DETAILED ACTION
1. This action is in response to the application filed on 6/8/26.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
2. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
3. Applicant’s election without traverse of Species 3 (claims 1, 5-6, and 8-15) in the reply filed on 6/8/26 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. 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.
5. Claims 1 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rainer et al. (US 20200220468) in view of Rizzolatti et al. (US 20210288576).
Regarding claim 1: Rainer et al. disclose a power converter (i.e. figure 2), comprising:
a first bridge arm (i.e. arm Q1-2) including a first switch (i.e. Q1) and a second switch (i.e. Q2) connected in series to define a first connection point (i.e. point between Q1, Q2);
a second bridge arm (i.e. arm Q5-6) including a third switch (i.e. Q5) and a fourth switch (i.e. Q6) connected in series to define a second connection point (i.e. point between Q1, Q6);
a first C resonant cavity (i.e. Cres1) connected between the first connection point (i.e. point between Q1, Q2) and the second connection point (i.e. point between Q1, Q6);
a first rectifier (i.e. Q8) and a second rectifier (i.e. Q7) including switches; and
a coupling inductance (i.e. 162-1, 162-2) connected the first rectifier (i.e. Q8) and the second rectifier (i.e. Q7) respectively;
wherein a center tap (i.e. center tap of N2) of the coupling inductance (i.e. 162-1, 162-2) is connected to a load (i.e. Ro).
but does not specifically disclose a first LC resonant cavity; a coupling inductance connected to the second switch, the third switch.
Rizzolatti et al. disclose a power converter (i.e. figure 3) comprising a first LC resonant cavity (i.e. Cres1, 161-2); a coupling inductance (i.e. 162-1, 162-2) connected to the second switch (i.e. Q2), the third switch (i.e. Q5).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date to modify the circuit of Rainer et al.’s invention with the power supply as disclose by Rizzolatti et al. for providing improved performance of power conversion via a switched-capacitor converter and efficient generation of a corresponding output voltage.
Regarding claim 8: Rainer et al. discloses (i.e. figures 2-3) wherein a first group of switches includes the first switch (i.e. Q1), the third switch (i.e. Q5) and the second rectifier (i.e. Q7);
a second group of switches includes the second switch (i.e. Q2), the fourth switch (i.e. Q6) and the first rectifier (i.e. Q8);
the first group of switches are controlled to be turned on or off synchronously (i.e. figure 3: see signals of Q1, Q5, Q7);
the second group of switches are controlled to be turned on or off synchronously (i.e. figure 3: see signals of Q2, Q6, Q8); and
the first group of switches (i.e. figure 3: see signals of Q2, Q6, Q8) and the second group of switches (i.e. figure 3: see signals of Q2, Q6, Q8) are controlled to have an identical turn-on duty cycle (i.e. figure 3: on duty cycle).
Allowable Subject Matter
6. Claims 5-6 and 9-15 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.
Conclusion
7. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NGUYEN TRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-1269. The examiner can normally be reached Flex: M-F 8-7.
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/Nguyen Tran/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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