DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of claims
Claims 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b).
Claims 11-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101.
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 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1, the phrase "i.e." (“i.e.” represents “in example”) renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Regarding claims 2-10, claims 2-10 are also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) because claims 2-10 depends on all claim limitations of claim 1.
Regarding claim 11, the phrase "i.e." (“i.e.” represents “in example”) renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Regarding claims 12-15, claims 12-15 are also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) because claims 2-10 depends on all claim limitations of claim 11.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 11-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter.
Regarding claim 11:
11. (Original) A method for automatically calculating a speed of a rotor, wherein the method for automatically calculating the speed of the rotor comprises at least:
1) respectively generating edge response signals for Hall signals of three phases, i.e. U, V and W;
2) counting a time difference between two adjacent jumps of the Hall signal of each phase respectively on the basis of the edge response signal for the Hall signal of each phase, so as to obtain a count value of each phase, and outputting a current count value; and
3) dividing an angle difference between the two adjacent jumps of the Hall signal by the current count value, so as to calculate a rotation speed of an electric motor.
Analysis Steps for claim 11:
Step 1: Is claim 11 claim to a process, machine, manufacture or composition of matter?
Yes, claim 11 recites a method which is within one of the 4 statutory categories the process, machine, manufacture or composition of matter.
Step 2a) Prong One: Does claim 11 recite an abstract idea, law of nature, or natural phenomenon?
Yes, claim 11 recites “counting a time difference between two adjacent jumps of the Hall signal of each phase respectively on the basis of the edge response signal for the Hall signal of each phase, so as to obtain a count value of each phase, and outputting a current count value” that is mathematical processing may be performed by human mental activity through pen and paper; therefore, mathematical processing with human mental activity is abstract idea.
Yes, claim 11 recites “dividing an angle difference between the two adjacent jumps of the Hall signal by the current count value, so as to calculate a rotation speed of an electric motor” that is mathematical processing may be performed by human mental activity through pen and paper; therefore, mathematical processing with human mental activity is abstract idea.
Step 2a) Prong Two: Does claim 11 recite additional element that integrate the Judicial Exception into a Practical Application?
No, claim 11 recites additional elements “respectively generating edge response signals for Hall signals of three phases, i.e. U, V and W” that is generally extra-solution activity a merely data preparation step for further process which does not integrate the Judicial Exception into a Practical Application because the additional elements do not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract ideas.
No, claim 11 recites additional element “automatically” which may be performed by a general computer having general processor and memory components which does not integrate the Judicial Exception into a Practical Application because the additional element do not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract ideas.
Step 2b): Does claim 11 recite additional elements that amount to significantly more than the Judicial Exception?
No, when considering claim 11 as a whole, generating edge response signals and having automation capability (by using a general computer) does not amount to significantly more than judicial exception. There are no additional elements recited in the claim beyond the abstract ideas.
Therefore, claim 11 is not eligible subject matter under 35 U.S.C. 101.
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Regarding claim 12, claim 2 is directed to general extra-solution activity; therefore, it is analogously rejected as in in claim 11 where it does not recite additional elements that integrate the claimed abstract ideas into a practical application.
Regarding claim 13, claim 13 is analogously rejected as in claim 11 where claim 13 is direct to mathematical processing activies may be performed by human mental activity through pen and paper; therefore, mathematical processing with human mental activity is abstract idea.
Regarding claims 14-15, claims 14-15 are directed to general extra-solution activities; therefore, it is analogously rejected as in in claim 11 where they do not recite additional elements that integrate the claimed abstract ideas into a practical application.
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding independent claim 1, the cited and/or searched prior arts either singularly or in combination fail to teaches all the limitations of independent claim 1, in particular the claim limitation of “a division module, which is connected to an output terminal of the counting module, configured to divide an angle difference between the two adjacent jumps of the Hall signal by the current count value, so as to obtain a rotation speed of an electric motor”; therefore, independent claim 1 contains allowable subject matter.
