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 .
Claim Objections
Claims 1-5 and 15-17 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 recites “and a direct-current port of the two-port parallel coupling unit is connected to a direct-current side of the three-port series coupling unit to form a direct-current output port of the series-parallel device” in 3rd paragraph that has typos, should be “and the direct-current port of the two-port parallel coupling unit is connected to the direct-current side of the three-port series coupling unit to form the direct-current output port of the series-parallel device”.
Claim 3 recites “flexible loop closing control device” in lines 3-5 have typos, should be “direct-current flexible loop closing control device”.
Claim 4 recites “series-parallel loop closing control device” in lines 2-3 and line 7-8, and “flexible loop closing control device” in line 3 and line 5 that have typos. Should be “direct-current flexible loop closing control device”.
Claim 5 recites “series-parallel loop closing control device” in lines 4-5 that has typos. Should be “direct-current flexible loop closing control device”.
Claim 15 recites “and then connecting …” in line 4 that has typos, should be “and connecting …”.
Claim 15 recites “flexible loop closing control device” in lines 3-5 have typos, should be “direct-current flexible loop closing control device”.
Claim 16 recites “series-parallel loop closing control device” in lines 2 and line 7, and “flexible loop closing control device” in line 3 and lines 4-5 that have typos. Should be “direct-current flexible loop closing control device”.
Claim 17 recites “series-parallel loop closing control device” in line 4 that has typos. Should be “direct-current flexible loop closing control device”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
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.
Claims 6-14 and 18-32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for failing interrelate essential elements of the invention.
Regarding claim 6:
Step1 recites “establishing a grid direct-current flexible loop closing control device system model”, however, does not describe how the model is related to the rest of claim elements; step 1 recites “monitoring for a long time power of two transmission lines requiring loop closing”, it is not clear what a long time power of two transmission lines is; and step 1 recites “making preparation in real time for loop closing”, however does not describe what preparation is about.
Step 2 recites “setting a bus tie switch and an access switch to be in an off state and two loop closing control devices to be in a voltage control mode”, how the recited bus tie switch, access switch and two loop closing control devices are connected to each other and what they are connected to are missing. As a result, it is not clear what the recited voltage control mode is about.
In step 3, how the recited direct-current bus, two loop closing control devices, parallel coupling units direct-current access switch K, series coupling transformer, “a system”, a series coupling transformer and two transformer regions are connected to each other and what they are connected to are missing. As a result, it is not clear what the recited direct-current bus voltages are and what the recited constant direct-current voltage control mode is about; As a result, it is not clear how turning on the direct-current access switch K can allow a system to enter a loop closing state and what the recited “allow a system to enter a loop closing state” is about, and in the meantime, it is not clear how “dynamically adjusting an amplitude and phase of an additional voltage of a series coupling transformer” can “realize flexible power mutual aid of two transformer regions subjected to loop closing”.
In step 4, with all the deficits shown in steps 1-3, it is not clear what the recited “PQ control mode” is about, and what the recited “a direct-current flexible loop closing process” is about, and how the turning off the access switch K after P and Q of the two flexible loop closing control devices are gradually decreased to zero will end the direct-current flexible loop closing process.
Regarding claims 7-14 and 18-32, dependent claims inherit the deficiencies of their respective parent(s).
Accordingly, claims 6-14 and 18-32 are not been further treated on the merits. See MPEP § 2172.01.
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, 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 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over HUANG CN 110854882 A in view of WEN CN 112003293 A.
