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 (IDS) submitted on 11/26/24 has been considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings received on 11/26/24 are acceptable.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Fu Chuang (WO 2015/184955A1).
Fu Chuang et al. disclose a voltage source type DC ice melting and static synchronous compensation device and method for controlling same in Figures 1-6.
Regarding claim 1. A grid-connectable multilevel converter configured for at least temporarily interfacing a three-phase power grid and/or for at least temporarily providing a direct current mode (Figure 1 showing, a according to the abstract, a “voltage source-type DC ice melting and static synchronous compensation device”), the multilevel converter comprising: at least a first modular energy storage string having a plurality of energy sources and at least one power converter module (SMx, x=1, 2, …N), the at least one power converter module comprising at least two switching elements (Figure 5); wherein the at least two switching elements are configured to selectively switch each of the plurality of energy sources to operate the at least first modular energy storage string in an alternating current mode, in which the at least first modular energy storage string is connectable to a first phase of the three-phase power grid (page 4, item 5; “Static synchronous compensation mode: the switches K1 and K4 are off, the switches K2 and K3 are closed; the isolation switch K and the circuit breaker QF are closed”): and wherein the at least two switching elements are configured to selectively switch each of the plurality of energy sources to operate the at least first modular energy storage string in the direct current mode (page 4, item 1; “In the one relative phase ice melting mode, the a2 phase conductor and the b2 phase conductor melt ice in series, the switches K1 and K4 are closed and the switches K2 and K3 are disconnected; the switches Sd1 and Sd3 are closed and the switches Sd2 and Sd4 are disconnected; Sa closed; isolation switch K and the circuit breaker QF closed”).
Regarding claim 12. A multilevel converter system (Figure 1), comprising: at least two multilevel converters , each of the at least two multilevel converters comprising: at least a first modular energy storage string having a plurality of energy sources and at least one power converter module (SMx, x=1, 2, …N) , the at least one power converter module comprising at least two switching elements; wherein the at least two switching elements are configured to selectively switch each of the plurality of energy sources to operate the at least first modular energy storage string in an alternating current mode, in which the at least first modular energy storage string is connectable to a first phase of a three-phase power grid (page 4, item 5; “Static synchronous compensation mode: the switches K1 and K4 are off, the switches K2 and K3 are closed; the isolation switch K and the circuit breaker QF are closed”) ; and wherein the at least two switching elements (Figure 5) are configured to selectively switch each of the plurality of energy sources to operate the at least first modular energy storage string in a direct current mode; wherein the at least two multilevel converters are connectable via at least one multilevel converter contactor (Figure 1 showing, a according to the abstract, a “voltage source-type DC ice melting and static synchronous compensation device”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-11 and 13-15 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.
Claim 2 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a grid-connectable multilevel converter including the limitation “wherein one or more of the following: the at least two switching elements are configured to selectively switch each of the plurality of energy sources at least temporarily in series positive and/or in series negative and/or in a positive bypass state and/or in a negative bypass state and/or in parallel to operate the at least first modular energy storage string in an alternating current mode; and the at least two switching elements are configured to selectively switch each of the plurality of energy sources at least temporarily in series positive and/or in series negative and/or in a positive bypass state and/or in a negative bypass state and/or in parallel to operate the at least first modular energy storage string in the direct current mode“ in addition to other limitations recited therein.
Claim 3 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a grid-connectable multilevel converter system including the limitation” further comprising: at least a second modular energy storage string and/or a third modular energy storage string, the second and/or the third modular energy storage string being equivalently configured to the at least first modular energy storage string, wherein, in the alternating current mode, the second modular energy storage string is connectable to a second phase of the three-phase power grid, and/or wherein, in the alternating current mode, the third modular energy storage string is connectable to a third phase of the three-phase power grid; wherein, in a direct current mode, the first and/or the second and/or the third modular energy storage string is configured for providing a charging function for a direct current charging operation and/or a power boosting function for a direct current charging operation, respectively” in addition to other limitations recited therein.
Dependent claims 4-11 are allowable by virtue of their dependency.
Claim 13 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a grid-connectable multilevel converter system including the limitation ”the electrical energy storage; a three-phase power grid; a front-end converter unit connectable to the three-phase power grid and configured for inverting an alternating current of the three-phase power grid to a direct current used for charging the electrical energy storage; and a direct current charging unit connectable to the front-end converter unit; and wherein the electrical energy storage being at least temporarily connectable to the direct current charging unit to perform a direct current charging operation” in addition to other limitations recited therein.
Dependent claims 14-15 are allowable by virtue of their dependency.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Helling et al. (US 11,196,264 B2) disclose a modular energy storage direct converter system.
Examiner has cited particular columns, line numbers and/or paragraphs in the
references applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although
the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to
specific limitations within the individual claim(s), other passages and figures may apply
as well.
Additionally, in the event that other prior art is provided and made of record by the
Examiner, as being relevant or pertinent to applicant's disclosure but not relied upon.
The references are provided for the convenience of the applicant.
The Examiner request that the references be considered in any subsequent amendments, as they are also representative of the art and may apply to the specific limitations of any newly amended claim(s).
It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing amendments or responses, to
fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the
claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art and/or
disclosed by the Examiner.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ADOLF D BERHANE whose telephone number is (571)272-2077. The examiner can normally be reached 7 AM - 10 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Crystal Hammond can be reached at 571-270-1682. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ADOLF D BERHANE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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