of claim 1, further comprising:
a first impedance element (capacitor 55, FIG1), wherein the output of the first power conversion circuit is connected in parallel to the first impedance element and further connected to the primary side winding (See FIG1).
22. The micro inverter of claim 21, further comprising:
A second impedance element (capacitor 52), wherein the first secondary-side winding is connected in parallel to the second impedance element and further connected o the input of the second power conversion circuit (see FIG1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 8, 9, 23 is/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 prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Nania et al. US 2012/0092903.
Conclusion
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 DANIEL CAVALLARI whose telephone number is (571)272-8541. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 0900-18:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Rexford Barnie can be reached at (571)272-7492. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANIEL CAVALLARI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836