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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 2/12/2026, 4/27/2026, 3/03/2026, and 5/15/2026 seems to be in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 6 and 9 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. 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.
5. Claims 1-3, 5-6, 10-11, 14-16 and 21-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Khaligh et. al. (U.S. Publication 20220321016) (Khaligh) in view of Neubert, M. (2020). “Modeling, synthesis and operation of multiport-active bridge converters” (Doctoral dissertation, Dissertation, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, 2020 (Neubert) in further view of Satanarayana et. al. (U.S. Publication No 2022/0416642 A1) .
Regarding claim 1, Khaligh discloses a modular multiport power system (e.g. 100)(Fig.1) comprising:
a central transformer (e.g. 120)(Fig. 1);
a plurality of ports (e.g. 102-N and 112-N) (Fig. 1) inductively coupled to the central transformer (e.g. 120)(Fig. 1) via windings;
one or more voltage sensors and/or one or more current sensors (e.g. Fig. 35)(Para [0131], “Each controller block 3506, 3556 can comprise and/or be defined by a set of proportional and integral control (e.g., G(s)), which takes sampled port voltages 3512 and/or currents 3514 (measured using voltage and current sensors) as feedback and makes the error between the sampled feedback and reference as zero”)
for at least one of the plurality of ports (i.e. 102-N and 112-n) (Fig. 1) configured to
detect voltage and/or current characteristics of the at least one of the plurality of ports (e.g. 102-N and 112-N)(Fig. 1); Examiner notes that “one or more voltage sensors and/or one or more current sensors” can be read multiple ways and may make it unclear whether the minimum required elements include at least one of either type, or require both when present.
at least one controller (e.g. Fig. 35 and 36) operable to selectively isolate
one or more of the plurality of ports (e.g. 102-N and 112-N)(Fig. 1);
wherein each of the plurality of ports (e.g. 102-N and 112-N)(Fig. 1) are connected to one or more sources and/or loads (e.g. 120-1)(Fig. 1);
wherein the at least one controller (e.g. Fig. 35 and 36) is configured to
selectively charge and/or discharge at least one of the one or more sources and/or loads (para [0133], “In some embodiments, the power transfer for a port can be interrupted, or a port can be excluded from the system by hardware methods and/or software methods. For example, exemplary hardware methods can be implemented by adding a series back-to-back switch and operating it appropriately”); Examiner notes that “one or more sources and/or loads” can be read multiple ways and may make it unclear whether the minimum required elements include at least one of either type, or require both when present.
wherein the at least one controller is operable to stop switching by a plurality of transistors on one or more of the plurality of ports in response to the voltage and/or current characteristics detected by the one or more voltage sensors and/or the one or more current sensors (para [0085], “In operation, the line-frequency rectifier MOSFETs Q1:1 and Q1:3 can turn on when the AC voltage is greater than zero, and the MOSFETs Q1:2 and Q1:4 can turn on when the AC voltage is less than zero.”….” control of the MAB converter can be implemented using a single digital signal processor (DSP) microcontroller, multiple DSP microcontrollers, a field-programmable-gate-array-based (FPGA-based) solution”); Examiner notes that “one or more voltage sensors and/or the one or more current sensors” can be read multiple ways and may make it unclear whether the minimum required elements include at least one of either type, or require both when present.
Khaligh discloses the plurality of isolated ports but fail to disclose a plurality of galvanically isolated ports.
However, Neubert in the same field of endeavor discloses the use of galvanically isolated ports (for example, see section Multiport Converters, page 5 line 2) for safety and reliable performance by preventing electrical faults and noises transferring between circuits.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have optionally provide a plurality of galvanically isolated ports in Khaligh, as taught by Neubert, in order to prevent electrical faults and noises transferring between circuits.
The combination of Khaligh and Neubert fail to disclose wherein the at least one controller is operable to automatically adjust power flow among the plurality of galvanically isolated ports upon failure of one or more of the plurality of galvanically isolated ports.
