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 .
This non-final office action is responsive to Applicants' application filed on 06/25/24. Claims 1-14 are presented for examination and are pending for the reasons indicated herein below.
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 § 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 12-14 recites the limitation "The method". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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.
Claims 1-4,6-8 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yenduri et al. (US 20210126550 A1)
Regarding claim 1. Yenduri teaches a method [abstract] of controlling power supply [fig 5] equipment, comprising the steps of: (a) receiving alternating current (AC) electrical power at the power supply equipment [i.e. AC Supply]; (b) selecting a mode from the following possible modes: high power buck, high power boost, low power buck, or low power boost [Circuit can adjusts between low or high power modes, additionally switching frequency operates at a plurality of frequencies “>25 kHz” and the resonant frequency is between 2 kHz – 150 kHz, thus apply a switching frequency that is lower or higher relative to the resonant frequency yields higher or lower voltage outputs, thus, adjusting power. Claims 3-4 and ¶73-¶76]; (c) generating gate signals based on the selected mode [signals applied to mosfets]; and (d) providing the generated gate signals to switches included in the power supply equipment that rectify alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC) [function of rectifier mosfets to charge batteries, ¶80].
Regarding claim 2. Yenduri teaches the method recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of determining a gain value [resonance gain value] and generating an operation curve [i.e. gain curve of gain vs switching frequency] using the gain value.
Regarding claim 3. Yenduri teaches the method recited in claim 1, wherein the power supply equipment is a DC fast charger [fig 5 is interpreted as a fast charger].
Regarding claim 4. Yenduri teaches the method recited in claim 1, wherein the power supply equipment includes a matrix converter [fig 5 is a matrix converter].
Regarding claim 6. Yenduri teaches a method [abstract] of controlling power supply equipment [fig 5], comprising the steps of: (a) receiving alternating current (AC) electrical power [AC supply] at a primary group [primary side switches] of switches of the power supply equipment that is electrically coupled to a primary wire of a transformer [transformer of fig 5]; (b) determining a gain value [resonance gain value]; (c) determining an operating curve based on the gain value [i.e. gain curve of gain vs switching frequency]; (e) selecting a mode from the following possible modes: high power buck, high power boost, low power buck, or low power boost using an AC voltage value input at the primary circuit [Circuit can adjusts between low or high mode, additionally switching frequency operates at a plurality of frequencies >25 kHz and the resonant frequency is between 2 kHz – 150 kHz, thus apply a switching frequency that is lower or higher relative to the resonant frequency yields higher or lower voltage outputs. Claims 3-4 and ¶73-¶76]; and (f) controlling a secondary group of switches [secondary switches on secondary side of transformer] based on the selected mode.
Regarding claim 7. Yenduri teaches the method recited in claim 6, wherein the power supply equipment is a DC fast charger [fig 5 is interpreted as a fast charger].
Regarding claim 8. Yenduri teaches the method recited in claim 6, wherein the power supply equipment includes a matrix converter [fig 5 is a matrix converter] comprising the primary circuit and a secondary circuit electrically coupled via a transformer.
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 5, 9 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yenduri et al. (US 20210126550 A1) in view of Zhu et al. (US 20210408889 A1)
Regarding claims 5, 9. Yenduri teaches the method recited in claim 1. However, Yenduri does not explicitly mention a circuit further comprising the step of receiving gate timing at the switches from space vector modulation.
Zhu teaches further comprising the step of receiving gate timing at the switches from space vector modulation [¶92].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the features of Zhu in order to provide a circuit with lower harmonics, more efficient switching and better DC voltage headroom before saturation.
Claims 10-13 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yenduri et al. (US 20210126550 A1) in view of Stolt et al. (US 20150311814 A)
Regarding claim 10. Yenduri teaches a control system [fig 5] for controlling power supply equipment, the system comprising: a plurality of switches [mosfets on primary and secondary side of transformer] included with the power supply equipment;
the controller is configured to control the plurality of switches to receive alternating current (AC) electrical power at the power supply equipment; select a mode from the following possible modes: high power buck, high power boost, low power buck, or low power boost [Circuit can adjusts between low or high mode, additionally switching frequency operates at a plurality of frequencies >25 kHz and the resonant frequency is between 2 kHz – 150 kHz, thus apply a switching frequency that is lower or higher relative to the resonant frequency yields higher or lower voltage outputs. Claims 3-4 and ¶73-¶76]; generate gate signals based on the selected mode [signals applied to mosfets]; and provide the generated gate signals to the switches that rectify alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC) [function of rectifier mosfets to charge batteries, ¶80].
However, Yenduri does not explicitly mention a circuit comprising: one or more microprocessors, including memory storing computer executable instructions, wherein the one or more microprocessors are configured to control switches.
Stolt teaches a circuit comprising: one or more microprocessors [¶37], including memory storing computer executable instructions [inherent software in cache memory], wherein the one or more microprocessors are configured to control switches.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the features of Stolt in order to provide a digital control that is reconfigurable without hardware changes, which reduces maintenance cost.
Regarding claim 11. Yenduri as modified teaches the control system recited in claim 10, wherein the one or more microprocessors determine a gain value [resonance gain value] and generate an operation curve using the gain value [i.e. gain curve of gain vs switching frequency].
Regarding claim 12. Yenduri as modified teaches the method recited in claim 10, wherein the power supply equipment further comprises a DC fast charger [fig 5 is interpreted as a fast charger].
Regarding claim 13. Yenduri as modified teaches the method recited in claim 12, wherein the DC fast charger includes a matrix converter [fig 5 is a matrix converter].
Claim 14 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yenduri et al. (US 20210126550 A1) in view of Stolt et al. (US 20150311814 A) and further in view of Zhu et al. (US 20210408889 A1)
Regarding claim 14. Yenduri as modified teaches the method recited in claim 1. However, Yenduri as modified does not explicitly mention a circuit further comprising the step of receiving gate timing at the switches from space vector modulation.
Zhu teaches further comprising the step of receiving gate timing at the switches from space vector modulation [¶92].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the features of Zhu in order to provide a circuit with lower harmonics, more efficient switching and better DC voltage headroom before saturation.
Examiner Note
The examiner cites particular columns and lines numbers in the references as applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested that, in preparing responses, the applicant 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Bryan Perez whose telephone number is (571)272-8837. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon.-Fri. (7:30 – 5:00).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Crystal Hammond, can be reached on (571) 270-1682. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BRYAN R PEREZ/Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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