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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 11-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 05/18/2026.
Claims 1-10 (Group I) are pending for examination.
Claim Objections
Claim 2 is objected to because they include reference characters (DC and BLDC) which are not enclosed within parentheses.
Reference characters corresponding to elements recited in the detailed description of the drawings and used in conjunction with the recitation of the same element or group of elements in the claims should be enclosed within parentheses so as to avoid confusion with other numbers or characters which may appear in the claims. See MPEP § 608.01(m).
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 1-10 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding to Claim 1, the claim recites that “…the control unit determines and a type of the motor by using at least one switch from among the plurality of unit switches and a current flowing through the first resistor...”, however, it is not clear how the control unit determines a type of the motor by using at least one switch from among the plurality of unit switches, whether if it is referring to the corresponding one phase (only) by using the at least one switch to turn on/off of the switches to determine the type of the motor without using the other switches? It is silent on the status of the other phases if the at least one switch is the only switch used to determine the type of the motor. As best understood, in light of the specification, in order for the control unit to determine the type of the motor as shown by at least [0048] of the instant application publication US 2025/0088127 A1, “…to detect the type of motor (300) connected to the switching unit (100), the control unit (400) may turn on the second upper switch (112), the first lower switch (121), and the third lower switch (123), wherein the current flowing in the first lower switch (121), the third lower switch 123, and the first resistor 200 can be used…” Appropriate clarification/amendment is needed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure (US 10,333,435 B2: A motor control module provides control of a plurality of different motor types, such as a 1-phase DC Brush motor, a 3-phase brushless DC motor, and a 2-phase step motor. The module includes a digital amplifier that is configurable to drive the plurality of different motor types. A motor control unit, coupled to the digital amplifier, controls a motor type driven by the digital amplifier via a command signal to the digital amplifier. The motor control unit also monitors status information about the motor control module, including status information about the digital amplifier. A motor coil interface is coupled to the digital amplifier and configured to connect with the plurality of different motor types- see [Abstract])
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GABRIEL T AGARED whose telephone number is (571)270-1981. The examiner can normally be reached 8-5 (Mon- Thur).
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/GABRIEL AGARED/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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