CTNF 18/806,447 CTNF 90514 DETAILED ACTION This action is responsive to the following communications: Application filed on August 15, 2024. Claims 1-6 are presented for Examination. Claim 1, and 6 are independent. Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 07-30-01 AIA The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. Claim 1 recites "two to N pieces of AD converters" where N denotes "an integer of three or more." The specification does not provide adequate written description for the full scope of this limitation. While the specification describes embodiments with 2, 3, and specific configurations of AD converters, it does not provide sufficient description to support the broad range of "N pieces" where N can be any integer of three or more. The disclosure only shows specific examples with N=3 (three-phase motor) and does not demonstrate possession of the invention for arbitrary N. Claim 5 recites "the signal processing device is applied to a motor drive inverter to a motor to drive the motor." The specification primarily describes application to a three-phase motor system and does not provide adequate written description for application to all types of motors and drive inverters. The disclosure lacks sufficient detail to show possession of the invention for the full scope of motor types and drive configurations encompassed by this limitation. 07-30-02 AIA 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. 07-34-01 AIA Claim s 1-6 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention. Claim 1 recited limitations of "N pieces of current paths connected to a connection point of a closed circuit" is indefinite. The term "closed circuit" is not clearly defined in the context of the claim, and it is unclear whether this refers to a physical electrical closed circuit or a theoretical circuit model. The specification uses Kirchhoff's law principles but does not clearly define the structural requirements of the "closed circuit" limitation. Claim 1 recited limitations of "a current sum value as a sum of the N pieces of the converted signals corresponding to currents flowing in and out of the connection point" is indefinite. The phrase "corresponding to currents flowing in and out of the connection point" lacks clear antecedent basis and creates ambiguity about what specific currents are being referenced. It is unclear whether this refers to actual physical currents or calculated values derived from the converted signals. Claim 1 recited limitations of "the total number of channels to which the sensor signals are input is N+1 to 2N-1." This limitation is indefinite because it creates ambiguity about whether the range is inclusive or exclusive of the endpoints. The specification does not clarify this numerical range limitation. Claim 6 recited limitations of "a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program" but fails to clearly define the structural relationship between the storage medium and the signal processing device. It is unclear whether the claim encompasses the storage medium alone or requires the combination with the signal processing device. Appropriate correction is requested. Since the independent claims 1 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) and hence the dependent claims of 1 and 6 are also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b). Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-15 AIA Claim s 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102( a)(1 ) as being anticipated by Nakai (US 2015/0323606 A1) . Regarding independent claim 1 , Nakai discloses a sensor output determination apparatus for evaluating analog outputs of multiple sensors: Nakai discloses a signal processing device (phase current detection IC 50; Fig. 8, [0056]) for analog-to-digital converting a plurality of sensor signals input from current sensors provided for N pieces of current paths connected to a connection point of a closed circuit (current sensors 61, 62, 63 detect currents in U, V, and W-phase cables Cu, Cv, Cw of three-phase motor 11; N=3; [0055]) Nakai discloses two to N pieces of AD converters provided independently of one another and each having at least one channel to which the sensor signal is input (A/D converters 51; Fig. 9, [0060]) Nakai discloses that in the two to N pieces of the AD converters, a total number of channels to which the sensor signal is input is N to 2N-1 (3 channels for the 3 phases, N=3; [0060]) Nakai discloses that at least one kind of the sensor signal out of N kinds of sensor signals output from the current sensors is input to each of the AD converters ([0060]) Nakai discloses an abnormality determination unit calculating a current sum value as a sum of the N pieces of the converted signals corresponding to currents flowing in and out of the connection point with respect to the converted signals output from the AD converters (three phase sum abnormality determination section 53 calculates sum of current values Iud, Ivd, Iwd; [0062]) Nakai discloses that when an absolute value of the current sum value is greater than a determination threshold, determining that any of channels of any of the AD converters is abnormal (determines if the sum is outside the normal range bounded by threshold th2L and th2H, setting the abnormality flag Dt if exceeded; [0069]-[0070]) Regarding Claim 2 ,Nakai discloses that in the two to N pieces of the AD converters, the total number of channels to which the sensor signals are input is N (3 channels for 3 phases), and N kinds of the sensor signals are respectively input to two or more pieces of the AD converters without being overlapped (each phase current sensor signal input to only one respective AD converter; Fig. 9, [0060]). Regarding Claim 4,Nakai discloses N pieces of the AD converters (three independent A/D converters 51), and total N pieces of the sensor signals of N kinds are respectively input to the N pieces of the AD converters ([0060]). Regarding Claim 5, Nakai discloses that the signal processing device is applied to a motor drive inverter to a motor to drive the motor (inverter 12 drives motor 11; [0025]-[0027]), and the current sensor detects a phase current passed to a current path connected to any of phase windings of the motor (current sensors 61, 62, 63 detect phase currents; [0055]). Regarding Independent claim 6, Nakai discloses a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program, the program causing the signal processing device to calculate a current sum value and determine abnormalities as described for claim 1 (controller 13 comprising a microcomputer including CPU, ROM, and RAM executes programs; [0032], [0062]-[0070]) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakai (US 2015/0323606 A1) in view of Suzuki et al. (US 2019/0190423 A1) . Regarding claim 3, Nakai discloses the limitations of claim 1 as discussed above, including calculating a current sum value and determining abnormalities when the absolute value exceeds a threshold. However, Nakai does not explicitly disclose that in the two to N pieces of the AD converters, the total number of channels to which the sensor signals are input is N+1 to 2N-1, where at least one kind of the sensor signal is commonly input to two or more pieces of the AD converters, and the abnormality determination unit compares a plurality of current sum values calculated by a plurality of combinations of the converted signals to estimate a channel in the AD converter which is abnormal. Suzuki et al. teaches a control device for power conversion in electric motors that includes redundant current detection systems. Specifically, Suzuki et al. discloses:Multiple acquisition systems (motor controller 20 and torque monitor 30) that acquire electric current measurements from detectors in distinct cycles ([0038]-[0040])A prioritization system for acquisition requests from both systems to ensure synchronization in data collection ([0043]-[0045]) Redundant current detection where at least one current sensor signal is commonly input to multiple processing channels for reliability and abnormality detection ([0052]-[0054]). A comparison mechanism between calculated values from different acquisition cycles to identify abnormalities and estimate specific faulty components ([0062]-[0065]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Nakai's system to incorporate Suzuki et al.'s redundant current detection and comparison mechanism. This combination would provide improved reliability and fault isolation capabilities by allowing the system to not only detect that an abnormality exists, but also identify which specific AD converter channel or sensor is malfunctioning. The motivation for this modification would be to enhance system safety and reliability in critical applications such as electric vehicle motor control, as recognized by Suzuki et al. ([0008]-[0009]). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MUHAMMAD S ISLAM whose telephone number is (571)272-8439. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30am to 6:00pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eduardo Colon-Santana can be reached on 571-272-2060. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /MUHAMMAD S ISLAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2846 Application/Control Number: 18/806,447 Page 2 Art Unit: 2837 Application/Control Number: 18/806,447 Page 3 Art Unit: 2837 Application/Control Number: 18/806,447 Page 4 Art Unit: 2837 Application/Control Number: 18/806,447 Page 5 Art Unit: 2837 Application/Control Number: 18/806,447 Page 6 Art Unit: 2837 Application/Control Number: 18/806,447 Page 8 Art Unit: 2837 Application/Control Number: 18/806,447 Page 9 Art Unit: 2837 Application/Control Number: 18/806,447 Page 10 Art Unit: 2837
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