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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 04/09/24 has been considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings received on 04/09/24 are acceptable.
Claim Objections
Claims 8 and 13 objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 8 and 13 switch .
Appropriate correction is required.
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)(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.
Claims 1, 6, 7, and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Beig et al. (WO 2021181273 A1).
Beig et al. disclose an ultra-high gain bidirectional DC to DC converter in Figures 1-22.
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Regarding claim 1. A bidirectional direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) converter (Figure 2-bidirectional DC-DC converter 12) comprising: at least one of a boost converter (Figure 3- step-up mode operation of the DC-_DC converter 12) or a buck converter (Figure 6 step down mode (buck mode) of operation of the DC-DC converter 12) that comprises a set of inductors (Figure 2 inductors L1 and L2), a set of capacitors (Figure 2 capacitors C1 and C2), and a plurality of switches (Figure 2 switches S1 to S5); and a control unit (Figure 2 controller 12CON) configured to: activate the boost converter (Figure 3 paragraph 51) by turning ON first switches (“In step up mode only switch S1 and switch S2 are controlled) of the plurality of switches and turning OFF remaining second switches (… each of the switches S1, S4, S5 is maintained in the OPEN state”) of the plurality of switches, and activate the buck converter (Figure 6 and paragraph 59) by turning OFF the first switches (“… switches S3, S4 and S5 are gated”) and turning ON the remaining second switches (see paragraphs 52-68).
Regarding claim 6. The bidirectional DC-DC converter of claim 1, wherein at least one switch of the plurality of switches comprises a transistor and a diode (Figure 2, transistors 34, 36, 38, 40 and 42), wherein a gate terminal of the transistor is electrically coupled with a pulse width modulation (PWM) (paragraphs 57 and 67) voltage source, and wherein the diode is electrically connected to remaining terminals of the transistor.
Regarding claim 7. The bidirectional DC-DC converter of claim 1, wherein operational modes of the DC-DC converter comprise a boost operational mode during which the boost converter (Figure 3 and paragraph 51) is activated and a buck operational mode (Figure 6 and paragraph 59) during which the buck converter is activated.
Regarding claim 16. A method of operating a direct current-to- direct current (DC-DC) converter (Figure 2-bidirectional DC-DC converter 12), the method comprising: turning ON first switches of the DC-DC converter to operate the DC-DC converter in a boost operational mode (Figure 3- step-up mode operation of the DC-_DC converter 12) , wherein the DC-DC converter comprises: at least one of a boost or a buck converter that comprises a set of inductors (Figure 2 inductors L1 and L2), a set of capacitors (Figure 2 capacitors C1 and C2), and a plurality of switches (Figure 2 switches S1 – S5); and a control unit (Figure 2 controller 12CON) configured to: activate the boost converter by turning ON first switches of the plurality of switches and turning OFF remaining second switches of the plurality of switches (… each of the switches S1, S4, S5 is maintained in the OPEN state”) , and activate the buck converter by turning OFF the first switches and turning ON the remaining second switches; and turning OFF the remaining second switches of the DC-DC converter (see paragraphs 52-68).
Regarding claim 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the DC-DC converter is operated in the boost operational mode (Figure 3 and paragraph 51) by at least supplying PWM pulses (paragraph 67) to the first switches.
Regarding claim 18. The method of claim 16, further comprising: turning OFF the first switches of the DC-DC converter to operate the DC-DC converter in a buck operational mode (Figure 6 step down mode (buck mode)); and turning ON the remaining second switches of the DC-DC converter.
Regarding claim 19. A system comprising (Figure 2 bidirectional DC-DC converter 12) : a voltage source; a load; (LOAD) and a bidirectional direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) converter electrically coupled to the voltage source and the load, wherein the DC-DC converter comprises: at least one of a boost converter (Figure 3- step-up mode operation of the DC-_DC converter 12) or a buck converter (Figure 6 step down mode (buck mode) that comprises a set of inductors, a set of capacitors, and a plurality of switches; (… each of the switches S1, S4, S5 is maintained in the OPEN state”) and a control unit (Figure 2 controller 12CON) configured to activate: the boost converter by turning ON first switches of the plurality of switches and turning OFF remaining second switches of the plurality of switches, and activate the buck converter by turning OFF the first switches and turning ON the remaining second switches (see paragraphs 52-68).
Regarding claim 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the load comprises an electric vehicle load or a hybrid electric vehicle load (Figure 1, 10).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5 and 14-15 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.
Claims 8-13 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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 2 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a bidirectional DC-DC converter including the limitation “wherein: a first inductor of the set of inductors is electrically connected with a first voltage side of the bidirectional DC-DC converter, a first set of switches of the plurality of switches, and a first capacitor of the set of capacitors, a second inductor is electrically connected with a second set of switches of the plurality of switches, the first capacitor, and a second capacitor of the set of capacitors, the first set of switches and the second set of switches share at least a first switch, an additional switch of the plurality of switches is not included in the first set and the second set of switches and is electrically connected to the second capacitor and to a second voltage side of the bidirectional DC-DC converter, and the first voltage side and the second voltage side share a common ground“ in addition to other limitations recited therein.
Dependent claims 3-5 are allowable by virtue of their dependency.
Claim 14 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a bidirectional DC-DC converter including the limitation “wherein first PWM pulses supplied to the first switch and the fourth switch are synchronized and complimentary to second PWM pulses supplied to the additional switch “in addition to other limitations recited therein.
Claim 15 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a bidirectional DC-DC converter including the limitation “wherein first PWM pulses supplied to the first switch are synchronized with second PWM pulses supplied to the additional switch and are complementary to third PWM pulses supplied to the fourth switch” in addition to other limitations recited therein.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kang et al. (US 2017/0012452 A1) disclose a bidirectional DC-DC converter.
Beig et al. (US 12,081,111 B2) disclose an ultra high gain bidirectional DC to DC converter.
Examiner has cited particular columns, line numbers and/or paragraphs in thereferences applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Althoughthe specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied tospecific limitations within the individual claim(s), other passages and figures may applyas well.
Additionally, in the event that other prior art is provided and made of record by theExaminer, as being relevant or pertinent to applicant's disclosure but not relied upon.The references are provided for the convenience of the applicant. The Examinerrequest that the references be considered in any subsequent amendments, as they arealso representative of the art and may apply to the specific limitations ofany newly amended claim(s).
It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing amendments or responses, to fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of theclaimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art and/ordisclosed by the Examiner.
In the case of amending the claimed invention, Applicant is respectfully requested to indicate the portion(s) of the specification which dictate(s) the structure relied upon inorder to ensure proper interpretation of the newly added limitations and toverify/ascertain the metes and bounds of the claimed invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ADOLF D BERHANE whose telephone number is (571)272-2077. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
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/ADOLF D BERHANE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838