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 5/20/2025 10/16/2024 has been considered. An initialed copy of form 1449 is enclosed herewith.
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- 8 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.
Claims 1 and 8 recite “a first period” and “a second period” were associated with the phase change. It’s not clear whether the term “period” is related the control cycle as frequency or it just an undefined segment of time. The limitations “a first period” and “a second period” recited in claims 1 and 8 render the claims indefinite, because the claims includes elements and functions not actually disclosed (those encompassed by “a first period” and “a second period), thereby rendering the claims confusing, vague, and indefinite.
Dependent claims 2- 7 are rejected by virtue of its dependency on claim 1, thereby containing all the limitations of the claim on which they depend.
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 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Park et al. (US 5892339 A).
Re. claim 1 and 8, Park discloses a motor drive Method/controller for driving a brushless direct current (DC) motor (see motor 48 in Fig. 4), comprising:
a motor drive circuit configured to drive the brushless DC motor (see Commutator 46 in Figs. 4 and 10);
a magnetic sensor (see Hall sensor 40 in Fig. 4) configured to detect a magnetic field generated by rotation of the Brushless DC motor and output the magnetic field as each of magnetic signals (see signal HS’+ and HS”- in Fig. 13); and
a bias adjustment circuit (circuit 52 in Fig. 5) configured to adjust and output a bias voltage used in magnetic field detection that is performed by the magnetic sensor (“Hall bias voltage” column 4, lines 57- 67) wherein
the bias adjustment circuit is configured to adjust the bias voltage to a second voltage value lower than a first voltage value (see voltage levels), that allows the magnetic sensor to detect the magnetic field, during a first period after a phase change of the magnetic signals (see Fig. 9 and column 7, lines 58- 64; and Main Clock signal MCLK in Fig. 14, column 9, lines 24-33), and
adjust the bias voltage to the first voltage value during a second period from an end of the first period until a subsequent phase change of the magnetic signals (see Fig. 9, column 7, lines 58- 64, and Main Clock signal MCLK in Fig. 14, column 9, lines 24-33.)
Re. claim 2, Park discloses a signal generation circuit (Switching Signal Generator 50 in Fig. 5) configured to output a position detection (signal signals x1…z2) whose phase changes in response to the phase change of the magnetic signals generated by the magnetic sensor (Fig. 9), wherein the bias adjustment circuit includes a first timer configured to measure a half-period length of the position detection signal (see fig. 14), and a second timer configured to measure a first period in a current half-period, based on a product of a half-period length of an immediately preceding measured half-period and a predetermined value that is less than 1 (Fig. 14).
Re. claim 3, Park discloses wherein the bias adjustment circuit includes a control signal generator configured to output, in a controlled state, a control signal to control the bias voltage during the first period in the current half-period measured by the second timer, in response to a phase change of the positional detection signal, and a bias output circuit configured to output the bias voltage as the second voltage value while outputting the control signal in the controlled state (see Figs. 7 and 8A- B).
Re. claim 4, Park Figs. 7 and 8A discloses wherein the bias output circuit includes an input terminal (x1, x2), a constant current source (I1), two resistors (R1, R2), and an input switch coupled between the two resistors (S1), wherein upon occurrence of a condition in which the control signal is not in the controlled state, the input switch is configured to be turned off such that the bias voltage is generated by multiplying a current generated by the constant current source by a resistance value that is obtained using the two resistors, and wherein upon occurrence of a condition in which the control signal is in the controlled state, the input switch is configured to be turned on, and the bias voltage is generated by multiplying the current generated by the constant current source by a resistance value of one of the two resistors (columns 6 and 7).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5- 7 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.
Conclusion
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.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/SAID BOUZIANE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
Prosecution Insights