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
Figure 1 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 Objections
Claim 10 is objected to because of the following informalities: “A drive train … according to claim 1, and comprises” should instead be “according to claim 1, comprising”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim 8 is 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.
Regarding claim 8, the word "preferably" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because “a computer readable storage medium” under its broadest reasonable interpretation includes transient forms of medium, thus includes non-statutory subject matter. See MPEP 2106.03.
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.
Claims 1, 4, 10, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Continental (DE 102018207290 A1, of record and cited again with an attached machine translation).
Claim 1: Continental discloses a charging device (Fig.1A) for a vehicle (pg.2, second paragraph),
wherein the charging device (Fig.1A) has an input-side input terminal unit (L1-L3) for connecting a single-phase or three-phase alternating voltage (for connecting a three-phase AC2), a PFC stage (S1-S4, G1-G4) for providing a direct voltage (+, -) to an intermediate terminal (+, -), and a bipolar alternating voltage terminal (T1,P2) for providing an alternating voltage (ACV1; the examiner notes that the language of the claim only requires “a terminal … for providing an alternating voltage”, which includes the AC1 terminal of Continental, and the claim language does not specifically require that the bipolar alternating voltage terminal is an output terminal of the charger),
wherein the PFC stage (S1-S4, G1-G4) comprises a first (G3), a second (G2), and a third (G1) half- bridge (see Fig.1B, where each of G1-G4 includes at least one half-bridge),
wherein the first, second and third half-bridges (G3-G1) each comprise a series connection with a high side switch (top switch in the half-bridge shown in Fig.1B) and a low side switch (bottom switch in the half-bridge shown in Fig.1B),
wherein a center tap between the high side switch and the low side switch of a half-bridge is configured be connected via a first, second and third throttle (each half bridge is connected to an inductor L at the center tap; see Fig.1B) in each case to a first, second and third input terminal (to ACV2) of the input terminal unit (L1-L3) via a first, second and third connecting line (between G1-G4 and L1-L3) in each case,
wherein the half-bridges (G1-G4) are connected in parallel (each connected to + and -; see Fig.1A) and their ends are connected to the intermediate terminal (+, -), wherein the high side switches are connected to a positive intermediate terminal (+; see Figs.1A and 1B) and the low side switches are connected to a negative intermediate terminal (-; see Figs.1A and 1B),
wherein the charging device comprises a fourth half-bridge (G4, which includes at least one half bridge shown in Fig.1B) connected in parallel to the first, second and third half-bridges (see Fig.1A) with a high side switch (top switch in the half bridge) and a low side switch (bottom switch in the half bridge), wherein a center tap between the high side switch and the low side switch of the fourth half-bridge is switchably connected via a sixth switch element (S4, in switch position K2) to a second alternating voltage terminal (negative terminal) of the bipolar alternating voltage terminal (see Fig.1A), and wherein a fourth switching element (S1) is provided, which is configured to establish a connection via the third throttle (L at the center tap) between the third half-bridge (G1) and a first alternating voltage terminal (T1, when S1 is in switch position K2, K3, or K4) of the bipolar alternating voltage terminal (T1, P2) or a connection via the third throttle between the third half-bridge and the third connecting line to the third input terminal (e.g. L1, which may be considered the “third connecting line”, when S1 is in position K2, K3, or K4).
Claim 4: Continental discloses wherein a first switching element (top switch of G3) is provided and is configured to allow or interrupt a current flow between the first input terminal (L3) and the first connecting line (input to L of the half bridge in Fig.1B).
Claims 10 and 11: Continental discloses a vehicle (pg.11, 7th paragraph) having a drive train of a vehicle (see pg.11,7th-8th paragraphs) comprising a traction battery (pg.11, 8th paragraph), an inverter (pg.10, last paragraph), and/or an electric machine (inherent in a plug-in electric vehicle with a traction battery).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3, 5-7, 9, and 12 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.
Claim 8 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.
Claim 14 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 101, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
With regard to claim 2, Continental does not disclose the “series circuit of a first and a second diode in parallel to the half-bridges” and “a first and a second capacitor connected in parallel wot the half-bridges”. While DE 1020182188801 does disclose series diodes and capacitors in parallel with half bridges, one of ordinary skill in the art would have no clear reason to modify the design of continental to includes those series diodes and capacitors due to different overall designs. Further, the prior art does not disclose “wherein a fifth switching element (S5) is provided, which is configured to connect the second throttle (204) connected to the second half-bridge (220) on the one hand either to the neutral conductor (140) or to the second connecting line (120) to the second input terminal (L2)”;
With regard to claim 7, the bipolar alternating terminal of Continental is an input rather than an output terminal of the charger device. Therefore, the prior art does not disclose within the overall context of the claims “wherein a direct voltage provided at the positive intermediate terminal (310) and at the negative intermediate terminal (320) is at least partially provided as alternating voltage at the first alternating voltage terminal (410) and the second alternating voltage terminal (420) in order to provide electrical energy at the bipolar alternating voltage terminal (400)”; and
Finally, with regard to claims 12 and 14, the prior art does not disclose “controlling (810) the fourth and the sixth switching elements (S4) and (S6) as well as the high- side and low-side switches of the third and fourth half-bridges (210, 220, 230, 240) for providing electrical energy to the bipolar alternating voltage terminal (400)” for the same reason discussed above with regard to claim 7.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kitazawa (US 2023/0336087) discloses similar charger circuit that provide an AC output, but does not disclose any of the recited switches or fourth half-bridge circuit (see Figs.1-3).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Ryan Johnson whose telephone number is (571)270-1264. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
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/RYAN JOHNSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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