However, Satayanarayana et. al. discloses wherein the at least one controller is operable to automatically adjust power flow among the plurality of galvanically isolated ports (Para [0026], “the present disclosure provides a method for adjusting AC-DC converter output voltage, the method includes monitoring, by a plurality of controllers, events for connection/disconnection, new profile request from one or more loads and store respective port power profile, the plurality of controllers coupled to corresponding plurality of ports to operate the one or more loads, at least one controller of the plurality of controllers is a master controller or a system controller with the ability to communicate with plurality of controllers, AC-DC converter and plurality of DC-DC converter and the other plurality of controllers are slave controllers, determining, at master controller or system controller input signals pertaining to parameters of power levels, from slave controllers, for each port of the plurality of ports based on one or more loads that are connected to corresponding plurality of ports, the parameter pertaining to voltage, calculating, at the master controller or the system controller, from the determined parameters, an optimal input voltage value for a plurality of DC-DC converters based on the highest requested voltage on each port of the plurality of ports, the plurality of DC-DC converters coupled to the plurality of controllers, the calculated required AC-DC output is equal to the highest voltage profile value plus the adjusted voltage (Vadj), which improves the efficiency for multiport power adapter; and communicating, at the master controller, the calculated value to AC-DC converter circuit through a constant current source, the master controller reads the plurality of DC-DC converter input voltage through digital communication to adjust the constant current source output coupled to AC-DC converter feedback circuit through digital communication till the input voltage of the plurality of the DC-DC converter reaches the highest voltage profile value plus the adjusted voltage”) upon failure (Para [0025], “the system level efficiency is the highest in all conditions including no load condition, all connected ports and any combination of connected ports with combination of power profile requests”) of one or more of the plurality of galvanically isolated ports.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have optionally provide wherein the at least one controller is operable to automatically adjust power flow among the plurality of galvanically isolated ports upon failure of one or more of the plurality of galvanically isolated ports in Khaligh and Neubert, as taught by Satayanarayana et. al., in order to provide optimal power flow to each port, thus increasing operational efficiencies.
Regarding claim 2, Khaligh in view of Neubert, as applied in linking claims, discloses the invention, more particularly Khaligh discloses the plurality of isolated ports (e.g. 102-N and 112- N)(Fig. 1) including a decoupling impedance module (e.g. 402, 404, 406, 408, 410, 412 and 414)(Fig. 4) spanning connection points between the plurality of isolated ports (e.g. 102-N and 112- N)(Fig. 1) and the central transformer (e.g. 120)(Fig. 1), wherein the decoupling impedance module (e.g. 402, 404, 406, 408, 410, 412 and 414)(Fig. 4) includes an inductor, a capacitor, a resistor, or combinations thereof.
Regarding claim 3, Khaligh discloses wherein the plurality of galvanically isolated ports includes a combination of AC and DC ports (e.g. 102-N and 112-N)(Fig. 1). Regarding claim 5, Khaligh in view of Neubert, as applied in linking claims, discloses the invention, more particularly Khaligh discloses wherein the at least one controller utilizes zero voltage switching (ZVS) or zero current switching (ZCS)(Para [0062], “a power management control strategy for the MAB converter can be employed, for example, to provide for optimal RMS currents and zero-voltage switching (ZVS) of all MOSFET devices over an entire load range”) to manipulate current and/or voltage drawn by or supplied from the plurality of isolated ports.
Regarding claim 6, Khaligh and Neubert in view of Satanarayana et. al., as applied in linking claims, discloses the invention, more particularly Satanarayana et. al. discloses wherein the at least one controller receives instructions to control a percentage of power drawn by or supplied from one of the plurality of isolated ports (Para [0037], “The buck converters convert that Vin to 3.3V from 21V based on the request received on power delivery protocol on USB port or any other proprietary protocol on USB lines. The system controller processes the port partner requested power (voltage and/or current) and adjust the buck converter output voltage or current. The USB port controllers (106-1 to 106-3) connected to the USB ports (108-1 to 108-3) through configuration channel (CC) or/and data lines D+/D− signals for getting the power request from the port partner”), and
wherein the at least one controller is operable to adjust a duty cycle and/or phase for at least one of the plurality of isolated ports to achieve the percentage of power drawn by or supplied from the one of the plurality isolated ports (Para [0048-0049], “If the AC-DC converter 208 has any digital interface. The master controller 206-1 can directly communicate the calculated value to the AC-DC converter 208 through digital interface to adjust the required calculated DC-input voltage to the DC-DC converters 204. In response to the calculated value, the AC-DC converter circuit 208 regulate the amount of DC voltage that is being supplied from the output path of AC-DC converter circuit 208 to the DC-DC converters 204 to operate the corresponding one or more loads…The master controller 206-1 directly communicates the calculated value to the AC-DC converter 208 through general-purpose input/output (GPIO), inter-integrated circuit (I2C), pulse width modulation (PWM), any digital communication and a combination thereof which is accepted by AC-DC circuit as shown in FIG.-2A to adjust the AC-DC output voltage as per the calculated value”).
