DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
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 –
(b) the invention was patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country or in public use or on sale in this country, more than one year prior to the date of application for patent in the United States.
Claims 1-5 & 6-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(b) as being anticipated by Hadar (US 2010/0139734).
With regard to claims 1-4 & 6-10, Hadar, in Figures 1 & 3, discloses a system (100 of Fig. 1) comprising: first circuitry (104(1) of Fig. 1) comprising a first pair of switches (322 & 316 of Fig. 3) connected to each other at a first node (308); second circuitry (104(2)) comprising a second pair of switches connected to each other at a second node (each of the circuitry of Fig. 1 comprises a separate set of switches 322 & 316 of Fig. 3); third circuitry (104(3)) comprising a third pair of switches (each of the circuitry of Fig. 1 comprises a separate set of switches 322 & 316 of Fig. 3) connected to each other at a third node; wherein the first circuitry, the second circuitry, and the third circuitry are connected to each other in a series string (as seen in Fig. 1); a first photovoltaic panel (102(1) of Fig. 1) connected to the first pair of switches (as seen in Fig. 3 all of the circuitry 104 is coupled in series with each other); a switch controller (312 of Fig. 3) configured to: control the first pair of switches in a first mode of operation to connect the first PV panel with the second circuitry (paragraph 0032 teaches that the switch 216, which is the same as switch 316 as taught in paragraph 0035 opens and closes to connect and disconnect the PV panel to the power bus) and the third circuitry in the series string, and control the first pair of switches in a second mode of operation to disconnect the first PV panel from the series string and enable a bypass of the first PV panel (paragraph 0036) (re claim 1), further comprising a diode (320 of Fig. 3) connected to the first pair of switches (re claim 2), further comprising a central unit (106 of Fig. 1) connected to the series string, wherein the central unit is configured to send a signal to the switch controller (as taught in paragraph 0031, central controller 106 sends signals to the controllers 312 via communications channel 314) (re claim 3), wherein the switch controller is configured to control the first pair of switches based on the signal (paragraph 0020) (re claim 4), wherein the signal comprises a wireless signal (paragraph 0018) (re claim 6), wherein the switch controller is connected to the first node (via line 330 of Fig. 3) (re claim 7), further comprising a second PV panel (102(2) of Fig. 2) connected to the second pair of switches and a third PV panel (102(3) of Fig. 2) connected to the third pair of switches (re claim 8), wherein in the first mode of operation the switch controller is configured to control a string current to flow through the first PV panel, the second PV panel, and the third PV panel (in the first mode of operation, switch 316 of each circuitry 304 would be closed as taught in paragraph 0035, causing current to flow through all three PV panels) (re claim 9), wherein in the second mode of operation the switch controller is configured to control a string current to flow through the second PV panel and the third PV panel and bypass the first PV panel (as taught in paragraph 0036) (re claim 10).
With regard to claims 11-19, Hadar, in Figures 1 & 3, discloses an apparatus (100 of Fig. 1) comprising: first circuitry (104(1) of Fig. 1) comprising a first pair of switches (322 & 316 of Fig. 3) connected to each other at a first node (308), wherein the first pair of switches is configured to connect to a first photovoltaic (PV) panel (102(1) of Fig. 1), wherein the first circuitry is configured to connect in a series string (as seen in Fig. 3 all of the circuitry 104 is coupled in series with each other) to a second circuitry (104(2)) and a third circuitry (104(3)), wherein the second circuitry comprises a second pair of switches connected to each other at a second node (each of the circuitry of Fig. 1 comprises a separate set of switches 322 & 316 of Fig. 3), and wherein the third circuitry comprises a third pair of switches connected to each other at a third node (each of the circuitry of Fig. 1 comprises a separate set of switches 322 & 316 of Fig. 3); and a switch controller (312 of Fig. 3) configured to: control the first pair of switches in a first mode of operation to connect the first PV panel with the second circuitry and the third circuitry in the series string (paragraph 0032 teaches that the switch 216, which is the same as switch 316 as taught in paragraph 0035 opens and closes to connect and disconnect the PV panel to the power bus), and control the first pair of switches in a second mode of operation to disconnect the first PV panel from the series string and enable a bypass of the first PV panel (paragraph 0036) (re claim 11), further comprising a diode (320 of Fig. 3) connected to the first pair of switches (re claim 12), wherein the switch controller is configured to receive a signal from a central unit (106 of Fig. 1) connected to the series string (as taught in paragraph 0031, central controller 106 sends signals to the controllers 312 via communications channel 314) (re claim 13), wherein the switch controller is configured to control the first pair of switches based on the signal (paragraph 0020) (re claim 14), wherein the signal comprises a power line communications (PLC) signal or a wireless signal (paragraph 0018 teaches that the signal can be a wireless signal) (re claim 15), wherein the switch controller is connected to the first node (via line 330 of Fig. 3) (re claim 16), wherein the second pair of switches is configured to connect to a second PV panel (102(2) of Fig. 2), and the third pair of switches is configured to connect to a third PV panel (102(3) of Fig. 2) (re claim 17), wherein in the first mode of operation the switch controller is configured to control a string current to flow through the first PV panel, the second PV panel, and the third PV panel (in the first mode of operation, switch 316 of each circuitry 304 would be closed as taught in paragraph 0035, causing current to flow through all three PV panels) (re claim 18), wherein in the second mode of operation the switch controller is configured to control a string current to flow through the second PV panel and the third PV panel and bypass the first PV panel (as taught in paragraph 0036) (re claim 19).
With regard to claim 20, Hadar, in Figures 1 & 3, discloses a system comprising: a plurality of circuits(104(1)-104(3)), each circuit comprising a pair of switches (as taught in paragraph 0036) connected to each other, wherein each circuit of the plurality of circuits is connected together in a series string (as seen in Fig. 3 all of the circuitry 104 is coupled in series with each other); and a first photovoltaic (PV) panel (102(1) of Fig. 1) connected to a first circuit (104(1)) of the plurality of circuits, wherein the first circuit comprises a pair of switches (322 & 316 of Fig. 3) and a switch controller (312 of Fig. 3) configured to: control the pair of switches to connect the first PV panel in the series string (paragraph 0032 teaches that the switch 216, which is the same as switch 316 as taught in paragraph 0035 opens and closes to connect and disconnect the PV panel to the power bus), and control the pair of switches to disconnect the first PV panel from the series string and enable a bypass of the first PV panel (paragraph 0036).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Hadar in view of Adest (US 2009/0146667).
With regard to claim 5, Hadar teaches the system of claim 3.
Hadar does not teach that the signal comprises a power line communications (PLC) signal.
Adest, in Figure 11, teaches a protection system for a photovoltaic panel wherein a signal is provided to turn on switches in circuitry (paragraph 0033)..It is further taught that the signal can comprise a wireless signal as taught by Hadar or that the signal can comprise a power line communications signal (paragraph 0033).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to combine the teachings of Hadar with Adest, by using a PLC signal instead of a wireless signal, for the purpose of providing a signal that is reliable and has a greater distance than a wireless signal and is not blocked by walls.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SCOTT BAUER whose telephone number is (571)272-5986. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 12pm - 8pm EST.
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/Scott Bauer/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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