DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is in response to the application filed on 18 November 2024.
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 certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 18 November 2024. These drawings are acceptable.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or non-obviousness.
Claims 1-10;12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sjöberg (US 2016/0056654 A1; “hereinafter “Sjöberg”).
In re claim 1, Sjöberg discloses a multi-level converter (Figs. 1-2, 5-8), comprising: a capacitor (C, UCell, 48), a resistor (R1, R2), a first switch (52) actuated, a second switch ([0008]: a short-circuiting wire configured to be moved along while in sliding contact with the connection terminals of the capacitors) actuated ([0054]: If the voltage was below the discharge threshold Uth, step 64, movement is continued, step 69, through the voltage evaluating unit 50 controlling the motor 50 to continue moving and thereby the short-circuiting wire 30a is continued to be pulled) by a motor-drive unit (54); wherein the first switch in a closed state connects the capacitor to the resistor ([0053]: the voltage evaluating unit 50 controlling the switch 52 to interconnect the probing section 42 with the resistor R2. This causes the discharging resistor R2 to be connected to ground in parallel with the capacitor C. and thus the capacitor C is discharged) and short-circuits said capacitor ([0053]: first and the second connection terminals 44 and 46 of the capacitor C will be electrically connected to the outer conductor 45 of the short-circuiting section SCS so that the capacitor C is short-circuited, step 70); the second switch in the closed state connects the capacitor to a ground potential (shown in Figs. 6-7, in a closed state).
Sjöberg does not disclose a first switch is actuated by a motor drive.
However, Sjöberg disclose a switch that is actuated by a motor drive.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the first switch of Sjöberg such that a first switch is actuated by a motor drive as shown by Sjöberg. The selection would be a routine matter to the person of ordinary skill in the art to increase control, as taught by Sjöberg, cited above.
In re claim 2, Sjöberg discloses a multi-level converter (see above rejection and Figs. 1, 7), wherein a switch comprises a first and a second contact tooth; the first and the second contact tooth are electrically conductively connected to the resistor; the first contact tooth, the resistor and the second contact tooth form an electrical series connection.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the first switch of Sjöberg such that a first switch comprises a first and second contact tooth as this is a known embodiment of a switch. The selection would be a routine matter to the person of ordinary skill in the art to increase control.
In re claim 3, Sjöberg discloses a multi-level converter (see above rejections and Figs. 1, 6-7), wherein the second switch comprises a moving contact; the moving contact is electrically conductively connected to the ground potential ([0054]: If the voltage was below the discharge threshold Uth, step 64, movement is continued, step 69, through the voltage evaluating unit 50 controlling the motor 50 to continue moving and thereby the short-circuiting wire 30a is continued to be pulled).
In re claim 4, Sjöberg discloses a multi-level converter (see above rejections and Figs. 1, 6-7;9), wherein a contact module (30a) having a first connecting contact (44) and a second connecting contact (46) is provided; the first connecting contact has a first contact point and a second contact point; the second connecting contact has a first contact point and a second contact point (shown in Fig. 9 and further explained in [0061]: a short-circuiting wire 30a connected to the first and second connection terminals 44 and 46 of the capacitor C of a cell 48).
In re claim 5, Sjöberg discloses a multi-level converter (see above rejections and Figs. 1, 6-7; 9), wherein in the closed state of the first switch, the first contact tooth makes contact with the first contact point of the first connecting contact ([0053]: If the cell voltage Ucell is above the discharge threshold Uth, step 62, the voltage evaluating unit 50 halts the movement, step 64, through stopping the motor 54 and then ensures that the cell is discharged, step 68. This may be done through the voltage evaluating unit 50 controlling the switch 52 to interconnect the probing section 42 with the resistor R2.) and the second contact tooth makes contact with the first contact point of the second connecting contact and in the closed state of the second switch, the moving contact makes contact with the second contact point of the first connecting contact and second contact point of the second connecting contact ([0053]: After a while both the first and the second connection terminals 44 and 46 of the capacitor C will be electrically connected to the outer conductor 45 of the short-circuiting section SCS so that the capacitor C is short-circuited, step 70. This may be done through the voltage evaluating unit 50 controlling the motor 54 to pull the short-circuiting wire 30a).
In re claim 6, Sjöberg discloses a multi-level converter (see above rejections and Figs. 1, 6-7; 9), wherein a cell (48) is provided and the capacitor (C, Ucell) is part of the cell.
In re claim 7, Sjöberg discloses a multi-level converter (see above rejections and Figs. 1, 6-7; 9), wherein the cell (48) can have a plurality of capacitors.
In re claim 8, Sjöberg discloses a multi-level converter (see above rejections and Figs. 1, 6-7; 9), wherein each cell (48) is assigned in each case a first and a second connecting contact; each cell can be discharged in each case via two contact teeth and a resistor (R2); each cell can be grounded via a common moving contact ([0050]: As can be seen in FIG. 7, there are a number of cells to be passed by the short-circuiting wire 30a, which number may be n.).
In re claim 9, Sjöberg discloses a multi-level converter (see above rejections and Figs. 1, 6-7; 9).
A capacitor cell emitting a voltage of 2 kV is well known in the art.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the first system of Sjöberg such that a cell emitting a voltage of 2 kV. The selection would be a routine matter to the person of ordinary skill in the art to use high voltage.
In re claim 10, Sjöberg discloses a multi-level converter (see above rejections and Figs. 1, 6-7; 9).
A multi-level converter operates in a medium-voltage range of 20 kV is well known in the art.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the first system of Sjöberg such that the multi-level converter operates in a medium-voltage range of 20 kV. The selection would be a routine matter to the person of ordinary skill in the art to use high voltage.
Claim 12 recites substantially similar limitations as claim 1, and will therefore be rejected under the same rationale as claim 1.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sjöberg (US 2016/0056654 A1; “hereinafter “Sjöberg”) in view of Zaiser, Georg (EP 2887528 A1; hereinafter “Zaiser”).
In re claim 11, Sjöberg discloses a multi-level converter (see above rejections and Figs. 1, 6-7; 9) wherein cell.
Sjöberg does not discloses a multi-level converter, wherein each cell has at least one semiconductor switching element and one inductor.
Whereas, Zaiser does discloses a multi-level converter (Fig. 1), wherein each cell (16i) has at least one semiconductor switching element (S 11,12, 21; 26) and one inductor (Lr).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified each cell of Sjöberg such that each cell wherein each cell has at least one semiconductor switching element and one inductor as shown by Zaiser. The selection would be a routine matter to the person of ordinary skill in the art to increase control and performance, as taught by Zaiser, cited above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure:
Oedegard et al. US 20180061588 A1 COMBINED DISCHARGING AND GROUNDING DEVICE FOR A HIGH VOLTAGE POWER CONVERTER
Malipaard et al. US 10581341 B2 Current Converter Circuit
Sommer et al. US 10124660 B2 Work Machine Having An Electric Drive
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Nicolas A Chapa Mills whose telephone number is (571)272-3683. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9am-6pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Crystal L Hammond can be reached at (571) 270-1682. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NICOLAS ALDEN CHAPA MILLS/ Examiner, Art Unit 2838
/CRYSTAL L HAMMOND/ Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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