Regarding claim 10, Khaligh in view of Neubert, as applied in linking claims, discloses the invention, more particularly Khaligh discloses the plurality of isolated ports (e.g. 102-N and 112-N)(Fig. 1) including a decoupling impedance module (e.g. 402, 404, 406, 408, 410, 412 and 414)(Fig. 4), wherein the decoupling impedance module (e.g. 402, 404, 406, 408, 410, 412 and 414)(Fig. 4) includes an inductor, a capacitor, a resistor, or combinations thereof.
Regarding claim 11, Khaligh in view of Neubert, as applied in linking claims, discloses the invention, more particularly Khaligh discloses the plurality of isolated ports includes a combination of AC and DC ports (e.g. 102-N and 112-N)(Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 14, Khaligh in view of Neubert, as applied in linking claims, discloses the invention, more particularly Khaligh discloses wherein the one or more sources and/or loads include at least one battery (e.g. 512a)(Fig. 5b), at least one solar cell, at least one wind turbine, at least one power plant, at least one microgrid, at least one steam turbine, and/or at least one electric vehicle (para [0061], “Indeed, based on the teachings of the present disclosure, a multi-port converter can be developed for use in any application having multiple voltage ports and/or power flow directions, such as, but not limited to, renewable energy generation and storage, and electric aircrafts”). Examiner notes that “one or more sources and/or loads” can be read multiple ways and may make it unclear whether the minimum required elements include at least one of either type, or require both when present.
Regarding claim 15, Khaligh in view of Neubert, as applied in linking claims, discloses the invention, more particularly Khaligh discloses wherein the at least one controller utilizes zero voltage switching (ZVS) or zero current switching (ZCS)(Para [0062], “a power management control strategy for the MAB converter can be employed, for example, to provide for optimal RMS currents and zero-voltage switching (ZVS) of all MOSFET devices over an entire load range”) to manipulate current and/or voltage drawn by or supplied from the plurality of isolated ports.
Regarding claim 16, Regarding claim 22, Khaligh in view of Neubert, as applied in linking claims, discloses the invention, more particularly Khaligh discloses wherein the plurality of isolated ports includes four or more ports (e.g. 102-N and 112-N)(Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 21, Satayanarayana et. al. discloses wherein the controller receives a designation of one or more priority loads, and wherein the automatic adjustment of power flow is based on the designation of the one or more priority loads.(Para [0026] “the present disclosure provides a method for adjusting AC-DC converter output voltage, the method includes monitoring, by a plurality of controllers, events for connection/disconnection, new profile request from one or more loads and store respective port power profile, the plurality of controllers coupled to corresponding plurality of ports to operate the one or more loads”).
Regarding claim 22, Satayanarayana et. al. discloses wherein the at least one controller is operable to periodically cycle between different sources connected to one or more of the plurality of galvanically isolated ports.(Para [0026], “DC-DC converter input voltage through digital communication to adjust the constant current source output coupled to AC-DC converter feedback circuit through digital communication till the input voltage of the plurality of the DC-DC converter reaches the highest voltage profile value plus the adjusted voltage. wherein, in response to the calculated value, the AC-DC converter circuit regulate the amount of DC voltage that is being supplied to the plurality of DC-DC converters to operate the corresponding one or more loads”).
6. Claims 7, 9 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Khaligh et. al. US Publication 20220321016 (Khaligh) in view of Neubert, M. (2020). “Modeling, synthesis and operation of multiport-active bridge converters” (Doctoral dissertation, Dissertation, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, 2020 (Neubert) and Satanarayana et. al. (U.S. Publication No 2022/0416642 A1) in further view of Hall et. al. U.S. Publication 20200313539 (Hall).
Regarding claim 7, Khaligh in view of Neubert and Satanarayana et. al. as applied in linking claims, discloses the use of computer and predictable technology to determine which of the plurality of galvanically isolated ports to disconnect based on the voltage and/or current characteristics detected by the one or more voltage sensors and/or one or more current sensors but fails to specifically disclose at least one controller including at least one artificial intelligence module.
However, Hall in the same field of endeavor discloses a control manipulation module (e.g. 130)(Fig. 1A) selecting values based on an artificial intelligence predictable technology (Para [0114], “the control manipulation module 130 iteratively modify the control parameter(s) 105 by selecting different values for the control parameter(s) 105 based on an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm 132”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have optionally provide wherein the at least one controller includes at least one artificial intelligence module configured to determine which of the plurality of galvanically isolated ports to disconnect, ramp up, or ramp down based on the voltage and/or current characteristics detected by the one or more voltage sensors and/or one or more current sensor in Khaligh in view of Neubert, as taught by Hall, in order to use a control with artificial intelligence as predictable technology.
