DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to the application filed on 4/19/24.
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 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.
Inventorship
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims under 35 U.S.C. 103(a), the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned at the time any inventions covered therein were made absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and invention dates of each claim that was not commonly owned at the time a later invention was made in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 103(c) and potential 35 U.S.C. 102(e), (f) or (g) prior art under 35 U.S.C. 103(a).
Specification
The specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant's cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In regards to claim 1, it appears that “another electrical conduction path” should be “a third electrical conduction path”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
Claims 2 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 2 and 4 recite the limitation " the other electrical conduction path”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The Examiner interprets said claim as referring to “another electrical conduction path” of claim 1. The Examiner suggests modifying this limitation to “a third electrical conduction path” in claim 1.
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.
(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 1, 4-6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Xiong et al. (US10784678, hereinafter Xiong).
Regarding Claim 1, Xiong discloses (fig. 1) power conversion device comprising: a driver (112, 114) connected to a first electrical conduction path (path from 122 to 140) and a second electrical conduction path (from 124 to 146) to which a voltage is applied, the driver having a switching element and a controller control unit which generates a control signal for controlling the switching element (col. 2, lines 30-50), the driver being configured to drive, with use of a voltage obtained through conversion by control, a load (116) connected to the switching element by a connection wire; a first line-to-line capacitor (242) and a second line-to-line capacitor (240) each connected to the first electrical conduction path and the second electrical conduction path; a choke coil (278) located on one electrical conduction path out of the first electrical conduction path and the second electrical conduction path and connected between the first line-to-line capacitor and the second line-to-line capacitor (see figure 1); and a capacitor to ground (208), connected between a ground wire and another electrical conduction path to which the choke coil is not connected out of the first electrical conduction path and the second electrical conduction path (Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 4, Xiong discloses (fig. 1) the first line-to-line capacitor (242) and the second line-to-line capacitor (240) are connected at different positions to the other electrical conduction path (242 and 240 are each connected to different nodes on first path).
Regarding Claim 5, Xiong discloses (fig. 1) the capacitor to ground (208), the first line-to-line capacitor (242), and the second line-to-line capacitor (240) are connected at different positions to the first electrical conduction path or the second electrical conduction path (242 and 240 are each connected to different nodes on first path and 202 is connected in a position of 142 to ground)
Regarding Claim 6, Xiong discloses (fig. 1) the electrical conduction path to which the capacitor to ground is connected is disposed close to the connection wire such that a direction of current flowing through said electrical conduction path is opposite to a direction of current flowing through the connection wire (the current via ground is opposite to the current to 116).
Regarding Claim 8, Xiong discloses (fig. 1) the first line-to-line capacitor is directly connected to the driver (@140)
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 of this title, 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.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Xiong in view of Takatsuji (US20220302832).
Regarding Claim 2 (as best understood), Xiong does not disclose the other electrical conduction path includes a metal housing or a heatsink.
Takatsuji discloses the other electrical conduction path (from B through 10) includes a metal housing or a heatsink (2, ¶31).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Xiong to include a metal housing as disclosed in Takatsuji to provide a means for ground reference.
Claim 7 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Xiong in view of Goto et al. (US20040074255, hereinafter Goto).
Regarding Claim 7, Xiong does not disclose the connection wire is electrically shielded.
Goto discloses the connection wire is electrically shielded (¶63).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Xiong to include shield wire as disclosed in Goto to reduce electromagnetic interference on the system.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 9 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:
Regarding claim 3, the prior art fails to disclose: “...the second line-to-line capacitor has a connection terminal to which one end of the choke coil is connected, the first line-to-line capacitor has a connection terminal to which another end of the choke coil is connected, and, out of paths from the connection terminal of the second line-to-line capacitor to the connection terminal of the first line-to-line capacitor, a path extending via the choke coil is set to have a higher impedance than a path extending via the second line-to-line capacitor and the first line-to-line capacitor.” in combination with the additionally claimed features, as are claimed by the Applicant.
Regarding claim 9, the prior art fails to disclose: “...further comprising an LC filter composed of: a third line-to-line capacitor connected to the first electrical conduction path and the second electrical conduction path and located on a stage preceding the second line-to-line capacitor; and a choke coil located on one electrical conduction path out of the first electrical conduction path and the second electrical conduction path and connected between the second line-to-line capacitor and the third line-to-line capacitor.” in combination with the additionally claimed features, as are claimed by the Applicant.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 10554122, Xiong; Wei et al. discloses a low loss voltage feedback method for power factor correction circuits.
US 20170093357, Okada; Yuya et al. discloses noise reduction device.
US 20220200463, Sawada; Naoki et al. discloses switching power supply apparatus for reducing common mode noise due to line-to-ground capacitances.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KYLE J MOODY whose telephone number is (571)272-5242. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 10 AM - 4 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Monica Lewis can be reached on 571-272-1838. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KYLE J MOODY/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838