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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 02/05/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments, see page 8, filed 02/05/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1, 2, 9, 10 11 and 17 under 35 USC § 102 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Welchko in the same field teaches that the two windings of Su can be electrically isolated and therefore the second set of windings is electrically isolated from the power inverter module as amended by applicant.
All other remarks are considered yet not found persuasive.
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, 2, 9, 10 11 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Su (US 2014/0097792) in view of Welchko (US 8269434).
Regarding claim 1, Su teaches a power transfer system (see Fig. 4), comprising:
a traction battery pack (see 102 Fig. 4);
a power inverter module configured to receive a high-voltage direct current from the traction battery pack and convert the high-voltage direct current into an alternating current that is configured to be received by an alternating current bus (see 302, Fig. 4);
a rotary electric machine in electrical communication with the alternating current bus, wherein the rotary electric machine is a segmented winding machine and includes a first set of windings in electrical communication with the alternating current bus a second set of winding in electrical communication with an output alternating current bus (see a single electric drive assembly (e.g., in a motor/generator configuration) that includes two sets of three-phase stator windings para 0028-0030, Fig. 4), a power outlet in electrical communication with the second set of windings through the output alternating current bus (see Fig. 4); and a controller in electrical communication with the power inverter module, wherein the controller is configured to: selectively direct the power inverter module to direct the alternating current through the alternating current bus to the rotary electric machine to generate a desired output power at the power outlet (see para 0021 Fig. 4).
However, Su does not disclose the second set of windings is electrically isolated from the power inverter module.
Yet, Welchko in the same field of automotive drive system and methods for making the same teach the second set of windings is electrically isolated from the power inverter module (see line 35-50, Col 4).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Su with the teachings of Welchko having the second set of windings is electrically isolated from the power inverter module, by electrically separating (isolating) the windings in order to prevent disturbances to damage equipment and other sensitive devises and limiting these disturbances to devices that can tolerate these disturbances.
Regarding claim 2, the combination teaches the power transfer system the rotary electric machine includes a three-phase rotary electric machine, and the first set of windings are electrically isolated from the output alternating current bus (see line 35-50, Col 4).
Yet the combination does not disclose the first set of windings are low-turn windings and the second set of windings are high-turn windings,
However, Mandel in the same filed teaches that it known in the field to select the number of windings as desired (see para 0062 and 0073).
Therefore, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination in order to have the first set of windings are low-turn windings and the second set of windings are high-turn windings, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or working range involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. In this case, Mandel teaches that the number of turns for each layer is completely variable depending on the intended use of the device. Therefore, optimizing the winding turns such that the first set of windings are low-turn windings and the second set of windings are high-turn windings would have been obvious over Mandel
Regarding claim 9, the combination teaches wherein the desired output power includes a single phase alternating current (see 120V or 240V at 106; Fig. 4) and the second set of windings includes two sets of windings (see motor of Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 10, the combination in view of Mandel disclose wherein the second set of windings include between 8 and 10 times as many turns as the first set of windings (Please see the rejection of claim 2 and 18 above).
Regarding claim 11, Su teaches a method of performing power transfer, the method comprising: directing a power inverter module to convert direct current from a traction battery pack from a direct current bus into a three-phase alternating current received by an alternating current bus (see para 0021 Fig. 4); directing the three-phase alternating current into a rotary electric machine, wherein the rotary electric machine is a segmented winding machine and includes a first set of windings in electrical communication with the alternating current bus a second set of winding in electrical communication with an output alternating current bus (see a single electric drive assembly (e.g., in a motor/generator configuration) that includes two sets of three-phase stator windings para 0028-0030, Fig. 4) and directing an alternating current generated in the second set of windings through the output alternating current bus to a power outlet (see 106, Fig. 4).
However, Su does not disclose the second set of windings is electrically isolated from the power inverter module.
Yet, Welchko in the same field of automotive drive system and methods for making the same teach the second set of windings is electrically isolated from the power inverter module (see line 35-50, Col 4).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Su with the teachings of Welchko having the second set of windings is electrically isolated from the power inverter module, by electrically separating (isolating) the windings in order to prevent disturbances to damage equipment and other sensitive devises and limiting these disturbances to devices that can tolerate these disturbances.
Regarding claim 17, Su teaches a vehicle (see para 0012) comprising:
a vehicle body supported by a plurality of wheels (see hybrid electric vehicle);
a traction battery pack fixed relative to the vehicle body (see 102, Fig. 4);
a power inverter module configured to receive a high-voltage direct current from the traction battery pack and convert the high-voltage direct current into an alternating current that is configured to be received by an alternating current bus (see 302, Fig. 4);
a rotary electric machine in electrical communication with the alternating current bus and configured to drive the plurality of wheels through a drivetrain (see motor, Fig. 4), wherein the rotary electric machine is a segmented winding machine and includes a first set of windings in electrical communication with the alternating current bus a second set of winding in electrical communication with an output alternating current bus (see a single electric drive assembly (e.g., in a motor/generator configuration) that includes two sets of three-phase stator windings para 0028-0030, Fig. 4) a power outlet in electrical communication with the second set of windings through the output alternating current bus (see 106, Fig. 4); and a controller in electrical communication with the power inverter module, wherein the controller is configured to: selectively direct the power inverter module to direct the alternating current through the alternating current bus to the rotary electric machine to generate a desired output power at the power outlet (see para 0021 Fig. 4).
However, Su does not disclose the second set of windings is electrically isolated from the power inverter module.
Yet, Welchko in the same field of automotive drive system and methods for making the same teach the second set of windings is electrically isolated from the power inverter module (see line 35-50, Col 4).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Su with the teachings of Welchko having the second set of windings is electrically isolated from the power inverter module, by electrically separating (isolating) the windings in order to prevent disturbances to damage equipment and other sensitive devises and limiting these disturbances to devices that can tolerate these disturbances.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 12 and 18 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 an any intervening claims.
Claims 4-8, 13-16, 19 and 20 are dependent of claims 3, 12 and 18 respectively and allowable.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/ELIM ORTIZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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