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 .
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- 20 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, 10, and 16 recite the limitation “switching network” which is interpreted as group of switches actuated somehow to produce different configuration claimed. It’s not clear what switches of the network are been partially or collectively actuated to create different circuit topologies claimed (decoupling the run capacitor for example). The limitation “actuating the switching network” recited in claims 1, 10 and 16 renders the claims indefinite, because the claims includes elements and functions not actually disclosed (those encompassed by the way the switching network is actuated), thereby rendering the claims confusing, vague, and indefinite.
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, 2, 8, 7, 11, 10, 16, 19 and are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chretien et al. (US 9806660 B1)
Re. claims 1, 10 and 16, Chretien teach a drive circuit/method/controller (Fig. 1) for an electric motor (120) including a first winding (106) and a second winding (108),
the controller comprising a processor (150) configured to:
supply two-phase variable frequency power to the electric motor using an inverter (150) with a run capacitor (110) electrically coupled to one phase (node 144 when switch 146 is closed) of the inverter (150) and to the second winding (at node 142) via a switching network (126,146) (Fig. 1 depicts main winding 106 is coupled across AC line power (118) inputs, lines 114 and 116, and start winding 104 is coupled in series with run capacitor 110, which together are coupled across 114 and 116 via a switching network 126);
actuate the switching network (126/146) to electrically decouple the run capacitor (110) from the second winding (Fig. 1, Capacitor 110 is been electrically decoupled from start winding 108 after actuating switch 146);
after actuating the switching network, supply three-phase variable frequency power to the electric motor (Fig. 1 depicts main winding is coupled between first phase at node 134 and second phase at node 138, and start winding is coupled between second phase at node 138 and third phase at node 144 via second switching network 146. This configuration enables inverter 120 to supply three-phase variable speed power to electric motor 102.)
Re. claims 2 and 11, Chretien disclose wherein the processor is further configured to determine to open the switching network in response to two-phase variable frequency power being a target frequency (see controller 150 in operation, column 4, lines 12- 67).
Re. claims 7 and 19, Chretien disclose wherein a first phase of the inverter is electrically coupled to the first winding and to the run capacitor, wherein a second phase of the inverter is electrically coupled to the first winding and to the second winding, and wherein the processor is further configured to supply the two-phase variable frequency power through the first phase and the second phase (Fig. 1, when switch 126 is actuated).
Re. claims 8 and 20, Chretien disclose wherein actuate the switching network to electrically couple the third phase to the second winding; and supply the three-phase variable frequency power via the first phase, the second phase, and the third phase (Fig. 1, when switch 126 is disactivated and switch 146 is closed on node 144).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102/103
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.
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 3, 9 and 12 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 Chretien et al. (US 9806660 B1).
Re. claims 3 and 12, Chretien disclose controller 150 determines whether to open or close first switch device 126 based on a frequency commanded by PSC motor 102. Controller 150 is configured to receive a frequency commanded for PSC motor 102 and compare within the predefined range of frequencies in order to supply the three-phase variable frequency power for decoupling the run capacitor from the second winding. However, Chretien is silence with regard to the actuation is ordered by the controller after a preset time window starting from electrically. 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 Chretien to wait for preset time to actuate the switch because receiving the frequency command, monitoring the change in the actual frequency to settle within predetermine range according to “a ramp rate” requires a time window which the engineers need to take into account when programing the controller.
Re. claim 9, Chretien disclose wherein first switch device 126 is a two-pole contactor operated by controller 150. Hence, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art to devote switch 26 only for the program set by the controller and independent of the power current exceeding the rate current.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4- 6, 13-15 and 17- 18 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
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/SAID BOUZIANE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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