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 31, 2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
3. The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 5/31/2024 and 9/22/2025 have been considered by the examiner.
Drawings
4. The drawings were received on May 31, 2024. These drawings are accepted.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
5. 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.
6. Claims 1-4, 6-8, 10-12, and 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhang et al (CN-116780907-A).
Regarding claim 1, Zhang et al discloses a converter (i.e. circuit of Figure 3), comprising:
a primary side (Fig. 3, resonant circuit side with primary winding NP) having a primary inductor (Fig. 3, primary winding NP); and
a secondary side (Fig. 3, converter side with secondary windings NS1.2, NS2.3, and NS1.3) having at least two secondary inductors (Fig. 3, secondary windings NS1.2, NS2.3, and NS1.3),
wherein the converter (i.e. circuit of Figure 3) is operable in at least two operating modes (i.e. the circuit of Figure 3 has at least 6 operating modes) and a different secondary inductor of the at least two secondary inductors (Fig. 3, secondary windings NS1.2, NS2.3, and NS1.3) is disconnected in each operating mode of the at least two operating modes (i.e. the circuit of Figure 3 has at least 6 operating modes) (See ¶[0037]-[0043]).
Regarding claim 2, Zhang et al further discloses wherein the secondary side (Fig. 3, converter side with secondary windings NS1.2, NS2.3, and NS1.3) includes a first secondary inductor (Fig. 3, secondary winding NS1.2) and a secondary inductor (Fig. 3, secondary winding NS2.3).
Regarding claim 3, Zhang et al further discloses wherein the converter is operable in a forward mode and a backward mode (i.e. circuit of Figure 3 is a bidirectional converter).
Regarding claim 4, Zhang et al further discloses wherein the first secondary inductor (Fig. 3, secondary winding NS1.2) is connected in the forward mode and the second secondary inductor is disconnected (Fig. 3, secondary winding NS2.3) (See ¶[0038]).
Regarding claim 6, Zhang et al further discloses wherein the primary side (Fig. 3, resonant circuit side with primary winding NP) further includes an inverter and an inductor-inductor-capacitor (LLC) resonant tank (See Figure 1(c) and ¶[0048]).
Regarding claim 7, Zhang et al further discloses wherein the secondary side (Fig. 3, converter side with secondary windings NS1.2, NS2.3, and NS1.3) further includes at least two switches (Fig. 3, relays R1.2, R2.3, and R1.3), wherein a respective switch of the at least two switches (Fig. 3, relays R1.2, R2.3, and R1.3) remove a respective secondary inductor of the at least two secondary inductors (Fig. 3, secondary windings NS1.2, NS2.3, and NS1.3).
Regarding claim 8, Zhang et al further discloses wherein the secondary side (Fig. 3, converter side with secondary windings NS1.2, NS2.3, and NS1.3) further includes a three-leg rectifier (i.e. secondary side construction in Figure 3).
Regarding claim 10, Zhang et al further discloses wherein the primary side (Fig. 3, resonant circuit side with primary winding NP) is operatively coupled to a power supply (Fig. 3, supply V1) or a load.
Regarding claim 11, Zhang et al further discloses wherein the secondary side (Fig. 3, converter side with secondary windings NS1.2, NS2.3, and NS1.3) is operatively coupled to a battery (Fig. 3, supply V2).
Regarding claim 12, Zhang et al discloses a system (i.e. circuit of Figure 3), comprising:
a bidirectional direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converter (Fig. 3, bidirectional converter);
at least one of a power supply (Fig. 3, supply V1) or a load operatively coupled to a first side (Fig. 3, resonant circuit side with primary winding NP) of the bidirectional DC-DC converter (Fig. 3, bidirectional converter); and
a battery (Fig. 3, supply V2) operatively coupled to a second side (Fig. 3, converter side with secondary windings NS1.2, NS2.3, and NS1.3) of the bidirectional DC-DC converter (Fig. 3, bidirectional converter),
wherein the bidirectional DC-DC converter (Fig. 3, bidirectional converter) includes:
a primary side (Fig. 3, resonant circuit side with primary winding NP) having a primary inductor (Fig. 3, primary winding NP); and
a secondary side (Fig. 3, converter side with secondary windings NS1.2, NS2.3, and NS1.3) having:
a first secondary inductor (Fig. 3, secondary winding NS1.2) configured to provide a first gain in a forward mode (See ¶[0038]);
a second secondary inductor (Fig. 3, secondary winding NS2.3) configured to provide a second gain in a backward mode (See ¶[0039]);
a first switch (Fig. 3, relay R1.2) configured to operatively couple the first secondary inductor (Fig. 3, secondary winding NS1.2) based on an operating mode (See ¶[0037]-[0043]); and
a second switch (Fig. 3, relay R2.3) configured to operatively couple the second secondary inductor (Fig. 3, secondary winding NS2.3) based on the operating mode (See ¶[0037]-[0043]).
