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 .
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.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 2-10, 12-15, and 17-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 23 June 2025.
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 1, 11, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shin et al. (hereinafter “Shin” US 2016 / 0190865) in view of Aoki et al. (hereinafter “Aoki” US 6,140,801).
As pertaining to Claim 1, Shin discloses (see Fig. 3) a power supply (100) comprising:
a converter (130) configured to convert a level of input voltage (i.e., a voltage at (110)), and a level of an output driving voltage (i.e., a voltage at (150)) to be provided to a load (150);
a first switch (S2) electrically coupled to a battery (141);
a driver (121) configured to drive the first switch (S2), based on the input voltage (i.e., a voltage at (110)); and
a second switch (S1) positioned between the first switch (S2) and the converter (130),
wherein the converter (130) is configured to operate and output the output driving voltage (i.e., the voltage at (150)), and the first switch (S2) and the second switch (S1) are turned on (see Fig. 3) to supply a third current (i.e., a charging current) to the battery (141) through the first switch (S2), based on the battery (141) being in a charging mode and the load (150) being in a stand-by mode in which the load (150) is turned off, and
wherein the third current (i.e., the charging current) is generated by adding a first current (i.e., a current associated with (110)), which flows through the driver (121), and a second current (i.e., a current associated with (130)), which flows through the converter (130) and the second switch (S1), and
wherein the second current (i.e., the current associated with (130)) corresponds to the output driving voltage (i.e., the voltage at (150)) output from converter (130; see Page 2, Para. [0030]-[0033] and Page 3, Para. [0039]; and see Page 3 through Page 4, Para. [0055]-[0057]).
Shin does not explicitly disclose that the load (150) is a display. In this regard, Shin further does not explicitly disclose that the converter (130) converts a level of input voltage, and a level of output driving voltage for a display. Further still, Shin does not explicitly disclose that the battery is in a charging mode when the display is in a stand-by mode in which the display is turned off.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Aoki discloses (see Fig. 3) an analogous circuit architecture to that disclosed by Shin for charging a battery provided in a small electronic appliance (see Col. 1, Ln. 7-19). In this regard, Aoki discloses a power supply comprising a converter (512) configured to convert a level of input voltage (see (501)), and a level of an output driving voltage to be provided to a load that is specifically a display (511; see Col. 1, Ln. 38-56), wherein a current is provided to a battery (513) based on the battery (513) being in a charging mode and the display (511) being in a stand-by mode in which the display is turned off (see Col. 1, Ln. 20-32 and Col. 3, Ln. 36-44). Like Shin, it is a goal of Aoki to provide a power supply comprising a means for charging a battery. Further, Aoki suggests a means for implementing an analogous circuit architecture to that disclosed by Shin in association with a display as a load device, wherein a charging operation of a battery of the display is optimized based on both of an available charging current and a structure of the display device (see Col. 5, Ln. 61-67 through Col. 6, Ln. 1-3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Shin with the teachings of Aoki, such that the power supply and battery charging means disclosed by Shin is applied to a display application as suggested by Aoki, as the application of the power supply and battery charging means of Shin in the display application would have been a predictable implementation for providing a charging mode in the display application. That is, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the power supply architecture disclosed by Shin is directly applicable to an application in which the load is a display, and a converter converts a level of input voltage, and a level of an output driving voltage to the display, as this analogous power supply architecture is explicitly suggested by Aoki. Further, the simple substitution of a display as a load in the power supply architecture of Shin would have been predictable given at least the teachings of Aoki, as the power supply architectures disclosed by Shin and Aoki are analogous. Further still, Aoki explicitly suggests that implementing the power supply architecture of Shin in association with a display as a load device can allow for optimization of a charging operation of a battery in the display while taking into consideration the structure of a display device.
As pertaining to Claim 11, Shin discloses (see Fig. 3) that in response to the display (see (150) corresponding to (511) of Aoki) switching from an on state to a stand-by state while the battery (141) is in the charging mode (again, see Fig. 3), the converter (130) is configured to:
operate in a static current mode (i.e., an arbitrary mode) during a first period (i.e., a first arbitrary period) to supply the third current (i.e., the charging current) to the battery (141) through the first switch (S2); and
operate in a state voltage mode (i.e., an arbitrary mode) during a second period (i.e., a second arbitrary period) after the first period (i.e., the first arbitrary period; again, see Page 2, Para. [0030]-[0033] and Page 3, Para. [0039]; and see Page 3 through Page 4, Para. [0055]-[0057] and note that the “modes” and “periods” are arbitrary).