Regarding claim 1, HUANG teaches a grid direct-current flexible loop closing control device, wherein the direct-current flexible loop closing control device is a series-parallel device, comprises two alternating-current ports, a direct-current port, and a three-port series coupling unit, a two-port parallel coupling unit, a bypass switch (Figs. 1 & 2 page 4 paragraphs 8-11, device for double loop power supply demand control including: two alternating current ports Us and Ur, a DC bus i.e. “a direct-current port” connecting a parallel side inverter and a series-side inverter, a three port series coupling transformer with the series-side inverter i.e. “a three-port series coupling unit”, the parallel side inverter i.e. “a two-port parallel coupling unit”, and a spare power automatic switching bus coupler switch i.e. “a bypass switch”) and a direct-current loop closing main controller (page 4 paragraph 11, device comprising these 3 port series-coupled transformer, series side inverters and parallel side inverters, and their control system i.e. “a direct-current loop closing main controller” performing comprehensive control);
wherein, two alternating-current ports of the three-port series coupling unit are connected in series to a line (Figs. 1&2 page 4 paragraphs 8-11, the three port series coupling transformer secondary side ports are connected to the two alternating current ports of an alternating current distribution line Us and Ur in series), and a direct-current port of the three-port series coupling unit is connected to a direct-current side of the two-port parallel coupling unit (Figs. 1&2 page 4 paragraphs 8-11, the primary port of the three port series coupling transformer is connected to one port of the series-side inverter and the other port of the series-side inverter i.e. “a direct-current port of the three-port series coupling unit” is connected to the direct-current side of the two-port parallel side inverter);
an alternating-current side of the two-port parallel coupling unit is connected in parallel to a distribution network line, and a direct-current port of the two-port parallel coupling unit is connected to a direct-current side of the three-port series coupling unit to form a direct-current output port of the series-parallel device (Figs. 1&2 page 4 paragraphs 8-11, an alternating-current side of the parallel side inverter is connected in parallel to the alternating current distribution line, a DC port of the parallel side inverter is connected to the port of the series side inverter i.e. “a direct-current port of the two-port parallel coupling unit is connected to a direct-current side of the three-port series coupling unit” to form a DC bus i.e. “a direct-current output port of the series-parallel device”);
the bypass switch is connected in parallel to the two alternating-current ports of the three-port series coupling unit (Figs. 1&2 page 4 paragraphs 8-11, a spare power automatic switching bus coupler switch is connected in parallel to the two alternating-current ports of the three-port series coupling transformer with the series-side inverter), and the direct-current loop closing main controller is used for logic control of loop closing (page 4 paragraph 11, device comprising these 3 port series-coupled transformer, series side inverters and parallel side inverters, and their control system performing comprehensive control) s connected with the upper layer controller to obtaining the input instruction).
HUANG does not explicitly teach the direct-current loop closing main controller is used for receiving remote control.
WEN explicitly teaches in an analogous art that the direct-current loop closing main controller is used for receiving remote control (Fig. 1 page 4 paragraph 9 from the bottom, the main controller connected local components to perform local control and is connected with the upper layer controller to obtaining the input instruction).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified HUANG to incorporate the teachings of WEN because they all directed to grid operation control, to make the device wherein the direct-current loop closing main controller is used for receiving remote control. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do this modification so as to receive input from upper layer controller, as WEN teaches in page 4 paragraph 9 from the bottom.
Regarding claim 2, HUANG further teaches the three-port series coupling unit comprises a series coupling transformer and a first power-bidirectionally controllable inverter, a primary side of the series coupling transformer is connected to an alternating-current line, and a secondary side of the series coupling transformer is connected to an alternating-current side of the first power-bidirectionally controllable inverter (Figs. 1 & 2 page 4 paragraphs 8-11, a three port series coupling transformer with the series-side inverter, the three port series coupling transformer secondary side ports i.e. “a primary side of the series coupling transformer” are connected to the two alternating current ports of an alternating current distribution line Us and Ur in series, the primary port of the three port series coupling transformer i.e. “a secondary side of the series coupling transformer” is connected to one port of the series-side inverter); and the two-port parallel coupling unit comprises a second power-bidirectionally controllable inverter, an alternating-current side of the second power-bidirectionally controllable inverter is connected in parallel to an alternating-current distribution network line, and a direct-current side of the second power-bidirectionally controllable inverter is connected to the direct-current side of the three-port series coupling unit, wherein a basic topology of a series-parallel loop closing control device is formed (Figs. 1&2 page 4 paragraphs 8-11, an alternating-current side of the parallel side inverter is connected in parallel to the alternating current distribution line, a DC port of the parallel side inverter is connected to the port of the series side inverter).
Claims 3-5 and 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over HUANG in view of WEN as applied to claims 1-2, further in view of GE CN 109038642 B.
