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 .
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.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gibbs et al. US publication no.: US 2017/0126164 A1. in view of Chretien et al. US publication no.: US 2017/0077859 A1.
Regarding claims 1, 9 and 16, Gibbs et al. teach, A controller for an electric motor, the controller comprising a processor configured to: supply line frequency power to the electric motor (electric motor 30, figure 2) through a main switching network (AC source 10, figure 2) ; determine to transition from supplying line frequency power to the electric motor to supplying variable frequency power to the electric motor (see 1220, figure 12 and paragraph 36) ;synchronize a time base for controlling an output of an inverter with a voltage signal of the line frequency power “In response, the transition controller 230 may command the VFD 210 to increase (e.g., double) the PWM frequency used by the inverter 215 (e.g., the frequency at which the transistors Q of an inverter such as the inverter 300 of FIG. 3 are modulated) and sync itself to the AC source 10 (block 1230)”; paragraph 36) ; open the main switching network to cease supplying line power to the electric motor (see block 1240, paragraph 36 and figure 12); and after a first time period starting from opening the main switching network, supply variable frequency power to the electric motor using the inverter (see “suitable delay”, paragraph 37), supplying variable frequency power to the electric motor (see paragraphs 36-37 and figures 12-13, where the VFD is disclosed).
Gibbs et al. teach a variable frequency drive for the electric motor as seen in figure 3 but is silent on teaching a motor that has two-phase variable frequency drive.
However, Chretien et al. is in the same field of art and teach: two-phase variable frequency drive supplied to the motor (see figure 1 and paragraphs 13-15, where a two-phase motor is disclosed receiving two-phase variable frequency drive).
In view of Chretien et al.’s teachings, it would’ve been obvious to one with the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, with the apparatus as Gibbs et al. to include; : two-phase variable frequency drive supplied to the motor, as it is merely substituting inverter output configuration for another known inverter output to obtain predictable results.
Regarding claims 2, 10 and 17, Chretien et al. teach, the controller of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to dynamically adjust a voltage ratio of the two-phase variable frequency power supplied to the electric motor using the inverter (see “adjusts the ratio of voltage command”, paragraph 82) .
Regarding claims 3 and 11, Chretien et al. teach, the controller of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to dynamically adjust the voltage ratio based on at least one of compressor characteristics, a learning algorithm, or an available bus voltage (see paragraph 82, where the algorithm and motor type is significant in the control performed).
Regarding claims 4, 12 and 18, Chretien et al. teach, the controller of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to, while supplying two-phase variable frequency power to the electric motor using the inverter, reduce a frequency of the two-phase variable frequency power to a target frequency (see block 1250, figure 12 and paragraphs 36-37).
Regarding claims 5, 13 and 19, Gibbs et al. teach, the controller of claim 4, wherein the frequency of the two-phase variable frequency power is reduced to the target frequency over a second time period at a predefined slew rate (see block 125; “delay 3s”, figure 12 and paragraphs 36-37).
Regarding claims 6, 14 and 20, Chretien et al. teach, the controller of claim 1, wherein the electric motor is a permanent split-capacitor (PSC) electric motor (motor 102, figure 1) including a main winding (main winding 106, figure 1) and a start winding (start winding 108, figure 1) , and wherein the processor is further configured to electrically couple a capacitor (capacitor 110, figure 1) between the main switching network and the start winding using a second switching network when supplying the line frequency power or the two-phase variable frequency power to the electric motor (see paragraphs 15-19).
Regarding claims 7 and 15, Gibbs et al. teach, The controller of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to compute the first time period based on at least one of a sensed current or an estimated current (see paragraph 27).
Regarding claim 8, Chretien et al. teach, The controller of claim 1, wherein the electric motor is a permanent magnet (PM) electric motor and line frequency power is only provided to one motor winding at a time (see figure 1 and paragraphs 13-23).
Conclusion
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/ZOHEB S IMTIAZ/ Primary Examiner , Art Unit 2837
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