As pertaining to Claim 16, Shin discloses (see Fig. 3) an apparatus comprising:
a load (150); and
a power supply (100) configured to supply voltage to the load (150),
wherein the power supply (100) includes:
a converter (130) configured to convert a level of input voltage (i.e., a voltage at (110)), and a level of an output driving voltage (i.e., a voltage at (150)) to be provided to a load (150);
a first switch (S2) electrically coupled to a battery (141);
a driver (121) configured to drive the first switch (S2), based on the input voltage (i.e., a voltage at (110)); and
a second switch (S1) positioned between the first switch (S2) and the converter (130),
wherein the converter (130) is configured to operate and output the output driving voltage (i.e., a voltage at (150)), and the first switch (S2) and the second switch (S1) are turned on (see Fig. 3) to supply a third current (i.e., a charging current) to the battery (141) through the first switch (S2), based on the battery (141) being in a charging mode and the load (150) being in a stand-by mode in which the load (150) is turned off, and
wherein the third current (i.e., the charging current) is generated by adding a first current (i.e., a current associated with (110)), which flows through the driver (121), and a second current (i.e., a current associated with (130)), which flows through the converter (130) and the second switch (S1), and
wherein the second current (i.e., the current associated with (130)) corresponds to the output driving voltage (i.e., the voltage at (150)) from the converter (130; see Page 2, Para. [0030]-[0033] and Page 3, Para. [0039]; and see Page 3 through Page 4, Para. [0055]-[0057]).
Shin does not explicitly disclose that the apparatus is an image display apparatus wherein the load (150) is a display. In this regard, Shin further does not explicitly disclose that the converter (130) converts a level of input voltage, and a level of output driving voltage for a display. Further still, Shin does not explicitly disclose that the battery is in a charging mode when the display is in a stand-by mode in which the display is turned off.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Aoki discloses (see Fig. 3) an analogous circuit architecture to that disclosed by Shin for charging a battery provided in a small electronic appliance, including an image display apparatus (see Col. 1, Ln. 7-19). In this regard, Aoki discloses a power supply comprising a converter (512) configured to convert a level of input voltage (see (501)), and a level of an output driving voltage to be provided to a load that is specifically a display (511; see Col. 1, Ln. 38-56), wherein a current is provided to a battery (513) based on the battery (513) being in a charging mode and the display (511) being in a stand-by mode in which the display is turned off (see Col. 1, Ln. 20-32 and Col. 3, Ln. 36-44). Like Shin, it is a goal of Aoki to provide a power supply comprising a means for charging a battery. Further, Aoki suggests a means for implementing an analogous circuit architecture to that disclosed by Shin in association with a display as a load device, wherein a charging operation of a battery of the display is optimized based on both of an available charging current and a structure of the display device (see Col. 5, Ln. 61-67 through Col. 6, Ln. 1-3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Shin with the teachings of Aoki, such that the power supply and battery charging means disclosed by Shin is applied to a display application as suggested by Aoki, as the application of the power supply and battery charging means of Shin in the display application would have been a predictable implementation for providing a charging mode in the display application. That is, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the power supply architecture disclosed by Shin is directly applicable to an application in which the load is a display, and a converter converts a level of input voltage, and a level of an output driving voltage to the display, as this analogous power supply architecture is explicitly suggested by Aoki. Further, the simple substitution of a display as a load in the power supply architecture of Shin would have been predictable given at least the teachings of Aoki, as the power supply architectures disclosed by Shin and Aoki are analogous. Further still, Aoki explicitly suggests that implementing the power supply architecture of Shin in association with a display as a load device can allow for optimization of a charging operation of a battery in the display while taking into consideration the structure of a display device.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 20 November 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The applicant has argued that none of the references relied upon by the examiner in the prior Office Action, particularly Shin and Aoki, teach or fairly suggest that the claimed “converter” is “configured to operate and output the output driving voltage” and that the claimed “second current corresponds to the output driving voltage output from the converter” (see Remarks at Pages 7 through 9). Specifically, the applicant has argued that Shin discloses a switch (S2) that is “optionally connected” to either a battery charger (121) or a switch (S3) and, as such, does not disclose a “summation of the first and second currents,” and that Shin further does not disclose a “second current” that “corresponds to” the “output driving voltage output from converter” to the load” (150; see Remarks at Page 8).
The examiner respectfully points out that the teachings of Shin clearly provide for a converter (130) that is configured to convert a level of input voltage, namely a voltage at (110), and a level of an output driving voltage, namely an output driving voltage that is “to be provided” to a load (150). Shin further discloses that the converter (130) is “configured to operate“ and further is configured to output the output driving voltage, which is an output driving voltage that is “to be provided” to a load (150). Further still, Shin discloses that a first switch (S2) and a second switch (S1) are turned on to supply a third current, namely a total charging current, to the battery (141) through the first switch (S2), wherein that third current, or total charging current, is generated by adding a first current that is associated with (110) and flows through the driver (121) when the first switch (S2) is connected to the driver (121), and a second current that is associated with the output driving voltage of (130) and flows through the converter (130) and the second switch (S1), wherein the second current that is associated with (130) corresponds to the output driving voltage output from converter (130). This feature is described by Shin at least at Paragraph [0057] in so much as the “battery units 141 to 14N may be recharged with not only power supplied from the grid 110 via the battery charger 121 but also with power supplied from the UPS 130.” Respectfully, there is no structural and/or function feature recited in the claims that would distinguish the claimed invention from the disclosure of Shin.
Therefore, the rejection of Claims 1, 11, and 16 is maintained.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kim et al. (US 2025 / 0184443), Hayashi et al. (US 6,133,711), and Narita et al. (US 5,721,481) all disclose power supply and battery charging means relevant to the applicant’s disclosure.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 JASON M MANDEVILLE whose telephone number is (571)270-3136. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 7:30AM-4:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Chanh Nguyen can be reached at 571-272-7772. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JASON M MANDEVILLE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2623