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
Figures 1 and 2 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. 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 1-15 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.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the control device" in line 11. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purposes of examination, the limitation has been treated as “a control device.” Claims 2-15 are rejected merely for being dependent on claim 1.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 7, 9, 14 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP2020018101A (cited in the Information Disclosure Statement filed August 26, 2024, hereafter ‘101).
Claim 1: ‘101 teaches a driving circuit (Figure 1) which is operable to drive a first semiconductor switching element (2) including a first terminal (D), a second terminal (S), and a control terminal (G), the driving circuit comprising:
a driving voltage generation unit (651, 652) configured to supply a driving voltage to the control terminal (voltage at G) so as to change over between on and off state of the first semiconductor switching element ([0033]-[0036]);
a comparator (63; [0030]) configured to compare a voltage between the first terminal and the second terminal (voltage at the node between 611 and 612) with a threshold voltage (predetermined threshold; [0030]); and
a driving signal generation unit (650, 655, 656) configured to generate a driving signal to be inputted to the driving voltage generation unit (output to 651 and 652) on a basis of an output of the comparator (via 63) and a first control signal (input to 650) which is generated by a control device (inherent circuitry that generates the input to 650) to control switching of the first semiconductor switching element ([0041]).
Claim 2: ‘101 further teaches that the driving signal generation unit includes a first OR circuit (656; Figure 2) to which an output of the comparator (63) and the first control signal (via 650) are inputted and which outputs the driving signal (to 651 and 652).
Claim 7: ‘101 further teaches a voltage detection unit (4, 611, 612; Figure 2) configured to detect a voltage between the first terminal and the second terminal (connected between D and S), wherein the comparator is configured to compare a detected voltage as a detection result by the voltage detection unit with a reference voltage corresponding to the threshold voltage ([0030]).
Claim 9: ‘101 further teaches that the voltage detection unit has a voltage-dividing resistor (611, 612; Figure 2) connected between the first terminal and the second terminal.
Claim 14: ‘101 teaches a driving system comprising (Figure 2):
the driving circuit according to claim 1 (see above); and
the control device (inherent circuitry that generates the control signal to 650).
Claim 15: ‘101 teaches a power conversion device (Figure 2) comprising:
the driving system according to claim 14 (see above); and
a half bridge (1 and 2; Figure 2) including the first semiconductor switching element (2).
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, 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.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘101.
Claim 10: ‘101 teaches the limitations of claim 1 above. ‘101 further teaches a half bridge including the first semiconductor switching element (1 and 2; Figure 2). ‘101 does not specifically teach a threshold voltage set on a basis of a DC voltage applied to a half bridge. However, the selection of a threshold voltage set on a basis of a DC voltage applied to a half bridge for the driving circuit would have been chosen to ensure an optimal performance of the circuit. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to select a threshold voltage set on a basis of a DC voltage applied to a half bridge when employing the driving circuit of ‘101 to maximize the overall performance of the driving circuit. Furthermore, such a provision of selecting a specific voltage involves only routine design expedient.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-6, 8 and 11-13 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.
Regarding claim 3, the prior art does not fairly teach or suggest the driving signal generation unit includes: an inverter so configured that a second control signal operable to control switching of a second semiconductor switching element connected to the first terminal or the second terminal of the first semiconductor switching element is inputted to the inverter; an AND circuit so configured that an output of the comparator and an output of the inverter are inputted to the AND circuit; and a second OR circuit to which the first control signal and an output of the AND circuit are inputted and which outputs the driving signal. Moon et al. (U.S. Patent 11,303,217, hereafter Moon) teaches a detection circuit (Figure 4) comprising a comparator (400) and an AND circuit (410). Moon does not specifically teach an inverter or second OR circuit.
Regarding claim 4, the prior art does not fairly teach or suggest a hold circuit configured to hold an output signal of high level with a rising edge of an output of the comparator used as a trigger and to reset the output signal to low level with a rising edge of a second control signal operable to control switching of a second semiconductor switching element connected to the first terminal or the second terminal of the first semiconductor switching element; and a third OR circuit to which the first control signal and the output signal are inputted. Sterna et al. (U.S. Patent 11,799,469, hereafter Sterna) teaches a comparator circuit (411; Figure 4) coupled to a hold circuit (431). Sterna does not teach resetting the output signal to low level with a rising edge of a second control signal operable to control switching of a second semiconductor switching element.
Claim 5 is objected to merely for being dependent on claim 4.
Regarding claim 6, the prior art does not fairly teach or suggest an inverter so configured that a second control signal operable to control switching of a second semiconductor switching element connected to the first terminal or the second terminal of the first semiconductor switching element is inputted to the inverter; an AND circuit so configured that an output of the comparator and an output of the inverter are inputted to the AND circuit; a hold circuit configured to hold an output signal of high level with a rising edge of an output of the AND circuit used as a trigger and to reset the output signal to low level with a rising edge of the second control signal with a rising edge of the second control signal used as a trigger; and a third OR circuit to which the first control signal and the output signal are inputted.
Regarding claim 8, the prior art does not fairly teach or suggest a diode having a cathode connectable to a first terminal of the first semiconductor switching element; a first resistor having a first terminal connectable to an application terminal of a power supply voltage; and a second resistor having a first terminal connectable to a first node at which an anode of the diode and a second terminal of the first resistor are connected together. ‘101 teaches a diode (4) connected to a first and second resistor (611, 612), but does not teach a second resistor having a first terminal connectable to a first node at which an anode of the diode and the second terminal of the first resistor are connected together.
Regarding claim 11, the prior art does not fairly teach or suggest a voltage-dividing resistor operable to divide the DC voltage for setting of the threshold voltage.
Claims 12 and 13 are objected to merely for being dependent on claim 11.
Conclusion
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/C.J.O/Examiner, Art Unit 2849
/RYAN JOHNSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2849