Regarding claims 3 and 15, neither HUANG nor WEN explicitly further teaches direct-current loop closing is implemented by connecting a flexible loop closing control device in series between a line in each transformer region requiring loop closing and a load, and then connecting the direct-current ports of the flexible loop closing control devices in the transformer regions requiring loop closing to transfer an active power flow between the transformer regions requiring loop closing by the direct-current ports.
GE explicitly teaches in an analogous art that direct-current loop closing is implemented by connecting a flexible loop closing control device in series between a line in each transformer region requiring loop closing and a load, and then connecting the direct-current ports of the flexible loop closing control devices in the transformer regions requiring loop closing to transfer an active power flow between the transformer regions requiring loop closing by the direct-current ports (Fig. 1 page 7 paragraph 1, the loop closing at DC side is configured by connecting the DC ports of VSC devices).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified HUANG and WEN to incorporate the teachings of GE because they all directed to grid operation control, to make the device wherein direct-current loop closing is implemented by connecting a flexible loop closing control device in series between a line in each transformer region requiring loop closing and a load, and then connecting the direct-current ports of the flexible loop closing control devices in the transformer regions requiring loop closing to transfer an active power flow between the transformer regions requiring loop closing by the direct-current ports. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do this modification so as to realizing flexible interconnection between multiple feed lines, as GE teaches in page 7 paragraph 1.
Regarding claims 4 and 16, HUANG further teaches simplify a topology of the series-parallel loop closing control device to further reduce a manufacturing cost, the flexible loop closing control device is connected in series between the line in each transformer region requiring loop closing and the load, wherein the flexible loop closing control device in one transformer region only reserves the three-port series coupling unit, wherein the direct-current port of-which the three-port series coupling unit is connected to a direct-current bus of the series-parallel loop closing control device in the other transformer region to realize flexible loop closing of the two transformer regions (Figs. 1 & 2 page 4 paragraphs 8-11, one device for double loop power supply demand control used instead of two. The recited “simplify a topology of the series-parallel loop closing control device to further reduce a manufacturing cost” is merely intended use that does not bear patentability, see MPEP 2114 (II)).
Regarding claims 5 and 17, HUANG further teaches to improve power supply flexibility and active power flow supportability to relieve a pressure in power supply capacity, an energy storage device is connected to the direct-current bus of the series-parallel loop closing control device, and a control flexibility of power supply in the transformer regions is further improved by a flexible charge-discharge ability of the energy storage device; moreover, the topology is beneficial for improving a new energy accepting ability, realizing continuous and combined supply of new energy and stored energy, and achieving power supply to direct-current loads (Figs. 1 & 2 page 2 paragraph 2 from the bottom and page 4 paragraphs 8-11, an energy storage device is connected at the DC port for flexibility of energy quantity control. The recited “to improve power supply flexibility and active power flow supportability to relieve a pressure in power supply capacity” and “a control flexibility of power supply in the transformer regions is further improved by a flexible charge-discharge ability of the energy storage device; moreover, the topology is beneficial for improving a new energy accepting ability, realizing continuous and combined supply of new energy and stored energy, and achieving power supply to direct-current loads” are merely intended use that does not bear patentability, see MPEP 2114 (II)).
GE in view of HUANG and WEN further teaches the energy storage device with a DC/DC converter (page 7 paragraph 1, the energy storage device with DC/DC converter for charging and discharging control of the energy storage device).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified HUANG and WEN to incorporate the teachings of GE because they all directed to grid operation control, to make the device wherein the energy storage device with a DC/DC converter. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do this modification for charging and discharging control of the energy storage device, as GE teaches in page 7 paragraph 1.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kuran US 20100327657 A1 teaches distributed Unified Power Flow Controller with elements and structure similar to direct-current flexible loop closing control device in claim 1.
YANG CN 109217346 B teaches back-to-back VSC-HVDC connecting power grids.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Michael Tang whose telephone number is (571)272-7437. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 7:30-4 EST.
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/M.T./ Examiner, Art Unit 2115
/PAUL B YANCHUS III/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2115 August 6, 2026
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