DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is in response to the preliminary amendment filed on December 24, 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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Inventorship
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on December 24, 2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings were filed on December 24, 2024. These drawings are accepted by the Examiner.
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 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because it claims “computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out an operation [….]”, failing to claim a non-transitory computer readable medium or signals, therefore failing to comply with 35 U.S.C. 101 requirements.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 1-9 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by LETAS (U.S. Pub. No. 2019/0097520 A1, reference provided as part of the Information Disclosure Statement “IDS”).
In re claim 1, LETAS discloses (Figs. 1-2 and 4-5) a method for controlling at least first and second PWM inverters (Para. 0045-0047), the method comprises:
determining first and second periods of the first PWM inverter for operating the first PWM inverter with respective first and second switching patterns wherein the first and second switching patterns have different harmonic spectrums (Para. 0045-0047), and
operating the first PWM inverter with the first and second switching patterns applied successively during the respective first and second periods determining first and second periods of the second PWM inverter for operating the second PWM inverter with the respective first and second switching patterns (Para. 0045-0047), and
operating the second PWM inverter with the first and second switching patterns applied successively during the respective first and second periods of the second PWM inverter (Para. 0045-0047),
wherein the first period of the first PWM inverter and the first period of the second PWM inverter are started at different start times (Para. 0045-0047).
In re claim 2, LETAS discloses wherein the start times of the first periods of the first and second PWM inverters are predetermined or determined based on an externally generated trigger signal (Para. 0046).
In re claim 3, LETAS discloses wherein the start time of the first period of the second PWM inverter is delayed relative to the start time of the first period of the first PWM inverter by the time length of the first period of the first PWM inverter (Para. 0055).
In re claim 4, LETAS discloses wherein the different start times of the first periods of the first and second PWM inverters are determined from a random process (Para. 0045-0047).
In re claim 5, LETAS discloses (Fig. 5) wherein at least the first periods of the first and second PWM inverters have equal lengths (Para. 0045).
In re claim 6, LETAS discloses wherein in response to a predefined operational condition, such as a grid disturbance event, the method comprises shifting from operating the at least first PWM inverter with the first and second switching patterns, to operating the at least first PWM inverter solely with one of the first and second switching patterns (Para. 0045-0047).
In re claim 7, LETAS discloses wherein in response to another predefined operational condition, such as a grid recovery event, the method comprises: shifting from operating the at least first PWM inverter solely with one of the first and second switching patterns, back to operating the at least first PWM inverter with the first and second switching patterns (Para. 0045-0047).
In re claim 8, LETAS discloses (Fig. 4) wherein the first and second switching patterns are determined based on respective first and second switching frequencies, wherein the first and second switching frequencies are different (Para. 0043).
In re claim 9, LETAS discloses (Figs. 1-2 and 4-5) plurality of PWM controllers configured for controlling at least a first and a second PWM inverter, wherein the PWM controllers comprises a data processor arranged to perform an operation (Para. 0045-0047), comprising:
determining first and second periods of the first PWM inverter for operating the first PWM inverter with respective first and second switching patterns wherein the first and second switching patterns have different harmonic spectrums, and
operating the first PWM inverter with the first and second switching patterns applied successively during the respective first and second periods. (Para. 0045-0047)
determining first and second periods of the second PWM inverter for operating the second PWM inverter with the respective first and second switching patterns (Para. 0045-0047);
operating the second PWM inverter with the first and second switching patterns applied successively during the respective first and second periods of the second PWM inverter (Para. 0045-0047);
wherein the first period of the first PWM inverter and the first period of the second PWM inverter are started at different start times (Para. 0045-0047).
In re claim 13, LETAS discloses (Figs. 1-2 and 3-4) a computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out an operation for controlling at least a first and a second PWM inverter (Para. 0045-0047), comprising:
determining first and second periods of the first PWM inverter for operating the first PWM inverter with respective first and second switching patterns wherein the first and second switching patterns have different harmonic spectrums (Para. 0045-0047), and
operating the first PWM inverter with the first and second switching patterns applied successively during the respective first and second periods (Para. 0045-0047);
determining first and second periods of the second PWM inverter for operating the second PWM inverter with the respective first and second switching patterns (Para. 0045-0047);
operating the second PWM inverter with the first and second switching patterns applied successively during the respective first and second periods of the second PWM inverter (Para. 0045-0047);
wherein the first period of the first PWM inverter and the first period of the second PWM inverter are started at different start times (Para. 0045-0047).
In re claim 14, LETAS discloses a grid filter for smoothening the voltage output from the PWM inverter, wherein the grid filter is configured for operation at an operation frequency located between largest magnitude harmonics of the different harmonics of the different switching patterns (Para. 0045-0047).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RAFAEL O. DE LEÓN DOMENECH whose telephone number is (571)270-0517. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Hammond Crystal 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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/RAFAEL O DE LEON DOMENECH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
