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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This office action is a response to an application filed on 10/25/2024 in which claims 1-10, 16-23, 25 and 28 are pending and ready for examination.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 9 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN204392076U (hereinafter CN076).
As to claims 1 and 16, CN076 discloses a power inverter (see Fig 1), comprising:
a first leg (Fig 1, 1) configured to output a first alternating voltage having a first phase;
a second leg (Fig 1, 2) configured to output a second alternating voltage having a second phase different from the first phase; and
a third leg (Fig 1, 3) configured to output a third alternating voltage having a third phase different from the first phase and the second phase, wherein each of the first leg, the second leg, and the third leg comprises:
a first power metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) (Fig 1, T1) on a SiC substrate, and connected between a power terminal of direct current voltage and an output terminal configured to output a voltage of a corresponding phase among the first phase, the second phase and the third phase;
a second power MOSFET (Fig 1, T2) on the SiC substrate, and connected between the output terminal and a ground terminal; and
a redundancy circuit comprising a redundancy power transistor (Fig 1, T7, T8) configured to replace the first power MOSFET based on the first power MOSFET failing and replace the second power MOSFET based on the second power MOSFET failing (see Figs 1 & 2, parags [0026-0027]).
As to claim 9, CN076 discloses the power inverter of claim 1, wherein the redundancy circuit is configured to activate upon confirmation of failure while an inverter operates (see parags [0026-0027]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 2-3 and 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN204392076U (hereinafter CN076) in view of Azumo et al (hereinafter Azumo) (US 2014/0094027 A1).
As to claims 2 and 17, CN076 discloses the power inverter of claim 1, further comprising a first power module comprising the first leg (Fig 1, 1), a second power module comprising the second leg (Fig 1, 2), and a third power module comprising the third leg (Fig 1, 3).
CN076 does not disclose wherein each of the first power module, the second power module and the third power module is provided on the SiC substrate (implicit).
However, Azumo discloses each of the first power module, the second power module and the third power module is provided on the SiC substrate (see Fig 2, parag [0045]). It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the inverter of CN076 to include the teachings as taught by Azumo in order to achieve better performance for the inverter.
As to claims 3 and 18, the combination of CN076 and Azumo discloses the power inverter of claim 1, wherein the redundancy power transistor comprises a redundancy MOSFET on the SiC substrate (Azumo, see Fig 2, parag [0045]).
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN204392076U (hereinafter CN076) in view of Signhal et al (hereinafter Signhal) (US 2025/0096836 A1).
As to claim 10, CN076 discloses the power inverter of claim 1, wherein the redundancy circuit is configured to activate based on failure information of a failed power transistor (see parags [0026-0027]).
CN076 does not discloses a failed power transistor during a wafer testing operation.
However, Signhal discloses activating based on failure information of a failed transistor during wafer testing operation (see parag [0051]). It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the inverter of CN076 to include the teachings as taught by Signhal in order to save power for the system.
Claim(s) 21-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al (hereinafter Wu) (US 2024/0146227 A1) in view of CN204392076U (hereinafter CN076).
As to claim 21, Wu discloses an electronic control system for a vehicle (see Fig 1), the electronic control system comprising:
a battery (Fig 1, 114) configured to provide a direct current voltage;
a charging circuit (Fig 1, 124) configured to charge the battery using an external power source (Fig 1, 126); and
a motor driver (Fig 1, 104) configured to change the direct current voltage to a three-phase alternating voltage and to drive a motor using the three-phase alternating voltage, wherein the motor driver comprises at least one power inverter (Fig 2, 220), and wherein the at least one power inverter comprises:
at least one power transistor (Fig 1, 216).
Wu does not disclose at least one redundancy power transistor configured to replace a failed power transistor of the at least one power transistor based on the failed power transistor being identified.
However, CN076 discloses at least one redundancy power transistor configured to replace a failed power transistor of the at least one power transistor based on the failed power transistor being identified (see Figs 1 & 2, parags [0026-0027]). It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the system of Wu to include the teachings as taught by CN076 in order to effectively control the power provided to the system.
As to claim 22, the combination of Wu and CN076 discloses the electronic control system for a vehicle of claim 21, wherein each of the at least one power transistor and the at least one redundancy power transistor comprises a SiCmetal oxide silicon field effect transistor (MOSFET) (CN076, see Fig 1, switches of the inverter), a SiC super junction structure transistor, a SiC double trench structure transistor, or an insulated gate bipolar transistor (SiC IGBT).
Claim(s) 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al (hereinafter Wu) (US 2024/0146227 A1) in view of CN204392076U (hereinafter CN076) further in view of Stancu et al (hereinafter Stancu) (US 7,100,717 B2).
As to claim 23, the combination of Wu and CN076 does not disclose the electronic control system for a vehicle of claim 21, wherein the at least one power inverter comprises: a first inverter; and a second inverter.
However, Stancu discloses wherein the at least one power inverter comprises: a first inverter (Fig 1, 130); and a second inverter (Fig 1, 150). It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the system of Wu and CN076 to include the teachings as taught by Stancu in order to effectively control the power provided to the system.
Claim(s) 25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al (hereinafter Wu) (US 2024/0146227 A1) in view of CN204392076U (hereinafter CN076) further in view of Azumo et al (hereinafter Azumo) (US 2014/0094027 A1).
As to claim 25, the combination of Wu and CN076 discloses the electronic control system for a vehicle of claim 21, wherein the motor driver further comprises a gate driving circuit (CN076, see parags [0008], [0019]) configured to control the at least one power inverter.
The combination of Wu and CN076 does not disclose wherein the gate driving circuit and the at least one power inverter are implemented on a SiC substrate.
However, Azumo discloses wherein the gate driving circuit and the at least one power inverter are implemented on a SiC substrate (see Fig 2, parag [0045]). It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the inverter of CN076 to include the teachings as taught by Azumo in order to achieve better performance for the inverter.
Claim(s) 28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al (hereinafter Wu) (US 2024/0146227 A1) in view of CN204392076U (hereinafter CN076) further in view of Signhal et al (hereinafter Signhal) (US 2025/0096836 A1).
As to claim 28, the combination of Wu and CN076 discloses the electronic control system for a vehicle of claim 21, wherein the motor driver further comprises a gate driving circuit (CN076, see parags [0008], [0019]) configured to control whether to use the at least one redundancy power transistor.
The combination of Wu and CN076 does not disclose whether to use the at least one redundancy power transistor based on failure information of a wafer.
However, Signhal discloses whether to use the at least one redundancy power transistor based on failure information of a wafer (see parag [0051]). It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the inverter of Wu and CN076 to include the teachings as taught by Signhal in order to save power for the system.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-8, 19-20 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 9,214,833 B1.
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/DUC M PHAM/Examiner, Art Unit 2836 December 19, 2025
/DANIEL CAVALLARI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836