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 .
2. This action is in response to application filed on May 16, 2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
3. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 5/16/2024 has been considered by the examiner.
Priority
4. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Drawings
5. The drawings were received on May 16, 2024. These drawings are accepted.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
6. 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.
7. Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite in that it fails to point out what is included or excluded by the claim language. This claim is an omnibus type claim.
The claim language, “the resonant converter dynamic control method described above” is unclear and indefinite and creates an “omnibus” style reference that fails to point out the invention.
More specifically, the lack of a prior recitation of “a resonant converter” (emphasis added) makes the current recitation “the resonant converter” (emphasis added) unclear and indefinite as to which resonant converter dynamic control method applicant is intending to reference.
Furthermore, the claim language, “described above” is omnibus since the steps of the method are partially listed in the claim, however they rely on an external description (“described above”), making the metes and bounds of the processor’s implementation unclear and indefinite.
Allowable Subject Matter
8. Claims 1-16 are allowed.
9. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 1, and similarly with respect to claim 12, and claim 17 as far as understood, Moon et al (US 2019/0044430) discloses a resonant converter dynamic control system (Fig. 1, LLC resonant converter 100), wherein comprising a resonant converter (Fig. 1, circuit of switches 104 and 106, LLC tank circuit 108, transformer 116, and rectifiers 120), a sampling circuit (Fig. 1, circuit of current sense circuit 132 and current integration circuit 134) connected to the resonant converter (Fig. 1, circuit of switches 104 and 106, LLC tank circuit 108, transformer 116, and rectifiers 120), and a control circuit (Fig. 1, control circuit 102) connected to the sampling circuit (Fig. 1, circuit of current sense circuit 132 and current integration circuit 134) and the resonant converter (Fig. 1, circuit of switches 104 and 106, LLC tank circuit 108, transformer 116, and rectifiers 120) respectively;
the sampling circuit (Fig. 1, circuit of current sense circuit 132, current integration circuit 134, and feedback circuit 138) is used for acquiring and transmitting an output voltage signal (Fig. 1, signal Vout), an output current signal (Fig. 1, signal outputted from current sense circuit 132 to current integration circuit 134) and a charge integration signal (Fig. 1, integrated current sense voltage VICS) of the resonant converter (Fig. 1, circuit of switches 104 and 106, LLC tank circuit 108, transformer 116, and rectifiers 120) to the control circuit (Fig. 1, control circuit 102);
the control circuit (Fig. 1, control circuit 102) is used for generating a control signal (Fig. 1, signals Q1 and Q2) to control power transmission of the resonant converter (Fig. 1, circuit of switches 104 and 106, LLC tank circuit 108, transformer 116, and rectifiers 120) according to the output voltage signal (Fig. 1, signal Vout), the output current signal (Fig. 1, signal outputted from current sense circuit 132 to current integration circuit 134), and the charge integration signal (Fig. 1, integrated current sense voltage VICS).
However, none of the prior art, listed above or in the attached PTO-892 form, alone or in combination of an obvious manner discloses a benchmark reference value, wherein the benchmark reference value is calculated based on resonant frequency of the resonant converter.
Therefore, regarding claims 1-11, the prior art fails to disclose or suggest the emboldened and italicized features below:
A resonant converter dynamic control system, wherein comprising a resonant converter, a sampling circuit connected to the resonant converter, and a control circuit connected to the sampling circuit and the resonant converter respectively;
the sampling circuit is used for acquiring and transmitting an output voltage signal, an output current signal and a charge integration signal of the resonant converter to the control circuit;
the control circuit is used for generating a control signal to control power transmission of the resonant converter according to the output voltage signal, the output current signal, a benchmark reference value and the charge integration signal, wherein the benchmark reference value is calculated based on resonant frequency of the resonant converter.
Regarding claims 12-16, the prior art fails to disclose or suggest the emboldened and italicized features below:
A resonant converter dynamic control method, wherein comprising:
acquiring an output voltage signal, an output current signal and a charge integration signal of a resonant converter;
generating a control signal to control power transmission of the resonant converter according to the output voltage signal, the output current signal, a benchmark reference value and the charge integration signal, wherein the benchmark reference value is calculated based on resonant frequency of the resonant converter.
Conclusion
10. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Moon et al (US 2019/0044430) deals with a power limit protection for resonant power converter, Jiang et al (US 11,258,368) deals with a resonant converter circuit with switching frequency control based on input voltage, Wongsasulux et al (US 11,005,363) deals with a resonant power converter and current synthesizing method therefor, Jin et al (US 2016/0087543) deals with a resonant converter, control circuit and associated control method with adaptive dead-time adjustment, and Mao (US 2014/0225439) deals with a high efficiency high frequency resonant power conversion.
11. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GARY NASH whose telephone number is (571) 270-3349. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 8am-4pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner‘s supervisor, Thienvu Tran can be reached on (571) 270-1276. The fax number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GARY A NASH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838