DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed 06/04/2024, 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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-6 and 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ishino (US 7,397,151).
Re claim 1, Ishino teaches a power supply device [Figs 1-3] having an automatic switching mechanism, including: a voltage regulator [20], wherein a power supply end of the voltage regulator [output of 20] is connected to a load [51-5n]; and a power converter [30], wherein a power supply end of the power converter [output of 30] is connected to the load and the power supply end of the voltage regulator; wherein, when the power converter supplies power to the load, the voltage regulator determines whether or not to also supply power to the load according to the power supplied by the power converter to the load [based on the CTR1 signal, Col 8, ln 16-19]; wherein no transistor or switching element is connected between the voltage regulator and the load [as shown in Fig 1]; and wherein no transistor or switching element is connected between the power converter and the load [as shown in Fig 1].
Re claim 2, Ishino teaches wherein the power converter includes a buck converter [as shown in Fig 3], a boost converter or a combination thereof.
Re claim 3, Ishino teaches wherein the voltage regulator is connected to a power supply [Vcc].
Re claim 4, Ishino teaches wherein the voltage regulator is coupled to a common voltage [Vo].
Re claim 5, Ishino teaches wherein the power converter is connected to the power supply [Vcc].
Re claim 6, Ishino teaches wherein the power converter is coupled to the common voltage [Vo].
Re claim 9, Ishino teaches wherein the voltage regulator includes [as shown in Fig 2]: an operational amplifier [22], wherein a first input end of the operational amplifier is coupled to a reference voltage [Vref1]; a transistor [21], wherein a control end of the transistor is connected to an output end of the operational amplifier [Fig 2], a first end of the transistor is connected to the power supply [Vcc], and a second end of the transistor is connected to the power supply end of the power converter [output of 30 via Lo] and connected to the load and the power supply end of the voltage regulator [Vo1 which is coupled to Vo in Fig 1]; and a voltage divider circuit [R1, R2, Fig 1], wherein an input end of the voltage divider circuit is connected to the power supply end of the power converter [connected to 30 via Lo], and an output end of the voltage divider circuit is connected to a second input end [Vfb9] of the operational amplifier and configured to divide the output voltage of the power converter to output a feedback voltage to the second input end of the operational amplifier [Col 7, ln 33-37].
Re claim 10, Ishino teaches wherein the voltage divider circuit includes: a first resistance [R1], wherein a first end of the first resistance is connected to the power supply end of the power converter; and a second resistance [R2], wherein a first end of the second resistance is connected to a second end of the first resistance, a second end of the second resistance is grounded, and a node [providing Vfb] between the first end of the second resistance and the second end of the first resistance is connected to the second input end of the operational amplifier [as shown in Fig 1].
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.
Claims 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishino in view of Marty (US 2013/0162233).
Re claim 7, Ishino teaches the limitations as applied to the claim above but does not teach when an output voltage of the power converter is not higher than a voltage threshold, the power converter and the voltage regulator simultaneously supply power to the load.
Marty teaches a device [Fig 1, 6] wherein when an output voltage [error signal based on the output voltage] of the power converter is not higher than a voltage threshold [lower than the predetermined range], the power converter and the voltage regulator simultaneously supply power to the load [paragraph 45, “If it is determined that the error signal is output of the predetermined range, the procedure 600 continues to step 616 in which the DC-DC converter provides the first current to the load and the linear regulator provides the second current to the load simultaneously.” See Fig 6]. It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the device of Ishino to include the features of Marty because it is used to provide effective regulation under both large and low drop-out voltage conditions, thus improving the utility of the device, which increases efficiency.
Re claim 8, Ishino teaches wherein, when the output voltage of the power converter is higher than the voltage threshold, the voltage regulator does not supply power to the load, and only the power converter supplies power to the load.
Marty teaches when the output voltage of the power converter is higher than the voltage threshold [higher than the low end of the predetermined range], the voltage regulator does not supply power to the load, and only the power converter supplies power to the load [paragraph 45, “If it is determined that the error signal is not outside of the predetermined range, the procedure 600 continues to step 614 in which the DC-DC converter provides the first current to the load and the linear regulator does not provide the second current to the load.” See Fig 6]. It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the device of Ishino to include the features of Marty because it is used to provide effective regulation under both large and low drop-out voltage conditions, thus improving the utility of the device, which increases efficiency.
Conclusion
Examiner's Note:
Examiner has cited particular columns and line numbers in the references applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed 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 on for proper interpretation and also to verify and ascertain the metes and bounds of the claimed invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LAKAISHA JACKSON whose telephone number is (571)270-3111. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8:00-5:00.
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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/LaKaisha Jackson/
Examiner, Art Unit 2838