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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The references listed in the Information Disclosure Statement filed on 03/27/2025 have been considered by the examiner (see attached PTO-1449 forms).
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 2 and 6-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Terdy et al. [US Patent Application Publication Number 2019/0002013 A1; “hereinafter “Terdy”].
Regarding claim 1, Terdy teaches a testing system, comprising:
a motor device (multi-phase electric motor – 0041); a driving device (inverter bridge – 0041, 0058); a peripheral device (DC link capacitor circuit - 0041); and
a testing device (monitoring circuit – 0041) (also rippling monitoring means - 0047), connected to the motor device, the driving device, and the peripheral device (see figures 1, 4 and 6 – 0041, 0048 and 0059),
wherein the testing device is configured to generate a plurality of testing parameters (ripple parameters and other parameters – 0051, 0052, 0053, 0054) for testing the motor device, the driving device, and the peripheral device, and
the testing device is configured to determine a testing state of each of the motor device, the driving device and the peripheral device (determining an operational state of a motor drive circuit – 0022, 0057).
Regarding claim 3, Terdy teaches a storage unit, connected to the testing device, and configured to store a specification of the motor device, a specification of the driving device, a specification of the peripheral device, a plurality of initial operating parameters and a plurality of testing control parameters (include a memory, which stores the or each ripple parameter – 0011, 0012, 0051, parameters stored - 0064).
Regarding claim 6, Terdy teaches the testing device is further configured to obtain a device identifier of each of the motor device, the driving device and the peripheral device, and the testing device is further configured to obtain a specification of the motor device, a specification of the driving device, and a specification of the peripheral device according to the device identifier of each of the motor device, the driving device and the peripheral device (parameters stored for each – 0064) (figure 7 shows specification of the fault capacitors in the DC link capacitor circuit – 0065).
Regarding claim 7, Terdy teaches when determining that a specification of the motor device does not match a specification of the driving device, the specification of the driving device does not match a specification of the peripheral device, initial operating parameters are not within the operating range, or testing control parameters are not within the safety range, the testing device is further configured to generate an error message (a fault being indicated if there is a match or close match - 0012).
Regarding claim 8, Terdy teaches when the testing device determines that the testing state of each of the motor device, the driving device and the peripheral device is a normal state, the testing device is configured to generate a testing completion message, and when the testing device determines that the testing state of each of the motor, the driving device and the peripheral device is an abnormal state, the testing device is configured to generate a testing abnormal message and activate a protection mechanism (a fault determination step S3, it is then decided whether there is a fault – figure 5, “output” – 0057, 0058) (figure 7, faulty capacitors are shown on a chart - 0065).
Regarding claim 9, Terdy teaches the driving device is an inverter (inverter bridge – 0041, 0058).
Regarding claim 10, Terdy teaches the peripheral device comprises a cooling device, a low-voltage device and a high-voltage device (power filter, DC link capacitor circuit - 0041) (various other parameters of the circuit - 0054) (0059, 0060).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claim 3 is objected to because the closest prior art, Terdy et al. [US 2019/0002013 A1], fails to anticipate or render obvious the testing device comprises: a determination module, configured to determine whether a specification of the motor device matches a specification of the driving device, determine whether the specification of the driving device matches a specification of the peripheral device, determine whether an initial operating parameter of each of the driving device and the peripheral device is within an operating range, and determine whether a testing control parameter of each of the driving device and the peripheral device is within a safety range, wherein when determining that the specification of the motor device matches the specification of the driving device, the specification of the driving device matches the specification of the peripheral device, the initial operating parameters are within the operating range and the testing control parameters are within the safety range, the determination module is configured to generate a determination completion signal; a testing parameter generating module, connected to the determination module, wherein the testing parameter generating module is configured to generate the plurality of testing parameters for testing the motor device, the driving device, and the peripheral device according to the determination completion signal, the initial operating parameters and the testing control parameters; and a monitoring module, wherein in a testing period, the monitoring module is configured to monitor and obtain a monitoring parameter of each of the motor device, the driving device and the peripheral device, and determine the testing state of each of the motor device, the driving device and the peripheral device according to the monitoring parameters, in combination with all other limitations in the claim(s) as defined by applicant.
Relevant Prior Art / Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Woerz et al. (US Patent Application Publication 2017/0053464 A1) discloses a method for diagnosing a state in a vehicle using a diagnostic testing device.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICKY GO whose telephone number is (571)270-3340. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Arleen M. Vazquez can be reached on (571) 272-2619. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RICKY GO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2857
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