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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 3, 5 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yamanaka US publication no.: US 2016/0297471 A1
Regarding claim 1, Yamanaka teaches, A load driving device, comprising: a power converter (inverter 20, figure 1) provided between a power supply line and a ground line connected to a battery (battery 13, figure 1), and configured to convert a direct-current power of the battery and supply it to a load (motor 80, figure 1); a booster circuit (booster 50, figure 1) configured to boost a voltage of the battery supplied via the power supply line (see paragraph 37, where the boost 50 is configured to boost the voltage from the battery); a post-boost capacitor (capacitor 54, figure 1) configured to be charged with a boosted voltage by the booster circuit; and a specific regulator (regulator 41 and 42, figure 1) configured to operate a target circuit when a voltage equal to or higher than a lower limit value is applied via a power supply path (see paragraphs 34-37, where it is explained that the regulators provide power to angle sensor and the torque sensor); wherein at least the voltage charged in the post-boost capacitor is applied to the specific regulator (see paragraphs 34-37, where it is explained that the regulators provide power to angle sensor and the torque sensor).
Regarding claim 3, Yamanaka teaches, the load driving device according to claim 1, wherein the load is a motor (see motor 80, figure 1).
Regarding claim 5, Yamanaka teaches, the load driving device according to claim 3, wherein the target circuit includes a rotation angle sensor that detects a rotation angle of the motor (see angle sensor 29, figure 1; paragraphs 34-37).
Regarding claim 7, Yamanaka teaches, the load driving device according to claim 5, wherein the load is a steering assist motor of an electric power steering device (see figure 2 and paragraph 8, where the control for a power steering device is disclosed).
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.
Claims 2, 4, 6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamanaka US publication no.: US 2016/0297471 A1 in view of Senkou et al. US publication no.: US 2012/0139460 A1.
Regarding claim 2, Yamanaka teaches, A load driving device (see figure 1), comprising: a power converter (inverter 20, figure 1) provided between a power supply line and a ground line connected to a battery (battery 13, figure 1), and configured to convert a direct-current power of the battery and supply it to a load (motor 80, figure 1) ; and a specific regulator (regulator 41 and 42, figure 1) configured to operate a target circuit when a voltage equal to or higher than a lower limit value is applied via a power supply path (see paragraphs 34-37 where it is explained that the regulators operate based on a predetermined voltage).
Yamanaka teaches a power steering device control system in which power is supplied to auxiliary devices via a charge in the storage but is silent on specifically teaching a regenerative aspect of it as seen below:
a power converter capacitor connected in parallel with the power converter between the power supply line and the ground line, and configured to be charged with a voltage applied to the power converter; wherein at least a voltage charged in the power converter capacitor is applied to the specific regulator.
However, Senkou et al. is in the same field of art (see application of power steering system, paragraph 257) and teach: a power converter capacitor (capacitor C2, figure 1) connected in parallel with the power converter (IV, figure 3) between the power supply line (battery 12, figure 1) and the ground line, and configured to be charged with a voltage applied to the power converter (see paragraph 53, “regenerative control mode”); wherein at least a voltage charged in the power converter capacitor is applied to the specific regulator (Voltage charged of the C2 would be applied to the regulators 41 and 42 of Yamanaka).
In view of Senkou et al.’s teachings, it would’ve been obvious to one with the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, with the apparatus as taught by Yamanaka to include; a power converter capacitor connected in parallel with the power converter between the power supply line and the ground line, and configured to be charged with a voltage applied to the power converter; wherein at least a voltage charged in the power converter capacitor is applied to the specific regulator, for the purpose of improving the control of motor drive system.
Regarding claim 4, Yamanaka teaches, the load driving device according to claim 2, wherein the load is a motor (see motor 80, figure 1).
Regarding claim 6, Yamanaka teaches, the load driving device according to claim 4, wherein the target circuit includes a rotation angle sensor that detects a rotation angle of the motor (see angle sensor 29, figure 1; paragraphs 34-37).
Regarding claim 8, Yamanaka teaches, the load driving device according to claim 6, wherein the load is a steering assist motor of an electric power steering device (see figure 2 and paragraph 8, where the control for a power steering device is disclosed).
Conclusion
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/ZOHEB S IMTIAZ/Primary Examiner , Art Unit 2846