Detailed Action
Summary
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 .
1.This office action is in response to application filed on May 28,2024.
2. Claims 1-21 are pending and has been examined.
Priority
3. Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d), which the certified copy has been placed in the record of the file..
Information Disclosure Statement
4.The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 06/03/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
5. Drawings submitted on 05/28/2024 are acceptable.
Claim Rejections – 35 USC § 103
6.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 1-2 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakamori “20150023076” in a view of Joukou “20060193091”.
In re to claim 1, Nakamori discloses a circuit apparatus (Figs. 1-9 power converter and method of operation) comprising a power conversion circuit (Figs. 1-2 and 8-9 shows a power converter 2. Figs. 1-9 ) and, wherein the power conversion circuit (inverter 2) has: an alarm signal generation unit (Fig.9: alarm signal generation circuit 37) which generates an alarm signal indicating whether the power conversion circuit is in a preset state (The alarm signal generation circuit 37 generates alarm signals when given the anomaly detection signals Svd, Soc, and Soh from the detection circuits 32, 33, and 34, see prag.0015 and abstract); and a state signal generation unit (temperature signal output circuit 6, see prag. 0043-0046) which generates a state signal having an amplitude different from that of the alarm signal and indicating a state of the power conversion circuit (a temperature signal generation circuit which detects a temperature of the semiconductor element, and generates a PWM signal, correlated with the temperature, the cycle of which is different from the pulse width of the alarm signal, see abstract and parag. 0019, 0020 and 0025. Examiner noted that “the cycle” is equivalent to the amplitude ) but fails having a transmission apparatus, the transmission apparatus transmitting a signal from the power conversion circuit.
Whereas, Joukou discloses the transmission apparatus transmitting a signal from the power conversion circuit (photocouplers 31 and 32 are configuring to the power converter circuit to transmitting a signal from and to the power conversion circuit.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled person in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the power converter of Nakamori to include transmission apparatus because by separating circuits, they prevent electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electrical noise from degrading signal quality, thus improve the reliability of the power converter.
In re to claim 2, Nakamori discloses wherein the power conversion circuit further has an output terminal which outputs (output terminals U, V, and W) an output signal in which the alarm signal (ALM) and the state signal are superimposed (output of temperature detection circuit 34 is coupled to alarm signal genera ration 37, see Fig. 9)
In re to claim 13, Nakamori discloses (Figs. 1-9) wherein a stop signal for stopping a power conversion operation is input to the power conversion circuit, and the power conversion circuit continues outputting the state signal even after the stop signal is input (see parg.0020 and parag. 0019).
In re to claim 14, Nakamori discloses (Figs. 1-9) wherein the state signal is a signal indicating any state among a temperature, a current, and a voltage of the power conversion circuit, and the state signal generation unit generates the state signal (a current detection circuit 33, and a temperature detection circuit 34 as the plurality of protection circuits which realize the function of protecting the IGBT 14. A temperature detection circuit 34 generated a Sch signal, see Fig. 9)
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
7.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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(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 15-16 and 20-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) (a)(2) as being anticipated by Nakamori “20150023076”.
In re to claim 15, Nakamori discloses a power conversion circuit (Figs. 1-2 and 8-9 shows a power converter 2. Figs. 1-9 ) comprising: an alarm signal generation unit (Fig.9: alarm signal generation circuit 37) which generates an alarm signal indicating whether the power conversion circuit is in a preset state (the alarm signal generation circuit 37 generates alarm signals when given the anomaly detection signals Svd, Soc, and Soh from the detection circuits 32, 33, and 34, see prag.0015 and abstract); and a state signal generation unit (temperature signal output circuit 6, see prag. 0043-0046) which generates a state signal having an amplitude different from that of the alarm signal and indicating a state of the power conversion circuit (a temperature signal generation circuit which detects a temperature of the semiconductor element, and generates a PWM signal, correlated with the temperature, the cycle of which is different from the pulse width of the alarm signal, see abstract and parag. 0019 and 0020].
In re to claim 16, Nakamori discloses, further comprising: an output terminal (output terminals U, V, and W) which outputs an output signal in which the alarm signal and the state signal are superimposed (output of temperature detection circuit 34 is coupled to alarm signal genera ration 37, see Fig. 9. ) .
In re to claim 20, Nakamori discloses (Figs. 1-9) further comprising: an amplitude switching unit which switches (67) , out of the alarm signal and the state signal, an amplitude of which signal is made greater than another (see parg.0047-0051 and abstract, 0019) .
In re to claim 21, Nakamori discloses (Figs. 1-9) wherein the state signal is a signal indicating any state among a temperature, a current, and a voltage of the power conversion circuit, and the state signal generation unit generates the state signal (a current detection circuit 33, and a temperature detection circuit 34 as the plurality of protection circuits which realize the function of protecting the IGBT 14. A temperature detection circuit 34 generated a Sch signal, see Fig. 9)
Allowable Subject Matter
8. Claims 3-12 and 17-19 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 following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 3 is objected because the prior art in the record fails to discloses or suggest the power converter circuit including the limitation of “wherein the alarm signal generation unit switches which of a reference voltage and a first power supply voltage different from the reference voltage is to be applied to the output terminal, and the state signal generation unit switches which of an intermediate voltage closer to the first power supply voltage than to the reference voltage, and the first power supply voltage is to be applied to the output terminal.”
Claim 6 is objected because the prior art in the record fails to discloses or suggest the power converter circuit including the limitation of “wherein the transmission apparatus has: a first transmission unit which transmits, among the output signal, a component of an amplitude greater than a first reference value; and a second transmission unit which transmits, among the output signal, a component of an amplitude greater than a second reference value, and the first reference value is smaller than the second reference value.”
Claim 17 is objected because the prior art in the record fails to discloses or suggest the power converter circuit including the limitation of “wherein the alarm signal generation unit switches which of a reference voltage and a first power supply voltage different from the reference voltage is to be applied to the output terminal, and the state signal generation unit switches which of an intermediate voltage closer to the first power supply voltage than to the reference voltage, and the first power supply voltage is to be applied to the output terminal.”
Claims 4-5 and 10-12 dependent on claim 3 , thus are also objected because of their dependency.
Claims 7-9 dependent on claim 6, thus are also objected because of their dependency.
Claims 18-19 dependent on claim 17, thus are also objected because of their dependency.
Conclusion
9. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Chan “20200382004” the disclosure relates to a power supply apparatus, and more particularly to a power supply apparatus capable of extending the hold-up time of an output voltage.
Ogawa “20150346665” the present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus configured to detect a deviation of AC voltage supplied from a commercial power supply.
Kuroda “20190253654” the present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion apparatus and an imaging system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SISAY G TIKU whose telephone number is (571)272-6898. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30AM-6:00PM. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Crystal L Hammond can be reached at (571) 270-1682. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/SISAY G TIKU/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838