Regarding claim 9, Khaligh in view of Neubert, as applied in linking claims, discloses a modular multiport power system (e.g. 100)(Fig. 1), comprising:
a central transformer (e.g. 120)(Fig. 1);
a plurality of isolated ports (i.e., 102-n and 112-n) (Fig. 1) inductively coupled to the central transformer (i.e., 120) (Fig. 1) via windings;
one or more voltage sensors and/or one or more current sensors (e.g. Fig. 35)(Para [0131], “Each controller block 3506, 3556 can comprise and/or be defined by a set of proportional and integral control (e.g., G(s)), which takes sampled port voltages 3512 and/or currents 3514 (measured using voltage and current sensors) as feedback and makes the error between the sampled feedback and reference as zero”) for at least one of the plurality of isolated ports (e.g. 102-N and 112-N)(Fig. 1) configured to detect voltage and/or current characteristics of the at least one of the plurality of isolated ports (e.g. 102-N and 112-N)(Fig. 1); Examiner notes that “one or more voltage sensors and/or one or more current sensors” can be read multiple ways and may make it unclear whether the minimum required elements include at least one of either type, or require both when present; and
wherein each of the plurality of isolated ports (e.g. 102-N and 112-N)(Fig. 1) are connected to one or more sources and/or loads (e.g. Fig. 1); Examiner notes that “one or more sources and/or loads” can be read multiple ways and may make it unclear whether the minimum required elements include at least one of either type, or require both when present.
wherein the at least one controller receives instructions (e.g. Fig. 35A, 35B and 36) to control a percentage of power drawn by or supplied from one of the plurality of isolated ports (Para [0130], “Referring to FIGS. 35A-35B, exemplary closed-loop control schemes for an n-port MAB converter are shown, with FIG. 35A illustrating a scheme 3500 for output voltage control and FIG. 35B illustrating a scheme 3550 for output current control”);
wherein the at least one controller (e.g. 3506,3556)(Fig. 35A/B) is operable to adjust respective on-off duty cycles and/or phasing of the on-off duty cycles with respect to other ports (para [0132], “The optimal trajectory subsystem 3504 or 3554 can generate steady-state duty ratios 3516 and phase shifts 3518 based on the generalized harmonic analysis. The steady-state duty ratios 3516 and phase angle differences 3518 can act as feedforward terms and can be added to the respective control loop subsystem output that is fed to the PWM/PSM block 3510 or 3560. The PWM/PSM block 3510 or 3560 in the control loop subsystem 3502 or 3552 can then be used to generate gate pulses 3520 or 3570 with appropriate deadtimes for the switches in the active bridges of various ports”), to achieve the percentage of power drawn by or supplied from the one of the plurality isolated ports (e.g. Fig. 36); and
Khaligh discloses the plurality of isolated ports but fail to disclose a plurality of galvanically isolated ports.
However, Neubert in the same field of endeavor discloses the use of galvanically isolated ports (for example, see section Multiport Converters, page 5 line 2) for safety and reliable performance by preventing electrical faults and noises transferring between circuits.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have optionally provide a plurality of galvanically isolated ports in Khaligh, as taught by Neubert, in order to prevent electrical faults and noises transferring between circuits.
The combination of Khaligh and Neubert fail to disclose at least one controller, including an artificial intelligence module, operable to selectively manipulate one or more of the plurality of galvanically isolated ports.
However, Hall in the same field of endeavor discloses a control manipulation module (e.g. 130)(Fig. 1A) selecting values based on an artificial intelligence predictable technology (Para [0114], “the control manipulation module 130 iteratively modify the control parameter(s) 105 by selecting different values for the control parameter(s) 105 based on an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm 132”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have optionally provide at least one controller, including an artificial intelligence module, operable to selectively manipulate one or more of the plurality of galvanically isolated ports in Khaligh in view of Neubert, as taught by Hall, in order to use a control with artificial intelligence as predictable technology.
The combination of Khaligh, Neubert and Hall fail to disclose wherein the at least one controller is operable to automatically adjust power flow among the plurality of galvanically isolated ports upon failure of one or more of the plurality of galvanically isolated ports.
