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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement filed on 2/07/2025 and 10/21/2025 has been considered. An initialed copy of form 1449 is enclosed herewith.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because:
they fail to show the number “220” to refer to the motor inverter as described in the specification ¶. [0061].
The reference numbers on the drawing are blurry.
Figure 1 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated.
Fig. 5 is objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they fail to show a motor neutral line as low potential ground. The claimed a motor neutral lines is shown with connection of fourth phase (see Fig. 5.)
The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “heating power module” must be shown or the feature canceled from the claim. No new matter should be entered. Any structural detail that is essential for a proper understanding of the disclosed invention should be shown in the drawing. MPEP § 608.02(d).
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). 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- 16 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
The claims are generally narrative and indefinite, failing to conform with current U.S. practice. They appear to be a literal translation into English from a foreign document and are replete with grammatical and idiomatic errors.
Claim 1 for instant should read as follow:
A motor control device, [[
a motor inverter [[
a heating power module [[
a motor neutral interface,
a motor multiphase interface, and
a battery-powered positive/negative interface [[
an output end of each inverter power module of the motor inverter is respectively connected to the motor multiphase interface through an output terminal;
an output end of the heating power module is connected to the motor neutral interface through a heating output terminal;
a positive input end of the heating power module is connected to the battery-powered positive interface through a high-voltage positive terminal; and
a negative input end of the heating power module is connected to the battery-powered negative interface through a high-voltage negative terminal.
Furthermore, Claim 1 recites the limitation "an output end of each inverter power module". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 1 recites the limitation “a motor neutral interface.” However, the specification does not provide details on how the motor neutral lines is obtained. Fig. 5 shows a connection of fourth phase as motor neutral line.
Claim 3 recite the limitation “same specification.” renders the claims indefinite, because the claims includes elements and functions not actually disclosed (those encompassed by specification), thereby rendering the claims confusing, vague, and indefinite.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102/103
6. 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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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 nonobviousness.
Claims 1- 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Meyer et al. (US 20030151893 A1).
Re. claim 1, Meyer discloses a motor control device (Figs 8 -14), characterized by comprising a case (housing 94) in which a motor inverter (14) are housed, a motor neutral interface (ground connection is provided within the housing), a motor multiphase interface (20 within power interface 100) and a battery-powered positive/negative interface (18 withing power interface 100) being provided on a housing of the case (“a power interface, designated generally by reference numeral 100 in FIG. 8, is provided for transmitting power to and from the circuit assembly 92. As described below, various configurations can be provided and are presently envisaged for interfacing the module 10 with external circuitry” ¶. [0059]); wherein
an output end of each inverter power module of the motor inverter (inverter 82 in Fig. 7A) is respectively connected to the motor multiphase interface through an output terminal (20);
Meyer does not show heating power module; however, in the embodiment depicted by Figs. 38A- B, it shows heating power module (heat pipes illustrated in FIG. 38A and designated by the reference numeral 344). Hence, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention of Meyer to implement heat pipes 344 to create thermal loop in order to provide heating to components in cold environment.
an output end of the heating power module is connected to the motor neutral interface through a heating output terminal (ground connection is provided within the housing for all circuit components);
a positive input end of the heating power module is connected to the battery-powered positive interface through a high-voltage positive terminal (Fig. 28 A-D); and
a negative input end of the heating power module is connected to the battery-powered negative interface through a high-voltage negative terminal (Fig. 28 A-D).
Re. claims 2 and 3, Meyer discloses the heating power module is arranged side by side with each inverter power module in the motor inverter (see 344 and 36 in Fig. 38A).
Re. claim 4, see interface 100 in Fig. 8.
Re. claims 5 and 10, see current sensors 112 in Fig. 8.
Re. claims 6 and 15- 16, the control and driver circuitry 16 in Figs. 7A-B and 8.
Re. claim 7, see low-voltage interface 98 provided on the housing of the case 10 in Fig. 8.
Re. claim 8, see the side where the interface 100 is located in Fig. 8.
Re. claim 9, Figs. 29A and 29B are diagrammatical representations of alternative terminal and plug configurations for EMI shielding
Re. claim 11, see cooling module 102 is also provided in the case 10 in fig. 8.
Re. claims 12- 14, see Fig. 8.
Conclusion
7. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAID BOUZIANE whose telephone number is (571)272-7592. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 6:00-15:00.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eduardo Colon-Santana can be reached at Colon-Santana. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SAID BOUZIANE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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