Claims 11-15 are objected to as being dependent upon the 35 U.S.C. 101 rejection of claims 11-15 and 35 U.S.C. 112(b) rejection, but would be allowable if the 35 U.S.C. 101 rejection of claims 11-15 and 35 U.S.C. 112(b) rejection are properly overcome without broadening the scopes of claims 11-15.
Prior Art of Record
The prior art made of record is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yamamoto et al. (US 2005/0275362) teaches “controller 405 inputs the error signal from the error amplifier 6, and outputs the highest potential and the lowest potential of the sine-wave driving voltage to the highest potential line 410 and the lowest potential line 411, respectively. The controller 405 also inputs the rotor position signal and the phase difference signal, and outputs the phase signals of the first phase, the second phase, and the third phase corresponding to each phase of the driving voltage to the control terminals 417, 418, and 419 of the switches 407, 408, and 409, respectively. The resistance connection body 406 divides the voltage between the voltage of the highest potential line 410 and the voltage of the lowest potential line 411 to generate the voltage at various phases of a quasi-sine-wave voltage signal in which the two voltage values serve as upper and lower peaks, and outputs the voltage to each contact of the switches 407, 408, and 409. A function of the voltage that is formed by a group of the voltages input to each contact of switches 407, 408, and 409 is hereinafter referred as a "voltage profile". In this Embodiment, the voltage profile is quasi-sine-wave voltage. The voltage profile may be a waveform shown in FIG. 3, for example. The switches 407, 408, and 409 switch the contacts in accordance with the phase signals of the first phase, the second phase, and the third phase that are input to the control terminal of each switch. Then the switches 407, 408, and 409 output each voltage that is input to each contact in turn, and generate sine-wave driving voltages of the first phase, the second phase, and the third phase, respectively” (e.g. 5, [0076]).
Gu et la. (US 2013/0264978) teaches “motor position and velocity detecting system 200 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be configured to include a hall sensor 210 outputting hall signals from rotation of a motor; an edge detector 220 detecting edge signals for the hall signals to output edge pulse signals; a peak detector 230 detecting peak signals for the hall signals to output peak pulse signals; a comparator 270 connected to the hall sensor 210 and outputting reference pulse signals for the hall signals; a position outputter 240 connected to the edge detector 220, the peak detector 230, and the comparator 270 and outputting a position of the motor, and a velocity outputter 250 connected to the edge detector 220, the peak detector 230, and the comparator 270 and outputting a velocity of the motor.
Lee et al. (US 11,671,036) teaches “driving module may include a driving circuit 300 supplying a power for driving the motor to the coil units 122, and a controller 200 rotating the rotor by switching the driving circuit and performing switching so that the power being supplied from the driving circuit 300 to the coil units 122 forms a sine wave. Here, the controller 200 may be implemented as firmware operating on a driving/control IC, software, logic element connection, or digital/analog control circuit, and is used as the concept including all of them” (e.g. 2A, column 5: lines 59-67).
Suzuki (US 2016/0056692) teaches “a hall sensor 12B detects the magnetic field of a sensor magnet or the rotor magnet 12A mounted coaxially with the shaft 16. A microcomputer 32 detects the rotation speed and position (rotary position) of the rotor 12 based on the magnetic field detected by the hall sensor 12B, and performs control of the switching of the inverter circuit 40 in accordance with the rotation speed and the rotary position of the rotor 12. In addition, while not shown in FIG. 2, the hall sensor 12B includes a hall sensor U, a hall sensor V and a hall sensor W, which detect the magnetic field of the rotor magnet 12A or the sensor magnet corresponding to the U phase coil 14U, the V phase coil 14V and the W phase coil 14W of the stator 14, respectively. the hall sensor U, the hall sensor V and the hall sensor W are respectively mounted, for example, at intervals of 120° around a base part of the shaft 16” (fig. 2, [0038]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HAIDONG ZHANG whose telephone number is (571)270-5815. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Huy Phan can be reached on (571) 272-7924. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HAIDONG ZHANG/Examiner, Art Unit 2858
/ALVARO E FORTICH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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