However, Satayanarayana et. al. discloses wherein the at least one controller is operable to automatically adjust power flow among the plurality of galvanically isolated ports (Para [0026], “the present disclosure provides a method for adjusting AC-DC converter output voltage, the method includes monitoring, by a plurality of controllers, events for connection/disconnection, new profile request from one or more loads and store respective port power profile, the plurality of controllers coupled to corresponding plurality of ports to operate the one or more loads, at least one controller of the plurality of controllers is a master controller or a system controller with the ability to communicate with plurality of controllers, AC-DC converter and plurality of DC-DC converter and the other plurality of controllers are slave controllers, determining, at master controller or system controller input signals pertaining to parameters of power levels, from slave controllers, for each port of the plurality of ports based on one or more loads that are connected to corresponding plurality of ports, the parameter pertaining to voltage, calculating, at the master controller or the system controller, from the determined parameters, an optimal input voltage value for a plurality of DC-DC converters based on the highest requested voltage on each port of the plurality of ports, the plurality of DC-DC converters coupled to the plurality of controllers, the calculated required AC-DC output is equal to the highest voltage profile value plus the adjusted voltage (Vadj), which improves the efficiency for multiport power adapter; and communicating, at the master controller, the calculated value to AC-DC converter circuit through a constant current source, the master controller reads the plurality of DC-DC converter input voltage through digital communication to adjust the constant current source output coupled to AC-DC converter feedback circuit through digital communication till the input voltage of the plurality of the DC-DC converter reaches the highest voltage profile value plus the adjusted voltage”) upon failure (Para [0025], “the system level efficiency is the highest in all conditions including no load condition, all connected ports and any combination of connected ports with combination of power profile requests”) of one or more of the plurality of galvanically isolated ports.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have optionally provide wherein the at least one controller is operable to automatically adjust power flow among the plurality of galvanically isolated ports upon failure of one or more of the plurality of galvanically isolated ports in Khaligh and Neubert, as taught by Satayanarayana et. al., in order to provide optimal power flow to each port, thus increasing operational efficiencies.
7. Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Khaligh et. al. US Publication 20220321016 (Khaligh) in view of Neubert, M. (2020). “Modeling, synthesis and operation of multiport-active bridge converters” (Doctoral dissertation, Dissertation, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, 2020 (Neubert), Satanarayana et. al. (U.S. Publication No 2022/0416642 A1), and Hall et. al. U.S. Publication 20200313539 (Hall) in further view of Kangas, CN Document 101320942 (Kangas).
Regarding claim 13, Khaligh in view of Neubert, Satanarayana et. al., and Hall as applied in linking claims, fail to discloses a user interface, and wherein a user interface is configured to receive data from the one or more voltage sensors and/or the one or more current sensors and to indicate which ports have faults. Examiner notes that “one or more voltage sensors and/or the one or more current sensors” can be read multiple ways and may make it unclear whether the minimum required elements include at least one of either type, or require both when present.
Kangas in the same field of endeavor discloses a user interface (e.g. 4)(Fig. 1) is configured to receive data from the one or more voltage sensors and/or the one or more current sensors and to indicate a fault.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have optionally provide a user interface, and wherein a user interface is configured to receive data from the one or more voltage sensors and/or the one or more current sensors and to indicate which ports have faults in Khaligh in view of Neubert, as taught by Kangas, in order to communicate user of a fault in the system.
8. Claim 23 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Khaligh et. al. US Publication 20220321016 (Khaligh) in view of Neubert, M. (2020). “Modeling, synthesis and operation of multiport-active bridge converters” (Doctoral dissertation, Dissertation, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, 2020 (Neubert), Satanarayana et. al. (U.S. Publication No 2022/0416642 A1), and Hall et. al. U.S. Publication 20200313539 (Hall) in further view of Maley, et. al. (U.S. Publication No 2023/0305077 A1).
Regarding claim 23, Although Khaligh, Neubert and Hall disclose the limitation in claim 9, they do not disclose wherein the at least one controller is operable to perform an isolation test of a galvanically isolated port of the plurality of galvanically isolated ports to determine a presence of a ground isolation fault.
However, Maley et. al. discloses wherein the at least one controller is operable to perform an isolation test of a galvanically isolated port of the plurality of galvanically isolated ports to determine a presence of a ground isolation fault. (Para [0027], “FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a multi-port USB-PD device 200 with floating ground circuits for fault detection according to one embodiment. The multi-port USB-PD device 200 includes a multi-port USB-C controller 211 (hereinafter “USB-C controller”). The USB-C controller 211 may be disposed in a chip package and includes a USB-PD subsystem configured in accordance with the techniques for floating ground circuits for fault detection described herein”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have optionally provide wherein the at least one controller is operable to perform an isolation test of a galvanically isolated port of the plurality of galvanically isolated ports to determine a presence of a ground isolation fault in Khaligh in view of Neubert and Hall, as taught by Malet et. al., in order to communicate user of a fault in the system.
Conclusion
9. 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 JONATHAN W SOILEAU whose telephone number is (571)272-6650. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 6:30 - 4:00 CT.
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/JONATHAN WALTER SOILEAU/ Examiner, Art Unit 2838
/CRYSTAL L HAMMOND/ Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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