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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, a controller as claimed in claim 9 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 - 13 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.
As to claim 1, applicant is claiming a method for detecting arcing in an inverter, … the inverter comprising an inverter circuit and at least one DC/DC conversion circuit. Further applicant claims “stopping outputting a control signal to a first DC/DC conversion circuit…and operating other DC/DC conversion circuit”. It is unclear how is this feature to be interpreted for an inverter with only one DC/DC conversion circuit. Further, applicant is claiming “determining that no arc fault occurs” however, no steps for determining the step that no arc fault occurs in the claim. It appears that applicant attempts to claim the subject matter in terms of the result to be achieved, without providing the technical features or steps necessary for achieving this result.
As to claim 8, applicant is claiming the limitation determining that an arc fault occurs. However, no steps for determining the step that an arc fault occurs in the claim. It appears that applicant attempts to claim the subject matter in terms of the result to be achieved, without providing the technical features or steps necessary for achieving this result.
As to claim 9, applicant is claiming “determining that no arc fault occurs” however, no steps for determining the step that no arc fault occurs in the claim. It appears that applicant attempts to claim the subject matter in terms of the result to be achieved, without providing the technical features or steps necessary for achieving this result.
Claims 5 and 12 recites the limitation "the finally measured current" in line 12. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 2 – 7 and 12 - 13 are rejected by virtue of their dependency on claim 1.
Claims 10 - 11 are rejected by virtue of their dependency on claim 9.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by LIU et al. (EP4148987).
As to claim 1, LIU et al. (hereinafter LIU) discloses a photovoltaic system, inverter, and direct current electric arc detection method for detecting arcing [0001], applied to an inverter (Fig. 7), wherein the inverter comprises an inverter circuit (300b) and at least one direct current to direct current (DC/DC) conversion circuit (300a1, 300a2) connected to a direct-current side of the inverter circuit, and the method comprises: stopping outputting a control signal to a first DC/DC conversion circuit (“confirmation” first for 300a1, Fig. 7, [0015], “point A”, [0061] and [0093]) that is currently being suspected of having an electric arc, and operating other DC/DC conversion circuits connected to the inverter circuit normally; decreasing a voltage (Fig. 4 and 5), “decrease voltage” to point B; [0094] at a power supply side of the first DC/DC conversion circuit immediately after a first preset period of time elapsed; and determining that no arc fault occurs, and restoring the voltage at the power supply side of the first DC/DC conversion circuit to a first voltage that the first DC/DC conversion circuit receives before the stopping outputting the control signal, if a current at the power supply side is greater than or equal to a first preset current during the decreasing the voltage ([0035], [0036], [0038], [0061], [0093] - [0095], Fig. 4 and 7).
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As to claim 9, LIU discloses a photovoltaic system, inverter, and direct current electric arc detection comprising a controller (500); an inverter circuit (300b), wherein an alternating-current side of the inverter circuit serves as an alternating-current side of the inverter and is configured to connect at least one of a power grid (500) and an alternating-current load; and at least one direct current to direct current (DC/DC) conversion circuit (I-1), wherein a power supply side of the DC/DC conversion circuit (300a1) serves as an interface at a direct-current side of the inverter (300b) and is configured to connect at least one direct-current power supply (300I-1), and a bus side of the DC/DC conversion circuit is connected to a direct-current side of the inverter circuit through a direct-current bus, wherein the controller (500) is configured to control the inverter circuit and the DC/DC conversion circuit (I-1) to perform a method for detecting arcing, wherein the method comprises: stopping outputting a control signal to a first DC/DC conversion circuit (“confirmation” first for 300a1, Fig. 7, [0015], “point A”, [0061] and [0093]) that is currently being suspected of having an electric arc, and operating other DC/DC conversion circuits connected to the inverter circuit normally; decreasing a voltage (Fig. 4 and 5), “decrease voltage” to point B; [0094] at a power supply side of the first DC/DC conversion circuit immediately after a first preset period of time elapsed; and determining that no arc fault occurs, and restoring the voltage at the power supply side of the first DC/DC conversion circuit to a first voltage that the first DC/DC conversion circuit receives before the stopping outputting the control signal, if a current at the power supply side is greater than or equal to a first preset current during the decreasing the voltage ([0035], [0036], [0038], [0061], [0093] - [0095], Fig. 4 and 7).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 – 7 and 10 - 13 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Prior Art of Record
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant s disclosure.
Yoscovich et al. (11,489,330) is cited for its disclosure of an arc detection and prevention in a power generation system.
ZHU et al. (20180062379) is cited for its disclosure of a photovoltaic power generation system and method for shutting down the same.
Adest et al. (20170294780) is cited for its disclosure of system and method for protection during inverter shutdown in distributed power installations.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to REENA AURORA whose telephone number is (571)272-2263. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8:00AM-5:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lee Rodak can be reached at 5712705628. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/REENA AURORA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858