Regarding claim 16, Zhang et al further discloses wherein the primary side (Fig. 3, resonant circuit side with primary winding NP) further includes a resonant tank and a full bridge inverter (Fig. 3, circuit of switches S1-S4) (See Figure 3).
Regarding claim 17, Zhang et al further discloses wherein the full bridge inverter includes two legs (Fig. 3, leg of switches S1 and S2 and leg of switches S3 and S4), wherein each leg includes two transistors (See Figure 3), and wherein transistors of the full bridge inverter (Fig. 3, circuit of switches S1-S4) operate below a resonant frequency in the forward mode and operate at a set frequency in the backward mode (See ¶[0038]-[0040]).
Regarding claim 18, Zhang et al further discloses wherein the secondary side (Fig. 3, converter side with secondary windings NS1.2, NS2.3, and NS1.3) further includes a three-leg rectifier (i.e. secondary side construction in Figure 3).
Allowable Subject Matter
7. Claim 20 is allowed.
8. Claims 5, 9, 13-15, and 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.
9. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 5, the prior art fails to disclose or suggest the emboldened and italicized features below:
A converter,
wherein the first secondary inductor is disconnected in the back mode and the second secondary inductor is connected.
Regarding claim 9, the prior art fails to disclose or suggest the emboldened and italicized features below:
A converter,
wherein the first secondary inductor and the secondary inductor are connected in the forward mode.
Regarding claim 13, the prior art fails to disclose or suggest the emboldened and italicized features below:
A system,
wherein the first gain is based on the primary inductor, the inductor and the capacitor in series, the first secondary inductor, and an operating frequency, and
wherein the second gain is based on the primary inductor, the inductor and the capacitor in series, the second secondary inductor, and the operating frequency.
Regarding claim 14, the prior art fails to disclose or suggest the emboldened and italicized features below:
A system,
wherein the first switch connects the first secondary inductor and the second switch disconnects the second secondary inductor in the forward mode.
Regarding claim 15, the prior art fails to disclose or suggest the emboldened and italicized features below:
A system,
wherein the first switch disconnects the first secondary inductor and the second switch connects the second secondary inductor in the backward mode.
Regarding claim 19, the prior art fails to disclose or suggest the emboldened and italicized features below:
A system,
wherein the three-leg rectifier includes three legs, wherein each leg includes two transistors, and wherein a first leg is turned off in the forward mode and a second leg is turned off in the backward mode, the first leg and the second leg being different.
Regarding claim 20, the prior art fails to disclose or suggest the emboldened and italicized features below:
A bidirectional converter for operatively coupling a battery to at least one of a load or a power supply, comprising:
a transformer having a primary inductor coupled to two secondary inductors, the two secondary inductors including a first secondary inductor and a second secondary inductor;
a resonant tank on the primary side of the transformer;
a full bridge inverter on the primary side of the transformer, the full bridge inverter having two legs, each leg having two transistors;
a first switch on the secondary side of the transformer, the first switch configured to operatively connect the first secondary inductor based on an operating mode;
a second switch on the secondary side of the transformer, the second switch configured to operatively connect the second secondary inductor based on the operating mode; and
a three-leg rectifier on the secondary side of the transformer, wherein each leg includes two transistors,
wherein, in a forward mode, the first switch connects the first secondary inductor, the second switch disconnects the second secondary inductor, and a first leg of the three-leg rectifier is turned off to provide a first gain, and
wherein, in a backward mode, the first switch disconnects the first secondary inductor, the second switch connects the second secondary inductor, and a second leg of the three-leg rectifier is turned off to provide a second gain.
Conclusion
10. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Ghost et al (US 2017/0104365) deals with a bi-directional DC-DC converter.
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
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